UK's Prince Harry returns from Afghanistan

Getty Images

In this image released on January 21, 2013, Prince Harry, makes early morning checks as he sits on an Apache helicopter at the British controlled flight-line at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan

LONDON — Capt. Wales is coming home to be Prince Harry once again.

The Ministry of Defense revealed Monday that the 28-year-old prince is returning from a 20-week deployment in Afghanistan, where he served as an Apache helicopter pilot with the Army Air Corps. It did not immediately divulge his exact whereabouts.

In interviews conducted in Afghanistan, the third in line to the British throne described feeling boredom, frustration and satisfaction during a tour that saw him kill Taliban fighters on missions in support of ground troops. He also spoke of his struggle to balance his job as an army officer with his royal role — and his relief at the chance to be "one of the guys."

"My father's always trying to remind me about who I am and stuff like that," said Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. "But it's very easy to forget about who I am when I am in the army. Everyone's wearing the same uniform and doing the same kind of thing."

Stationed at Camp Bastion, a sprawling British base in the southern Afghan desert, the prince — known as Capt. Wales in the military — flew scores of missions as a co-pilot gunner, sometimes firing rockets and missiles at Taliban fighters.

"Take a life to save a life. That's what we revolve around, I suppose," he said. "If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game."

Harry's second tour in Afghanistan went more smoothly than the first, in 2007-2008, which was cut short after 10 weeks when a magazine and websites disclosed details of his whereabouts. British media had agreed to a news blackout on security grounds.

This time, the media were allowed limited access to the prince in return for not reporting operational details.

A member of the air corps' 662 Squadron, the prince was part of a two-man crew whose duties ranged from supporting ground troops in firefights with the Taliban to accompanying British Chinook and U.S. Black Hawk helicopters as they evacuated wounded soldiers.

He said that while sometimes it was necessary to fire on insurgents, the formidable helicopter — equipped with wing-mounted rockets, Hellfire laser-guided missiles and a 30mm machine gun — was usually an effective deterrent.

"If guys get injured, we come straight into the overhead, box off any possibility of an insurgent attack because they look at us and just go, 'Right, that's an unfair fight, we're not going to go near them,'" Harry said.

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Man critically hurt in Brooklyn lab fire

A man was left in cardiac arrest and two firefighters injured after a raging inferno erupted at a Brooklyn medical lab, fire officials said.

The fire started on the third floor of the four-story building at 2:03 p.m. on the corner of Utrecht Avenue near 52 Street in Borough Park, sources said.

The critically injured man, who was found inside the burning building, was rushed to Lutheran Hospital. The two firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries, fire officials said.

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Lady Gaga to perform at inaugural ball

WASHINGTON — Watch out Beyonce and Katy Perry. There's another diva set to perform during the inauguration festivities — Lady Gaga.

A person familiar with the inauguration tells The Associated Press that the pop star will perform at Tuesday's ball for White House staffers. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because that person wasn't authorized to publicly reveal the information.

The staff ball is typically a private affair. During the last inauguration festivities, Jay-Z reportedly performed at it.

According to one attendee, Jay-Z rapped a riff on one of his hit songs, "99 Problems but George Bush Ain't One," to the delight of the throngs of young staffers who worked to elect Obama in 2008.

AP

Lady Gaga

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Suing the spies who loved us — Women in Britain file suit against real-life 007s

AP

Sean Connery as James Bond in a scene from the 1963 film, "From Russia With Love."

Now that's a sexy suit!

A judge in Britain has decided that a group of women can sue the spies they slept with.

The High Court judge compared the group to the women of James Bond — a character known as much for his antics in bed as his heroics in the spy game, The Daily Mail reported.

"James Bond is the most famous fictional example of a member of the intelligence services who used relationships with women to obtain information, or access to persons or property.

The environmental activists are suing Scotland Yard for damages for misconduct, deceit, assault and negligence after discovering their long-term bedmates were spies, the site reports.

Madeline Smith, who played Bond girl Miss Caruso in the 1973 film "Live And Let Die," said after the hearing she did not question at the time whether 007's behavior could cause harm.

She told The Telegraph: "I was a dizzy, dippy little character in my frilly knickers, and that was OK then.

"It was entertainment and I don't think anyone questioned it. With all films and computer games, there is a big danger of people crossing into fantasy or fiction from real life."

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Breaking God: Former Roman Catholic priest busted for selling meth to feds

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A former Roman Catholic priest is among five people who have been indicted by a federal grand jury in an alleged drug operation involving shipments of methamphetamine to Connecticut from California.

