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(CNN) -- Cyclist Chris Hoy has been knighted in the United Kingdom New Year Honors list, while every British gold medallist from the Beijing Olympic Games has also been rewarded. Hoy completes a remarkable year by being knighted in the United Kingdom New Years Honors list. In a move that breaks with tradition, triple-gold medallist Hoy will be knighted while still competing and will take part in London 2012 as Sir Chris. The 32-year-old told PA Sport: "To become a knight from riding your bike, it's mad. It is an amazing honor and is also great for the sport." Hoy, who was made an MBE after winning his first gold in Athens in 2004, was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year earlier this month. The Scotsman was one of 10 Olympic cyclists to be honored, while a number of Olympic coaches and officials were also recognised. Rebecca Adlington, the 19-year-old swimmer who won two Olympic golds -- the first British woman to win an Olympic swimming gold for 48 years -- receives an OBE (Order of the British Empire) . Adlington said: "I'm absolutely delighted to receive and accept the OBE -- it is fantastic to be recognised in the New Year Honors List. There are so many amazing names on the list, it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life." Christine Ohuruogu, the only British athlete to win a track and field gold in Beijing when she claimed the 400m title, has been given an MBE (Member of the British Empire). "It is nice to be called the Olympic, world and Commonwealth champion and now to be made an MBE is extra special," said Ohuruogu. Away from the Olympics, Lewis Hamilton receives an MBE after becoming the youngest ever Formula One world champion. "It is a massive honor and incredible privilege. It is the most amazing culmination to what has been quite a year for me," said Hamilton. | Track cyclist Chris Hoy knighted in the United Kingdom New Year Honors list .
Hoy will compete in the 2012 Olympics as Sir Chris after three golds in Beijing .
Every British gold medallist from the Beijing Olympics has also been rewarded . | d2e96584b92ac662f67b605cc2505456d93f446d |
(CNN) -- Real Madrid have failed in ar bid to overturn UEFA's ruling denying them the right to register both Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra to play in the Champions League knockout stages. Real must decide whether to register Huntelaar, above, or Diarra for the Champions League KO stage. UEFA's appeals body made the decision on Tuesday after Madrid challenged the original ruling made by European football's governing body last week. Regulations specify that clubs can only register one player who has already played in Europe that season to represent them in the latter stages of the Champions League or UEFA Cup the same campaign. Both Diarra and Huntelaar had played in the UEFA Cup this season, for Premier League Portsmouth and Dutch club Ajax respectively, prior to joining Madrid earlier this month. Madrid claimed they had a "different interpretation" of the rule, but both the Spanish club's initial request and subsequent appeal have now been thrown out. A statement confirmed: "UEFA's Appeals Body today upheld the decision taken by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body on 8 January, in accordance with article 17.18 of the [UEFA Champions League] competition regulations. "They rejected an appeal by Real Madrid CF in relation to the Spanish club's request to be able to register two players who have already competed in UEFA competition this season, as part of their A-list squad for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League." Madrid must now decide whether to accept the finding or pursue the issue further at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. | Real Madrid fail in their bid to overturn UEFA ruling regarding player eligibility .
Real wanted to register newcomers Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra .
UEFA say only one player per club can appear for two sides in same season . | fa2fbcacbe752c4e2ee349767a83e972ed1fb529 |
(CNN) -- Game show host and comedian Howie Mandel's irregular heartbeat scare is over, his publicist said Tuesday. Howie Mandel had an irregular heartbeat, but he did not have a heart attack, his publicist said. "Howie has been released from the hospital and will be back at work tomorrow," said Lewis Kay. "He appreciates everyone's concern." Mandel, 53, checked into a Toronto hospital Monday so doctors could monitor his condition, Kay said. He was in Toronto, filming segments for a new show "Howie Do It." The hour-long prank show debuted on NBC Friday. Mandel is the host of the American version of the game show "Deal or No Deal," which has brought huge ratings for NBC. | NEW: Howie Mandel released from Toronto hospital .
Host of "Deal or No Deal" had been admitted with irregular heartbeat .
Comedian was in Toronto, Canada, filming segments for a new show, "Howie Do It" | e1aa3cc0557bc36c8bdb78a78bc24e1770db05cc |
(CNN) -- Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has been ruled out for a minimum of three weeks after suffering a foot injury during the 3-0 Premier League win over title rivals Chelsea. France defender Patrice Evra will be out for a minimum of three weeks after hurting ankle ligaments. It was Evra's first game back after a four-match suspension imposed by the Football Association for his involvement in a post-match fracas involving groundstaff at Stamford Bridge last season. The French left-back was hurt after firing over a cross for Wayne Rooney's goal and now faces another spell on the sidelines as United chase trophies on four fronts. Evra suffered ligament damage and manager Alex Ferguson said: "He will be out for three weeks minimum and maybe four. It shouldn't be any more than that. "He just went over on his foot and has done the little ligament in his foot, so we need to get the swelling down and that will take about 7-10 days." Evra sits out Wednesday's Premier League clash with Wigan, the trip to Bolton three days later and next week's League Cup semifinal return at home to Derby when United will be expecting to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Central defender Rio Ferdinand remains on the sidelines for at least another week although a scan on his back problem confirmed there is no long-term damage. Ferdinand, out for a month, needs more rest and Jonny Evans will continue in central defense with Wes Brown still two weeks away from a comeback after ankle surgery. Ferguson hopes Ferdinand will be back for the televised FA Cup fourth round home clash against Tottenham on Saturday January 24. | Manchester Utd defender Patrice Evra sidelined for minimum of three weeks .
Frenchman hurt ankle ligaments during 3-0 Premier League win over Chelsea .
England defender Rio Ferdinand is out for another week with a back problem . | e6a8ba1f79db8f0ef71ce4e393afa28c1d1ba9a0 |
(CNN) -- Anyone who doubts Roland Burris' qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery. Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery. There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments. Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the words "Trail Blazer," Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state's first African-American attorney general and the state's first African-American comptroller. The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959. There appears to be enough room to add "U.S. senator" to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington. A Senate Democratic aide told CNN on Wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent Burris from being seated in the Senate. After Blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint Obama's successor, Senate Democrats praised Burris but said they could not accept any appointment by Blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges earlier this month. Federal prosecutors say he conspired to "sell" Obama's Senate seat for campaign donations and other favors. | Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery .
Gov. Rod Blagojevich picked Burris to succeed President-elect Obama in the Senate .
Memorial lists firsts, including being the first black attorney general for Illinois . | 2a3a35e8f66a570abaa94c5876140a93de17d52f |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday. A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died. The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said. "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time." Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said. | British soldier killed on New Year's Day by blast in Afghanistan .
Soldier served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province .
He was on patrol in Garmsir district when he was killed . | 511617fdbeed7da899b878c9eb2100aa353b9329 |
(CNN) -- The Kellogg Co. announced Wednesday it is recommending that consumers not eat its peanut butter crackers because they may be tainted with salmonella. Salmonella bacteria are transmitted to humans by eating contaminated foods. The products affected are Austin- and Keebler-branded: . -- Toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers. -- Cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers. The Michigan-based maker of cereals and snacks posted the recommendation in a statement on its Web site. Peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America, one of several peanut butter suppliers to the company, has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has affected at least 434 people in 43 states, federal health officials said Wednesday. "Kellogg Company's investigation has not indicated any concerns, nor has the company received any consumer illness complaints about these products," the Kellogg statement said. "Nonetheless, Kellogg Company is taking precautionary measures including putting a hold on any inventory in its control, removing product from retail store shelves, and encouraging customers and consumers to hold and not eat these products until regulatory officials complete their investigation of PCA and Kellogg provides further information as to the resolution of this issue." All of the company's peanut-butter crackers are made at its bakery in Cary, North Carolina, said spokeswoman Kris Charles. Though consumers are urged "to hold the product until we have more information," Charles recommended anyone seeking a refund call 888.314.2060 for details about how to get one. | Some types of Austin- and Keebler-branded sandwich crackers affected .
One of its peanut butter suppliers has been linked to outbreak of salmonella .
Kellogg says warning is strictly precautionary; no incidents of illness reported .
Outbreak of salmonella poisoning has affected at least 434 people in 43 states . | 2e6711bdaf4ce48233dd8285ab7e532b3abff686 |
OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- A former police officer for the Bay Area transit system pleaded not guilty Thursday in the New Year's Day shooting of a passenger at an Oakland rail station. Former transit officer Johannes Mehserle is charged with homicide in the death of Oscar Grant III. Johannes Mehserle, 27, appeared in a packed Alameda County courtroom, with his supporters separated by a courtroom aisle from relatives of shooting victim Oscar Grant III and other spectators. Mehserle is charged with shooting Grant, 22, in an incident that spurred violent protests in Oakland after being captured on video. Mehserle resigned his job as a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer days after the shooting, and he was arrested in Nevada earlier this week. Thursday's proceedings took less than five minutes, with Mehserle appearing behind heavy windows in an enclosure out of view of all but a handful of spectators. Superior Court Judge Robert McGuinness ordered the ex-officer held until his next hearing, scheduled for January 26. BART police had been called to Oakland's Fruitvale station January 1 after passengers complained about fights on a train. Officers pulled several men, including Grant, off the train when it arrived at Fruitvale, and video taken by witnesses showed Mehserle shooting Grant in the back as another officer kneeled on the man. Investigators have not said whether Grant was involved in the fight. The shooting spawned public outrage and a string of protests that led to more than 100 riot-related arrests. Watch some of the recent rioting in Oakland, California » . Thursday's proceedings drew an overflow crowd to the courthouse, with some would-be spectators grumbling that they could not get into the hearing. Vicki Behringer contributed to this report for CNN. | Ex-cop Johannes Mehserle appears in packed Alameda County courtroom .
Supporters separated by aisle from relatives of shooting victim Oscar Grant III .
Mehserle was arrested in Nevada earlier this week .
Grant's death spawned public outrage and a string of protests . | 37ecf9547d2ac78f54458f6aa43be23802068c59 |
(CNN) -- A 75th minute strike by striker Graziano Pelle gave AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 home win over NEC Nijmegen on Sunday to leave his side top of the Dutch standings. Italian star Pelle scored the winner to keep AZ on top heading into the Dutch break. The Italian's decisive goal means Louis van Gaal's men will head into 2009 with a three-point lead over Ajax Amsterdam after 17 rounds. The Eredivisie is set to resume on January 16 after a three-week break. Earlier, Dario Cvitanich scored a hat-trick as Ajax beat ADO Den Haag 3-0 to temporarily draw level on points with the leaders. But AZ, who are unbeaten in 15 games, then saw off Nijmegen, who had also been on a fine 14-game unbeaten run. AZ have 41 points, with Ajax on 38. Steve McClaren's FC Twente are in third place, seven points adrift of AZ, after holding defending champions PSV Eindhoven to a goalless draw on Saturday. PSV are fourth with 30 points and looking set to relinquish their league title. On Friday, Feyenoord snapped a run of three successive losses by beating NAC Breda 3-1, but the struggling Rotterdam giants are in 12th spot. | AZ Alkmaar beat NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in Dutch league game on Sunday .
Alkmaar on top by three points from Ajax heading into midwinter break .
Former Lecce striker Graziano Pelle scores crucial winner for AZ . | edfc4d8f64e4aa164d7d01915264e0e9c0c4729b |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday. A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died. The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said. "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time." Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said. | British soldier killed on New Year's Day by blast in Afghanistan .
Soldier served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province .
He was on patrol in Garmsir district when he was killed . | 2a52370fd79b092f62fb38077f99aa48df47accc |
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China has become the world's third-largest economy, surpassing Germany and closing rapidly on Japan, according to government and World Bank figures. Commuters drive along a road in downtown Beijing, China, on Thursday. The Chinese government revised its growth figures for 2007 from 11.9 percent to 13 percent this week, bringing its estimated gross domestic product to $3.4 trillion -- about 3 percent larger than Germany's $3.3 trillion for the same year, based on World Bank estimates. Beijing is expected to release its 2008 GDP figures next week. Although the world's top economies, the United States and Japan, are in recession, the most pessimistic estimates for China's growth in upcoming years runs about 5 percent. That could allow China's GDP to overtake Japan's, currently $4.3 trillion, within a few years. The U.S. economy, the world's largest, was about $13.8 trillion in 2007. The World Bank's estimate of China's economic growth is about 7.5 percent. But China has seen a sharp decline in exports in November and December as other major economies struggle, and the bank's analysts say rates below 6 percent could worsen the rest of the world's slump. Watch how China was able to overtake Germany » . And Michael Santoro, author of the 2008 book "China 2020," said China will have other problems to overcome if it is to maintain its rapid expansion. "It's no longer sufficient for China to become a manufacturer of sneakers or toys and the like," Santoro said. "Now they're looking to become players in the area of pharmaceuticals and foods and other high value-added products, where safety and quality are important characteristics for improving in the global economy." China recently announced a $600 billion economic stimulus package, and its State Council on Wednesday laid out a new plan to boost its steel and auto industries -- including about $1.5 billion to develop alternative-fuel vehicles. CNN's John Vause and Judy Kwon contributed to this report. | China's GDP could overtake Japan's within a few years .
World Bank's estimate of China's economic growth is about 7.5 percent .
China announced $600 billion economic stimulus package recently . | f7f1edcf90aa8e562bcdb375bef689f4c97aea6d |
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- At least 59 people were killed in a fire that broke out early Thursday at one of Bangkok's most upscale nightclubs, where about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year, Thai police said. Rescue officials work at the scene of the fire in Thailand. Most of the dead were Thai, but foreigners have been identified, among them from Australia, the Netherlands, Nepal and Japan, police said. Another 100 people were believed injured. The fire, at a club called Santika, started at about 12:35 a.m. (1735 GMT), police told CNN. The blaze started near a stage where fireworks were being used as part of a performance, according to authorities. Watch the fire engulf the building » . Most of those who died in the building suffered smoke inhalation or were trampled in a rush to get out of the club, they said. British citizen Andrew Jones said he was celebrating in the area when he walked up on the fire. He said he saw victims being rushed out of the fire on stretchers and spoke to witnesses, including a fellow Briton who saw fireworks being lit onstage. "He immediately ran out of the building, but immediately when he'd done that the lights went out and he couldn't see," Jones said. The club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts. Its Web site features images of bands and DJs performing on both indoor and outdoor stages, and says that it "innovatively blends the comfort of nature with the excitement of the Bangkok nightlife." The site advertises the club's new year's party, which was named "Goodbye Santika." CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | Fireworks were used as part of a performance, authorities say .
Most of those who died suffered smoke inhalation or were trampled, authorities say .
Club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts . | 85b3821389a8fd80d3a8c81370b0639c7fc1924a |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Troubled pop star Amy Winehouse spent the night in a London hospital after suffering a reaction to a medication she was taking at home Monday night, according to her spokeswoman. Amy Winehouse's husband was recently jailed for 27 months. Tracey Miller said she could not say what medication was involved. A statement from University College Hospital said Winehouse had been kept in overnight for observation. She had a comfortable night and was released Tuesday morning, the statement said. London Ambulance Service said it transported the singer after being notified of "an adult female taken unwell." Winehouse's spokesman in London, Chris Goodman, told the British Press Association that he had not been told what was wrong with the 24-year-old singer, who is well known for her song "Rehab," describing the singer's reluctance to enter a clinic. The pop singer was investigated this year after a London tabloid made public a leaked home video that showed her smoking something in a glass pipe minutes after she was heard saying she had just taken six tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Valium. Police declined to file charges. The singer has battled drug addiction and spent about two weeks in a rehabilitation clinic in January. Winehouse won five Grammy awards this year -- three for "Rehab" as well as Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Winehouse's Grammy winning album, "Back to Black," is still a big seller, recently charting at No. 12 in the UK more than 19 months after its release. Madame Toussaud's London wax museum recently unveiled a wax statue of Winehouse alongside Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and other musicians in the museum's "Music Zone" exhibit. On July 21, Winehouse's husband was jailed for 27 months. He admitted to brawling with a pub manager and then offering him $400,000 to not talk about the incident. | Amy Winehouse leaves hospital after spending the night under observation .
Spokesperson says singer had reaction to medication she was taking at home .
Ambulance took 24-year-old Winehouse from London home to emergency room .
Singer has struggled with drugs and alcohol . | b4a18030df64c45d6cc6ee2eea097e2acb962755 |
(CNN) -- A bird struck an Arkansas hospital's helicopter Saturday, tearing a hole into the aircraft's nose and prompting the pilot to land early, according to officials and pictures taken after the landing. A medical helicopter landed near Forrest City, Arkansas, on Saturday after striking a bird. The chopper's pilot made a "safe landing" in that state after hitting a bird while returning to Baptist Health Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital spokesman Mark Lowman said. "I think the pilot just made a judgment call to set it down," Lowman said of the landing, which happened at 6:15 p.m. Saturday near Forrest City, Arkansas. Video footage taken by CNN affiliate WREG showed a bird hanging out of a hole torn into the paneling on the chopper's nose. Part of the helicopter's windshield also was broken. The pilot was slightly injured during the landing, and the other two crew members on board were uninjured, Lowman said. Federal aviation officials are investigating, and the helicopter is not expected to be grounded for long, he said. The helicopter was returning from a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where the crew had taken a patient. The incident came two days after a US Airways jetliner was forced to land in New York's Hudson River, apparently after striking a flock of birds. Shortly after the jet took off from New York's LaGuardia airport on Thursday, the crew reported seeing a flock of birds. Seconds later, the cockpit voice recorder captured the sounds of loud "thumps" and both of the plane's engines failed. The pilot, C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, landed the Airbus A320 in the Hudson, where all 155 people aboard were rescued. | Bird hits Arkansas hospital's helicopter, forcing pilot to land early .
