ROME (Reuters) - A senior parliamentarian in the anti-immigration Northern League party likened Italy's first black minister to an orangutan and only apologised on Sunday after a storm of criticism.

Cecile Kyenge, an Italian citizen born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been the target of repeated racial slurs since her appointment as integration minister in April.

Roberto Calderoli, vice president of Italy's Senate, said on Saturday at a political rally in the northern town of Treviglio: "I love animals - bears and wolves, as everyone knows - but when I see the pictures of Kyenge I cannot but think of, even if I'm not saying she is one, the features of an orangutan."

He said the success of Kyenge encouraged "illegal immigrants" to come to Italy, and she should be a minister "in her own country", according to media reports.

Politicians, including some from his own party, lambasted Calderoli, with some calling for him to resign as Senate vice president. In an official statement and on Twitter, Prime Minister Enrico Letta said the comments were unacceptable.

"They go beyond all limits. Full solidarity and support to Cecile. Forward with your and our work," Letta said.

For most of the day, Calderoli said he had no intention of resigning and offered only a qualified apology.

"I did not mean to offend and if minister Kyenge was offended I am sorry, but my comment was made within a much broader political speech that criticised the minister and her policies," he said.

But after hours of nearly universal condemnation and extensive coverage by the international media, Calderoli called Kyenge in the evening to apologise directly.

"I just spoke with minister Kyenge and I apologised," Calderoli told state news agency Ansa.

Kyenge is campaigning to make it easier for immigrants to gain citizenship, and she backs a law that would automatically make anyone born on Italian soil a citizen.

Last month, a Northern League member in the European parliament was expelled from the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group for making racist remarks about her.

Mario Borghezio had attacked Kyenge for wanting to impose "tribal traditions" in Italy as a member of a "bonga bonga" government, an apparent play on the so-called "bunga bunga" parties of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Opposition politician Calderoli, twice a cabinet minister under Berlusconi, has often caused offence.

In 2006, he was forced to resign as reform minister after displaying a T-shirt mocking the Prophet Mohammad during a state news broadcast. The same year, after Italy won the soccer World Cup, he disparaged the opposing French team, which he said had lost because its players were "niggers, Muslims and communists".

Before Calderoli's apology, Kyenge told AGI news agency he should think of his responsibility as a senior Senate member.

"I don't want to address Calderoli the person, but as a representative of an institution: reflect on what you want to represent through your language," she said.

(Editing by Alistair Lyon)

University President Donna Shalala and Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford arrived for the hearing at a hotel in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday morning.

Current football coach Al Golden, former football assistant coach Clint Hurtt and former basketball coach Frank Haith also arrived for the hearing.

The NCAA alleges booster Nevin Shapiro provided $170,000 in benefits to players, recruits, coaches and others between 2002-2010. Shapiro is serving 20 years in prison for his role in a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The departure of U.S. actress Leah Remini from the Church of Scientology this week raised new questions about the relationship top leaders assume with their high-profile Hollywood members and their ability to retain them.

The New York Post, which first reported Remini's defection on Thursday, said the actress chose to leave after "being subjected to years of 'interrogations' and 'thought modification' for questioning leader David Miscavige's rule," citing an unnamed source.

Remini, 43, best known for her role as Carrie Heffernan in the CBS comedy "King of Queens," released a statement thanking supporters on Thursday, but both she and her representatives declined to comment on her reasons for leaving the church.

It was not possible to independently confirm Miscavige's role in Remini's departure.

The Church of Scientology had no comment on Remini leaving the movement but said the allegations against Miscavige and the characterization of interrogations were "categorically false."

Miscavige, 53, who became the church's leader in 1987, refocused Scientology as a celebrity-friendly religion that depended on the name recognition and deep pockets of Hollywood stars, said Janet Reitman, the author of "Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion."

"Celebrities are treated better than any other human being with that organization," she said. "They are the kings and queens of Scientology."

But Remini's departure suggests that celebrities are feeling uncomfortable in the church, especially if leadership is putting them through what Scientology calls security checks, an intense confessional, Reitman said.

"That used to be something the church was careful not to do," the author added. "They would do anything they could to make them comfortable because they needed them."

A SUPPORTER LOST

Scientology, which was founded in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, has attracted several Hollywood stars including Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

It believes that humans are immortal beings whose experience extends beyond one lifetime, but critics of the church describe it as a cult that harasses people who try and quit, a criticism the movement rejects.

Former Scientologist Nancy Many, who was involved with the church's celebrity circle for more than two decades and left Scientology in 1996, is a fierce critic and believes Miscavige's power with celebrities is waning.

