Xiamen police did not provide further details in making the announcement online.

The fire ripped through the bus during the Friday evening commute while it traveled on an enclosed and elevated road in the city. A local fire official said emergency responders found bodies piled inside the charred, skeletal bus. The official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday that in addition to the 47 dead, 34 people remained hospitalized.

Investigators said early Saturday that the fire appeared to be intentionally set, and not an accident, Xinhua reported. Among the clues, Xinhua said, was that investigators found traces of gasoline on the wreckage, though the bus ran on diesel fuel and its oil tank and tires remained intact.

"It's a serious criminal case," the Ministry of Public Security, the national police agency, said in a statement on its website. Xiamen police declined further comment.

China has seen bombings and arson of buses and public buildings in recent years, sometimes by people trying to settle personal scores and also by people with overtly political grievances. In 2009, an unemployed man set fire to a packed bus in the central city of Chengdu, killing himself and 26 others.

Xiamen, a prosperous trading port known for centuries in the West as Amoy, was rattled by Friday's fire. The city immediately suspended service of the entire express bus system, known as Bus Rapid Transit, but operations resumed Saturday morning.

Witnesses quoted by Xiamen's official news site said they heard sounds of explosions after the fire had been burning for 10 minutes. Photos posed online showed heavy black smoke curling from the burning bus on the elevated road.

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market:

NYSE

NV Energy Inc., up $4.34 at $23.62

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s MidAmerican Energy utility said that it will buy the electric and natural gas company for $5.6 billion.

Express Inc., up $2.41 at $21.20

The clothing company said that its first-quarter net income fell 23 percent, but its results still topped analysts' estimates.

Big Lots Inc., down $3.45 at $34.93

The discount retailer said that its first-quarter net income fell 21 percent and it lowered its revenue forecast for the year.

Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd., up 35 cents at $4.14

The rising price of gold lifted shares of Harmony Gold, a South Africa-based gold mining company.

Nasdaq

Facebook Inc., up $1.23 at $24.55

A Jefferies analyst upgraded the social media's stock to a "Buy" rating, saying that video ads could become its next big business.

Fred's Inc., up 83 cents at $16.03

The discount retailer said that its first-quarter net income rose 9 percent, helped by a modest rise in sales and lower costs.

Sanderson Farms Inc., up $2.61 at $68.60

The poultry processing company said that its second-quarter net income rose 2 percent thanks to higher demand for its products.

Clearwire Corp., up $1.02 at $4.50

Satellite TV operator Dish Network said that it raised its bid for the wireless network operator, valuing it at $6.9 billion.

He terrorizes Republicans. Or would that be Tweet-orizes?

With a spate of controversies undermining President Obama's credibility, Plouffe responded harshly to Rep. Darrell Issa calling White House press secretary Jay Carney a "paid liar." Plouffe tweeted: "Strong words from Mr. Grand Theft Auto and suspected arsonist/insurance swindler ... ."

Plouffe, a mild-mannered and widely respected operative, has nonetheless been yanking at his leash since leaving the White House early this year:

The Issa tweet was a cheap shot: The unproven allegations against the California lawmaker are decades old.  But there will be little sympathy for Issa, the House's chief Obama investigator who cherry-picked evidence and presumed guilt in an overwrought Sunday TV interview that stirred echoes of 1950s Senate demagogue Joe McCarthy.

In a fascinating story by Politico's , Plouffe defended his actions while Obama allies fretted that he went too far.

It's no coincidence that Plouffe's attack preceded two polls revealing that the IRS and other so-called scandals are eroding the public's faith in Obama. While anshows the president's job approval rating holding steady, afound that Obama's job approval had dropped six points since February.

According to Bloomberg, 47 percent of Americans say they don't believe Obama is telling the truth when he says he didn't know the IRS was giving extra scrutiny to conservative groups.

Democratic pollsters privately say that they've seen the same dichotomy in their surveys: Americans still approve of Obama personally, but they are starting to doubt his credibility and the competence of his administration. Don't look for such doubts in Plouffe's Twitter feed.