Federal prosecutors said Kevin Wallin, 61, former pastor at St. Augustine's parish in Bridgeport, received the shipments and sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer six times since last September. Prosecutors say investigators also gathered evidence from court-authorized wiretaps.

The grand jury in Bridgeport indicted the five people Tuesday on charges of conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of a substance containing methamphetamine and 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Wallin, of Waterbury, was also charged with six counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The conspiracy charges carry 10 years to life in prison upon conviction.

Connecticut Post

Kevin Wallin

All five are detained. It's not clear if they have lawyers.

Also charged are Kenneth Devries, 52, of Waterbury, Michael Nelson, 40, of Manchester, Chad McCluskey, 43, of San Clemente, Calif., and Kristen Laschober, 47, of Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Wallin resigned as St. Augustine's pastor in June 2011 after serving nine years in the post, citing health and personal issues, the Diocese of Bridgeport said in a statement. Diocese officials granted him a sabbatical the following month.

During the sabbatical, diocese officials became concerned about Wallin's well-being and reached out to him, but he has never spoken directly to church officials, the diocese said in the statement, which did not elaborate.

Wallin's faculties for public ministry were suspended in May 2012 and he has not been reassigned, the diocese said.

"News of Msgr. Kevin Wallin's arrest comes with a sense of shock and concern on the part of the diocese and the many people of Fairfield County who have known him as a gifted, accomplished and compassionate priest," the diocese said. "The diocese stands ready to help as it has throughout the past two years. We ask for prayers for Msgr. Wallin during the difficult days ahead for him."

Wallin was a close friend of former Archbishop of New York Edward Egan and advised Egan in the early 2000s when Bishop James McCarthy and Monsignor Charles Kavanagh were forced to resign over sexual improprieties..

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Geriatric Colombo underboss must see out 8 year sentence: court

A 95-year-old mob boss who authorities say boasted about killing 60 people in a lifetime of crime must serve his eight-year prison sentence after his racketeering conspiracy conviction, a federal appeals court said Wednesday.

John "Sonny" Franzese was sentenced last January after his conviction for extorting Manhattan strip clubs and a Long Island pizzeria while he was underboss of the Colombo crime family.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his conviction, finding that it resulted from a fair trial and his sentence was proper. The court also upheld the convictions and sentencing of two others in the case.

AP

John "Sonny" Franzese, left, arrives at federal court in the Brooklyn.

An FBI agent testified that Franzese bragged about killing 60 people over the years and once contemplated arranging his own son's death after he became a government cooperator.

Federal prosecutors had sought to imprison him for at least 12 years after calling one of his sons, John Franzese Jr., to testify against him.

Franzese was once a regular at the Copacabana nightclub, where he could be seen with singers Frank Sinatra and Sammy David Jr. He also had a stake in the classic porn film "Deep Throat."

Authorities say an informant had recorded him bragging about mob killings, saying he "killed a lot of guys" but was "never caught." They say he also recommended that the best way to dispose of body parts was to dry them out with a microwave and grind them up in a garbage disposal. He was arrested in the racketeering case in 2008 and was later freed on $1 million bail.

With credit for good behavior and time served awaiting his trial, Franzese is scheduled to be released in June 2017. A message left with his lawyer seeking comment was not immediately returned Wednesday.

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318 FDNY 'probies' sworn in

After years of court battles, the city today swore in its first class of probationary firefighters since 2008.

Mayor Bloomberg told the 318 "probies” that they made up “our most diverse class ever … a class as diverse as the communities you serve.”

Some 42 percent of the class is black, Hispanic or Asian, compared with the 35 percent minority members in the last class in December 2008.

The FDNY had been entangled for years in a legal dispute over whether its hiring has been biased against minorities.

FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano today said the delay in hiring a new group of probies was due to a budget crisis and because “we got ordered by the court to hire in a certain way that we didn’t think was the right way to hire.”

FDNY Photo Unit

FDNY 'probies' being sworn in.

In September, a federal judge approved a new entrance exam, allowing hiring to resume.

Cassano said the FDNY is still below its desired staffing level.

“We’re short almost 800 firefighters,” he said at the Randall’s Island swearing-in ceremony. “But it’s a start.”

The probies were already working for the department as emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

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Brookfield Office Properties starts long-awaited Manhattan West deck

Steve Cuozzo

After six years of promises, Brookfield Office Properties has finally started to build a deck over the exposed Amtrak rail yard for its planned Manhattan West development project.

