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L.A. activists set to defy eviction LOS ANGELES - Despite a fast-approaching deadline set by the mayor and police chief, very few of the anti-Wall Street protesters from Occupy Los Angeles had begun breaking down their tents Saturday on the City Hall lawn - and most said they didn't intend to. The Occupy LA encampment was abuzz with activity, but nearly all of it was aimed at how to deal with authorities come Monday's 12:01 a.m. deadline....

Run out of the country by terrorism concerns, an Arabic owner of port operations in six U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, said yesterday that it would sell out to a U.S. insurance company at a "fair price. " The sale at an undisclosed price, forced by bipartisan political pressure earlier this year, was to AIG Global Investment Group, a unit of the New York-based insurance giant American International Group Inc. The sale was a victory for critics of the Bush administration's actions over DP World, the current port operator, which is based in Dubai and wholly owned by the United Arab Emirates government.

A referee at the Asian Cup has been dismissed from the soccer tournament after being accused of favoring the United Arab Emirates, the host nation, in a game against Kuwait. The Asian Football Confederation at first denied that referee Massambe Charles, of Uganda, was being ousted for failing to eject a United Arab Emirates player. Confederation chief Peter Velappan said Charles was being withheld from the 12-nation tournament because of a leg injury and denied the referee was being punished for his conduct during Saturday's game.

President Bush did not know about the deal to allow a state-owned United Arab Emirates company to manage terminals at six major U.S. ports until after his administration had approved it, White House officials said yesterday. The White House also acknowledged it erred in not briefing Congress about the pending transaction with Dubai Ports World, which has ignited a bipartisan firestorm on Capitol Hill and among governors of affected states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

NOW THE debate will end. We're about to learn once and for all whether the United Arab Emirates is really a friend and ally of our president. If so, its leaders will voluntarily rescind their agreement to purchase an interest in the company running seaports in Philadelphia and in five other U.S. cities. That's the easiest and most face-saving solution for a president who has talked himself out on a ledge and proven himself as out of touch with the American people as his father, who didn't know the cost of a gallon of milk.

MUSIC PRODUCER Dallas Austin (TLC, Michael Jackson, Madonna, the movie "Drumline") may have done a very dumb thing. He's had a lot of time to think about it, too, since he's been jailed in Dubai since May 19, the day he was arrested at the airport for drug possession. Dallas, didn't you see "Midnight Express"? "Brokedown Palace"? There are no doobies in Dubai. According to billboard.com and other published reports, Austin was in the Middle East country to celebrate Naomi Campbell's birthday.

Paul Riley almost missed the banquet that was held in his honor Wednesday night. The head coach of the Independence women's soccer team, Riley and his players were the guests of Yosef Al Otaiba, ambassador to the United States from the United Arab Emirates, at the UAE embassy in Washington. But with the U.S. women's national team playing France that afternoon for a berth in Sunday's World Cup championship game, Riley was glued in front of his TV back in Malvern. "I was hoping there was no overtime," Riley said.

Leaders of six Arab nations ended a four-day summit today denouncing Iran for aggressive acts against Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and for attacks on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf. The nations attending the Gulf Cooperation Council conference also called on the U.N. Security Council to enforce its July demand for a cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq war. The Security Council has said it is prepared to discuss an arms embargo against Iran. Conference sources said the alliance discussed the formation of a joint arms industry and a common strategy for defending their coastlines, offshore oil installations and tankers against Iranian attacks.

"Blog" is short for "Web log," a diary on the Internet. Blogs can be endless and self-indulgent, or thoughtful and challenging. "Blog Cabin" offers a selection from recent high-profile blogs. Ports controversy Why It Matters Who's Watching Our Ports http://www.republicoft.com A lot has been said about the matter of handing a United Arab Emirates firm control of six U.S. ports. ... Last week, I got a bit of perspective on it from someone who spent years working in the auto industry.

Neighbors of suspected hijacker Marwan Al-Shehhi knew him as a quiet, soft-spoken engineering student who lived in this dusty town's largest home. "I don't believe this," said Abdul Salam, 32, who lives across the street from Al-Shehhi's relatives. "I'm sure he's not done anything like this. " It is possible that the Marwan Al-Shehhi he knows was not involved in the hijacking of U.S. airliners that smashed into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon outside Washington and crashed in Western Pennsylvania.