News In Brief

THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP

Curtis Ketcher decided police had gone too far in pulling over speeding motorists. So he took matters into his own hands. "Beware: Speed trap next 2 miles. Welcome to Watts, Okla.," read signs that he put up just outside the city limits - one at a gas station he operates, and the other on his pasture land. But Gary Finn, the police commissioner and city director, held his ground. "It's not a speed trap," he retorted. Motorists can go a whole 10 m.p.h. over the posted speed limit, he said, before getting a ticket.

I THINK IT'S EGG. MAYBE FISH

The French city of Marseille is having its own adventure with police. But these are volunteers who help to curb smell pollution, the daily newspaper Le Figaro reported. Deployed by an air-analysis firm, the "noses" are detecting everything from burned plastic to marijuana and petrol fumes. It all could result in tough measures against making a stink.

RATING THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS

You'd assume that a man who owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, five pro soccer teams, and TV networks on three continents would be influential in the sports world. But as ranked by The (London) Guardian newspaper, the Australian media mogul is more than just influential; he's the most powerful person in sports. The Guardian's top 10:

* Rupert Murdoch

* Sepp Blatter, president, FIFA (international soccer governing body)

* Juan Antonio Samaranch, president, International Olympic Committee

* Leo Kirch, president, DSF (Germany's sports channel)

* Ted Turner, vice chairman, AOL Time Warner

* Phil Knight, chairman, Nike

* Lennart Johansson, president, UEFA (governing body of European soccer)

* Dick Pound, vice president, International Olympic Committee

*Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One auto racing chief

* Dick Ebersole, president, NBC Sports

- Associated Press

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