The platform is a long-awaited breakthrough in Mayor Bloomberg’s dream to create a vast new Hudson Yards District in the once-forlorn far West 30s that will be home to major companies, residents and a wealth of public amenities.

It’s also crucial to publicly traded Brookfield’s plan for a $4.5 billion, five million-square-foot project on five acres anchored by two tall office towers and an apartment building.

The Manhattan West project, between Ninth and Dyers avenues and W. 31st and 33rd streets, will include a public plaza designed by High Line Park creator James Corner Field Operations.

The deck was first announced in 2006 but held up by caution over the real-estate market, changes to the original mix of towers and delays in negotiating agreements with Amtrak over use of the rail lines through the yard.

Manhattan West spans the irregular rectangle bounded by Ninth and Dyer avenues and West 31st and 33rd streets. Most but not all of it consists of the exposed train yard 65 feet below street level.

Brookfield CEO Dennis Friedrich told The Post, “Excavation started a while ago. This is the formal launch of the next phase.”

Giant machines will soon appear on-site to erect a street-level surface comprised of 16 “bridges.” The deck will occupy 50 percent of the entire site.

Friedrich said the platform will be finished in late 2014 and the site will be ready to receive tenants by 2016.

He estimated Brookfield’s land and platform costs at a total $700 million. The deck is to be financed with a five-year, $340 million construction loan from a bank consortium including HSBC, Bank of New York Mellon and four others.

Brookfield will invest more than $300 million of its own capital with no public subsidies.

The details are to be announced tomorrow at a photo-op. Bloomberg, Friedrich, Brookfield co-Chairman John Zuccotti, Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye and Hudson Yards Development Corp. President Ann Weisbrod are expected to attend.

“Our initial plan was for all offices,” Friedrich said. “But we got excited about residential because the market was so heated. So in our current plan, we replaced what was the third office building with apartments.”

Manhattan West lies just east of Related Cos.’ much larger Hudson Yards project. Each giant enterprise can now claim its own bragging rights.

While Related is raising its first tower for Coach Inc. without first building a deck over its own rail yard site, Brookfield is plunging ahead with a deck before it puts up a building — which it won’t do until it lands a tenant. Cushman & Wakefield has been tapped to find one or more.

Manhattan West was originally to have three office buildings. Now, it will have two of them at the yards’ Ninth Avenue corners of West 31st and 33rd Streets, and a high-rise apartment tower between them and Dyer Avenue.

Brookfield also owns 450 W. 33rd St., the massive, million-square-foot office address on 10th Avenue, which stands between the Brookfield- and Related-controlled portions of the sunken rail yard.

While Brookfield has long owned development rights above the tracks, Amtrak still controls the right of way through the yard.

So the two parties — as well as the MTA, Long Island Rail Road and the Port Authority, which also hold easements through the site — had to work out arrangements that will allow the deck and the towers to be built without interfering with the train routes, which terminate at Penn Station.

Despite a popular myth that the deck will support the towers, they will actually rise from bedrock at the sites’ corners and in effect be thrust through the platform. But the deck is needed to create a welcoming location for commercial and residential users.

Brookfield has committed to creating a 100 foot-wide park running east-west through the site, effectively forming an extension of 32nd Street. The public space will be designed by James Corner Field Operations, which designed the High Line Park.

“The platform is needed to create the land to create the plaza,” Friedrich said.

The High Line, which now ends at 30th Street, is to be extended along the old trestle’s loop westward to curl around Hudson Yards, and eastward along a spur toward Ninth Avenue.

Meanwhile, Related has begun work on the first office tower at its own Hudson Yards site — which is not to be confused with Extell’s One Hudson Yards, a 1 million square-foot tower to be developed by Gary Barnett’s company just north of Related’s land.

Brookfield’s portfolio includes 77 million square feet in New York, Washington, Houston and other US cities, as well as in Canada, Australia and London. It owns the World Financial Center downtown as well as trophy properties such as One New York Plaza.

“The new district is going to be successful for everybody here,” Friedrich predicted.

He said Related’s coup in signing Coach as an anchor tenant is “also great news for us. It creates a perfect bookend” for Manhattan West.

scuozzo@nypost.com

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NRA says Congress will not pass assault weapons ban

WASHINGTON — The powerful gun lobby is gauging enough support in Congress to block a law that would ban assault weapons, despite promises from the White House and senior lawmakers to make such a measure a reality.

Senators plan to introduce a bill that would ban assault weapons and limit the size of ammunition magazines, like the one used in the December shooting massacre that killed 27 people, most of them children, in Newtown, Conn. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California has promised to push for a renewal of expired legislation.