Copter's pilot suffers minor injuries during landing .
Incident comes days after birds apparently forced jet to land in Hudson River . | cd8bf79db505d36a6ba59eb37a075e14661c09a8 |
(CNN) -- Seven people, including a toddler, died when fire roared through a three-story home in southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday night, fire officials said. Firefighters work to put out a fire at a town home Friday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Six of the victims -- three adults, a teen and two children -- were found in the townhome's basement, huddled together, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. A 2-year-old boy who was pulled from the burning house by firefighters was later pronounced dead at Children's Hospital, Ayers said. Eleven people, all of Liberian nationality, lived in the basement of the home, he said. Two were rescued by firefighters and two escaped on their own, Ayers said. Watch firefighters at work on the blaze » . There were no stairs from the basement to the upper level and there was only one door leading out, he said. Early clues suggest a kerosene heater may have started the blaze, but the fire marshal has not officially determined a cause, Ayers said. "We found serious issues in the house," he said. The home did not appear to be equipped with smoke detectors, the fire commissioner said. "We have not found any smoke alarms at all, which we are very saddened by," Ayers said. Wade Lee, who lived in the same building, said the landlord had helped tenants work out fire evacuation plans. Lee said the victims often brought his family fresh vegetables from their garden, and the children were a joy. "Our wishes are with them right now, more so than for ourselves," he said. "Just hearing the children laughing, and not being able to hear that no more is grievous to us all." | 2-year-old pulled from fire later pronounced dead at hospital .
Six victims found huddled together in basement .
Eleven people, all of Liberian nationality, lived in the home, fire official says .
Basement home had one exit, no smoke detectors, official says . | 81c50426e3c15619f2e1d3fd1b85bf5711487a74 |
(CNN) -- Grammy-winning trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, a leading figure in jazz during a five-decade career, has died at age 70, about a month after suffering a heart attack, his publicist said Tuesday. In the 1970s, Freddie Hubbard made a series of funk- and fusion-oriented albums, such as the 1970 hit "Red Clay." Hubbard died Monday morning in Sherman Oaks, California, outside Los Angeles, after a long battle with heart disease, spokesman Don Lucoff told CNN. He had been hospitalized since suffering a heart attack the day before Thanksgiving and took a turn for the worse last week, Lucoff said. "Freddie Hubbard, in terms of the advent of modern jazz, the birth of bebop, was probably among the five greatest trumpet players that has ever lived ... He's really right up there with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Roy Eldridge, an innovator and great composer," Lucoff said. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Hubbard moved to New York in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, he was playing alongside such major jazz figures as Art Blakey, Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. In the early 1970s, he made a series of funk- and fusion-oriented albums, such as the 1970 hit "Red Clay" and 1972's Grammy-winning "First Light." "The thing that set Freddie Hubbard apart was he played rapidly, he played soulfully and he really set the pace for a lot of the trumpet players who have come after him in the last 20 or 30 years," Lucoff said. Hubbard was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006. He is survived by wife, Briggie, and son Duane. | Grammy-winning trumpeter long fought heart disease, spokesman says .
Hubbard played with major jazz figures including Art Blakey and Herbie Hancock .
Hubbard was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006 . | 4ce7b9ced9ce04094bc607fdfb17cbebc315a1e9 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Three bombings killed an Iraqi official and three police officers and wounded 14 other Iraqis on Sunday evening and Monday morning, according to an official with the Iraqi Interior Ministry. A U.S. soldier plays with a boy Monday while on patrol in Babil province, Iraq. An Iraqi police captain was killed when a bomb attached under his vehicle exploded as he drove to work Monday morning in Baghdad, the Interior Ministry official said. Seven people, including three Iraqi soldiers, were wounded by the "sticky bomb" blast, which happened as the captain drove to a checkpoint in eastern Baghdad's Zafaraniya neighborhood. The military refers to bombs attached to vehicles without the driver's knowledge as "sticky bombs." The deputy head of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front was killed Sunday evening by a suicide bomb blast in the town of Al-Qaiyara, south of Mosul, according to Mosul police. The bomber entered Sheikh Hassan Zaidan al-Luhaibi's guest house and detonated an explosives vest, killing the sheikh and two other police officers, police said. Another bomb blast on Sunday evening wounded seven people who were putting up campaign posters and banners for candidates along Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad, the official said. The people were campaigning for candidates in Iraq's provincial council elections set for January 31, the official said. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report. | The deputy head of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front is killed by a suicide bomb blast .
An Iraqi police captain is killed when a bomb attached under his vehicle explodes .
Bomb blast wounds seven people putting up campaign posters and banners . | 2840f926c864b1d8e2056df3c0bfdccc04da3106 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. authorities arrested six people Wednesday on suspicion of smuggling African elephant ivory worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, law enforcement officials said. Imports of African elephant ivory have been banned in the United States since 1976. The defendants arranged to have ivory from Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Uganda shipped into the United States disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues, authorities said. "The defendants plundered precious natural resources for personal profit," U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell and other officials said in a statement. "Their illegal trade threatens the continued existence of an endangered species and will not be tolerated." Federal agents tracked at least eight shipments, including one worth an estimated $165,000. Federal agents used surveillance and shipping, phone and bank records to track the suspect shipments. Arrests were made in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Texas. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Department of Homeland Security were involved in the law enforcement operation. One suspect told an undercover federal agent during a purchase that it was difficult to bring ivory into the United States, but easy to sell it at high prices, the government statement said. Two other suspects also are accused of paying a courier $15,000 to bring a shipment of ivory from Cameroon into the United States. The U.S. banned ivory imports in 1976, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora effectively outlawed trade in elephant tissue in 1989. Illegal trade in African elephant ivory is considered to be a major cause of the continuing decline of elephant populations in Africa. The defendants are expected to appear in court in New York on Wednesday. They face jail terms of up to 20 years if convicted. | Six in four states face federal smuggling charges, U.S. attorney says .
Ivory reportedly disguised as wooden snakes, guitars and statues .
Elephant ivory trade illegal in U.S. since 1976, worldwide since 1989 . | eb2e5017b44cf72b6db498ed074146897f8daa2d |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Marine commander on Wednesday warned of a "growing" insurgent threat in Afghanistan, but he said forces would have to be cut in Iraq to send more Marines to Afghanistan. Marines could be pulled from Iraq's Anbar province, Gen. James Conway said Wednesday. "To do more in Afghanistan, our Marines have got to see relief elsewhere," said Gen. James Conway in a briefing for Pentagon reporters. Conway said the Corps' two regimental combat teams -- about 10,000 Marines -- in Iraq's Anbar province could be removed as there are only two or three insurgent attacks a day in what was once the hotbed of the Iraqi insurgency. The U.S.-led coalition is scheduled to hand over security control in Anbar to Iraqi troops next week. Despite the progress, Conway said, he doesn't expect any decisions on troop withdrawals until Gen. David Petraeus -- the head of the U.S. military in Iraq -- makes his recommendations on troop deployment in Iraq to President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. There are more than 3,000 Marines in Afghanistan, and Conway said that the Marine Corps would be willing to help bolster the fight against the Taliban in that country. "I think that a battalion of Marines in Afghanistan count for more than a battalion of Marines in Iraq, if you will, just in terms of the impact that they can have," he said. | Marines in Iraq's once-volatile Anbar province could leave, general says .
Anbar attacks down to a few a day, Gen. James Conway says .
Marines could have greater effect in Afghanistan, Conway says . | 9a19200792db252cc156ac0b7c2b4640a9dc340a |
MONTEREY PARK, California (CNN) -- Five men are accused of starting a massive Malibu wildfire at that destroyed more than 50 homes and forced about 15,000 people to evacuate. A firefighter works to contain a wildfire threatening homes in Malibu, California, on November 24. Authorities say the five, ranging in ages from 18 to 27, were drinking in a popular party spot in a cave at the park when they started the fire. All five are from the Los Angeles area and are being charged with three felonies -- including two arson-related charges. Each count carries a sentence of two to four years in prison. Baca said investigators traced the fire to the cave, then used receipts and surveillance camera footage from a nearby store to hunt down the men. Investigators would not comment on why the men started the fire. During the investigation, fire officials speculated that a campfire may have started the blaze -- which engulfed roughly 5,000 acres and destroyed 80 structures, including the 53 homes. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the wake of the fire, which started on November 24. The blaze, which was fueled by dry Santa Ana winds and low humidity, followed a spate of California wildfires in October that charred more than 508,000 acres in several counties. Those fires forced 1 million people from their homes and left 14 people dead. The men are expected to make their first court appearance on Monday. E-mail to a friend . | NEW: Men were partying in a cave .
All five are from the Los Angeles area and are being charged with three felonies .
Receipts and surveillance camera footage helped investigators find the men .
Fire engulfed about 5,000 acres and destroyed more than 50 homes last month . | 0aef0ffd5443bc582aa944bb8714617afbe51973 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The number of illegal immigrants arrested along U.S. borders dropped 23 percent during the past nine months -- evidence, officials said, that stepped-up enforcement is working. Mexican families swim and wash cars along the banks of the Rio Grande at the U.S. border in Juarez in June. The Border Patrol captured 695,841 people nationwide in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2007, down from 907,445 for the same period the previous fiscal year, or a 23 percent drop, said Border Patrol spokesman Michael Friel. Arrests along the U.S.-Mexico border declined by 24 percent, he said. Border Patrol officials said the reasons for the change are varied and complex, but Friel said, "We're clearly seeing a deterrent." One factor cited by officials is the end of the practice of releasing non-Mexican immigrants, pending court hearings. The Border Patrol captured 50,349 non-Mexican illegal immigrants nationwide in the nine-month period ending June 30, down from 89,952 during the same period of fiscal 2006. That's a 44 percent decrease. The decrease was 48 percent for non-Mexican illegal immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. Other factors include the 6,000 National Guard troops patrolling along the Southwest border, more detention space and enhanced enforcement in the interior, Friel said. Outside economic, political and social factors also are "always involved" in fluctuating levels of immigrants seeking entry into the United States, he said. Last month, opponents effectively killed President Bush's long-fought and emotion-laden immigration bill in the Senate when members voted against advancing the legislation. The bill aimed to create a path to citizenship for some of the 12 million illegal immigrants and to toughen border security. Supporters and opponents of the legislation said that it probably won't be resurrected until the 2008 elections are over. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Mike M. Ahlers contributed to this report. | Illegal immigrants captured on U.S. borders down 23 percent in nine months .
Officials say enforcement having deterrent effect on illegal immigration .
Official: Use of National Guard troops along Southwest border may be a factor . | ea05dfab8ef7ff691bd615fe062cc312e57a61aa |
(CNN) -- A seventh minute goal from Brazilian teenager Alexander Pato proved enough to give AC Milan a 1-0 home victory over Fiorentina in a match totally dominated by Manchester City's $150 million bid for playmaker Kaka this week. Pato (right) and David Beckham celebrate Milan's only goal at the San Siro on Saturday evening. The goal was created by David Beckham who beat two defenders to a loose ball. He poked it back to Marek Jankulovski who played in Pato inside the penalty area. There still appeared no danger to the Fiorentina goal, but Pato hit a stunning strike from the left that went in off the far post. Fiorentina should have equalized on 66 minutes when Juan Vargas got to the byline and crossed to Mario Santana but the Argentine put his shot too close to goalkeeper Christian Abbiati who managed to save. The result leaves Milan in third place on 37 points, six points behind leaders and city rivals Inter, who have a game in hand. Jose Mourinho's side travel to Atalanta on Sunday. Jankulovski collected a late red card for timewasting, but Milan held on to secure the three points. Meanwhile, Milan supporters made their opposition to the Kaka bid, and his possible departure, perfectly clear throughout the match -- unveiling a host of banners and singing songs pleading with the Brazilian to stay at the San Siro. Reggina remain deep in relegation trouble after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Siena. Mario Frick's goal 15 minutes from time was enough to give the Bianconeri three points which sees them leapfrog Sampdoria and move up to the relative comfort of 14th spot. Siena in contrast, stay second from bottom and could slip to the foot of the Serie A standings if Chievo beat Napoli on Sunday. | Alexander Pato scores seventh minute goal as AC Milan defeat Fiorentina 1-0 .
The win puts Milan within six points of Serie A leaders and rivals Inter at top .
Milan supporters display displeasure at Kaka's possible departure from club . | 0eec5926864110b348394412cf7e9e9a29d8f70d |
(CNN) -- Polaroid Corp. announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Minnesota-based company said it is taking itself and its subsidiaries into bankruptcy in order to restructure its finances. "Our operations are strong and during this process Polaroid will ship products to our retail partners, work with our suppliers and contract manufacturers to fulfill retailer demand ..." said Mary L. Jeffries, Polaroid chief executive officer. "We expect to continue our operations as normal during the reorganization and are planning for new product launches in 2009," she said, adding that employees should receive their paychecks without interruption. The bankruptcy filing was necessary because of an investigation of its parent company, Petters Group Worldwide, which has owned Polaroid since 2005, the Polaroid statement said. The group's founder and other employees are under investigation for fraud. Polaroid said the investigation does not involve its leadership team. | "Our operations are strong," Polaroid CEO says; company will "fulfill retailer demand"
Polaroid: Bankruptcy filing necessary because of investigation of parent Petters .
Bankruptcy will allow restructuring of finances, company says .
iReport.com: Share your favorite Polaroid pictures . | 75e6c61d7fb9388bf5dc9faa4cbe963801625aec |
(CNN) -- In focus: OPEC quota cuts . OPEC, which pumps 40 percent of the world oil, is set to announce this week plans to cut its output when it meets in Oran, Algeria. CEO Naguib Sawiris is expanding his mobile phone services into North Korea, an area where few businessmen venture. The cut in crude is hoped to stabilize prices and will be the third cut in quotas since September. So what's behind the supply cuts? Is it just a matter of price stability? Or is OPEC trying to protect the cost of future investments? Facetime with Naguib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom . Amidst the economic downturn, one company is venturing into markets where others fear to tread. Orascom launches its mobile phone services in North Korea this week. CEO Naguib Sawiris tells MME about the company's ambitious expansion plans and the effects of the international financial crisis. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: . Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 . | OPEC, which supplies 40 percent of world oil plans on cutting more output .
This is the third cut since the fall and is supposed to stabilize prices-will it?
Or is OPEC just looking out for its own interests?
Plus, CEO Naguib Sawiris talks about his North Korea expansion plans . | d91d2f3b435c9be31d8613ec2b4634d23a7fb6d9 |
(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama, who in 10 days will be sworn in using the Bible of his political hero Abraham Lincoln, visited the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Saturday night with his family. The Obama family walks down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Saturday. Obama, wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha made the unannounced stop shortly after 7 p.m. ET. The family walked up the steps of the memorial on a chilly night in Washington and then visited the museum at the site. On the way out, they stopped at the edge of the reflecting pool. The parents were seen pointing in the distance to the Capitol and the Washington Monument. The Obamas spent about a half-hour at the memorial before returning to the Hay-Adams Hotel, where they are staying. Watch the family at the memorial » . Obama will be the first president to use the Lincoln Bible for his inauguration since Lincoln used it in 1861. Inauguration organizers have said Obama's inaugural theme, "A New Birth of Freedom," was inspired by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Learn more about the Lincoln Memorial » . The president-elect also plans a train trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington three days before the inauguration, following the final leg of the train route taken by Lincoln. | Obamas made unannounced stop at memorial on Saturday .
They spent a half-hour at the site before returning to hotel .
Barack Obama will use Lincoln's Bible at his inauguration this month . | a0c8e891686757ebf11356bf3a134347f34c0960 |
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner told the Democratic National Convention that the most important race facing the country is the "race for the future ... and it won't be won with a president who is stuck in the past." "This election ... is about the future vs. the past," former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner said Tuesday. "We need a president who understands the world today, the future we seek and the change we need. We need Barack Obama as the next president of the United States." Warner was delivering the keynote speech at the convention, the slot that Obama himself filled four years ago. He accused President Bush of a failure of leadership at a critical moment in the nation's history. "Folks always ask me, what's my biggest criticism of President Bush? I'm sure you all have your own. Here's mine: It's not just the policy differences. It's the fact that this president never tapped into our greatest resources: the character and resolve of the American people. He never really asked us to step up." John McCain, he said, offered only "a plan that would explode the deficit and leave that to our kids. No real strategy to invest in our infrastructure. And he would continue spending $10 billion a month in Iraq. I don't know about you, but that's just not right. That's four more years that we just can't afford." Watch Warner say McCain is "more of the same" » . But much of his speech was devoted to the kind of bipartisan rhetoric Obama has espoused on the campaign trail. "I know we're at the Democratic Convention, but if an idea works, it really doesn't matter whether it's got a 'D' or an 'R' next to it. Because this election isn't about liberal vs. conservative. It's not about left vs. right. It's about the future vs. the past. "That's why we must elect Barack Obama as our next president," Warner said. "Because the race for the future will be won when old partisanship gives way to new ideas. When we put solutions over stalemates and when hope replaces fear." | Mark Warner says America needs leader who understands "the future we seek"
Bush never asked Americans to step up, Warner says .