The New York Post linked Remini's falling out with the church to the 2006 wedding of Cruise and Katie Holmes, when Remini reportedly asked about Miscavige's wife, who was not present.

"Leah asked about David's wife and came under an unbelievable torrent of attack on her, an attack and inquisition," Many told Reuters.

Mike Rinder, a former church spokesman who writes a blog, said Remini got tired of being told what to do.

"As a result, the church has lost one of its most effective supporters - both in the public relations arena and their bank balances," he wrote in a blog post.

Departures from the church have become the trend in recent years, said Reitman.

Well-known names to have left the church recently have been Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis, actor Jason Beghe and Holmes, who left the church after her divorce from Cruise last year.

In Reitman's view, change from within the church is nearly impossible because the church has yet to reform despite the recent spate of celebrities breaking ranks.

"They're just going to continue on as they've been continuing on," Reitman said. "If they were to truly want to rebound, I think they would have to lose their leadership."

(Editing by Mary Milliken and Eric Walsh)

At a school honors event for our daughter for which most of the attendees dressed for the occasion, he arrived in dirty shorts and a T-shirt. I sat next to him to be polite, until I realized he also smelled awful. When I tried to excuse myself saying I needed a "better seat for my camera," he got up, too! It was an unpleasant two hours. I felt bad for the others in our vicinity.

I have tried to suggest that he may suffer from depression in the past, but he denies it. Is there anything I can say that won't be resented (with him possibly showing up even more disheveled the next time just out of spite)? -- UNPLEASANT SITUATION, GETTYSBURG, PA.

DEAR UNPLEASANT SITUATION: While you may have ended your marriage 15 years ago, it doesn't appear you have truly divorced yourself from your ex. Rather than having pussy-footed around the reason you wanted to change your seat, you should have told him it was because he smelled like a goat and showed he lacked enough respect for those around him and his daughter to shower and put on clean clothes.

He may -- or may not -- suffer from depression. Because he denies it, there is no way you can force him into treatment. You are no longer responsible for his attire or his welfare.

Because you're concerned that he may show up looking more disheveled "out of spite," you have my permission to distance yourself if it happens. And if your daughter is embarrassed by his attire, she has every right to talk to her father about it.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a small-business owner. I have an educational supply and toy store. Business has been pretty good, even through the hard times.

My problem is my customers' children are about to put me out of business. They are out of control. They climb on shelving, open products, tear things apart and throw screaming tantrums.

Their parents let them run through the store like it's a playground. I have signs posted at the entrance and around the store reminding parents to attend to their children.

We have lost a lot of inventory due to these brats, and my time is consumed trying to keep them in line instead of working with my customers. I don't go to their homes and wreck them. I wish they'd show the same respect for my business. Thanks for any advice you can offer. -- HAD IT WITH OVERINDULGED KIDS

DEAR HAD IT: If possible, designate a small area of your store where kids can go to play while their parents are shopping. Also, post a sign at the cash register that reads: "Customers Will Be Charged for Broken or Damaged Items."

The problem you are experiencing is one that is shared by many other retailers. If any of them are reading this column, I'd love to know how they resolved this problem.

DEAR ABBY: Since my mother passed away, I feel awkward when my parents' anniversary comes up. I don't want to ignore this important date for my father (we are very close), but I don't feel saying "Happy Anniversary" is appropriate either. What do you suggest? -- REMEMBERING IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIF.

DEAR REMEMBERING: Your father already knows what the date means. Pick up the phone, say, "Dad, I'm thinking about you and I love you," and if he lives close by, invite him to dinner if he doesn't have plans.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

A study released Monday said nearly half of 2- to 3-month-old babies develop some form of plagiocephaly, which is the flattening of an infant's skull caused by constant pressure against a surface. While most cases are mild, temporary and harmless, Yahoo News asked parents of young children to share their stories of plagiocephaly and how it affected their parenting choices. Here's one.

FIRST PERSON | As an aunt to 15 nieces and nephews and during my work a nanny, I had seen a fair number of newborns with flat spots on their heads, aka plagiocephaly. But my first two sons had no issues.

I guiltily admit I always felt the massive bald spots and flat skull areas some babies had were a result of lazy parenting. If you don't hold your baby enough or offer tummy time, of course he or she will start to rub delicate hair away and maybe even get a flat noggin' spot.

However, when my third son came along and despite being quite needy compared to my first two children, he developed a bald patch and a flat surface on the back of his head. I was proven quite wrong in my assumption of laziness. Ash Ulrik, now 9 months old with a perfectly shaped skull, was held nearly constantly outside of regular tummy time and rarely used his car seat, yet he still developed a flat spot in his first few weeks of life. It later faded away and he re-grew hair.