The National Rifle Association has so far prevented passage of another assault weapons ban like the one that expired in 2004. But some lawmakers say the Newtown tragedy has transformed the country, and Americans are ready for stricter gun laws. President Barack Obama has made gun control a top priority. And on Tuesday Vice President Joe Biden is expected to give Obama a comprehensive package of recommendations for curbing gun violence.

Bloomberg

The NRA is confident Congress won't ban semi-automatic assault rifles, like these made by Bushmaster, in the wake of the Newtown school shooting.

Still, the NRA has faith that Congress would prevent a new weapons ban.

"When a president takes all the power of his office, if he's willing to expend political capital, you don't want to make predictions. You don't want to bet your house on the outcome. But I would say that the likelihood is that they are not going to be able to get an assault weapons ban through this Congress," NRA president David Keene told CNN's "State of the Union."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., responded with a flat out "no" when asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" whether Congress would pass a ban on assault weapons.

Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a lifelong member of the NRA has said everything should be on the table to prevent another tragedy like Newtown. But he assured gun owners he would fight for gun rights at the same time. "I would tell all of my friends in NRA, I will work extremely hard and I will guarantee you there will not be an encroachment on your Second Amendment rights," Manchin said on ABC's "This Week."

The NRA's deep pockets help bolster allies and punish lawmakers who buck them. The group spent at least $24 million in the 2012 elections — $16.8 million through its political action committee and nearly $7.5 million through its affiliated Institute for Legislative Action. Separately, the NRA spent some $4.4 million through July 1 to lobby Congress. Keene insists the group represents its members and not just the gun manufacturers, though he said the NRA would like industry to contribute more money to the association.

"We know what works and what doesn't work. And we're not willing to compromise on people's rights when there is no evidence that doing so is going to accomplish the purpose," Keene said.

The NRA, instead, is pushing for measures that would keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, until a person gets better. "If they are cured, there ought to be a way out of it," Keene said.

Currently, a person is banned from buying a gun from a licensed dealer if the person is a fugitive, a felon, convicted of substance abuse, convicted of domestic violence, living in the U.S. illegally or someone who "has been adjudicated as a mental defective or has been committed to any mental institution."

States, however, are inconsistent in providing information about mentally ill residents to the federal government for background checks. And, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said some 40 percent of gun sales happen with no background checks, such as at gun shows and by private sellers over the Internet or through classified ads.

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RFK Jr. convinced lone gunman not solely responsible for JFK's assassination

DALLAS — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is convinced that a lone gunman wasn't solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and said his father believed the Warren Commission report was a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship."

Kennedy and his sister, Rory, spoke about their family Friday night while being interviewed in front of an audience by Charlie Rose at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. The event comes as a year of observances begins for the 50th anniversary of the president's death.

Their uncle was killed on Nov. 22, 1963, while riding in a motorcade through Dallas. Five years later, their father was assassinated in a Los Angeles hotel while celebrating his win in the California Democratic presidential primary.

AP

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an interview with Charlie Rose at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his father spent a year trying to come to grips with his brother's death, reading the work of Greek philosophers, Catholic scholars, Henry David Thoreau, poets and others "trying to figure out kind of the existential implications of why a just God would allow injustice to happen of the magnitude he was seeing."

He said his father thought the Warren Commission, which concluded Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing the president, was a "shoddy piece of craftsmanship." He said that he, too, questioned the report.

"The evidence at this point I think is very, very convincing that it was not a lone gunman," he said, but he didn't say what he believed may have happened.

Rose asked if he believed his father, the U.S. attorney general at the time of his brother's death, felt "some sense of guilt because he thought there might have been a link between his very aggressive efforts against organized crime."

Kennedy replied: "I think that's true. He talked about that. He publicly supported the Warren Commission report but privately he was dismissive of it."

He said his father had investigators do research into the assassination and found that phone records of Oswald and nightclub owner Jack Ruby, who killed Oswald two days after the president's assassination, "were like an inventory" of mafia leaders the government had been investigating.

He said his father, later elected U.S. senator in New York, was "fairly convinced" that others were involved.

The attorney and well-known environmentalist also told the audience light-hearted stories Friday about memories of his uncle. As a young child with an interest in the environment, he said, he made an appointment with his uncle to speak with him in the Oval Office about pollution.

He'd even caught a salamander to present to the president, which unfortunately died before the meeting.

"He kept saying to me, 'It doesn't look well,'" he recalled.