Much of Warner's address focused on bipartisan rhetoric . | acba5782880c1a6842a3425d06e7d20025add0d9 |
(CNN) -- Longtime character actor Pat Hingle, a veteran of early television dramas, Westerns and four "Batman" films, has died at age 84, his family announced Sunday. Pat Hingle was a familiar face to moviegoers and TV watchers for his many roles. Hingle died Saturday evening at his home in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, after a two-year battle with the blood disorder myelodysplasia, his cousin, Lynn Heritage, told CNN. "He was awake one moment, and in the next breath, he was gone," Heritage said. Hingle began his acting career in the 1950s, appearing in numerous television theater shows. His first movie role was an uncredited appearance in 1954's "On the Waterfront," which won eight Academy Awards; he played the by-the-book judge opposite Clint Eastwood's vengeful marshal in 1968's "Hang 'Em High," and appeared as Sally Field's father in 1979's "Norma Rae." In 1989, he appeared as Gotham City's Commissioner Gordon in Tim Burton's "Batman," carrying on the role through three sequels. His last film role was in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," released in 2006. He also guest-starred in countless TV series, including a memorable turn as a character named Col. Daniel Webster Tucker in a 1980 "M*A*S*H" episode. In the episode, called "April Fools," Hingle's Tucker antagonized the unit's surgeons -- with surprising consequences. Hingle's other TV series included "Hawaii Five-O," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Hart to Hart," "St. Elsewhere," "Magnum, P.I." and "Cheers." Hingle is survived by his wife of nearly 30 years, Julia, and their five children. | Pat Hingle appeared in many TV series, movies .
Hingle played Commissioner Gordon in '90s "Batman" films .
Hingle also had roles in "M*A*S*H," "St. Elsewhere," "Cheers" | 15ca63cf7178906ddff9eb804f7cbf94efd9292f |
(CNN) -- Gas prices dropped nearly 33 cents in the past two weeks, dipping below $2 for the first time since March 2005, a national survey said Sunday. This station in Rio Vista, California, had gas prices below $2 on November 19. The average price of self-serve, unleaded gasoline on Friday in the United States was $1.97, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey. The last time the price was below $2 was on March 4, 2005, she said. The all-time high average was $4.11, set on July 11, according to Lundberg, and prices have been dropping ever since. "The rate of decline has slowed somewhat, but it is still dramatic at 33 cents in two weeks," she said. Diesel prices averaged $2.93 on Friday, slumping under $3 for the first time since September 2007, she said. Lundberg attributed the price reductions to a drop in crude oil prices and demand, and also because of low refining margins. Watch thrilled customers enjoy cheaper gas » . "Crude oil remains [the] main driver," for the decline, she said, noting that crude oil futures settled on Friday below $50. Demand is always low in November, she said, but the weakening economy is reducing it further. However, Lundberg said that if crude oil prices do not fall further, "then the end of this [gasoline] price crash is either here or near." The Lundberg Survey is based on responses from more than 5,000 service stations nationwide. On Friday, drivers in St. Louis, Missouri, paid the least at the pump -- $1.61 -- while drivers in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Anchorage, Alaska, paid the most, at $2.81. Here are average prices in other cities: . • Detroit, Michigan -- $1.76 . • Houston, Texas -- $1.78 . • Atlanta, Georgia -- $1.88 . • Boston, Massachusetts -- $2.01 . • Chicago, Illinois -- $2.10 . • Washington -- $2.19 . • Los Angeles, California -- $2.22 . | Average price in U.S. is below $2 for first time since March 2005, survey says .
All-time high average -- $4.11 -- was set four months ago .
Average price dropped 33 cents in the past two weeks .
Survey: Diesel prices are under $3 for the first time since September 2007 . | 11eeffa6f033febd785c26476aa21afe7f72fb55 |
(CNN) -- A U.N. official said Monday that the global economic crisis is hurting efforts to clear land mines in Afghanistan, one of the world's most heavily mined countries. An Afghan soldier inspects a land mine in Herat, western Afghanistan. Haider Reza, program director of the U.N. Mine Action Center for Afghanistan, said more than 82,000 anti-personnel mines were cleared in Afghanistan last year. But he said the $500 million needed to meet the goal of clearing all mines by 2013 is under threat. "We are at a very critical point, and this country and people cannot afford to see a devastating situation where not much money will come," Reza said, in remarks included in a U.N. news release. More than 4 million people live in "mine-contaminated" areas in Afghanistan, the U.N. says. The clearance of explosives is considered of key importance for the country's development. The anti-personnel mines and 900 anti-tank mines cleared this past year constitute more than 20 percent of mines cleared from the country since 1989, the United Nations said. The Ottawa Convention on land mines specifies that Afghanistan must be completely cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance by 2013. The Afghanistan Compact, the partnership between the Afghan government and the international community, is calling for "70 percent of explosive-infested land to be cleared by 2011." "If the resources flow into the program, we have the technical capacity and we can do the job," said Reza, who is reaching out to new donors, such as Persian Gulf nations. "God forbid that the security situation throughout the country, especially in areas where we have to do the job, deteriorates to the extent that would not allow our de-miners to do their job. Otherwise, I am very confident we will make it," he said. | $500M needed to meet the goal of clearing all mines by 2013, official says .
U.N.: 82,000 anti-personnel mines were cleared in Afghanistan last year .
More than 4 million people live in "mine-contaminated" areas in Afghanistan .
U.N. official: "If the resources flow into the program, we can do the job" | c882759effb2f675aeec5a172f9fe5aafd3ab665 |
(CNN) -- A bus carrying Chinese tourists overturned Friday near Hoover Dam, killing at least seven people and injuring at least nine, an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman said. Authorities work on the crash scene Friday on U.S. 93 in White Hills, Arizona, near Hoover Dam. The accident happened at 4 p.m. on U.S. 93 at mile marker 27, about 27 miles south of Hoover Dam, said Lt. James Warriner. The dead lay in body bags on the roadway near the bus, which was on its side across both lanes and onto the shoulder of the highway. Initial reports from the scene indicated rescuers had difficulty communicating with the passengers, all of them Chinese nationals. Five of the injured were taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center, where one was in critical condition and four were in serious condition, said Ryan Kennedy, executive director of operations. Rick Plummer, a spokesman for University Medical Center in Las Vegas, said the hospital received five victims by helicopter, one who died, two in critical condition and two in serious condition. Watch authorities work the crash scene » . The north-south highway at the crash scene in White Hills, Arizona, was shut in both directions. Officials said the bus was heading from Las Vegas to Arizona. Hoover Dam is near the border of the two states. View a map of the crash site » . Among the injured was a motorcyclist who was hurt avoiding the bus, said National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz. | Bus passengers were Chinese nationals, officials say .
The dead lay in body bags on the roadway near the overturned bus .
Tour bus overturns on U.S. Route 93, heading from Las Vegas to Arizona .
Hospital says as many as 15 victims being flown to Las Vegas . | ae8e756e2e91fbbbf0d720cc17db980e812a5c70 |
(CNN) -- Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has lost his position at the top of football's rich list but David Beckham remains the wealthiest player. Abramovich set a trend with his massive cash injection into Premier League Chelsea. Russian billionaire Abramovich has slipped to third place behind Manchester City's new owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, has a fortune of £15 billion ($22.04B), according to the Football Rich List, researched and published by FourFourTwo magazine. Abramovich has also been overtaken by Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal, who is the joint owner of second-flight English side Queens Park Rangers with Formula One's Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore. Abramovich has seen his fortune cut by over £3 billion to £7 billion ($10.29B) in the global economic downturn, the magazine estimated. Have wealthy owners benefited English football ? His billions gave Chelsea massive spending power to win two successive Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho and accelerated the trend of foreign ownership in English football. Beckham, currently on loan to AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy, has personal assets valued at £125 million ($183.66 million), well ahead of Michael Owen (£40 million -- $58.77m) and Wayne Rooney. England head coach Fabio Capello is 73rd on the list, boosted by his own private art collection, with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at number 78. English football had dominated comparable rich lists for several seasons but many financial experts fear the good times may be coming to an end as the global economic crisis bites. | Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is knocked off the top of football 'rich-list'
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan heads new list .
AC Milan's on-loan England midfielder David Beckham remains richest player . | a31d207c5d4a05918ecb21f0521d15e0a4fc6fc2 |
(CNN) -- World number two Roger Federer stepped up his preparations for the Australian Open with an easy win over Spaniard Carlos Moya in the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne on Wednesday. Federer plays a backhand during his straight sets win over Moya in Melbourne. Federer, who will be looking to tie Pete Sampras with his 14th grand slam, opened with a 6-2 6-3 win in the eight-man invitational tournament. The Swiss has begun the year with successive defeats to world number four Andy Murray in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, but made no mistake against former French Open champion Moya. He needed just 57 minutes to progress at the former home of the Australian Open. "I was a little rusty in the beginning, missed quite a few forehands, but I thought it was a good match overall," he told the Press Association. "There were a few gusts of wind, which makes it not easy to play, but I felt like I was playing OK." Earlier, Federer's compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka also had an easy win over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 6-2 6-2. Federer's next opponent will be Spanish Davis Cup hero Fernando Verdasco, who swept past young Croatian star Marin Cilic 6-2 7-5. Second seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile also went through as he beat Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-4 6-3. | Roger Federer wins his opening match at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne .
The world number two sweeps past Carlo Moya of Spain in straight sets .
Fernando Verdasco of Spain and Fernando Gonzalez of Chile also go through . | e6f66988f44501f48314fc63e531288f482cf761 |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghanistan is postponing its presidential elections until August 20 due to security and logistical concerns, the country's election commission said Thursday. Afghan President Hamid Karzai's five-year term is coming to an end this year. The balloting was originally scheduled for late May, but the independent election commission laid out several reasons for the delay. Security is a factor, the commission said. It also cited a lack of trained staff, incomplete voter registration and the weather. It is difficult to campaign or distribute ballots during the rough winter months in the rugged landscape. The elections are a critical moment for Afghanistan as President Hamid Karzai's five-year term ends. He was elected in December 2004 in largely peaceful polling. But since then, the Taliban militant movement has regrouped, international troop deaths have increased and there has been an increase in terror attacks, mostly in eastern and southern Afghanistan. Afghanistan has already registered 3 million voters and is holding voter drives to register more. The United States will deploy additional troops in coming months to provide much-needed security in the run-up to the election. The country expects to hold parliamentary elections in 2010. Meanwhile on Wednesday coalition forces fighting in southern Afghanistan killed four militants, the U.S. military said. Coalition soldiers were targeting a Taliban leader in the Zabul province when militants fired on them, according to a military statement. Soldiers returned fire, killing the four militants. Soldiers then searched their compound and confiscated several assault rifles. This operation comes as the U.S. military is contemplating adding three brigades to the war effort in Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the troop build up could happen by this summer. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report . | Afghan presidential elections come as President Hamid Karzai's five-year term ends .
Afghanistan has registered 3 million voters, holding voter drives to register more .
U.S. troops will deploy extra troops to provide security in run-up to the election . | d8ba5a7b514c33a52c7bcda87f4f55d83980d009 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The trial of an Iraqi journalist charged with throwing his shoes at U.S. President George Bush has been postponed, Iraq's Council of Ministers and one of the journalist's lawyers said Tuesday. Amman protesters support Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist held for throwing his shoes at President Bush. Muntadhir Al-Zaidi was due to go on trial Wednesday, but the Criminal Court postponed it pending an appeal filed by his lawyers with the Federal Court of Appeal, a spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council, Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar, said. Dhiya al-Saadi, who leads Al-Zaidi's 25-member legal team, confirmed the postponement. Al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at Bush two weeks ago during a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad. Neither shoe hit the president, and others in the room quickly knocked Al-Zaidi to the ground before security officials arrested him. Many Iraqis hail Al-Zaidi, who faces a prison term if convicted, as a hero. More than 1,000 lawyers have volunteered to defend him, al-Saadi said. The lawyers' appeal asked the Federal Court to change Al-Zaidi's case from assaulting Bush to insulting him. If Al-Zaidi is convicted of the former, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, al-Saadi said. The lawyers are trying to persuade the appeals court that Al-Zaidi did not want to harm Bush by throwing the shoes, but simply wanted to insult him. By tradition, throwing a shoe is the most insulting act in the Arab world. Al-Saadi said he met with his client several days ago but was having difficulty meeting with him again. He did not give the reason he was not allowed to see Al-Zaidi but said many lawyers have trouble meeting with detainees in Iraqi or U.S. custody. It will take at least two weeks for the court to set a new date for Al-Zaidi's trial, legal expert Tariz Harab said. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | Trial of Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at U.S. President Bush delayed .
Muntadhir Al-Zaidi faces jail if convicted; trial was due to start Wednesday .
Many Iraqis hail the shoe thrower has a hero; mass protests followed his arrest .
At least two weeks before new trial date set, legal experts say . | aa905ece59d1c439708984809017ac1ae6a03848 |
(CNN) -- Customs officials in Australia have cried fowl after searching a airline traveler -- and allegedly finding two live pigeons stuffed in his tights. Customs officials in Australia allege that a man tried to smuggle pigeons hidden in his tights. The 23-year-old man was stopped at Melbourne International Airport Sunday after arriving on a flight from Dubai, Australia's Customs and Border Protection service said in a statement posted on its Web site. The service alleges that two eggs were found inside a multivitamin container carried by the passenger, who comes from Melbourne. A further search revealed that he was wearing tights -- with a live bird stashed down each leg. Photographs show the birds appear to have been rolled in newspaper and polythene with only their heads showing. The images indicate that one bird was attached to each of the alleged smuggler's lower legs. Customs officials also claim that plant seeds were found in the man's moneybelt and undeclared eggplant in his baggage. "Wildlife smuggling is not only cruel to the animals involved, it poses a severe risk to the Australian environment and the health of the Australian community," said Richard Janeczko, Customs and Border Protection National Manager Investigations. "It is important that people declare all animal and plant materials to Customs and Border Protection when they enter Australia," Janeczko added. The service said that the maximum penalty for wildlife smuggling is 10 years imprisonment and/or a A$110,000 ($70,000) fine. | Customs officers stopped 23-year-old man as he returned from Dubai .
Photographs show live birds were rolled in newspaper and polythene .
Maximum penalty for wildlife smuggling is 10 years jail and/or $70,000 fine . | 68009d839eeb0d71f5ba12a308c15ddf858a1e6e |
(CNN) -- Yahoo! announced Monday that the search is on for the Internet giant's next CEO. Jerry Yang, Yahoo! co-founder, speaks at an electronics show in Las Vegas in January. The new CEO will replace Yahoo! co-founder, Jerry Yang, who assumed the position in June 2007 and has since come under fire for failing to turn around the company. Yang will step down when a replacement is selected. Just two weeks ago at the Web 2.0 Summit, Yang was asked if he was the right guy to lead the battered portal. Yang dodged the question by defending his passion for the company he co-founded 13 years ago. "I didn't make the decision of being the CEO lightly," he said. "I wanted to make a change at Yahoo! that I believe I can make ... That's a dream that I felt I could achieve by being CEO and that's still the dream today." Now, Yang plans to return to his former role as "Chief Yahoo" and will still have a seat on the board, Yahoo! said. During his short tenure, Yahoo! has had two major rounds of layoffs and has seen its search market share shrink significantly while a series of reorganizations led to the departure of senior executives. Wall Street and shareholders criticized Yang for falling short of reaching an agreement to sell the company to Microsoft. Yang also was taken to task when Google pulled out of a controversial ad agreement earlier this month that would have boosted Yahoo's revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars. Yahoo! said the search for a new CEO will encompass both internal and external candidates. "Over the past year and a half, despite extraordinary challenges and distractions, Jerry Yang has led the repositioning of Yahoo! on an open platform model as well as the improved alignment of costs and revenues," said Chairman Roy Bostock. "Jerry and the Board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level." | Jerry Yang plans to resume his former role as "Chief Yahoo"
The Yahoo! co-founder will still have a seat on the board .
Yang criticized for not reaching deal to sell Yahoo! to Microsoft .
Yang took over as CEO in June 2007 . | 97188a264a3a3da9a4fc95f8aae9243038a2be1e |
(CNN) -- A fire on the back porch of a home in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was the town's 18th arson fire of the year, authorities determined Wednesday morning. The latest in a string of arson fires was quickly extinguished on a back porch of this Coatesville house. John Hageman from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the small fire broke out about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday in the eastern Pennsylvania town. Four other fires were deliberately set Saturday in neighboring communities in surrounding Chester County, according to the ATF. They were ignited on the front and side porches of homes, officials said. None of the homes was completely lost, Hageman said. The Coatesville arsons have received national attention. At least 30 fires have been deliberately set in Coatesville in 2008 and 2009. Of those, more than half have occurred in the past four weeks. The string of arson fires has rattled residents, who have demanded action from City Hall and fire officials. A county task force is investigating the arsons and looking into other fires near Coatesville, which is about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. Fire swept through 15 homes in the town during the weekend of January 24 and 25, authorities said. Coatesville has a population of about 11,000. | Back porch fire is ruled an arson in Coatesville, Pennsylvania .
The town, population 11,000, has had 18 arsons so far this year .
At least 30 fires were deliberately set in the town in 2008 and 2009 .