Thatrevealed that, like my baby, nearly 50 percent of newborns experience some mild form of plagiocephaly, which often resolves on its own. Researchers suggest this could be a result of the "Back to Sleep" campaigns aimed at reducing the risk of SIDS by encouraging parents to place their infants to sleep on their backs. This makes sense, being that despite my baby being held or on his tummy while awake, he did sleep on his back and was also often on his back while breastfeeding. This doesn't explain why his older brothers who were cared for in the same manner did not have flat spots, though.

As a mom I think it possible that this is another one of those depends-on-the-baby situations. The soft spot at the top of the skull also fused faster in my older boys than with Ash, and his labor was less strenuous and faster. It's possible his skull was simply more prone to flex, which made him more susceptible to flat spots as a newborn.

Outside of cosmetic annoyance, flat spots on the head hold no threat to infants, and I wouldn't say I'm worried about them with our planned some-time-in-the-future fourth and final child. As with all my children, I'll be sure to offer my baby the proper balance of tummy time, cuddles, and active attention. If that prevents (hopefully) her from getting silly little flat spots that's awesome, but if not, I won't lose any sleep over it.

The drug, Gilotrif, was approved along with a companion diagnostic kit that can help determine if a patient's lung cancer cells express the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer and represents about 85 percent of all lung cancers. EGFR gene mutations are present in about 10 percent of NSCLC.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among men and women, and according to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 228,190 Americans will be diagnosed with, and 159,480 will die from, the disease this year.

The companion diagnostic kit, called therascreen EGFR RGQ PCR Kit, is made by Qiagen N.V..

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Sreejiraj Eluvangal)

LONDON (Reuters) - Speculation about baby names, hair colour and hypnosis swirled around the Duchess of Cambridge on Thursday during her last solo public appearance before she gives birth to a royal heir.

British glossy magazine Grazia reported the duchess has considered using hypno-birth for a delivery expected next month in which women use a form of self-hypnosis to control pain by learning techniques to boost production of pain-relieving hormones.

Bookmakers said bets favoured the duchess joining the growing band of women dubbed "too posh to push" by opting for a caesarean rather than a natural birth.

The royal family has declined to give any details on plans for the first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, 31, who have been officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since their marriage in April 2011.

A royal spokeswoman said she was aware of rising speculation about the birth but declined to confirm or deny any details for the baby who will be the third in line to the British throne after Prince Charles and his oldest son William.

"This is a happy occasion and there is lot of speculation about what the duchess might and might not do but this really is a private matter," the spokeswoman said.

Royal watchers expect the baby to be born at St Mary's Hospital in central London where Princess Diana gave birth to William, who turns 31 next week, and his brother Prince Harry.

The duchess was under scrutiny for any hints about the baby during her last solo public engagement on Thursday when she launched Princess Cruises' new 3,600-passenger vessel Royal Princess in Southampton on England's south coast.

BABY TALK

Wearing a black hat and Dalmatian print coat, the duchess was careful to give nothing away after a slip in March when she accepted a teddy saying: "Thank you, I'll take this for my d.."

Rupert Adams from bookmaker William Hill said this dropped "d" led to such wide speculation that the baby was a girl that it suspended all bets on gender just weeks later while rival bookmaker Paddy Power paid out on bets that it was girl.

Bets on names have continued to roll in with Alexandra the clear favourite followed by Diana, after Prince William's mother who died in a car crash in 1997, and then Elizabeth.

Alexandra has a history in the royal family with Princess Alexandra, 76, a cousin of the Queen and Queen Victoria's son Edward VII married to Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.

The favourite boy's name is George and the favoured date for the birth is July 17.

"We are seeing lots of small bets from over 100 countries. The Aussies and Canadians particularly love this," said Adams.

Rory Scott from Paddy Power said people were also putting money on more obscure bets, such as the baby's future career, university, and hair colour with brown favoured over ginger.

"You combine the royal family with betting and you have two of the favourite pastimes in Britain," Scott said.

Both bookmakers found gamblers expected the duchess to opt for a caesarean instead of natural birth with one in four babies now delivered this way in the UK, up from 12 percent in 1990.

The focus on how the duchess gives birth has drawn her, unwittingly, into the complex web of childbirth politics where campaigners of different birthing methods battle for supremacy.

The Blissful Birth website which deals with hypno-birthing said a number of hypno-birthing practitioners have "spun" speculation about the duchess using hypno-birthing into suggestions that she was considering their particular approach.