Rory Kennedy, a documentary filmmaker whose recent film "Ethel" looks at the life of her mother, also focused on the happier memories. She said she and her siblings grew up in a culture where it was important to give back.

"In all of the tragedy and challenge, when you try to make sense of it and understand it, it's very difficult to fully make sense of it," she said. "But I do feel that in everything that I've experienced that has been difficult and that has been hard and that has been loss, that I've gained something in it."

"We were kind of lucky because we lost our members of our family when they were involved in a great endeavor," her brother added. "And that endeavor is to make this country live up to her ideals."

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Obama, Karzai agree to speed military transition

WASHINGTON — President Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Friday they have agreed to speed up slightly the schedule for moving Afghanistan's security forces into the lead across the country, with US troops shifting fully to a support role. The leaders also said Obama agreed to place battlefield detainees under the control of the Afghan government.

Obama, appearing in the East Room of the White House with Karzai at his side, said accelerating the transition to Afghan security control this spring would set the stage for further withdrawal of US and other foreign forces, although he did not say how quickly a US drawdown would be carried out this year and next. There are now 66,000 US troops there.

Getty Images

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, left, and President Obama finish holding a joint news conference in the East Room Friday.

"Starting this spring our troops will have a different mission: training, advising and assisting Afghan forces," Obama said. "It will be a historic moment."

He added later that even in a backup role he could not rule out that US troops could be drawn into combat. But he emphasized that their main role would be support, such as training and advising.

Karzai said he was pleased by the agreement, in part because it means that by spring there will be no foreign troops in Afghan villages.

Asked about the decision to accelerate the transition to Afghan security control — a shift that previously was scheduled to happen this summer — Obama said it was not yet clear what it would mean for the pace of US troop withdrawals this year. He said that was "something that isn't yet fully determined" and is awaiting further internal deliberation.

Casting the move in a positive light, Obama said plans remain on schedule to have Afghan forces fully responsible for security nationwide by the end of December 2014 — with no backup, theoretically, by US or other international forces — at which point, "this war will come to a responsible end."

The capabilities of the Afghan army are "exceeding initial expectations," the two said in a joint statement released after their private White House meeting and working lunch and in advance of a joint news conference. As a result, Obama said he acceded to Karzai's desire to put Afghan forces in the combat lead across his country this spring, rather than wait until summer.

In their statement the leaders said they discussed the possibility of a continued US troop presence beyond December 2014, when the US and allied combat mission is to end. But they did not settle on any specifics.

The US now has 66,000 troops in Afghanistan.

US commanders in Afghanistan have proposed keeping 6,000 to 15,000 US troops after 2014 to continuing pursuing terrorists and training Afghan security forces. But the White House, which tends to favor lower troop levels than the generals do, says Obama would be open to pulling all US forces out of Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

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Supervalu sells five grocery chains for $100m

Supervalu Inc. is selling off five of its grocery chains, including Albertson's and Jewel-Osco, after years of being squeezed by intensifying competition.

The nation's No. 3 traditional supermarket operator said Thursday that the sale of 877 stores to an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management will also include Acme, Shaw's and Star Market. The group already owns about 200 Albertson's in the South and Southwest.

Following the sale, Supervalu will focus on its Save-A-Lot discount stores, as well as its smaller regional chains Cub, Farm Fresh, Shoppers, Shop 'n Save and Hornbacher's. It will also keep its wholesale business that distributes groceries to stores.

The investor group will pay $100 million in cash for the stores, and the new company will assume $3.2 billion in existing debt. Cerberus will also offer to buy up to 30 percent of the remaining Supervalu for $4 per share after the deal closes.

Supervalu has struggled for years to turn around its business. The broader supermarket industry has been facing growing competition from big-box retailers such as Target, drugstore chains and dollar stores. While bigger chains such as Kroger Co. have adapted by tweaking store formats and improving discount programs and product offerings, Supervalu has scrambled to keep pace.

This summer, Supervalu fired its CEO and tapped Chairman Wayne Sales to lead a turnaround. The company said at the time that it was reviewing its options, such as putting itself up for sale. In the meantime, it has closed stores and cut jobs as part of an effort to reduce costs. Those efforts to fix its business will continue after the sale of its grocery chains is complete, the company said. Sam Duncan, who most recently was CEO of OfficeMax, will replace Sales as head of Supervalu after the deal closes.

On Thursday, Supervalu also reported a profit of $16 million, or 8 cents per share, for the third quarter. The results were boosted by a gain related to a settlement with credit card companies. A year ago, the company lost $750 million, or $3.54 per share.