Fire swept through 15 Coatesville homes the weekend of January 24-25 . | 655b07004407ec282b84176a595c015b64a1f3a6 |
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has asked Thailand to permit greater freedom for thousands of refugees stuck in camps after fleeing neighboring Myanmar, according to a U.N. statement released Friday. Angellina Jolie and Brad Pitt visited refugees in northern Thailand on Wednesday. Jolie and actor Brad Pitt traveled to a refugee camp in northern Thailand on Wednesday in effort to draw international attention to what the U.N. has called "restricted" movement of roughly 111,000 refugees housed in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, the statement said. Jolie has spent several years as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. She said her passion for helping refugees, whom she calls "the most vulnerable people in the world," was sparked in 2001 during visits to Cambodia." The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have fled to northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son province between 2006 and 2007. A recent CNN investigation found evidence of the Thai army towing an apparent boatload of 190 Rohingya refugees -- a Muslim minority group from Myanmar -- out to sea, prompting Thai authorities to launch an investigation. CNN's Dan Rivers and Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | Angelina Jolie calls on Thai leaders to grant more freedom to refugees .
Thousands of refugees are stuck in camps after fleeing Myanmar .
Jolie is currently goodwill ambassador for U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees . | d4f0f67b36d2d3d13d64005e179932dec52669f7 |
(CNN) -- Launch of the space shuttle Discovery has been delayed at least a week, NASA has announced. Discovery moves atop the crawler transporter in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 14. The shuttle will now lift off no earlier than February 19 because of concern over a valve in the main engine. A decision on the launch date will be made February 12, after more analysis and testing of the part. NASA said Tuesday night: "The valve is one of three that channels gaseous hydrogen from the engines to the external fuel tank. One of these valves in shuttle Endeavour was found to be damaged after its mission in November. As a precaution, Discovery's valves were removed, inspected and reinstalled." This will be the shuttle's 28th mission to the international space station. The mission will deliver the final set of solar arrays needed to complete the station's complement of electricity-generating solar panels. They will help support the station's expanded crew of six in 2009. "More crew means that we'll have to run more life support equipment, more crew support equipment -- toilet facilities, water processing equipment and all of that stuff," Kwatsi Alibaruho, the lead space station flight director for the mission, said on NASA's Web site. "We'll have to run more of all of that, so we need additional power." The expanded capacity will mean more hands to perform science experiments. The mission also will include four spacewalks. | Discovery will lift off no earlier than February 19, NASA says .
Space agency concerned about a valve in the main engine .
This will be the shuttle's 28th mission to the international space station .
The mission will deliver the final set of solar arrays for the station . | 7a8cf8e961ba14050c96df4aa2090efcb7ae761a |
(CNN) -- French Prime Minister Francois Fillon unveiled further details Monday of a 26 billion-euro ($33 billion) business stimulus package which his government hopes can stall falling growth and prevent the country joining other major European economies in recession. Up to 1,000 projects will benefit from the package, which was first proposed by President Nicolas Sarkozy in December and approved by French lawmakers last week. Around 20 billion euros of the total amount will be spent over the next 12 months. Businesses will receive 11.4 billion euros while the same amount will be invested in public projects with social housing identified as a priority. The final 4 billion euros will be spent on improving France's transport, energy and postal service infrastructure. The package is expected to stimulate economic growth of around 1.3 percent, Fillon said. France has so far avoided the worst of the recession that has gripped many of its western European neighbors, including Germany and the UK. But unemployment rose by a further 45,000 in December after surging by 64,000 in November, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said Monday, adding that she would be "very surprised" if France experienced positive growth in 2009. Speaking to CNN this weekend at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Lagarde, defended the case for public spending in the face of fears that stimulus packages amounted to storing up unmanageable debts for future generations. "When the house is on fire we don't look at what can be built, Lagarde said. "We need to kick start (the economy) and we need to restore confidence." | French government to spend $33 billion in effort to bolster economy .
French PM Fillon hopes package will stimulate 1.3 percent in 2009 .
Unemployment rose by 45,000 in December, according to French finance minister . | 74cde23c933ad6243bb276efc925d4c9afbabc1a |
CNN Student News -- Welcome to CNN Student News, a daily commercial-free, ten-minute broadcast of the day's news geared for middle- and high-school students. CNN Student News can be found on air and online, and whether you're brand new to the program or a longtime viewer, we've got new things in store for you. CNN Student News anchor Carl Azuz. You've already found our new homepage, CNNStudentNews.com, where you can access the show and free related curriculum materials, including Learning Activities, Discussion Questions, Newsquizzes and One-Sheets. CNN Student News airs on CNN Headline News at 4 a.m. You can record the show from 4:00-4:10 a.m. Eastern time on Headline News. (Check your local listings for channel number). If you'd prefer, you can download CNN Student News to your desktop or iPod. Go to the CNN.com Podcast page and look for the Student News podcast. Once you've signed up for the free subscription, every episode will automatically be downloaded to iTunes. In addition to CNN Student News, each week, CNN offers educators a commercial-free edition of "CNN: Special Investigations Unit," "CNN Specials" or its award-winning documentary program "CNN Presents," along with a corresponding free curriculum guide on CNNStudentNews.com. You can record these CNN Classroom Edition programs from 4:00-5:00 a.m. Eastern time on Mondays on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.) And if you want to be the first to know what's coming up on CNN Student News and CNN Classroom Edition programs, you'll want to sign up for our CNN Student News Daily Education Alert. Registration is quick and simple. Just click here to subscribe. | CNN Student News is the day's news for middle- and high-school students .
CNN Student News airs daily on CNN Headline News from 4:00-4:10 a.m. EST . | bb793bd352d5f327ca8581d1fae45012b0bcc665 |
(CNN) -- China has killed 13,000 birds in the country's far northwest to control what it called an epidemic of bird flu, state media reported Tuesday. Since the end of 2003, the H5N1 virus has infected birds in over 60 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Five hundred fowl that had died in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region tested positive for the H5N1 virus, according to China's Ministry of Agriculture. In late January, China confirmed its sixth case of bird flu in a human. The ministry said at the time that, although further human bird flu cases were possible throughout China, there wouldn't be a large-scale outbreak, state run news agency Xinhua and CCTV reported. The country also announced it was setting up a nationwide network to test for the H5N1 virus. Following a bird flu outbreak in late January, India culled more than 4,000 birds in the remote northeastern state of Sikkim. Health officials also detected dozens of cases of upper respiratory infection among humans, but none of the patients had any history of handling sick poultry, a government spokesperson said. Sikkim borders Nepal and China. Since the end of 2003, the H5N1 virus has infected many species of birds in more than 60 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. It has not been found in birds in North or South America or the Caribbean, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Human-to-human transmission of avian flu is rare, but the virus has passed from poultry to humans in some cases. It has killed more than 200 people since 2003. China reported its first human-to-human infection case in 2005. Of the 34 cases confirmed to date in the country, 23 had been fatal, the World Health Organization said in late January. | China kills 13,000 birds in northwest to control what it calls an epidemic of bird flu .
500 fowl that died in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region tested positive for H5N1 .
In late January, China confirmed its sixth case of bird flu in a human .
The virus has killed more than 200 people since 2003 . | 28cad16dcd769677b7e2b21ffe113822efd192a5 |
(CNN) -- A Phoenix, Arizona, elementary school bus careened out of control for nearly a mile Wednesday evening, causing more than a dozen accidents and sending at least 26 people to the hospital. A Phoenix, Arizona, school bus crossed over several lanes of traffic, crashing into several vehicles on Wednesday. Phoenix police officer James Holmes told CNN the bus struck two cars at an intersection as it approached an overpass on Interstate 10. The bus later crossed into oncoming lanes, causing a chain reaction of collisions. At least two cars overturned, and several passengers in the vehicles had to be cut out of the wreckage, authorities said. Holmes said the bus carrying 45 students came to a stop a mile from the first accident scene. He said panicked children began jumping from the bus and fled into the neighborhood. Watch children describe frenzy of being on out-of-control bus » . Officers had to round up the students and used media reports to ask for help in looking for them. By late Wednesday, police thought they had located everyone. No injuries were reported to any of the children on board. Police were interviewing the driver, trying to determine what caused the accident. CNN affiliate KPNX reports the bus driver lost consciousness before the crash. Twenty-six passengers in the other cars, including several children, were being treated at hospitals. Some of the injuries were serious, but none was thought to be life-threatening. | Out-of-control school bus crashes into dozens of cars in Phoenix, Arizona .
Panicked children jumped from bus, fleeing into neighborhood .
At least 26 people treated at area hospitals . | a100128fde5ad8cf889c050f5e54c72d700535d9 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A sculpture of a giant white horse taller than the Statue of Liberty is set to tower over the countryside as part of an unusual scheme to help revive the fortunes of a depressed region of England. The 50-meter high horse will dominate the landscape around Ebbsfleet. The 50-meter equine artwork was Tuesday announced as the winner of a competition to design a landmark to dominate the skyline of the Ebbsfleet Valley, set to be a new stop on the Eurostar London-to-Paris rail link. Designed by artist Mark Wallinger -- whose previous work has included dressing in a bear suit and wandering around a gallery in Berlin -- the £2 million ($3 million) horse will be one of the largest artworks in the UK. Wallinger's horse -- which echoes ancient white horse symbols carved into hillsides around Britain -- beat a shortlist of designs that included a tower of stacked cubes and giant steel nest. Victoria Pomery, head of the panel that selected the design, described the 33-times normal size horse as "outstanding." "Mark is a superb artist of world renown and his sculpture will become a real landmark for Ebbsfleet Valley and the whole region," she said. It drew a less favorable response from readers of local Web site Kentnews.com, who described it as a "waste of money," an "abomination" and "depressing." One correspondent, Andy Smith, added: "This horse looks extremely silly." | Giant horse announced as winner of competition to design new landmark .
Equine artwork is brainchild of conceptual artist Mark Wallinger .
Design's selectors describe sculpture as "outstanding," critics say it's "silly" | 567a16c58ad968e6f56594039a5092c18d0f3cc6 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Police arrested a man near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday after he drove up to one of the building's barricades with a rifle in his vehicle and told officers that he had a delivery for President Obama, a Senate spokesman said. A man drove to the Capitol with a rifle and said he had a delivery for President Obama, police said. Sgt. Kimberly Schneider identified the man as Alfred Brock, 64, of Winnfield, Louisiana. She said Brock was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. Brock drove up to the north barricade at the Capitol late Tuesday afternoon, saying he had a delivery for the president, Schneider said. After further questioning, he admitted he had a rifle in his truck. He was arrested and taken to police headquarters for processing, she said. A search of his truck turned up several rounds of ammunition, Schneider said. Police also checked the area around the barricade, but found nothing hazardous. Threats against Obama have led to arrests in previous cases. In one, federal prosecutors concluded that three people arrested with drugs and weapons in a suburban Denver, Colorado, motel posed a "true threat" to Obama during the Democratic National Convention. In the second, a Florida man was charged with threatening bodily harm against the then-candidate in August. He has pleaded not guilty. | NEW: Alfred Brock, 64 drove up to Capitol barricade with a rifle in his vehicle .
NEW: Brock charged with possession of an unregistered firearm, ammunition .
Police say he told them he had a delivery for President Obama .
Man was arrested, transported to Capitol Hill police headquarters for processing . | 21a3bf331defe8b1ab9dbadbdf2ca912af11a3f0 |
(CNN) -- Here's a tip for dairy farmers: If you want your cows to produce more milk, get to know them better. Herdsman Paul Nelson of Eachwick Red House Farm, Newcastle, England, with Highlight the cow. So says a study out of Newcastle University in northeast England, published online Wednesday in the academic journal Anthrozoos. The researchers found that farmers who named their cows Betsy or Gertrude or Daisy improved their overall milk yield by almost 500 pints (284 liters) annually. "Just as people respond better to the personal touch, cows also feel happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one-to-one attention," Catherine Douglas of the university's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development said in a news release. "By placing more importance on the individual, such as calling a cow by her name or interacting with the animal more as it grows up, we can not only improve the animal's welfare and her perception of humans, but also increase milk production." Douglas and her colleagues questioned 516 dairy farmers in the United Kingdom. Almost half said they called the cows on their farms by name and reported a higher milk yield. A press statement from the university, touting the study, quoted Dennis Gibb, who co-owns a dairy farm outside of Newcastle, called Eachwick Red House Farm. "We love our cows here at Eachwick, and every one of them has a name," Gibb said. "Collectively, we refer to them as 'our ladies,' but we know every one of them and each one has her own personality." | Study in the U.K. finds cows treated with personal touch increase milk production .
Farmers who named their cows got almost 500 more pints annually .
Dairy farmer: "We love our cows ... and every one of them has a name"
Researchers questioned 516 dairy farmers in the United Kingdom . | 99ba3d1cc315f0e927108f7feeedc41de6e34b46 |
(CNN) -- Personal computer maker Lenovo, expecting to report a loss for the third fiscal quarter ending December 31, announced it would cut 2,500 jobs as part of a restructuring expected to save $300 million. A woman walks past a Lenovo advertisement at a computer shop in Hong Kong. The cuts comprise about 11 percent of the Chinese computer manufacturer's global workforce. "Although the integration of the IBM PC business for the past three years was a success, our last quarter's performance did not meet our expectations," Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo's chairman of the board, said in a statement. "We are taking these actions now to ensure that in an uncertain economy, our business operates as efficiently and effectively as possible, and continues to grow in the future." Hong Kong's Hang Seng index suspended trading of Lenovo shares Wednesday, anticipating the announcement. The trading is to resume Thursday. The job cuts, to occur during the first quarter, will include management and executive positions and also affect finance, human resources and marketing divisions, the company said. In addition, the "resource redeployment plan" included executive compensation reductions of 30 percent to 50 percent, including bonuses, and the consolidation of its China and Asia-Pacific organizations into a single business unit to be called Asia Pacific and Russia . The company, ranked as the world's fourth-largest PC maker, anticipated taking a pre-tax restructuring charge of approximately $150 million. As part of its restructuring, the company said it was relocating call center operations from Toronto, Canada, to Morrisville, North Carolina, the company's North America headquarters in order to "better leverage its investment in real estate and facilities." | Chairman of the board cites last quarter's below-expectations performance .
Job cuts to include management and executive positions .
Company is ranked as the world's No. 4 PC maker .
Lenovo anticipates taking pre-tax restructuring charge of approximately $150 million . | 500d36ba2bc69c9436fdb45566bc88a30a69dd4e |
(CNN) -- Electronics giant Sony launched its eagerly anticipated social-networking site Thursday for PlayStation 3 users. A gamer plays Sony's PlayStation 3. PlayStation Home, which can be downloaded free of charge, will allow PS3 gamers to interact, communicate and share gaming experiences through their own personal "avatars," or three-dimensional virtual representations of themselves. Users will be able to chat to each other in Home Square -- a kind of PlayStation clubhouse -- before heading over to the bowling alley to bowl, play pool or use the gaming arcade. They will also be able to access music and video. Users will eventually be able to customize their avatars and virtual apartments with the latest virtual clothing from designers such as Diesel and furniture maker Ligne Roset. Sony also plans to introduce Red Bull Island, where users can jump into the cockpit of a Red Bull Air Race plane and compete against other Home users. "The idea behind Home is to create a virtual space for PS3 owners to meet up, talk and play games - the easiest way to think of it is as a hybrid of Facebook, Second Life and the prettiest game lobby ever," Tim Clark, editor in chief at Official PlayStation Magazine UK, told the BBC. All you need to download Home is a PlayStation Network account and access to PlayStation Store. Providing you have the latest system software update installed, the Home icon will appear under PlayStation Network on the PS3 Home Menu (XMB). "PlayStation Home is truly a promising network community service on the PlayStation platform, made possible with a combination of the power of PS3 and the PlayStation Network that covers many countries around the globe," said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment on the company's Web site. | PlayStation Home can be downloaded free of charge by PS3 users .
Users communicate, share gaming experiences through their own avatars .
Designed along the lines of 3-D Second Life virtual world . | ccee27b87deb37c76b1c76042629af98af24a68b |
Congressman Jared Polis . (D) Colorado: District 02 . Congressman Jason Chaffetz . (R) Utah: District 03 . | Two freshman representatives document their experience for CNN .
Rep. Jared Polis is a Democrat representing Colorado's Second district .
Rep. Jason Chaffetz is a Republican representing Utah's Third district . | 86bd905861391cbd3a98de15c83768b6d1400304 |
BIRMINGHAM, England -- Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele broke the two-mile world record at an international indoor meeting in Birmingham on Saturday. Bekele shaved 0.34 seconds off the record held by Gebrselassie. The reigning Olympic 10,000 meters champion, on the same track where compatriot Haile Gebrselassie achieved the previous fastest time, shaved 0.34 seconds off his fellow Ethiopian's mark with a time of 8 minutes 04.35 seconds. The women's 3,000 meters was won by another Ethiopian, front-running Gelete Burka, in 8:31.94 - the third-fastest time in history. Britain's Commonwealth champion Phillips Idowu warmed-up for next month's World Indoor Championships in Valencia by winning the triple jump with 17.21 meters. Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia set a world indoor record in the women's pole vault by clearing 4 meters 95 centimeters in Donetsk. She beat her own mark of 4.93m which she set last year at the same venue. It is the third consecutive year in which 25-year-old Isinbayeva, who has leaped 5.02 outdoors, broke the indoor mark in Donetsk. E-mail to a friend . | Kenenisa Bekele breaks the world two-mile record in Birmingham .
He wins the event in 8 minutes 04.35 seconds.