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The iPad game doesn't provide a bigger board — the six-by-six square just sits in the middle of the much larger iPad screen — nor does it provide more time, but now Dots fanatics have the joy of space. Instead of having to cradle your iPhone in one hand, you can now make squares (the easiest way to get points) using two hands, resting the tablet on your lap or a table. Even better, maybe you can get a partner to help — though some Dots elitists might consider that cheating. The app doesn't offer "2X mode," which magnifies the size of the board, making it even easier to share the square, but Betaworks says that's on the way. 

RELATED:

For those sick of playing against themselves, Dots has added a multiplayer setting. Using one phone, two people can play the exact same board to see who gets the better score. So, even if the new iPad version doesn't help you get past that stubborn high score of yours, maybe you can cream some friends of yours on the subway. 

The increase along with a jump in homebuilder confidence this month suggests the housing market continues to recover.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales rose 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million. That's up from 4.69 million in September, which was revised lower.

The sales pace is roughly 11 percent higher than a year ago. But it remains below the more than 5.5 million that economists consider consistent with a healthy market.

As the economy slowly recovers, more people have started looking to buy homes or rent apartments. Prices are steadily climbing, while mortgage rates have been low all year. At the same time, rents are rising, making the purchase of a single-family home or condominium more attractive.

"Altogether, the report is encouraging," said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital. "Our view is that housing is in a recovery phase," he added, though it will be restrained by limited credit and modest job gains.

A separate report Monday showed confidence among homebuilders rose this month to its highest level in six and a half years. The increase was driven by strong demand for newly built homes and growing optimism about conditions next year.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index increased to 46, up from 41 in October. Readings below 50 suggest negative sentiment about the housing market. The index last reached that level in April 2006. Still, the index has been trending higher since October 2011, when it stood at 17.

The Realtors' group said Superstorm Sandy delayed some sales of previously occupied homes in the Northeast. Sales fell 1.7 percent there, the only region to show a decline. Those sales will likely be completed in future months, the group said.

The median price for previously occupied homes increased 11.1 percent from a year ago to $178,600, the Realtors' said.

A decline in the number of homes available for sale is helping push prices higher. There were only 2.14 million homes available for sale at the end of the month, the lowest supply in 10 years. It would take only 5.4 months to exhaust that supply at the current sales pace. That's the lowest sales-to-inventory ratio since February 2006.

Prices are also benefiting from the mix of homes being sold. Sales of homes priced at $500,000 and above have jumped more than 40 percent in the past year. Sales of homes and condominiums that cost less than $100,000 fell 0.6 percent.

There have been other positive signals from the housing market. Applications for mortgage loans to buy homes jumped 11 percent in the week ended Nov. 9, compared with a week earlier, the Mortgage Bankers' Association said last week. Purchase applications are up 22 percent in the past year.

Foreclosures are slowing. The number of properties that began the foreclosure process in the first 10 months of the year fell 8 percent compared with the same period last year, RealtyTrac said last week.

And builders broke ground on new homes and apartments at the fastest pace in more than four years in September. The jump could help boost the economy and hiring.

Still, the market has a long way back to full health. Many potential home buyers cannot meet stricter lending standards or produce larger down payments required by banks.

That can be a particular problem for first-time homebuyers. They accounted for 31 percent of sales in October, down slightly from September and below the 40 percent that is common in a healthy market.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday that banks' overly tight lending standards may be preventing sales and holding back the U.S. economy.

___

Veiga reported from Los Angeles.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Wet weather across much of North Dakota prevented farmers and ranchers from planting last week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its weekly crop report that there were 2.8 days suitable for fieldwork on average.

Spring wheat seeding was rated 62 percent complete. This is well behind last year at 100 percent and the average and the 81 percent average.

Spring wheat was 27 percent emerged, behind last year at 95 percent and the average of 59 percent.

Cattle and calf conditions were rated 0 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 17 percent fair, 68 percent good and 11 percent excellent.