However, total revenue for the period declined 5 percent to $7.9 billion. Sales at locations open at least a year fell 4.5 percent, and 4.1 percent at Save-A-Lot. Its profit margins also fell, in part because the company said it boosted promotions and cut prices for shoppers.

Bob Miller, who heads the Albertson's already owned by the Cerberus-led investment group, said the performance at the newly acquired Albertson's could be improved.

"In 2006, we acquired a set of stores that lacked investment and were in tough shape," he said, noting that those stores have grown into a "solid regional supermarket chain with growing sales."

A representative for the buyers noted that the transaction is still subject to approvals and declined to say whether any job cuts were planned for the newly acquired Albertson's, or whether the other chains would keep their names.

Supervalu's shares rose 15 percent to $3.51 in morning trading.

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Cuomo proposes gun, ammo magazine limits

ALBANY — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for closing loopholes on a state ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines that carry more than 10 bullets as part of a wide-ranging gun control package he proposed in his State of the State speech Wednesday.

"Guns have both a noble and a tragic tradition in America and in New York state," Cuomo stated in remarks provided before his speech. "They are a sign of our nation's fiercely defended independence and self-reliance ... (but) in the wrong hands, guns are also weapons of untold destruction and heartbreak.

Shannon DeCelle

Gov. Cuomo

"The tragic events of just the last few weeks in Newtown, Conn., and West Webster, N.Y., have indelibly taught us guns can cut down small children, firefighters and policemen in a moment."

The state already has among the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation, but a deal is expected soon that could make New York one of the first states to pass gun control laws following the Dec. 14 shooting, in which 20 first-graders and six educators were gunned down with a powerful weapon at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. The shooter also killed his mother and himself.

New York's effort was hastened further by the Christmas Eve killings of two firefighters in western New York by a man who set his neighborhood on fire, lay in wait with a high-powered rifle for responders, shot them and killed himself. Webster residents related to the firefighters were honored guests at the State of State address.

"Some weapons are so dangerous and some ammunition devices so lethal that we simply cannot afford to continue selling them in our state," Cuomo said.

Cuomo would also require follow-ups for owners of handgun licenses to make sure they are still qualified to possess a gun based on criminal and other records. He would increase sentences for gun crimes including for using guns on school property and for gang activities.

Legislators were working Wednesday behind closed doors to reach agreement on the governor's demand for tighter controls on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Republican Sen. Martin Golden agreed the closed-door talks has brought all sides to within 95 percent of a deal, which could be announced and acted on this week.

"New York leads the nation, it's time New York lead the nation in this," Silver said. His priorities are bans on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines of ammunition.

Golden, a leader in the Senate on crime-fighting measures, said in an interview that the final deal is expected to have some stiffer sentences for gun crimes, although not as severe as he hoped. Also, he said, the deal will crack down on the trafficking of illegal guns. The Brooklyn Republican, a former New York City police officer, said illegal guns are the weapons of choice in New York City crime.

The priority for Cuomo and Silver is to close what they say are loopholes that let some weapon designs escape a ban on assault weapons. They also want to outlaw the high-capacity magazines.

"I think we will come up with a reasonable definition and a reasonable closing of loopholes," Silver said.

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos is insisting on changes to a state law that authorizes longer court-ordered mental health treatment for individuals who won't seek help but are deemed a safety threat.

Legislators are prepared to be called into session by Cuomo as early as Thursday if a deal is struck, though a Cuomo spokesman said he knows of no plan to call legislators into session that day. The Legislature isn't scheduled for regular session until Monday.

In other priorities, Cuomo proposes raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.75 an hour, an idea he also pitched a year ago; allowing three casinos for upstate New York and none in New York City; and making possession of up to 15 ounces of marijuana seen in "open view" punishable as a violation.

In addition, the governor would eliminate the Long Island Power Authority as part of measures to better protect New York City and Long Island and would "harden" the energy network that failed for millions of New Yorkers for as many as 21 days with the Oct. 29 superstorm. The governor said the Long Island Power Authority failed during the storm.

Other proposals include a statewide volunteer network of skilled New Yorkers, such as electricians and carpenters to respond to superstorms and other disasters, Cuomo said at a conference center in Albany.

The governor and legislative leaders are also in negotiations on initiatives, including changes to schools to improve student performance that could mean longer days and academic years; and restrictions on the New York City Police Department's stop-and-frisk procedures that critics say impinge on civil rights. Another Cuomo priority is legalizing casinos off Indian land.