He is 0.34 seconds faster than compatriot Haile Gebrselassie's old record . | a9898e0ed47b41926bc26486022e4bf5bfe23a55 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Capitol Police arrested a man Friday after an officer spotted a rifle in his car when he stopped the officer to ask for directions two blocks from the Capitol building. Police inspect the suspect's vehicle in Washington on Friday. Christopher Shelton Timmons, 27, has been charged with carrying a deadly weapon, having an unregistered firearm and having unregistered ammunition, Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said. In addition to the rifle -- an AK-47 -- police found a grenade, a pistol, ammunition, loaded magazines "and several other items of concern to the police" in the Jeep Cherokee he was driving. Authorities said Timmons was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon in March in Albemarle County, Virginia, and served a month in jail. In that incident, Timmons had two grenades in his car, said Albemarle Police Chief John Miller. The pins had been removed and the grenades were filled with powder, authorities said. They had an adhesive on top to close them and a firecracker for a fuse. Law enforcement sources said the grenades were similar to an item found in Timmons vehicle Friday. That device has been taken to the FBI facility in Quantico, Virginia. Members of the joint terrorism task force are involved in the investigation, sources said, but so far no one is suggesting Timmons was planning an attack of some kind. CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena contributed to this report. | Police say suspect had AK-47, grenade, pistol, ammunition in car .
Suspect Christopher S. Timmons was recently convicted on weapons charge .
Timmons had stopped officer to ask directions . | 8d817ad3977623d9cf2b0645d3f41574ee825d50 |
(CNN) -- The Continental Airlines plane that crashed in Clarence Center, New York, late Thursday is one of several major incidents over the past two months. The wreckage of a Continental Airlines 737 sits off a runway at Denver International Airport in December. • On February 12, Continental Flight 3407 crashed en route to Buffalo, New York, killing 49 people. • On January 27, Empire Airlines Flight 8284 crashed 300 feet short while on approach to a runway at Lubbock International Airport in Texas. The plane was arriving from Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft was destroyed by the crash and a post-impact fire. Two crew members suffered minor injuries. • On January 15, U.S. Airways Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River while en route from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina. All 155 passengers survived, with few injuries. • On December 20, 2008, Continental Flight 1404 departed the left side of the runway during takeoff from Denver International Airport in Denver. The flight was en route to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. A total of 38 passengers and crew were taken to hospitals, and five were admitted. There were no fatalities. The airplane was substantially damaged and experienced a post-crash fire, which was located on the right side of the aircraft. CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report. | Thursday's deadly plane crash in Buffalo is part of a spate of recent incidents .
U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landed in Hudson River on January 15 .
Continental Flight 1404 slides off runway during takeoff at Denver International Airport . | fda3227662b9f67900f063790d7190d45c1803ad |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy arrested nine more suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia Thursday -- the second capture in two days -- after receiving a distress call from an Indian-flagged commercial ship. Suspected pirates are arrested in the Gulf of Aden. According to the Navy announcement, at 4 a.m. local time the Indian-flagged Premdivya sent a distress call to all ships in the area reporting that she had been fired upon by a small skiff, and suspected pirates were attempting to board it. A U.S. Navy helicopter crew was launched from the USS Vella Gulf and fired two warning shots at the small boat to get them to stop. A Navy boarding team was then launched to investigate the skiff's crew and found rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons on board the small craft, according to Navy officials. The suspected pirates were taken aboard the USS Vella Gulf and processed. They'll be moved to a temporary holding facility aboard the larger USNS Lewis and Clark, according to the statement. The Navy is now holding a total of 16 suspected pirates while the U.S. and Kenyan governments work out legal details on how the suspects will be moved to Kenya for prosecution. Last month, the United States and Kenya signed an agreement saying that suspected pirates captured by U.S. ships will be moved to Kenya to be tried for their crimes. The capture Wednesday of seven suspected pirates marks the first time the United States was able to capture and hold pirates since its forces began patrolling the dangerous waters off Somalia. Piracy has become a chronic problem off the Horn of Africa in recent years, with some pirates operating from largely lawless Somalia. Pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of Somalia in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The task force led by the Vella Gulf was set up in January in an effort to clamp down on the attacks in the region, the southern approach to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. | Nine suspects arrested off the coast of Somalia .
Second arrests in two days .
United States, Kenya working out legal details . | 02aef53a8ae894b86d408fa90194ceaa1332ba5b |
(CNN) -- Japan may withdraw the last of its military mission in Iraq by the end of the year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday. Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006. Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has been airlifting materials and troops between Kuwait and Iraq since 2006 to support U.S.-led coalition forces. "The political and security situations have improved," and the Iraqi government suggested it wants countries to downsize their presence, Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, according to the Kyodo news agency. Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Japan will discuss an official schedule for ending the mission with the United States, the United Nations and Iraq. Withdrawal would mark the end of Japan's military presence in Iraq. The country's Ground Self-Defense Force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006. The Japanese Navy continues to take part in refueling missions in support of the U.S.-led coalition in and around Afghanistan. Except for a three-month hiatus, Japan had been refueling coalition warships taking part in interdiction operations against terrorists in the Indian Ocean since 2001. As an officially pacifist nation since losing World War II, Japan's participation in these missions has been controversial. | Japan may withdraw the last of its military mission in Iraq by the end of the year .
Japan's military has airlifted materials, troops between Kuwait and Iraq since 2006 .
Japanese ground force deployed in Iraq in 2004 to aid reconstruction left in 2006 .
Japanese Navy continues refueling missions in support of coalition in Afghanistan . | adc30a2a730f5182608d7b7058d873f6eeefdbe0 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A nude photograph of pop singer Madonna was sold for $37,500 Thursday afternoon at a Christie's Art House auction. Christie's auctioned this nude photo of Madonna (partially shown) taken by Lee Friedlander for $37,500. The photo, originally expected to go for between $10,000 and $15,000, was purchased for more than double its original estimated selling price, a Christie's spokesperson confirmed. The 13-inch by 8 5/8-inch framed photograph was purchased by an anonymous bidder over the phone. The full frontal photograph was one of several taken by American photographer Lee Friedlander in 1979. Madonna, then a cash-strapped student, received $25 for the entire photo shoot. Most of the pictures from the shoot were ultimately featured in Playboy magazine in 1985. | Nude photograph of Madonna taken when she was student in 1979 .
Lee Friedlander pic sold by Christie's for $37,500 .
Anonymous bidder made purchase over the phone . | 9838d5c70c0db67603b46f6210c9de3e8839a377 |
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- The Russian Orthodox Church enthroned a new leader Sunday at Moscow's spectacular Christ the Savior Cathedral in a ceremony attended by Russian leaders and Christian delegations from around the world. Patriach Kirill is the first new leader of the Russian Orthodox Church since the collapse of communism. Patriarch Kirill, 62, becomes first new leader of the church since the fall of communism, and the first enthroned in the Cathedral since it was rebuilt at the end of the 1990s. Russian first lady Svetlana Medvedeva was the first person to receive the Eucharist from the new Patriarch, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. Russian Orthodox Church leaders chose Kirill Tuesday to replace Patriarch Alexy II, who died in December. Kirill, who became acting head of the church after Alexy died, is seen as a modernizer. He chaired the church's department for external relations starting in 1989. Kirill becomes the 16th Patriarch since the position was created in 1589. The appointment is for life. He met Pope Benedict XVI recently, one of the highest-level meetings between Roman Catholic and Orthodox leaders since the two churches split more than 1,000 years ago. The late Pope John Paul II was repeatedly denied permission to visit Russia. Kirill said before he was elected Tuesday that the Russian Orthodox Church should work with other Christian faiths to support "those partners who are ready to oppose, together with us, the marginalization of religion, to speak out for believers' rights and to build one's life according to one's own principles, to defend the underlying meaning of morality in the life of an individual and society." Alexy, 79, died December 5 after 18 years at the head of the church. He is credited with reviving the denomination after years of communist rule. | Patriarch Kirill becomes first new leader of church since fall of communism .
Kirill is seen as a modernizer and has met Pope Benedict XVI .
Patriarch Alexy II died December 5 after 18 years as head of the church . | 15b8d972fa1a9192dfb6049a5737a592e403aceb |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three Chinese nationals accused of importing thousands of counterfeit luxury handbags in the United States have been arrested in the past two days, federal authorities announced Thursday. Shoppers sort through counterfeit brand name luxury bags and wallets on a Hong Kong street. "This was a sophisticated criminal conspiracy that trafficked millions of dollars of counterfeit goods from China, profiting off the backs of legitimate companies and their hard-working employees," said Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher. Authorities call it one of the largest counterfeit operations ever discovered, involving about 300,000 bags and wallets with names like Burberry, Gucci and Coach. For customers who bought the knockoffs, it seemed like a deal. They paid a total of about $16 million for what would have been more than $100 million in handbags, purses and wallets in legitimate retail sales. The alleged leaders of the counterfeit operations are three Chinese citizens living in New York. Chong Lam, 49, and Joyce Chan, 39, were arrested there Wednesday. Eric Yuen, 39, was arrested Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who made the arrests began investigating the alleged scheme five years ago, after raids turned up counterfeit goods. The indictment was secretly returned in Richmond, Virginia, in October. The charges were unsealed when the alleged conspirators were taken into custody. Authorities seized and froze 29 bank accounts and three New York properties. The Chinese defendants will be taken to Richmond, where they will be arraigned at a later date, officials said. E-mail to a friend . | Authorities call it one of the largest counterfeit operations ever discovered .
Official: Scheme profited "off the backs of legitimate companies"
Counterfeit operation allegedly involved 300,000 high-end bags and wallets .
The alleged leaders are three Chinese citizens living in New York . | beed1717b0db010fcf22ab9b38c8955f81790c9b |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Love hurts, especially for jilted lovers on Valentine's Day. With that in mind, a London tourist attraction is offering visitors the chance to curse former boyfriends, girlfriends or spouses -- and get a discount on the entry price at the same time. "Hex your Ex" is the Valentine's Day promotion at the London Dungeon, a house of horrors that takes visitors through elements of the city's bloody, gruesome, and torturous past. To qualify, visitors must bring a picture of their ex -- or anyone who has shunned them -- then rip it up and throw it in a smoking cauldron, spokeswoman Kate Edwards told CNN. Visitors can then select from a range of curses to inflict on their ex. "If you happen to be single or freshly shunned, this is a way to move on and have a great way of doing it," Edwards said. Hexing your ex will earn you £5 ($7.20) off the entry price. "It's very therapeutic, but it means in times of the credit crunch, you get money off as well," she said. The "curses" are meant to be taken lightly, she said. All were developed by the Dungeon's creative team. "They involve marvelously bad things happening to your ex," she said. "Nothing deadly, obviously. It's obviously tongue-in-cheek." | London tourist attraction offers visitors chance to curse former lovers .
Visitors must bring picture of their ex, rip it up and throw it in cauldron .
They can then select from a range of curses to inflict on their ex . | 23ae06eb107634f7969139f3c0696757772d4b68 |
(CNN) -- An Islamic militia took over two strategic towns in Somalia Tuesday in a territory grab by the strengthening insurgency, a regional commander told CNN. Islamist fighters from Al-Shabaab group in Somalia display their flag. The al-Shabaab militia seized the cities of Bulo Marer and Quryoley from the U.N.-backed government and its Ethiopian allies. The move gives the group a strategic base in central Somalia, where it also controls Kismayo, the country's third-largest city. Al-Shabaab is an offshoot of an Islamic party that ruled much of the country in the second half of 2006 and aims to impose Islamic sharia law in Somalia. Nur Shekoy Jabril, the commander of government forces in Quryoley, said his troops withdrew from the two towns after they faced being overwhelmed by the al-Shabaab force. He said al-Shabaab forces were moving toward Merka, another major town in the region where the Untied Nations uses an air strip to fly in supplies for the World Food Programme. Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991, is in the throes of an Islamic insurgency which is battling for control of the country and the ouster of Ethiopian forces. A cease-fire between the some of the Islamic fighters and the Somali transitional government takes effect on Wednesday. The agreement was brokered by the United Nations and the African Union and signed late last month in Djibouti. It calls for Ethiopian forces -- who are supporting the transitional government forces -- to withdraw starting on November 21. It is unclear if the cease-fire will hold as it has already been rejected by Al Shabaab. Somalia's lawlessness also spilled onto the seas off the Horn of Africa, where international vessels are routinely hijacked by suspected Somali pirates who demand large ransoms. | The al-Shabaab militia seized the cities of Bulo Marer and Quryoley .
The move gives it a strategic base in central Somalia .
Al-Shabaab an offshoot of Islamic party that ruled in Somalia for much of 2006 .
The group aims to impose Islamic sharia law in Somalia . | 63ca2843721d74accb08f480df5eff6f77322a82 |
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Eight police personnel were killed in an early-morning attack Saturday on a police security checkpoint in Pakistan's Punjab province, a police official said. The attack happened at 3:30 a.m. Saturday (2230 GMT Friday). Some personnel were asleep in the checkpost guard quarters and others were standing guard when unknown militants attacked the checkpost from their vehicle, a police official from the Mianwali district of the province said. All the men were killed by gunfire. The attackers then blew up the checkpost with explosives, the police official said. The checkpoint was part of the NATO supply routes transporting goods from the port city of Karachi through Pakistan's northwestern region and tribal areas into Afghanistan. Police told CNN that an attack a few days ago also targeted a checkpoint in the Mianwali district. Rocket fire damaged the top level of building but no one was killed in the attack. | Early-morning attack results in death of eight police personnel .
All men killed by gunfire -- attackers then blew up checkpost with explosives .
The checkpoint was part of the NATO supply routes . | 9a0d14155b86e213894dc6af412b5ae6a3423e72 |
(CNN) -- The Italian government has approved the creation of a new task force of 500 soldiers who will be deployed to combat the recent wave of Mafia crime in the country. The army has been deployed in major cities aross Italy since the early summer. Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told the ANSA press agency Tuesday that ''the majority'' of the troops would be sent to the southern city of Naples following the worst ever Camorra massacre last week, that left an Italian and six Africans dead. La Russa said that the 500 troops will be in addition to the 3,000 soldiers deployed alongside police in major Italian cities this summer, ANSA reported. ''The troops could be deployed for three months and (perform) the functions of manning check points,'' he said. This will be the second time since the 1990s that the army has been sent in to combat Mafia crime in southern Italy, ANSA said. Thousands of soldiers were sent to Sicily in 1992 following the murder of anti-Mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. They stayed on the southern island until 1998 in an operation dubbed the Sicilian Vespers. The Casalesi Camorra clan is believed to have been behind Thursday's killings, which began with the shooting of an amusement arcade's 53-year-old Italian owner, known to have had links with the clan, ANSA said. Twenty minutes later, three Ghanaians, two Liberians and a Togo national were shot dead at a shop where local residents often brought clothes for minor adjustments. A third Liberian died in hospital Friday morning. According to ANSA, police said the murders were drug-related but also ''a signal'' that the Casalesi were still strong in the area despite a raft of recent arrests. The Casalesi clan is one of the most feared Camorra gangs. It controls drug trafficking and prostitution in the Caserta region, near Naples. | Defense Minister: Majority of the troops would be sent to Naples area .
This follows the murder of six people by local Camorra clan last week .
Second time since 1990s that army has been sent in to combat Mafia crime . | 78bdb6fa2c870f29a3ab835a02c45eeb40d3e986 |
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India on Wednesday urged Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels to "release" civilians, who it said numbered about 70,000 in Sri Lanka's war zone. A Sri Lankan soldier poses in front of a Tamil Tigers emblem in the rebel group's former military headquarters. India is ready to help evacuate them, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Indian parliament. "Estimates on the number of civilians trapped vary, but 70,000 or so are estimated to be there now. The LTTE were reportedly using them as human shields," he said, referring to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers. "As the conflict enters what may be the final phase of military operations, the LTTE would best serve the interest of the Tamils by immediately releasing all civilians and laying down arms," Mukherjee added. He noted that some civilians had either been caught in cross-fire or "stopped and even killed" by Tamil rebels as they tried to escape. Government troops and the Tamil Tigers are locked in a battle over the rebels' remaining territory in northern Sri Lanka's Vanni region. The rebels have been fighting for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. Tens of thousands of people have fled the region as government forces have advanced and rebels have been pushed into a smaller and smaller patch of land. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this report. | India urges Tamil Tiger rebels to allow civilians to leave Sri Lankan war zone .
Sri Lankan troops, Tamil fighters locked in battle for control of rebels' territory .
India estimates up to 70,000 are trapped in the region by the conflict .
Tamil Tigers have been fighting for independent homeland since 1983 . | bee0fcc90f1bfbdc53aa7de5415c53dd7731360b |
LONDON, England -- Britain's Princess Eugenie has been reprimanded by her school after being caught frolicking naked on college grounds, it was reported Saturday. Princess Eugenie is sixth in line to the British throne. The 18-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson, was apprehended for her involvement in end of term "high jinks" at the exclusive Marlborough College, west of London, the UK Press Association said. A royal source told the Press Association, "It was nothing more than high jinks at the end of term in May. A group of them were reprimanded and that's the end of the matter." The tabloid Sun newspaper reported that a college staff member woke to playful shrieks and found several young women dancing around without clothes. It said there was no suggestion boys were present or that drugs were involved but claimed a pupil said the students had been drinking. Princess Eugenie, the sixth in line to the British throne, is studying art, history of art and English at the $46,000-a-year college, PA said. It said the princess was expected to be among guests celebrating the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday. A spokesman for the princess made no comment about the claims, PA reported. | Britain's Princess Eugenie reprimanded for naked school frolic, reports say .
Sixth in line to British throne involved in end of term "high jinks," insiders say .