Sheep and lamb conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 62 percent good and 11 percent excellent.

(Logo:)

"Once again, Canada has demonstrated the leadership to act on principle in taking bold steps to confront the very real threat of an Iran capable of developing nuclear weapons," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "As the Wall Street Journal reported today, Canada has 'gone further than any other Western nation in imposing trade-related penalties' against Iran, to which we say, 'Bravo.'"

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird explained the move as a response to Tehran's steadfast refusal to acknowledge the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has periodically reported that Iran continues to enrich uranium for nuclear purposes. He also cited the regime's "abhorrent human rights record."

"We are compelled to take further actions against this reckless and irresponsible regime," said Baird, stressing that Iran has offered only "false promises and empty gestures" regarding its nuclear program.

Baird expressed similar concerns about Iran's nuclear program in his stirring address to the AJC 2012 Global Forum. AJC has long urged ever stronger international measures against Iran in response to Tehran's defiance of the IAEA and UN Security Council resolutions.

Canada's latest trade sanctions exempt only food, medicine, medical equipment, and humanitarian goods.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

LONDON (Reuters) - A new wave of medicines that tap the power of the immune system to fight cancer could become the biggest drug class in history, with potential sales of $35 billion a year.

That bullish sales forecast by analysts at U.S. bank Citigroup highlights the growing excitement surrounding so-called immunotherapy after positive results from clinical trials conducted by companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche Holding.

"We believe this market will generate sales of up to $35 billion (a year) over the next 10 years and be used in some way in the management of up to 60 percent of all cancers," Citi analyst Andrew Baum said on Wednesday.

Citi's forecast is considerably higher than current market consensus, but if it proves correct, then cancer immunotherapy would exceed the peak market value of top blockbuster drug classes such as statins for high cholesterol.

After years of puzzling over how to get the body's immune system to respond more effectively against tumor cells, scientists are now finding a number of promising avenues.

The new drugs are designed to target areas that act as brakes on the immune system. By interfering with these brakes, the drugs free the immune system to attack and kill cancer cells.

Bristol-Myers Squibb's nivolumab and Roche's MPDL3280A are two leading contenders in the field. Both had an impressive effect against a variety of cancers, according to preliminary trial results released last week.

Further details of the studies will be presented at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago early next month.

MANAGEABLE CANCER

Conventional chemotherapy and other cancer drugs often have a powerful effect in shrinking tumors, but the effect is typically short-lived. The effect of immunotherapy can last much longer because the immune system has effectively been reset to remember how to keep fighting cancer cells.

Citigroup said that immunotherapy has the potential to transform a significant percentage of cancers into something akin to a chronic disease, in a similar way to how HIV drugs have made the viral disease a manageable condition.

On the back of its upbeat prediction for the immunotherapy market, Citigroup has upgraded shares in Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche to "buy" from "neutral".

Roche stock was trading 1.7 percent higher by 0914 GMT (5.14 a.m. EDT), outperforming a flat European drugs sector.

Other leading players with a range of drugs, vaccines and cell therapy treatments in the cancer immunotherapy field include GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Merck & Co and Amgen.

In addition to the progress being made in research, analysts believe that the immunotherapy field could also benefit from a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration initiative to speed approval of important and innovative drugs.

The U.S. watchdog recently started a scheme to allow quicker studies of life-saving therapies designated as a "breakthrough", provided that clinical data is compelling.

(Editing by David Goodman)

The quake was recorded at 5:49 a.m. local time (EDT; 0949 GMT) Monday, at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), some 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the city of Puerto Quellon.

Chile's oceanographic service said it was not felt on land and discounted the possibility of a tsunami. U.S. seismologists originally estimated the magnitude at 6.8 later recalculated downward.

Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. A magnitude-8.8 quake and the tsunami it unleashed in 2010 killed more than 500 people and destroyed 220,000 homes. It was so strong it changed time, shortening the Earth's day slightly by changing the planet's rotation.

The strongest earthquake ever recorded also happened in Chile, a magnitude-9.5 in 1960.