New York - Verizon Communications Inc, the second-largest US phone company, had better-than-expected profits of about 3.2 billion dollars in the first quarter as customers laid out more money for text messaging and other services. Sales rose 12 per cent to 26.6 billion dollars, bolstered by the purchase of Alltel Corp. But global business revenues dropped 3.4 per cent as companies fired workers and delayed new purchases, Bloomberg financial news service reported.

Washington - Police arrested five members of the US Congress on Monday during a protest outside the Sudanese embassy against the conflict in Darfur. Democratic representatives Jim McGovern, John Lewis, Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison and Lynn Woolsey were taken into custody for crossing into an area cordoned off by police, Chris Shields, a spokesman for Woolsey, said.

Police warned the lawmakers several times to not cross the yellow-taped line outside the embassy , Shields said. They were charged with misdemeanor trespassing after surrendering peacefully to the police, he said.

Washington - The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was to issue an advisory against non-essential travel to Mexico - the epicentre of the global swine flu outbreak - acting director Richard Besser said Monday. "This is out of an abundance of caution," he said, adding that the Atlanta, Georgia-based CDC had confirmed 26 deaths in Mexico were a result of swine flu. "This is a small fraction of what they are seeing," Besser warned.

New York - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday that 28 cases of swine flu have been confirmed and another 17 cases were suspected in New York City, where more than 100 students at one school had become sick and were being tested. Bloomberg said at a news conference that it appeared the swine flu cases have been mild so far and precautions were needed to make sure that the health situation in New York is safe while authorities struggle to contain the flu.

New York - New York City authorities considered Monday to close schools to prevent the swine flu from striking children after eight students at a Queens high school were confirmed sick of disease, reports said. The US government has declared a national public health emergency after tests confirmed 40 people in the United States, including the eight students in New York, have mild cases of the flu.

The Saint Francis high school in Fresh Meadows, Queens, where the eight students were found sick, was closed Monday and Tuesday to allow cleaning crews to sanitize the school.

New York - The United Nations has taken steps to lead the fight against the sudden outbreak of swine flu, mobilizing its agencies to help countries where cases have been verified, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday. "The UN system is responding, quickly and effectively, with the director general of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, taking the lead," Ban said.