Princess due to attend queen's official birthday celebrations . | 163ed986c2ee496911f964a4a7cf7c7f90359118 |
(CNN) -- The owners of a cruise ship that ran aground in Marguerite Bay, Antarctica, are hoping high tide will dislodge the ship Wednesday, a company statement said. The Ocean Nova, seen on a previous voyage, has a total of 106 people on board. Connecticut-based Quark Expeditions said the M/V Ocean Nova became stranded Tuesday in the bay not far from an Argentine research base. Marguerite Bay is about 900 miles south of the tip of South America. The ship is carrying 65 passengers and 41 crew members, Quark Expeditions said. All those aboard the vessel "remain safe and calm," the company statement said. The ship's captain is awaiting high tide to make another attempt to move the vessel. "The midnight operation will occur in daylight, as the ship is below the Antarctic Circle, where the sun never sets during February. We anticipate a positive outcome," Quark Expeditions president Patrick Shaw said. The captain is also waiting for divers from the Spanish naval ship the Hespérides to inspect the hull of the Nova to make sure it's not damaged, the statement said. | All 65 passengers and 41 crew are safe, company reports .
MV Ocean Nova stranded in Marguerite Bay, about 900 miles from South America . | c7aa75130c60a0fed530dcc65aa06da2a01efc4f |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States has designated a Kurdish militant group in Turkey as a terrorist organization, the State Department said. Turkish President Abdullah Gul, left, speaks to reporters with President Bush earlier this week in Washington. The group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, known as TAK, is affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK -- the separatist Kurdish group that has been attacking Turkey from inside northern Iraq. Turkey has responded to the attacks by bombing PKK targets in the predominantly Kurdish area of northern Iraq. The United States, the European Union and Turkey regard the group as a terrorist organization. The United States says TAK is "responsible for multiple terrorist attacks in Turkey, which targeted tourist locations, military sites, and government buildings, resulting in several deaths." The classification of the group as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" subjects the organization and its supporters to financial sanctions. "With this designation, the United States reaffirms its commitment to fight terrorism in cooperation with its NATO ally, Turkey. The United States will continue to work with Turkey, Iraq, and the rest of Europe against the PKK and its support networks and affiliates, such as the TAK. There must be no safe havens for such terrorists," according to a statement from Tom Casey, deputy spokesman of the State Department. The move came after President Bush met Tuesday in Washington with Turkish President Abdullah Gul. The men discussed what Bush called their "common enemy ... the PKK." The PKK has spent two decades fighting for autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey. E-mail to a friend . | U.S. puts Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, on list of terrorist groups .
TAK is affiliated with Kurdish separatist group PKK .
PKK has been attacking Turkey from inside Iraq .
Move against TAK comes after Turkish president meets with President Bush . | 8027c0d60791c73bf0d800598b8aad8091523f9a |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A leader of the Sons of Iraq anti-al Qaeda group was killed Saturday when a bomb attached to his vehicle exploded, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. U.S. soldiers arrive on the scene of a suicide bombing Saturday in Kirkuk, Iraq. Two civilians were wounded in the explosion in southern Baghdad's Dora district, the official said. The Sons of Iraq, or Awakening Councils, are mainly composed of former Sunni insurgents who turned against al Qaeda in Iraq. They are considered a major factor in the reduction of violence in Iraq over the past two years and are frequently targeted by al Qaeda. In other violence across Iraq on Saturday: . • At least 19 people were wounded in a bombing at a coffee shop in Baquba, a security official in Diyala province said. The coffee shop is frequented by U.S.-backed anti-al Qaeda fighters. The explosion wounded 17 group members and two civilians, the official said. Baquba is about 35 miles north of Baghdad. • At least seven people, including three Iraqi Army soldiers, were wounded when a roadside bomb struck an army patrol in northern Baghdad's Qahaira neighborhood, the Interior Ministry official said. • At least one police officer was killed and nine people -- seven police and two civilians -- were wounded when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest near a police academy in Kirkuk, according to a police official. Kirkuk is located in oil-rich northern Iraq, about 150 miles north of Baghdad. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Yousif Bassil contributed to this report. | Bomb attached to vehicle kills a leader of Sons of Iraq .
Coffee shop frequented by al Qaeda in Iraq foes also bombed; 19 wounded .
Roadside bomb aimed at Iraqi army patrol wounds at least seven .
Kirkuk suicide bomber kills police officer, wounds nine people . | c26dba391aea18166902e590edff05db2580ee27 |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Twenty-seven million new cancer cases are expected by 2030, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Health Organization's cancer research agency. Rates for breast cancer, shown here under a microscope, have tripled in some Asian countries. That compares to 12 million new cases in 2007, the report found. The group forecast a 1 percent increase globally each year, with emerging economies such as China, Russia and India being hit the hardest. The major culprit: tobacco. "About 1.3 billion people smoke globally, making tobacco the major avoidable cause of death and disease worldwide," the report found. Experts say less developed countries are especially vulnerable, predicting a 38 percent increase in those regions by 2030. Watch more on the report » . Tobacco killed 100 million people in the world last century and will kill a billion in the 21st century, unless changes are made, said John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer at the American Cancer Society, Tuesday. Besides smoking, other causes for the rise in the disease include high-fat diets including fast food and decreased physical activity, reflective of increasingly western lifestyles, the report found. In addition, the rate of breast cancer has doubled or tripled in countries like Japan, Singapore and Korea, according to the report. In Africa, 518,000 people have died from cancer since the start of 2008 -- cervical cancer being the leading cancer killer among women, the report found. But there is good news for some Western nations. Cancer mortality rates are falling in Great Britain and the United States, said Seffrin. Effective cancer treatment in developing countries, experts say, depends on prevention and more data. "Awareness of the global cancer burden pandemic and its causes will help establish and enforce policies, resources and programs to control cancer and tobacco, and to de-stigmatize cancer," according to the WHO report. CNN's Miriam Falco contributed to this report. | Report: 38 percent increase in cancer in developing countries by 2030 .
Emerging economies such as China, Russia and India will be hit hardest .
Smoking, high-fat diets, decreased physical activity are cited causes . | 045bc6fcee7b435fad7136430788add2b0809301 |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli military says it has found a "sketch" detailing "the deployment of explosives and Hamas forces" in the Al-Attara neighborhood in northern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces says this map from Hamas shows positions of booby traps and snipers in Al-Attara. The Israel Defense Forces issued a news release Friday saying paratroopers found a map that "describes the location of explosive devices and firing positions in the middle of the civilian population in the dense neighborhood, which endanger the life of the civilians." "That's what Hamas has been doing throughout the entirety of the operation -- perversely using civilians as human shields," said Brig. Gen. Yuval Halmish, officer-in-chief of Israel's Intelligence Corps. The IDF said the map depicts sniper positions at a mosque entrance and in nearby mosques. It shows "the directions the snipers are aiming," the IDF said. The map "indicates that explosives are planted in the entrances of civilian homes." There are bombs planted throughout the area, including one next to a gas station. "The important point is the disregard for human life in using entrances to civilian homes," Halmish said. "They booby-trapped the entrances of civilian houses with explosives put close to them," he said. "The objective is of course to hit our forces, but a local explosion also damages the houses of the civilians and causes great damage, and likely killing civilians," he said. | Israeli military says Hamas map shows location of explosives .
Map pinpoints locations in the middle of civilian neighborhoods, IDF says .
Hamas using civilians as "human shields," Israeli intelligence officer says .
Map also shows sniper positions at mosque entrance, in nearby mosques, IDF says . | 8add33e4e12842214dfd6e4f77871ad33fc55133 |
(CNN) -- Japan is grappling with its worst economic crisis since the end of World War II, the nation's economic and fiscal policy minister said Monday. A businessman walks past a homeless man taking a nap at a Tokyo park. The comments from Kaoru Yosano followed news of Japan's gross domestic product falling 12.7 percent in the fourth quarter in 2008. "This is the worst economic crisis in the post-war era," Yosano said at a press conference, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency. The global economic crisis has pummeled Japan, which depends largely on its auto and electronics exports. The slump in exports has led to tens of thousands of layoffs across Japan. "Behind [the contraction in GDP for] the October-December quarter is a terrific downturn in exports," he said, according to Kyodo. "Like other major countries, our country cannot avoid the pains of structural change," Yosano said. To stimulate the economy, the Japanese parliament needs to act quickly on key budget measures, he said, referring to bills related to a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 and early passage of the state budget for fiscal 2009. Asked about Japan possibly producing a new economic stimulus plan in the short term, Yosano said wide-ranging discussions would be needed first. "After seeing this level [of GDP], it is our duty to think of various policy options," he added. | Economic and fiscal policy minister says worst economic crisis since end of WWII .
Japan's gross domestic product fell 12.7 percent in the fourth quarter in 2008 .
A slump in exports has led to tens of thousands of layoffs across Japan . | b7a0bb1157ab0088f77bd0cef793faf421425a3f |
(CNN) -- In Focus: Sovereign Wealth Funds . Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, U.A.E., talks to CNN about future relations with Washington . What a difference a credit crunch makes. Sovereign Wealth Funds control up to $3 trillion in assets, which could provide essential liquidity during the global slowdown. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown toured the Gulf this week in an attempt to secure more funds from the region. MME takes a look at what the Sovereign Wealth Funds can bring to the table and interviews the top U.S. official overseeing relations with the SWFs, Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt. Facetime: Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, U.A.E. A new era and a new President for the United States. A historic week with the election of the 44th President of the United States. But what can the region look for in a new U.S. administration? We talk to United Arab Emirates' Minister of Foreign Trade, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi about future relations between the Middle East and Washington. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 . | UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown toured Gulf looking for more funds from the region .
Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt on Sovereign Wealth Funds .
What can the Middle East look for in the United States' new president?
MME talks U.A.E.'s Minister of Foreign Trade about relations with the U.S. | 8003a890632a3d401b30d4abaa542be27d595d12 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new national poll indicates that nearly three out of four Americans are scared about the way things are going in the country today. A deputy oversees an eviction in Lafayette, Colorado, last week. Seventy-three percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say they're very or somewhat scared about the way things are going in the United States. That's six points higher than in an October poll. Nearly eight in 10 say things are going badly in the country, with just 21 percent suggesting that things are going well. The survey also says that three out of four Americans are angry about the way things are going in the country. But three out of four questioned say that things are going well for them personally. The poll was released a day before President Obama gives a prime-time address before a joint session of Congress. "Americans always believe things are better in their own lives than in the rest of the country," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "But they are realists as well -- they recognize that bad times somewhere else in the U.S. may eventually come to affect them. That's why so many say they are angry and scared, even though they're content with their own personal circumstances. "There is a tiny sliver of good news -- the number of Americans who think things are going very badly has dropped from 40 percent in December to 32 percent now," Holland added. "But since most of those people switched from the very bad category to the pretty bad category, it's wrong to say that the public is more optimistic -- call them a little less pessimistic at best." The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted Wednesday and Thursday, with 1,046 adults questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. | Nearly eight in 10 say things are going badly in the country .
Three of four Americans are angry about the way things are going in the country .
But three out of four questioned say that things are going well for them personally . | be69b853f62c35f58c9e77b6ddb888450d5b03fd |
(CNN) -- Law enforcement officials arrested more than 500 people, and took custody of 48 juveniles in a coordinated 29-city weekend sweep aimed at combating child prostitution, the FBI announced Monday. Task forces made up largely of state and local police officers arrested and booked what authorities said were 464 adult prostitutes, 55 pimps and 55 customers on state charges. While most faced local charges, a senior FBI official said he expected there were would be some federal charges as well. The FBI Monday said 19 searches were conducted, netting a total of $438,000 in cash, plus illegal drugs, cars and computers. The four dozen juveniles were recovered in the third phase of Operation Cross Country, an initiative that seeks to help child prostitutes and crack down on people who control them and patronize them. In the previous coordinated operations, authorities recovered 21 alleged child prostitutes last June and 47 in October. In 2003 the FBI, Department of Justice prosecutors, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children launched what was called the Innocence Lost National Initiative to address what had become a growing problem of children forced into prostitution. Many were young runaways. Officials say the 32 Innocence Lost task forces formed nationwide have now recovered about 670 children in the six years, and seized more than $3 million in cash. The most recent operation involved law enforcement agencies in several states including California, Alaska, Michigan, Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, Alabama, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota and Arizona. | Police booked 464 adult prostitutes, 55 pimps and 55 customers on state charges .
FBI: 19 searches netted $438,000 in cash, plus illegal drugs, cars, computers .
Officials say Innocence Lost task forces recovered about 670 children in 6 years . | e404376f211534025dc5f3aeacd373408a99e866 |
(CNN) -- A recent scientific expedition in Colombia's mountainous Darien region has unearthed 10 new species of amphibians, an environmental organization said. A new species of salamander was one of the exciting discoveries in Colombia's Darien region. Scientists with Conservation International on Monday announced the discovery of 10 new species in what's being referred to as a safe haven for frogs located in the west of the country on the border with Panama. The discovery of 10 amphibians, which are believed to be new to science, was the result of a three-week survey of the area, the group said. The new species were discovered as part of a CI program aimed at assessing the ecological health of a given area. Scientists identified nearly 60 species of amphibians, 20 reptiles and 120 species of birds, the group said in a prepared statement. The discoveries come as global extinction rates continue to rise. Experts with Conservation International argue that the discovery is particularly significant since amphibians serve as an accurate gauge of an area's ecological health. Amphibians can act as an early warning sign of pollution such as acid rain due to their porous, absorbent skin. The sensitivity of these species to low level environmental threats can also act as a barometer for human health. Conservation International says the discovery offered renewed optimism. "The high number of new amphibian species found is a sign of hope, even with the serious threat of extinction that this animal group faces in many other regions of the country and the world, " says Jose Vicente Rodriguez Mahecha, Scientific Director of CI-Colombia, who was part of the team that discovered the new species. The region is, however, not immune to modern threats. According to Conservation International, between 25 percent to 30 percent of the natural vegetation in the Darien area is currently being deforested. For the scientists, the hope now is that the discoveries will renew efforts to conserve the region and manage its rich biodiversity. | Ten new species of amphibians found in Colombia near border with Panama .
Conservation International says the discovery offered renewed optimism .
25-30 percent of vegetation in the Darien area is currently being deforested . | 869ca6636dfe98eaec685e17374723c2180a222a |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian militants fired a long-range rocket from Gaza into southwestern Israel on Tuesday morning. It was the first such attack into the city of Ashkelon since the two sides declared a cease-fire, the Israeli military said. This aerial view shows the power station and industrial zone of Ashkelon, Israel, in March of 2008. The missile fired from a Grad rocket launcher did not cause any injuries or damage in the coastal city, said a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces. Rockets fired from a Grad have a longer range than the crude, home-made Qassams that Palestinian militants in Gaza fire more frequently. Militants have used Grads to strike farther into Israel. Ashkelon lies 12 miles (19 km) north of Gaza. Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007, declared separate, tentative cease-fires two weeks ago after more than three weeks of fighting in Gaza. Israel launched the attack on Hamas in Gaza on December 27 with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks on southern Israel. More than 1,300 Palestinians died and about 5,400 others were wounded. Thirteen Israelis, including 10 soldiers, were also killed in the fighting. Since the two sides declared a cease-fire on January 21, militants have sporadically fired rockets into Israel. Israel has responded with air strikes. CNN's Igor Krotov contributed to this report. | It's the first attack into Ashkelon since cease-fire two weeks ago .
Coastal city of Ashkelon is about 12 miles north of Gaza .
Israeli Defense Forces say missile didn't cause any damage or injuries .
Palestinians say more than 1,300 died after recent Israeli attacks on Hamas . | 3defbb6415c7cf02fc59d9453962bd5e7d539b6f |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pop star George Michael was cautioned by police in London after being arrested in public toilets on suspicion of possessing drugs, the UK's Press Association reported. George Michael has talked candidly about drug use in the past. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said a 45-year-old man had been arrested in the Hampstead Heath area of London on Friday. He was later released with a caution for possession of class A and class C drugs. The statement did not name Michael, but other sources confirmed his identity. Reports Sunday said Michael had been arrested following a tip-off to police from a suspicious toilet attendant, PA said. The 45-year-old, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, has talked openly about his use of drugs in the past. In an inteview with the BBC last year he admitted: "I'm a happy man and I can afford my marijuana so that's not a problem." Last May he pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs and was banned from driving for two years after being found slumped behind the wheel of his car. | George Michael cautioned after being arrested for drugs in London public toilet .
Pop star was released with a caution for possession of class A, class C drugs .
Press reports claim police were tipped off by a suspicious toilet attendant . | b5687e4c60fe62a420ae0a076f4358892b54bc2a |
(CNN) -- Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith is confirming the latest buzz: She's been laid off from the New York Post. Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith, 86, has been a fixture of New York tabloids for more than three decades. Confronted with "economic gales," New York Post Editor Col Allan said in a letter sent to Smith that the newspaper would not renew her contract, which expires at the end of the month. "The Post is grateful to have been able to publish Liz Smith's legendary column for so many years. We wish her the very best for the future," Allan said in a statement Tuesday. In an interview with CNN affiliate WABC-TV in New York, Smith noted that Friday "will be the first time in 33 years that there hasn't been a Liz Smith column in a New York paper." "That hurts my heart. I would hate to see another newspaper fail. ... When I came to New York, there were nine newspapers. I've worked for seven of them. They just disappear out from under you," she added. Often referred to as the "Diva of Dish," the 86-year-old Smith has been a presence in New York tabloids for more than three decades. She's written for the New York Post, New York Daily News and Newsday. Smith was also a fixture on local television, appearing on WNBC-TV for more than 10 years. In 2000, she published a memoir, "Natural Blonde," and wrote a nonfiction work in 2005 combining food and gossip, "Dishing." Though her titillating and often penetrating look at the New York social scene may be gone from tabloid pages, Smith will continue to publish, writing five times a week for wowOwow.com, an online community created and run by women for women. In an online statement, WowOwow.com co-founder Joni Evans said that Smith will begin posting next week. | For first time in 33 years on Friday, Liz Smith column won't be in a New York paper .