But the website's founder Heidi Woodgate, urged these practitioners to stop the race for recognition.

"Quite frankly, whether my customers are royalty, celebrities or normal everyday women, the focus should be on their birth story, not the particular hypno-birthing programme they used," Woodgate wrote in a blog on the website.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)

The latest episode of the Science Channel's "Through the Wormhole," hosted by Morgan Freeman, explores the potential and dangers of . The episode premieres tonight (July 3) at 10 p.m. ET.

"We live a world of data," Freeman says in the show. "One day soon, our innermost thoughts may no longer be our own." []

Mind reading

Reading people's minds doesn't always require technology. New York psychologist Marc Salem can decipher a person's thoughts using the tiny physical cues in a person's body language. "A scratch of the nose can mean you're lying, or it can mean that your nose itches," Salem told LiveScience. When he's trying to read someone's mind, he looks for what he calls a "packet of signals" that tells him what a gesture means. The show follows Salem as he guesses the cards of professional poker players a seemingly impossible feat. To do it, Salem relies on context. "I'm able to pick up their nonverbal inflections and cues," he said. "The more I have a context for them, the more I can pick them up."

Of course, technology can give scientists even more direct access to . Inventor and neurotechnologist Philip Low is developing a portable brain monitor calledthat can detect the brain's electrical activity from the surface of the scalp, Freeman explains. People with Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other forms of paralysis still have healthy brain activity. Using the iBrain, they could use thoughts to control a virtual hand on a computer screen.

The show later delves into even more sophisticated forms of mind reading. "Some neuroscientists are already translating the language of the brain to plain English," Freeman says. Neuroscientist Jack Gallant at the University of California, Berkeley is compiling a "brain dictionary" toand words. Gallant and his colleagues showed people different images while measuring their brain activity via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). From the brain activity, Gallant's team can reconstruct the approximate images people saw. The scientists are also developing a dictionary of concepts that allows them to guess what people are thinking about the images they're seeing.

Mental modification

But these technologies are already raising ethical issues. "We don't know how fast the technology's going to progress," Gallant says. Freeman goes on to explore an even more startling possibility: If thoughts can be decoded, could they also be altered?

For example, imagine if you could turn an amateur into an expert in a single day. This is the mission of neuroscientist and entrepreneur Chris Berka. Athletes, performers or other experts can tap into a state of extreme mental focus, called being "in the zone." The zone state (which amateurs can achieve too) has a particular signature in the brain activity. The neurotech company Berka runs is developing technology to monitor people's brain activity during a task, such as archery, and notify them when they have reached their "peak performance state," aka, the zone. Essentially, the technology gives people the ability to hack into their own brains in order to improve their performance. []

But what if other people couldand plant thoughts there? Computer programmers break into secure systems using "cracks," Freeman says. In humans, sense of smell could be a crack for the brain. Ilana Hairston, a psychologist at The Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo in Israel, uses smell to plant information in . She trains snoozing people to associate certain pleasant or foul odors with particular sounds. The notion sounds like sci-fi, but it relies on a brain pathway that allows senses like smell to enter the brain without conscious awareness.

On the show, Freeman explores all of these mind-probing efforts with his characteristic gravitas. Many of the methods described aim to restore or improve human abilities. But some imply a future that is spooky indeed.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is treading carefully in deciding how visible a role he should play during perhaps the most delicate stage in the effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws.

The Democratic president, having fought with conservatives in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives over everything from budget cuts and tax hikes to healthcare reform and environmental policy, is aware they are in no mood to compromise or be lectured.

Obama has so far held back from major criticism of his political opponents even when it appears they could stall a central objective of his second term.

House Republicans are adamant against approving the Senate version of legislation and are instead talking about passing several bills that address various immigration problems, but not necessarily legalizing the estimated 11 million undocumented residents.

Unlike the public relations blitz that accompanied his healthcare law in 2010, Obama has made no sweeping travel plans to campaign for the legislation or delivered any major speeches on the subject in the weeks since the Democratic-led Senate approved an immigration bill that he backed.

Instead, he has held meetings with groups like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and sent out top economic adviser Gene Sperling and others to make the case publicly that legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants will prove an economic boon for the United States in the long run.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama would make his case for the overhaul, but "how that manifests itself, what events he may hold, we'll have to see, because we're going to make those judgments as this issue ripens over the next weeks and months."

Obama on Thursday heard words of caution about his role from Senators John McCain, a Republican, and Charles Schumer, a Democrat, two members of the "Gang of Eight" senators who shepherded the Senate version. The two senators sat down with Obama at the White House.