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WATCH: New video shows drunk, moaning passenger being taped to seat

That's one rough flight!

New video has emerged of the drunk airline passenger on a trans-Atlantic flight between Reykjavik and Kennedy Airport.

Gudmundur Karl Arthorsson, 46, was en route to the Caribbean to meet his fiancée when he got smashed aboard an Icelandair flight and tried to choke and grope several passengers — and at one point yelled that the plane was going down.

Cops picked Arthorsson up at Kennedy Airport after the flight arrived at about 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and took him to Jamaica Hospital.

There he spent the night being treated for alcohol poisoning, sources said.

Boozy Arthorsson, a civil engineer in Trinidad and Tobago, was home in Reykjavik over the holidays visiting family.

Arthorsson, an Icelandic citizen, visits his homeland often to see family.

He earned infamy when he was depicted on the cover of The Post duct-taped to his seat, with his arms and feet bound.

Before boarding the plane, he’d stocked up on Grand Marnier, whiskey and schnapps at a duty-free store.

Federal authorities declined to prosecute the case.

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New ‘ultra definition' TV sets come into focus at CES

LAS VEGAS — Think an HD TV looks sharp? Get ready for UD — or “ultra definition.”

The groundwork to replace standard HD channels with a format four times as sharp is being laid here at 2013’s consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

And this year electronics giants are aiming for the mainstream.

LG kicked off today’s CES press day with two new ultra-definition sets at 55 inches and 65 inches. Until now, LG offered only an 84-inch UD TV for an eye-popping $20,000. Samsung also plans to show off its UD entry today.

The new UD format will disrupt the industry as much as the HD transition last decade, which had broadcasters and cable networks racing to deliver HD quality content, according to James Fishler, vice president of maketing at LG.

He told The Post the manufacturers like LG are working with other industry players to unleash a UD transition.

gsloane@nypost.com

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Dead woman found naked in Marine Park

Benny J. Stumbo

A dead woman was found in Marine Park this morning

The naked body of a dead woman was found in Marine Park in Brooklyn this morning, law-enforcement sources said.

A 911 caller reported finding the woman’s body in the nature preserve near Gerritsen and Lois avenues around 7:15 a.m., police said.

Responders found the victim in a sandy clearing surrounded by thick brush on the border of Marine Park and Gerritsen Beach. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The woman has not been identified. Cause of death has yet to be determined. Police are investigating whether there was foul play.

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Stamford gun expo goes on in shadow of Sandy Hook despite mayor's pleas

REUTERS

Antique gun collector Dave Kleiner reviews paperwork during the East Coast Fine Arms Show in Stamford. The show is being held despite the mayor's plea that the event not be held so soon after last month's massacre at an elementary school in nearby Newtown.

Defiant gun dealers ignored protesters and put their wares on sale at a controvesial arms expo held today an hour's drive from the site of the Newton, Conn. elementary school massacre.

The eighth annual East Coast Fine Arms Show, held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Stamford, features about 250 tables and was held despite the objections of Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, who called it “untimely and insensitive.”

Douglas Healy

Protesters demonstrate against a gun show at the Stamford Conn. Plaza Hotel.

Most of the weapons for sale are antiques -- though some recently-made arms are available, including Connecticut Shotgun’s A-10 models, which went for as much as $19,300.

“I don’t see it as a problem because it’s the person who did it, not the gun,” said vendor Stuart English, 51, who hawks antique guns made before 1899.

“No one shoots up places with antique guns. If it was a modern gun show, I’d say it was insensitive."

“I’m very comfortable being here,” added dealer Dave Kleiner, 70, who sells pricey antiques such as European dueling pistols, Kentucky rifles and Derringers. “This is primarily a collectors' event rather than a shooters' event.”

The show, which continues Sunday, is about 40 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School, where psycho nerd Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 children and adults before killing himself. Lanza’s father, Peter Lanza, lives in Stamford.

A dozen protestors showed up at the hotel at around 1:45 p.m. — and were promptly booted from the premises.

“This was our opportunity to stand up and speak out and say that we’re not going to let the NRA get their way,” said Robin Druckman, 44, of Stamford.

And a relative of a survivor of the school shooting also blasted the show.

“It’s in very poor taste,” William Vollmer, husband of Sandy Hook Elementary teacher Janet Vollmer, told The Post.

Janet Vollmer locked her classroom door — saving 19 young lives — as Lanza rampaged through the school. She and her students survived the attack.

Since the Newtown bloodbath, gunshows have been canceled in the Connecticut cities of Danbury and Waterbury.