Letter cites "economic gales" in decision not to renew contract .
"We wish her the very best for the future," says New York Post Editor Col Allan .
Smith will write five times a week for Web site wowOwow.com . | 5a1adaec3de9b78183afb4299154f864840f7abe |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On their son's last night as president, a melancholy former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, made an impromptu visit to the White House's press briefing room and told reporters how much they'll miss the building. Ex-President George H.W. Bush says he'll miss coming and going from the White House. "We will miss coming and going, but it's time to move on," said the former president, who was a frequent visitor during his son's two terms in office. "The Bushes are going to a happy life." When a reporter suggested that perhaps one of their other sons, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, will take the White House someday, the former president smiled. "Maybe Jeb will do something. I'd like to see him try," the former president said. Barbara Bush, who was first lady from 1989 to 1993, said the hardest part of the night was saying goodbye to the White House residence staff a second time. "In tears twice," she said, her eyes red. She added that she and her husband are looking forward to attending Tuesday's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. "Very exciting day," she said. In addition to the inauguration, the former first couple was to attend a final dinner at the White House with current President Bush, first lady Laura Bush and the first couple's two daughters, Barbara and Jenna. As the former first couple left the briefing room, some reporters and photographers spontaneously started clapping out of respect. Your view of history . The ex-president, who was using a long walking stick to get around, quipped, "You didn't clap when I was president, what the hell is going on?" | Former president, wife visit White House on son's last night as president .
George H.W. Bush smiles when reporter suggests other son could run .
Barbara Bush reflects on saying goodbye to White House staff for second time .
Former first couple attending inauguration of Barack Obama . | 0257aa00fa70f33ef7fea2120c749c94ea4a9d44 |
(CNN) -- Kawasaki have announced they will run Marco Melandri in a one-bike team in the 2009 MotoGP world championship. Italian Melandri will be the sole Kawasaki rider in the 2009 MotoGP championship. The news comes just weeks after the Japanese manufacturer confirmed it was to end its MotoGP activities due to the economic downturn. A statement confirmed the team's return to the sport comes in the wake of "constructive talks between Kawasaki, MotoGP organisers and other involved parties". "This decision was made after negotiations that followed Kawasaki's January 2009 announcement to suspend its MotoGP activities due to the economic crisis," the statement continued. "The rider for the new MotoGP team will be Marco Melandri. The team will be equipped with Kawasaki motorcycles and supporting materials. "That Kawasaki have come to this new team approach is the result of, on the one hand, the need for a strong reduction of MotoGP racing investments and, on the other hand, the necessity to come to constructive solutions for all related parties." Melandri moved to Kawasaki from Ducati at the end of what was a dismal 2008 season for the Italian, but shortly afterwards was told his new team would not be on the grid in 2009. While the 26-year-old has earned a welcome reprieve, the man who would have been Melandri's team-mate this season, American John Hopkins, appears set for an extended spell on the sidelines. | Kawasaki will run Marco Melandri in a one-bike team in 2009 MotoGP season .
The news comes after manufacturer revealed it was ending MotoGP activities .
Italian Melandri moved to Kawasaki from Ducati at the end of the 2008 season . | 750662d2cbba2cc755feea68a55c7194fd7d2dac |
(CNN) -- At least 40 bodies -- all of them wearing uniforms identifying them as army officers -- have been found in a mass grave inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles paramilitary in the capital, Dhaka, authorities said Friday. Bangladeshi army soldiers gather near the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Dhaka Thursday. The discovery brings to at least 62 the number of army officers who have been found dead after mutinous paramilitary forces took dozens of superiors hostages at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters on Wednesday. The Rifles laid down their arms after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed to grant them amnesty. The bodies were found in a grave behind the mortuary building inside the BDR compound in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka, said Cmdr. Abdul Kalam Azad with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite internal security team that is helping with the recovery effort. "It's a bad scene," Azad said. "You can only see their legs. We're carrying away only as many as we can fit in ambulances. Then we're going to go look for more." Earlier, 22 bodies had been recovered from the Buriganga River after the rebelling troops dumped them down a sewer during the standoff, authorities said. The Rifles took their superiors -- all military men -- hostage Wednesday morning after a rebellion they said was spurred by years of their grievances not being addressed. Discontent had been bubbling for years among the ranks of the BDR troops, a 65,000-strong paramilitary outfit primarily responsible for guarding the country's borders. Watch how the paramilitary revolt spread » . The recruits complained their army superiors dismissed their appeals for more pay, subsidized food and opportunities to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations. Bangladesh and its South Asian neighbors contribute the most troops to such U.N. operations. And the pay is far greater than the meager salary the jawans -- as the BDR troops are called -- make. | Mass grave found with bodies of at least 40 Bangladesh army officers .
At least 62 officers found dead since mutiny by paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles .
Rifles laid down arms Thursday after PM agreed to offer them amnesty . | f83175664116f1983935569716bb1c348192a5aa |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The disabled young son of UK opposition leader David Cameron has died. David Cameron leaves the family home after the death of his 6-year-old son on February 25. Ivan Cameron, six, passed away early Wednesday, the UK's Press Association reported a Conservative Party spokesman as saying. "It is with great sadness that David and Samantha Cameron must confirm the death of their six-year-old son Ivan," the spokesman said according to the agency. The spokesman said that Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, was taken ill overnight and died at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, central London early Wednesday morning. "David and Samantha would ask that their privacy is respected at this terribly difficult time," the spokesman added. Meanwhile, the queen sent a private message of sympathy to the Camerons, Buckingham Palace said. Prime minister Gordon Brown said the "thoughts and prayers of the whole country" would be with the Conservative leader and his family, The Guardian newspaper reported, while prime minister's question time -- which offers Cameron a weekly opportunity to grill Brown in parliament -- was cancelled at Brown's suggestion. The prime minister, together with other senior British politicians, instead offered their condolences in the parliament chamber. "I know that the whole house will want to express their sorrow at the death of Ivan Cameron," Brown told lawmakers, according to The Guardian. "He brought joy to all those around him. Every child is precious and irreplaceable. The death of a child is an unbearable sorrow no parents should have to endure." Brown and his wife Sarah lost their first child, Jennifer Jane, in 2001 after she was born prematurely and died 10 days later. They have two sons, John and Fraser, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. | UK media: Young son of opposition leader David Cameron has died .
Ivan Cameron, six, passed away early Wednesday, Conservative Party says .
Ivan Cameron suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy .
British PM Gordon Brown offered his condolences in parliament . | 296b364ccfbea3edb348e151f2de042be8b16e11 |
(CNN) -- Trading two children for a bird landed three people in jail in Louisiana, authorities say. The biological mother, who was not involved in the alleged trade, is to be interviewed by authorities Friday. Investigators seek further details about a case that they say unfolded this way: . Paul and Brandy Romero advertised that they were selling their pet cockatoo for $1,500. A woman named Donna Greenwell responded and said she wanted to buy the bird. Greenwell then told the Romeros that she was taking care of three children whose biological parents were going through a separation. Greenwell proposed selling two of the couple's children to the Romeros for $2,000, saying that her job as a truck driver made it hard to take care of the children, said Capt. Keith Dupre of the Evangeline Parrish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. The parties allegedly negotiated a trade involving the two kids, the bird and $175. An anonymous tipster contacted authorities after the children began living with the Romeros. As a result, Greenwell and the Romeros were arrested February 21 and charged with aggravated kidnapping, Dupre said. The children were well taken care of when they were with the Romeros, who badly wanted children, according to Dupre. Greenwell said she needed the cash for a lawyer to handle adoption paperwork, authorities said. She had placed the third child with another Louisiana couple, Dupre said, but he didn't know whether bartering was involved. The two children were ages 4 and 5, according to CNN affiliate WGNO. Police did not identify the biological parents, and no other information was available. The children have been placed in foster care. -- Sean Nottingham contributed to this report. | Paul and Brandy Romero advertised the sale of their pet cockatoo for $1,500 .
Donna Greenwell offered two children, who were not her own, for payment .
Greenwell and the Romeros were arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping . | 7e99e9688e7bf2b8bccdaecb646d950ff5282ce8 |
(CNN) -- Singapore's economy shrank by 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said Thursday, as it forecast the economy would contract between 2 and 5 percent this year. Boats ply under a bridge near the financial district of Singapore. Compared to a robust growth of 7.8 percent a year earlier, the economy grew by 1.1 percent for the whole of 2008, the ministry added. It called Gross Domestic Product growth prospects for 2009 "weak ... on account of the pessimistic global economic outlook." All major sectors, except for construction, business services and information and communications, saw contractions, the ministry said. The ministry cited a decline in private sector investments and private consumption expenditure for dragging down total domestic demand. Declines in global demand for electronics products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals were also likely to weigh on the manufacturing sector. | Singapore's economy shrinks by 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 .
Government forecasts economy will contract between 2 and 5 percent this year .
Economy grew by percent in 2007, but only 1.1 percent for the whole of 2008 .
Construction, business services, information, communications avoid contractions . | 0ac1fbe30fa074f91c280997ad8d980202430c5d |
(CNN) -- Premier League big-spenders Manchester City are set to fine record signing Robinho for his training ground walk-out in Tenerife last week. Manchester City have confirmed Robinho will be fined following his Tenerife walk-out last week. The 25-year-old striker made an unscheduled departure, flying home to Brazil without telling City manager Mark Hughes that he had to attend to some "urgent family business". It was expected that Hughes would fine the £32.5 million ($46m) striker approximately two weeks wages, which would be touching £200,000 ($283.5m), but there have also been suggestions that the City manager would not impose a punishment at all. However, Hughes has denied that allegation, confirming that Robinho will be punished. "I've had a talk with Robinho," Hughes told the UK's Press Association. "I have read some of the things that have been said this morning but nothing could be further from the truth. "I have told Robby about the situation and our intention is to fine him. But there is a disciplinary procedure that has to be gone through and that is what we are doing at the moment. But what I would like to say is that he will be treated no differently to any other member of the squad." Robinho returned to Manchester from South America at the weekend and trained yesterday. It is expected he will line-up alongside new arrivals Craig Bellamy and Nigel de Jong when City entertain Newcastle in the Premier League on Wednesday evening. | Manchester City confirm they will fine Robinho after his walk-out in Tenerife .
Manager Mark Hughes was reacting to reports Robhinho would not be fined .
Club record signing returned to his native Brazil without permission last week . | e5b248ede2f007f1a42f14210cc7f76e55e75241 |
(CNN) -- After 34 years of invitations, the "Boss" finally said yes to the National Football League. Bruce Springsteen was first asked to play the Super Bowl in 1975, his bandmate says. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band headline the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday. E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren promises it will be "a very cool thing," but would only hint at what four Springsteen songs the band will play. "One of them has to be 'Born to Run,' but he's got over 400 great songs," Lofgren said. The song list, in fact, is subject to change "knowing Bruce, since what we do is so improvisational," he said . "We've got the best bandleader in the business and whatever we decide to do, we'll be able to do it well and I'm sure it will be a great ride," he said. Lofgren said the NFL first asked Springsteen to play at the Super Bowl in 1975, but he declined. "They keep offering it to him and he keeps turning them down," he said. "So, we were thrilled that he had a change of heart and decided to do it." Springsteen is taking the E Street Band on tour a world tour beginning April 1 to support the band's latest album, which was released January 27. The new album -- "Working on a Dream" -- sounds "very fresh and in your face," Lofgren said. Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson will deliver the National Anthem before the start of Sunday's game, her first public performance since her mother, brother and nephew were found shot to death in October. Faith Hill will sing "America the Beautiful" during the pregame show at Raymond James Stadium. The 2009 Super Bowl will be broadcast February 1 in 230 countries and territories, the NFL said. More than 148 million American viewers watched the 2008 game, the NFL said. CNN's John Lorinc contributed to this report. | E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren promises show will be "a very cool thing"
He won't say what four songs Springsteen and band will play .
Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill also will sing at Super Bowl XLIII Sunday . | 45b8e099eebfd8a8c02f6b9a949c5c1ddab3cf69 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The ever budget-conscious boss of Ryanair has suggested the discount airline may start charging passengers for using the toilet on board its flights. Whatever you do, don't drink too much before your flight. Ryanair's investigating onboard fees for flushing. Michael O'Leary said the airline had revived inquiries into whether the airline could install coin-operated toilets on its fleet. "People might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future," he said in a BBC interview, adding "We're always in Ryanair looking at the ways of constantly lowering the costs of air travel and making it more affordable and easier for passengers to fly with us." Asked by the incredulous presenter what passengers would do if they found themselves without money mid-flight, O'Leary replied: "I don't think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound." Sound Off: Is it fair to charge a fee for a flush? The Irish airline is renowned for its cheap flights and regularly advertises competition-crushing deals to boost capacity on its short-haul routes. The company has made no secret of its quest to boost revenue by any means possible. It already charges for food and each bag checked into the hold is subject to a fee. Last week Ryanair announced plans to remove all its check-in counters in an effort to encourage travelers to take just one piece of hand-luggage. Ryanair's latest revenue-raising proposal has surprised few in the industry who are accustomed to its method of business. "It seems Ryanair is prepared to plumb any depth to make a fast buck and, once again, is putting profit before the comfort of its customer," said Rochelle Turner, Head of Research at Which? Holiday. The consumer group also warned that move might hit Ryanair where it hurts. "Charging people to go to the toilet might result in fewer people buying overpriced drinks on board, though -- that would serve Ryanair right," Turner said. | Passengers on board Ryanair flights may need to take plenty of spare change .
Airline boss says he's considering installing coin-operated toilets on fleet .
Which? Holiday says it may encourage passengers to spend less on drinks . | b4fee59ac816f2d4d2eefabceb4a0f4809568e69 |
(CNN) -- Yahoo! announced Monday that the search is on for the Internet giant's next CEO. Jerry Yang, Yahoo! co-founder, speaks at an electronics show in Las Vegas in January. The new CEO will replace Yahoo! co-founder, Jerry Yang, who assumed the position in June 2007 and has since come under fire for failing to turn around the company. Yang will step down when a replacement is selected. Just two weeks ago at the Web 2.0 Summit, Yang was asked if he was the right guy to lead the battered portal. Yang dodged the question by defending his passion for the company he co-founded 13 years ago. "I didn't make the decision of being the CEO lightly," he said. "I wanted to make a change at Yahoo! that I believe I can make ... That's a dream that I felt I could achieve by being CEO and that's still the dream today." Now, Yang plans to return to his former role as "Chief Yahoo" and will still have a seat on the board, Yahoo! said. During his short tenure, Yahoo! has had two major rounds of layoffs and has seen its search market share shrink significantly while a series of reorganizations led to the departure of senior executives. Wall Street and shareholders criticized Yang for falling short of reaching an agreement to sell the company to Microsoft. Yang also was taken to task when Google pulled out of a controversial ad agreement earlier this month that would have boosted Yahoo's revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars. Yahoo! said the search for a new CEO will encompass both internal and external candidates. "Over the past year and a half, despite extraordinary challenges and distractions, Jerry Yang has led the repositioning of Yahoo! on an open platform model as well as the improved alignment of costs and revenues," said Chairman Roy Bostock. "Jerry and the Board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level." | Jerry Yang plans to resume his former role as "Chief Yahoo"
The Yahoo! co-founder will still have a seat on the board .
Yang criticized for not reaching deal to sell Yahoo! to Microsoft .
Yang took over as CEO in June 2007 . | a6d88d33454805c4c3b9f3c50b1b2482048c32a2 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Southwest Airlines will pay $7.5 million to settle complaints that it flew unsafe aircraft, and the fine will double unless the airline completes additional safety measures within a year, federal regulators announced Monday. The FAA found Southwest operated jets on nearly 60,000 flights without performing certain mandatory inspections. The Federal Aviation Administration originally recommended more than $10 million in civil penalties in 2008 after finding Southwest operated 46 of its Boeing 737 jets on nearly 60,000 flights without performing mandatory inspections for fatigue cracks in their fuselages. FAA documents obtained by CNN found that in some cases, Southwest aircraft flew for 30 months after government inspection deadlines had passed. A congressional panel concluded the planes were "not airworthy," and two FAA whistle-blowers said agency managers let the airline conduct the safety checks on a slower schedule to avoid disrupting flights. The Dallas, Texas-based airline said it was happy to have settled "all outstanding issues with the FAA." "This settlement with the FAA will allow us to focus on safety going forward, rather than on issues that are now behind us and that have already been addressed," Southwest Airlines said in a written statement. CNN's Mike M. Ahlers contributed to this report. | Fine will double unless airline completes additional safety measures within a year .
FAA found Southwest flew 46 jets without checking for fatigue cracks in fuselages .
FAA documents: Aircraft flew for 30 months after inspection deadlines passed .
