MIAMI -- The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Hanna to a hurricane as it brings waves, rain and blustery winds to the Turks and Caicos.

Hurricane warnings were issued for the island chain and the central and southeastern Bahamas yesterday and forecasters warned that the storm could strike the U.S. mainland.

Meteorologists say it could hit anywhere from Miami to the outer banks of North Carolina later in the week.

Forecasters also said Tropical Storm Ike has formed in tropical Atlantic waters. The ninth tropical storm of the season's projected course late yesterday would take it toward the Bahamas over the next several days, but the paths of storms often vary from predictions made several days out.

Forecasters expect the storm to reach hurricane strength in the next 36 hours over warm Atlantic waters.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Inc. is releasing its own Web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its Internet-leading search engine.

The Mountain View-based company took the unusual step of announcing its latest product on the Labor Day holiday after it prematurely sent out a comic book drawn up to herald the new browser's arrival.

The free browser, called "Chrome," is supposed to be available for downloading today in more than 100 countries for computers running on Microsoft's Windows operating system. Google said it's still working on versions compatible with Apple Inc.'s Mac and the Linux operating system.

Although Google is using a cartoonish approach to promote Chrome, the new browser underscores the gravity of Google's rivalry with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer is used by about 75 percent of Web surfers.

Google for several years has been trying to take advantage of its search engine's popularity to loosen Microsoft's grip on how most people interact with personal computers.

The assault so far has been focused on a bundle of computer programs, including word processing and spreadsheet applications, that Google offers as an alternative to one of Microsoft's biggest money makers, its Office suite of products.

Google has tried to make its alternatives more appealing and accessible by hosting them for free over Internet connections instead of requiring users to pay a licensing fee to install them on individual computers

Meanwhile, Microsoft has been trying to thwart Google by investing billions in the development of its own search engine and making an unsuccessful attempt to buy Yahoo Inc. for $47.5 billion.

The tensions between Microsoft and Google now seem likely to escalate with Google's foray into Web browsing.

WASHINGTON -- Whistle-blowers helped authorities recover at least $9.3 billion from health care providers accused of defrauding states and the federal government, according to an analysis of Justice Department records.

The department ramped up efforts in the 1990s to combat health care fraud by using private citizens with inside knowledge of wrongdoing. They now initiate more than 90 percent of the department's lawsuits focusing on health care fraud.

Whistle-blowers start cases by filing a sealed complaint in federal court. The department investigates the allegation and can intervene, assuming the lead role in the lawsuit. Whistle-blowers then get between 15 percent and 25 percent of the amount recovered.

Of the $9.3 billion recovered between 1996 and 2005, whistle-blowers got more than $1 billion, say analysts, writing for the Annals of Internal Medicine.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Lab tests confirmed a decomposing body had been in the trunk of a car driven by a missing girl's mother, and investigators believe the 3-year-old is dead, the sheriff's office said yesterday.

Investigators have called Casey Anthony, 22, a "person of interest" in Caylee Anthony's disappearance. She faces charges of child neglect, obstruction and making false statements in the case.

The statement said the forensics tests confirmed there had been a decomposing body in the car. Detectives disclosed at a July hearing the trunk contained hair samples appearing to belong to Caylee, a strong odor and suspicious stain that glowed under black light.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, did not immediately return a telephone message yesterday. He has repeatedly said his client doesn't know what happened to Caylee.