McCain said afterward the challenge was to get recalcitrant House Republicans behind some form of immigration legislation and that it was important they not feel they were being unduly pressured by Obama.

"So I think the president is walking a careful line here and I think it's the appropriate thing," he said.

There is some skepticism at the White House that if Obama speaks out about immigration, it will drive away House Republicans, since many want to kill the legislation whether he talks about it or not.

One White House official said any presidential activity on the subject would be based on a calculation of whether it was needed and would be helpful.

We'll speak out, we'll travel, we'll do things with different decibels, depending on what we think will help move the ball," one White House official said.

'GOT TO LET IT SIMMER'

Obama is getting cautionary advice from other players in the immigration debate, such as Thomas Donohue, president of the Chamber of Commerce, which has been lobbying strongly for immigration reform.

Donohue said Obama needed to strike a balance on immigration reform and not try to rush House Republicans.

"He should be very careful not to get down into the weeds on this thing. He's got to let it simmer. He's got to let the House work its business," said Donohue.

Donohue and other supporters of reform said Obama's focus should be on boosting public support for an immigration overhaul. Supporters hope that if constituents in various lawmakers' districts voice their backing for the legislation, it could influence the debate in the House.

Obama has made passing an immigration overhaul a significant priority of his second term after giving the issue short shrift in his first four years because there was no political momentum for it in Congress and he was preoccupied with trying to get the U.S. economy going.

In the past when Obama has been faced with a high-profile debate in Washington, he has frequently argued his case to the voters in travels across the country, but with mixed success.

His high-decibel argument to persuade Republicans not to let $85 billion in automatic spending cuts take place last spring fell on deaf ears and the budget cuts went into effect.

Republican Representative Raul Labrador of Idaho, who served until recently on a working group on immigration and is open to a comprehensive bill, said Obama's effort to pass gun legislation this year was an example of why he did not think the president traveling to pitch immigration reform would help.

"All I remember is that the last time he traveled for a big issue, he killed it. He might actually want to rethink that," he said.

But there are many voices among Democrats who think a highly visible campaign would help pressure Republicans who saw overwhelming numbers of Hispanics vote for Obama's re-election over Republican challenger Mitt Romney last November.

"I think the president should be out there talking about it and pushing it, not just for political reasons," said Democratic strategist Bob Shrum. "He ought to be out there pushing this because someday it has to happen."

(Editing by Peter Cooney)

* Lakers "disappointed" to lose the center

* Big paycut for Howard with LA departure (Adds Howard confirmation)

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

LOS ANGELES, July 5 (Reuters) - The tug-of-war between five teams to sign Dwight Howard finally ended on Friday when the seven-time All-Star center confirmed he would leave the Los Angeles Lakers to join the Houston Rockets.

"I've decided to become a member of the Houston Rockets," Howard, who is expected to sign with the Rockets on July 10 when the NBA's free-agent signing period begins, said in a statement.

"I feel it's the best place for me and I am excited about joining the Rockets and I'm looking forward to a great season. I want to thank the fans in Los Angeles and wish them the best."

The Lakers earlier confirmed they had lost the battle to retain the 27-year-old, who moved to Los Angeles from the Orlando Magic in a blockbuster 12-player trade in Aug. 2012.

"We have been informed of Dwight's decision to not return to the Lakers. Naturally we're disappointed," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement.

"To Dwight, we thank him for his time and consideration, and for his efforts with us last season. We wish him the best of luck on the remainder of his NBA career."

SUBSTANTIAL PAYCUT

Free agent Howard, who had also been courted by the Dallas Mavericks, the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors, favoured a move to Houston despite the prospect of a substantial paycut.

He would have been eligible to sign for five years and $118 million with Los Angeles or four years and $88 million with any other team.

Howard had also informed the Mavericks, the Hawks and the Warriors earlier on Friday that he would not be signing with any of them.

A three-time NBA defensive player of the year, popularly known as 'Superman' for his athletic prowess, Howard consulted all five teams earlier this week.

The Lakers met with Howard on Tuesday and their pitch focused on how they would be able to embellish his brand off the court while returning on-court greatness to a franchise that has piled up 16 NBA championship titles.

Lakers All-Star Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played a key role in the woo-ing.

However, Bryant and Howard did not always see eye-to-eye last season under the guidance of coach Mike D'Antoni, and the Lakers were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs.

The prospect of being the kingpin on an ambitious Rockets team which also includes James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and promising center Omer Asik was always likely to be an alluring one for Howard.

His arrival in Houston makes the Rockets genuine contenders for the Western Conference championship. (Editing by Ian Ransom)