Southwest happy to have settled "all outstanding issues with the FAA" | b519f16bcd8ff68b00bb614b236f0f2fd2c636d1 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the Marines shown in a famous World War II photograph raising the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima was posthumously awarded a certificate of U.S. citizenship on Tuesday. The Marine Corps War Memorial in Virginia depicts Strank and five others raising a flag on Iwo Jima. Sgt. Michael Strank, who was born in Czechoslovakia and came to the United States when he was 3, derived U.S. citizenship when his father was naturalized in 1935. However, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently discovered that Strank never was given citizenship papers. At a ceremony Tuesday at the Marine Corps Memorial -- which depicts the flag-raising -- in Arlington, Virginia, a certificate of citizenship was presented to Strank's younger sister, Mary Pero. Strank and five other men became national icons when an Associated Press photographer captured the image of them planting an American flag on top of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. Strank was killed in action on the island on March 1, 1945, less than a month before the battle between Japanese and U.S. forces there ended. Jonathan Scharfen, the acting director of CIS, presented the citizenship certificate Tuesday. He hailed Strank as "a true American hero and a wonderful example of the remarkable contribution and sacrifices that immigrants have made to our great republic throughout its history." | Marine Sgt. Michael Strank was among six who famously raised flag on Iwo Jima .
Strank, born in Czechoslovakia, became a U.S. citizen after his father was naturalized .
Strank, killed on Iwo Jima in World War II battle, didn't receive citizenship papers .
Certificate given to his sister on Tuesday . | 644a3f79470d3b457efacc7d4ea33577d59e69c1 |
(CNN) -- The Bangladeshi military has revised the number of army officers missing after last week's bloody uprising, from 72 down to six. Bangladeshi soldiers carry a coffin during a funeral Monday for victims of last week's mutiny. The earlier number was based on "assumptions," said Lt. Gen. Sina Ibn Jamali, the army chief of general staff. "The numbers we are giving now are grounded in facts," Jamali told reporters Sunday night. Authorities said confusion arose because no one knew for sure how many officers were inside the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters when paramilitary troops, or jawans, staged a bloody revolt and took dozens of them hostage Wednesday. Search crews have recovered 73 bodies from a river, sewers and three mass graves inside the Rifles compound in the Pilkhana area of the capital, Dhaka. Of those bodies, 53 were confirmed as those of army officers. Meanwhile, an army investigation into the 35-hour rebellion began Monday. The police have filed murder charges against more than 1,000 Rifles, and soldiers were out in full force throughout Bangladesh looking for them. The 65,000-strong Rifles is a border security force -- distinct from the army, but whose commanders are career army officers. The jawans had complained for years that their army superiors dismissed their appeals for more pay, subsidized food and the opportunity to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations, which pay far more than what they make at home. The two-day standoff ended after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised the jawans amnesty if they laid down their arms. She has backtracked since, saying the government will not show mercy to those who killed, looted or committed arson. | Number of army officers missing after mutiny is six, down from earlier estimate of 72 .
Confusion arose because no one was certain how many officers were involved .
Murder charges filed against more than 1,000 members of Bangladesh Rifles . | 017e445ca3b43c00d7252a55bc39db7fcb5fcba2 |
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama will make his first overseas trip since taking office at the end of this month, visiting England, France, Germany and the Czech Republic, the White House said Thursday. President Obama wil travel with first lady Michelle Obama to four European nations in the coming weeks. The trip is scheduled from March 31-April 5. Obama, who will be joined by first lady Michelle Obama, will first visit London, where he will attend a summit with other world leaders. He is to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on April 3. Obama will also attend NATO summit meetings in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, then travel to Prague, Czech Republic, to meet with Czech leaders and leaders of other European Union nations. His first trip outside the United States was to Canada last month. | The trip is scheduled from March 31-April 5 .
Obama first heads to London, where he will attend a summit of world leaders .
He will also join NATO meetings in France and Germany .
His first trip outside the United States was to Canada last month . | a4c5f7cf63b76943f9bbb1e3097818a4195108bc |
(CNN) -- The entire population of Taloga, Oklahoma, was evacuated Thursday because of a raging fire that has burned tens of thousands of acres, officials said Friday. Wildfire threatens a house in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Friday. All of the residents, about 400, left the Dewey County town, but have been allowed back in, said Bill Challis with the fire department in Clinton, Oklahoma, south of Taloga. Clinton is among dozens of fire departments helping battle the blaze. Wildfires have been burning in northwest and central Oklahoma since Thursday, according to the state Department of Emergency Management. A large wildfire also came within inches of homes north of Edmond late Friday morning and was still burning during the noon hour, CNN affiliate KOCO reported. Oklahoma Department of Public Safey officials also report that one to two city blocks of Weleetka, in Okfuskee County, were on fire, according to KOCO. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the state's request for federal assistance for fighting the wildfire in Dewey County, where Taloga is located. The original call about the Taloga fire came in Thursday at about 12:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET), Challis said. Officials don't know how the fire started. Brett Russell, also with the Clinton Fire Department, said about 60,000 acres have burned. There are no reports of anyone injured. As of about 11 a.m. Friday (12 p.m. ET), the Taloga fire was about 50 to 60 percent contained. About 80 fire departments helping battle the blaze, Russell told CNN. An Oklahoma Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was helping with aerial fire suppression, according to the state. | All residents of Taloga, Oklahoma, were evacuated because of fire .
Entire population of about 400 people allowed back in .
Wildfires have been burning in northwest and central Oklahoma since Thursday .
Wildfire also burning near towns of Edmond, Waleeka . | f5f6db49aae94ae2644d2886fd6b2a6d2ab24c71 |
(CNN) -- Fourteen people were missing after a cargo ship sank Monday in Egyptian waters, Red Sea Gov. Majdi Al Qubaisi told Egyptian television. Nine survivors and the bodies of two crew members aboard the Cypriot-flagged Ibn Battuta cargo ship were recovered in separate operations Monday, the Nile TV News Web site said. A rescue boat was headed out to retrieve a 10th survivor. The survivors were "on their way to the naval base, and preparations had been taken to carry out a medical check as soon as they arrive," the Web site said, citing an unnamed Egyptian official. The Ibn Battuta's crew members are of Indian, Pakistani, Bengali, Somali, Iraqi and Sudanese nationalities, Nile TV News said. The Ibn Battuta was carrying 6,500 tons of sand for use in the glass industry and was on its way from the Port of Abu Zenima in Egypt to the United Arab Emirates, the TV station reported. The ship had experienced bad weather in the Red Sea, with low visibility and high waves. The commercial ship Susan K retrieved the two bodies, while the survivors were rescued by the boat Sultan and an aircraft from an Egyptian Search and Rescue team, Nile TV News said. -- CNN's Caroline Faraj and Yousef Rafayah contributed to this report. | Reports: 14 crew missing after ship capsizes in Egyptian waters .
9 survivors, 2 bodies recovered from Cypriot-flagged Ibn Battuta cargo ship .
Vessel carrying 6,500 tons of sand for use in the glass industry .
The ship had experienced bad weather in the Red Sea . | f63568f91f42bef24b46376b11233bc594204380 |
(CNN) -- Researchers with a Malaysian university said they have uncovered evidence of an iron industry that dates to the 3rd Century, A.D., and proves that ancient civilizations in Southeast Asia were more advanced than once thought. The archaeologists from the Universiti Sains Malaysia found the remains of an iron smelting site, tools to pump oxygen into the iron smelting process, rooftops of buildings, beads and pots, said Mokhtar Saidan, a professor and leader of the team. The discovery was made after a month of excavation at Lembah Bujang, a historical site in Malaysia. "This is the first discovery of the earliest iron industry in Lembah Bujang and has been dated conclusively. This date also adds on to the facts and data on the early history of Southeast Asia," he said. He said coal from the site was sent to a laboratory in Florida that said elements in the coal dated to the 3rd Century. The professor said the discovery confirms that human civilization in the area was more advanced than thought and the site probably was a place for exporting iron in the 3rd Century. | Researchers uncover evidence of Malaysian iron industry dating to 3rd Century .
Proves ancient civilizations in Southeast Asia more advanced than thought .
Discovery was made after a month of excavation at Lembah Bujang . | 69211f3bcbd8388495333855a164e1c1ee5e309d |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- It runs on 100 per cent renewable biodiesel and holds the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe in a powerboat -- and now Earthrace is for sale. For sale: The green powerboat Earthrace is on the market for $1.5 million. The boat's owner, New Zealander Pete Bethune, listed Earthrace as for sale on the vessel's dedicated Web site last year, and he's now taking it on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in the hope of finding a buyer. Bethune is asking $1.5 million for the trimaran, which holds the world record for the fastest time in circling the globe in a powerboat. Earthrace achieved the feat in 60 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes; beating the old record by over two weeks. Earthrace claims to have a net zero carbon footprint by running on renewable bio diesel. Most of the fuel is believed to come from waste animal fats. The 1080 hp engine is kept cool with ducts which expel hot air and suck in cold air. See an image gallery of Earthrace » . Bethune has said he hopes to pay off some debts with the sale of the boat. | Earthrace holds the world record for fastest time around the globe in a powerboat .
Owner Pete Bethune is selling Earthrace for $1.5 million .
The trimaran is currently touring Australia in the hope of finding a buyer . | 3ddac6ff117cf27efabb2fac8c751921af8c66bb |
(CNN) -- Authorities Tuesday recovered the body of an eighth missing snowmobiler buried in avalanches in southern British Columbia, a spokesman for the the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. Authorities found seven bodies a day after avalanches in British Columbia, Canada. Sgt. Tim Shields said the body was recovered around 11:38 a.m. The seven other bodies were recovered Monday. Their identities were not immediately released. David Wilks, mayor of Sparwood, the small town where the snowmobilers lived, said all were men in their 20s. The eight men, and three others who escaped, faced two avalanches Sunday about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Fernie, a town in the Canadian Rockies about 300 kilometers (190 miles) southwest of Calgary, Alberta. The three survivors suffered minor injuries, and one was hospitalized overnight. The men had been in an area called Harvey Pass, which police called "a popular backcountry snowmobile destination." Police said an avalanche buried part of the group and, as others came to help them, a second avalanche buried them. "Two of the buried riders managed to self-rescue within about 20 minutes. These two used their avalanche beacons to locate a third buried victim who they rescued after an additional 20 minutes of digging," police said. The mayor described the snowmobilers as upstanding citizens, most of them working in coal mines or as businessmen. "All were well aware of the dangers involved in snowmobiling. All are very cautious with what was going on," Wilks said. The mayor said temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit in recent weeks had warmed up in the last two or three days to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. | Bodies of seven other missing snowmobilers were found Monday .
Group had been snowmobiling in southeastern British Columbia, Canada .
Two of 11 buried riders managed to rescue themselves, find third victim . | 8452f5f3bbb0d04af6380fe84966d2c98d59266d |
(CNN) -- Pharmaceuticals giants Merck and Schering-Plough are planning to merge their operations under the name Merck in a deal worth $41.1 billion. Merck chairman and CEO Richard T. Clark will head the combined company. Under the terms of the agreement, Schering-Plough shareholders will receive just over half a Merck share and $10.50 in cash for each Schering-Plough share they own. Each Merck share will automatically become a share of the combined company. Merck shareholders are expected to own approximately 68 percent of the combined company, and Schering-Plough shareholders are expected to own approximately 32 percent. Merck Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Richard T. Clark will lead the combined company. "We are creating a strong, global healthcare leader built for sustainable growth and success," Clark said in a media statement Monday. "The combined company will benefit from a formidable research and development pipeline, a significantly broader portfolio of medicines and an expanded presence in key international markets, particularly in high-growth emerging markets. "We look forward to joining forces with an outstanding partner we know well and that shares our commitment to patients, employees and the communities where we work and live." Merck added that its 2009 outlook has not changed, and it is committed to keeping its annual dividend at its current level of $1.52 per share. Both drug-makers reported better-than-expected quarterly results in early February, but announced steep job cuts. On a conference call with investors on February 3, Clark said the drug-maker was open to a takeover of a large pharmaceutical company. | SP shareholders to get over half a Merck share and $10.50 in cash per share .
Merck shareholders expected to own around 68 percent of combined company .
Both drug-makers reported better-than-expected quarterly results in February . | bf74899b892175a68325fa98013050c70374ab92 |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Up to 30,000 additional U.S. troops could be sent to Afghanistan next year, military officials said Saturday. Helicopters are the main transportation of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, with its high mountain terrain. Roughly 31,000 U.S. troops currently are in Afghanistan. Of the additional troops, 20,000 will comprise four ground/maneuvering brigades, said Col. Gregory Julian, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. That number is consistent with what Gen. David McKiernan, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, called for in October, he said. The additional 10,000 likely refers to support personnel, Julian said. McKiernan requested the additional 20,000 troops be sent to fight the increasing violence by the resurgent Taliban forces in the southern and eastern parts of the country. On Friday, military officials said Defense Secretary Robert Gates signed a deployment order to move an additional 3,000 troops to Afghanistan next year. Those troops will be part of a combat aviation brigade, the latest approved by Gates for the expected buildup of U.S. troops in the country in 2009. The brigade will send a number of much-needed helicopters to the region. Helicopters are the main mode of transportation for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, where high mountain roads and passes make it difficult for large transport vehicles to move troops and supplies. The additional troops would nearly double the level of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Troop levels are likely to be maintained at this increased level for three to four years, Julian said Saturday, as U.S. forces continue to try to "clear and hold" more parts of Afghanistan from insurgents and militants and train Afghan military and police to be self-sufficient. | 20,000 in four ground/maneuvering brigades, said U.S. forces spokesman .
The additional 10,000 likely refers to support personnel, said spokesman .
On Friday, Defense Secretary ordered 3,000 troops to Afghanistan for next year . | 6a23daaeae81f208667e47dbd8eec0e56802cb42 |
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russian space officials say the crew of the Soyuz space ship is resting after a rough ride back to Earth. A South Korean bioengineer was one of three people on board the Soyuz capsule. The craft carrying South Korea's first astronaut landed in northern Kazakhstan on Saturday, 260 miles (418 kilometers) off its mark, they said. Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said the condition of the crew -- South Korean bioengineer Yi So-yeon, American astronaut Peggy Whitson and Russian flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko -- was satisfactory, though the three had been subjected to severe G-forces during the re-entry. Search helicopters took 25 minutes to find the capsule and determine that the crew was unharmed. Officials said the craft followed a very steep trajectory that subjects the crew to gravitational forces of up to 10 times those on Earth. Interfax reported that the spacecraft's landing was rough. This is not the first time a spacecraft veered from its planned trajectory during landing. In October, the Soyuz capsule landed 70 kilometers from the planned area because of a damaged control cable. The capsule was carrying two Russian cosmonauts and the first Malaysian astronaut. E-mail to a friend . | Soyuz capsule lands hundreds of kilometers off-target .
Capsule was carrying South Korea's first astronaut .
Landing is second time Soyuz capsule has gone awry . | f39e76a387f7749755a0fd88225f200cd353511b |
(CNN) -- A long-hidden message has been discovered inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch, the Smithsonian's Museum of American History announced Tuesday. The message in the watch differs slightly from what the watchmaker later said he wrote. Watchmaker Jonathan Dillon was repairing Lincoln's watch in April 1861 when he heard about the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and wrote a short message on the metal inside the watch, the Smithsonian said. There it remained, unseen for almost 150 years, it said. In a 1906 interview with The New York Times, Dillon reported that as soon as he heard the news about the first shots of the Civil War, he unscrewed the dial of the watch and wrote on the metal, "The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try." The actual message that the museum found differs from the watchmaker's recollection. It says, "Jonathan Dillon, April 13-1861, Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date J Dillon, April 13-1861, Washington, thank God we have a government, Jonth Dillon." According to the Smithsonian, it was not unusual for professional watchmakers to record their work inside a watch. "Lincoln never knew of the message he carried in his pocket," said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History. The museum decided to open the watch after being contacted by the watchmaker's great-great-grandson, Doug Stiles, who had heard about the message Dillon said he had inscribed and wanted to see if it was really there. | Watchmaker left message during repairs, Smithsonian says .
Message comments on attack on Fort Sumter, which began Civil War .
Lincoln never knew about message, historian says . | 284dab08008c1da5a2b542c9c1bb7dff23c59790 |
(CNN) -- A man went over Niagara Falls and survived Wednesday afternoon, one of the few people to ever survive the plunge unprotected, authorities said. It is unclear whether the man chose not to aid in his rescue or was physically unable to do so, officials say. The man was seen entering the icy water just above Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side, and apparently jumped in about 2:15 p.m, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Chief Lee Smith said. Smith said the unidentified man was in the near-freezing water for "40-plus" minutes before he was rescued by Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Falls firefighter Todd Brunning. Brunning, who was tethered to shore, swam about 60 meters (nearly 200 feet) into the river and was able to get hold of the man and bring him to shore. Niagara Parks Police initially used a helicopter from a private company, Niagara Falls Helicopters, to attempt a rescue of the man. When that failed, they used the wind from the chopper's rotors to push the man closer to shore, Smith said. Watch chopper hover over man in icy water » . He said the man was "being rotated in a cyclic fashion" by the river's very strong currents. The man did not aid in his rescue, officials said, though it was not immediately clear whether he was physically unable to or he did not want to do so. Niagara Falls Fire Capt. Dave Belme said the man was not wearing any clothes when he was rescued, but he added that it's not unexpected for a person to lose things while being washed down the falls. The man's "chances of survival without the quick response would be lessened," Smith said. All of the agencies train for situations like this, he said, and they are put to the test about a dozen times a year. Still, he called Wednesday's rescue "amazing." | Unidentified man apparently jumped in on Canadian side, authorities say .
He was in near-freezing Niagara River for more than 40 minutes .
Officials unsure why man did not aid in his own rescue . | 8d417a60238936ce5802e68a8bba2f010615f84b |
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