Twenty-eight people died in the Newtown attack -- 20 children and six employees of Sandy Hook Elementary, the mother of the shooter, and the shooter himself.

gbuiso@nypost.com

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Two shot cops set to leave hospital just one day after subway wild shootout

The tough-as-nails cop who was shot in both legs in a gunfight on Brooklyn train shrugged off his injuries just a half hour after his attack, his father told The Post.

"He said he got shot and he’s OK," said Stan Kozicki, of his son Lucasz.

The five-year veteran left Lutheran hospital in a wheelchair this afternoon and grimaced with pain as he was helped into an unmarked cruiser. Kozicki was shot in both legs by Peter Jourdan, 37, who has a record in California, including bringing a gun to court, drugs and intent to terrorize, law-enforcement sources said.

Benny J. Stumbo

NYPD Officer Michael Levay lflashes a "thumbs-up" sign as he leaves the hospital today.

Michael Levay, who shot dead Jourdan after he allegedly pulled a gun on the train, was released from the hospital this afternoon. "[It's] nice to be going home," he said.

"Right now I feel great," said his father, Bob. "I didn’t get any sleep last night, I’m so relieved it’s not even funny."

The super in Michael Levay's apartment said, "He's our hero now. We feel good about him. He's always very nice. I hope that he is going to be OK."

The third cop injured in Thursday's violence was Juan Pichardo, who bravely subdued a gunman after he was shot. The gunman and another man were allegedly trying to rob the car dealership where he worked.

Cops charged Jeffrey Okine, 22, of Mt. Vernon; Marquis Daniels, 23, of the Bronx; Tyquez Harrell, 22, of Brooklyn, and Rayshaun Jones, 25, of the Bronx with attempted murder, assault, robbery, among other charges.

Jason Marengo, 29, a yard manager at Boston Road Auto Mall, said he showed two of the alleged robbers a black 2001 Nissan Maxima.

"Once we got into the office, he tells me, 'this is not a joke, this is a stickup.' He told me to get on the floor," he said.

"He told me to sit on the floor, to give him my money, my cell phone, you know, everything that we had in our pockets, so I did."

One of the men ordered him and a customer to the floor, and ordered them to look at the floor, he said.

"He told me to get under my desk,” he said.

His accomplice found zipties used to tag car keys while rifling through drawers at the shop, and used them to bind Pichardo and the customer, he said.

"Once he ziptied Juan, he started going through the drawers next to my desk," he said.

Pichardo saw an opening to make a move -- and was able to bust out of the zip tie.

"Juan saw the opportunity to take him, because he told Juan, if he don't give him the combination for the safe, he was gonna kill him. That's when Juan grabbed the opportunity to grab him," he said. "When he tried to push him down, he shot Juan in the leg."

Marengo said the gunman's alleged accomplice was rifling through drawers and trying to open the safe. He ran out of the shop after the shot was fired.

Marengo said he gave chase, but he got away.

Marengo said he then ran to his car, grabbed a pair of handcuffs, and then returned to the office, and handcuffed the gunman that Pichardo was subduing.

"We told him, 'Listen, we law enforcement, you got the wrong people,'" he said

The Taurus 9-mm handgun used in the Brooklyn shooting was purchased in Allentown, Penn in 2011 and was not reported stolen, sources said.

The Bryco .380-caliber handun was reported stolen in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 2008, the sources added.

Additional reporting by Erin Calabrese and Joe Tacopino

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Anonymous donor gives $500K to help repair Sandy-damaged South Street Seaport Museum

An anonymous donor has sailed to the rescue of the South Street Seaport Museum with a $500,000 check to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The donation made up the bulk of $750,000 in contributions meant to help the museum recover from the storm.

Sandy didn’t damage any of the museum’s ships. But the storm’s floodwater walloped heating, electrical and communications equipment in several of its buildings.

Museum brass expect it’ll cost $22 million to fix and replace equipment and permanently move building systems to higher floors.

The museum reopened last month, and besides its ships it features several new seafaring-related art exhibits.

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Cops shoot man outside Brooklyn Technical High School

Police shot and seriously wounded a man today just outside Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene, according to authorities.

The gunfire broke out just before 3:22 p.m. across the street from the school near or inside the brownstone at 48 Fort Greene Place, between Lafayette and DeKalb avenues, authorities said.

Emergency services workers are taking the shot man to Kings County Hospital.

An officer involved in the shooting was transported to Methodist Hospital, which is standard procedure for cops who shoot someone.

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