BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Four students at the University of California-Berkeley were arrested Friday during a building takeover to protest a tuition hike, a school official said. The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune reported the arrests came after nearly 50 students barricaded themselves in a second-floor classroom in Wheeler Hall. The 6 a.m. protest came the day after University of California regents agreed to increase students' tuition by 32 percent, the San Francisco Chronicle reporte... Read Full Story

NEW YORK, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices dipped below $77 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as declines in equity markets hinted at slow demand. Light, sweet crude dropped 56 cents overnight and finished the day at $76.90 per barrel. Heating oil lost 0.0149 cents to $1.9815 per gallon. Reformulated gasoline prices added 0.0136 cents to $1.9831 per gallon. Natural gas prices rose 0.09 cents to $4.432 per million British thermal units. At the retail level, gasoline prices rose... Read Full Story

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army's body armor will undergo independent assessment, based on a government recommendation for such a review, Army Secretary John McHugh said. The National Research Council will perform the independent assessment as recommended by the Government Accountability Office as a way to address potential concern about current testing methods, McHugh said Friday in a release. McHugh said. The NRC assessment is to ensure that the Army maintains the highest sta... Read Full Story

NEW YORK (AFP) -- The world's largest airliner, an Air France A380, touched down in New York on Friday after completing the superjumbo jet's first Atlantic crossing from Europe to the United States.The Airbus plane, carrying 538 passengers, left Paris earlier in the day and landed at 1:07 pm (1807 GMT) at J.F. Kennedy Airport, several minutes ahead of schedule, under crisp blue skies.Two fire engines met the plane with a watery salute from their hosepipes as it taxied to its gate.Air France ... Read Full Story

ROSELLE, Ill., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman whose car was stolen and totaled by an escaped suspect says she is facing thousands of dollars of debt from the incident. Domenica Saverino, 32, of Roselle, Ill., said she still owes $10,600 on the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta stolen Sept. 18 by Robert Maday, a bank robbery suspect who escaped from authorities as he was being taken to court Sept. 17. The carjacked vehicle was totaled at the end of a police chase, the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily... Read Full Story

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- All 72 immigration fraud charges have been dropped against the former manager of the Agriprocessors meat plant in Postville, Iowa, federal prosecutors say. The decision to spare Sholom Rubashkin a second criminal trial comes as the former manager awaits sentencing for his conviction on 86 business fraud charges stemming from a 2008 immigration raid, the Des Moines Register reported Friday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Deegan Jr. said in court papers file... Read Full Story

LONDON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Record rain and flooding in northwest England killed a police officer Friday when a bridge collapsed beneath him as he directed drivers away from it. Bill Barker's body was found hours later about 10 miles from the Northside Bridge in Workington, The Independent reported. Barker, who had been with the Cumbria police for 25 years, would have celebrated his 45th birthday Saturday. Meteorologists said the Lake District, an area of mountains, hills and fast-flowing rive... Read Full Story

LONDON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- British and Norwegian researchers said depression is as big of a mortality risk factor as smoking. However, the study found, unlike depression alone, a combination of depression and anxiety lowers mortality. Dr. Robert Stewart of Kings College London said in a statement. Possible reasons may that be those with anxiety may be more willing to ask for help and doctors may be more likely to investigate further to calm anxieties, the researchers said. The researchers ... Read Full Story

ROME, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- British exchange student Meredith Kercher was killed by her roommate Amanda Knox in Perugia, Italy, in an act of revenge, prosecutors alleged Friday. The Italian news agency ANSA said the prosecution accused Knox, a 22-year-old student from the United States, of killing Kercher, 21, in response to arguments about money and friends. Lead prosecutor Giuliano Mignini alleged Friday Knox was helped in her attempt at revenge by her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollec... Read Full Story

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Gorilla Inc. EXO-Tech safety harnesses due to a fall hazard. The harnesses, used as a restraining devise by hunters, includes webbing on the waist belt that is not property routed through the harness, allowing for the stitching to tear, which would create a fall hazard for the user. About 90 harnesses were imported from the Philippines by Gorilla Inc. of Flushing, Mich., and sold through... Read Full Story