Datasets:

glnmario

/

news-qa-summarization

like 17

(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 .

(CNN) -- A man who allegedly gagged and bound his toddler's arms and legs with tape and posted a photo of her on Facebook is "devastated by the situation," his attorney told CNN Thursday. Andre Curry, 21, is charged with aggravated domestic battery, which is a felony, Chicago police said. In court Wednesday, his bond was set at $100,000. "It's our belief that after the investigation by the state and DCFS (the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services) is concluded, Andre Curry will be vindicated," said assistant public defender Anand Sundaram. Curry has no history of child abuse and the girl has not shown injuries, Sundaram said, adding that the family is cooperating in the investigation. The girl was being checked by a doctor Thursday for any injuries, whether old or new, he said. With the photo "going viral on the Internet, things may have been blown out of proportion," Sundaram said. Sundaram gave few details, saying he could not comment on specifics of the case. The photo at issue shows the girl with painter's tape over her mouth and binding her wrists and ankles. Above the photo on Curry's Facebook page were the words, "This is wut happens wen my baby hits me back. ;)" The Facebook page appears to have been taken down. But the image was picked up by other websites. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office also told CNN that the caption was with the photo on Curry's Facebook page. Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office, told CNN Wednesday the girl in the photo is 22 months old. "The photo itself does not tell the story of who our client is and how well he takes care of this child," said Sundaram. He said his client will not face the felony charge if prosecutors cannot prove the girl suffered any injuries from the incident. If that's the case, he said, prosecutors could at most seek a charge of misdemeanor battery. Conklin said the next court date will be December 27. In the meantime, Curry remains behind bars. He would need to post $10,000 toward his bond to leave jail, Sundaram said.

NEW: The toddler was being examined by a doctor Thursday . Andre Curry's attorney says he takes good care of the child . He allegedly posted a photo of his toddler daughter's mouth, arms, and legs bound with tape . He is charged with aggravated domestic battery .

(CNN) -- A man who allegedly tried to break into the home of a recently widowed Oklahoma woman -- who shot and killed his alleged fellow intruder after calling 911 -- was freed Thursday on bail despite a first-degree murder charge, a court clerk said. Although he did not fire the fatal shot, 29-year-old Dustin Louis Stewart is charged with first-degree felony murder in the incident because if someone dies during the commission of certain crimes, such as burglary, an alleged accomplice can be charged in the death, prosecutors have said. A hearing for Stewart was held Thursday in the central Oklahoma city of Chickasha, five days after the incident. During that hearing, Stewart posted the $50,000 bond and was released, Grady County court clerk Jessica Pickle told CNN. Prosecutors recommended that $50,000 be set as the bail amount, according to a court document. Stewart was ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victim -- in this case, Sarah Dawn McKinley, who fired the fatal shot -- and to appear next in court the morning of January 20. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for May 23, the document signed by Stewart states. The incident has caught the nation's attention because part of the action was captured during a 911 conversation. Home alone with her 3-month-old son, McKinley of Blanchard, Oklahoma, said she decided to make a stand when the two men tried to break into her home on New Year's Eve. McKinley, who had been widowed less than a week before, placed a couch in front of one door and went to the bedroom and put a bottle in her baby's mouth before calling 911, she said on HLN's "Dr. Drew" on Wednesday. A 911 operator calmly spoke with McKinley, who asked if it was permissible to shoot an intruder, officials said. "I've got two guns in my hand. Is it OK to shoot him if he comes in this door?" asked McKinley, 18. "Well, you have to do whatever you can do to protect yourself," dispatcher Diane Graham responded. "I can't tell you that you can do that, but you do what you have to do to protect your baby." In the end, McKinley fired a 12-gauge shotgun and killed Justin Shane Martin after he entered her home, according to a Blanchard Police Department affidavit filed in court Wednesday. Martin was armed with a knife, authorities said. "You have to make a choice, you or him. I chose my son over him," McKinley said to CNN Oklahoma City affiliate KWTV. First Assistant District Attorney James Walters told CNN that McKinley will not be charged because she acted in self-defense. "A person has the right to protect themselves, their family and their property," Walters said. As for the 911 operator's guidance? "I would agree with that advice," the prosecutor said. It's not uncommon for charges to be filed against an alleged accomplice in cases where two people are committing a crime and a death occurs, even that of a co-conspirator, said Trent Baggett, assistant executive coordinator at the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council. "It's all dependent upon if the situation warrants it and the facts warrant it," he said. "... If in the commission of a qualifying offense, someone gets killed, then yes, (first-degree murder charges) can and probably will be filed upon the person who doesn't die." Even if they didn't pull the trigger themselves? "Under Oklahoma law, it doesn't matter," Baggett said. And people have been convicted of first-degree murder under such circumstances, he added. Graham was the first of two 911 operators to speak with McKinley. The dispatcher told HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell on Wednesday she learned in training that she could not tell a caller to shoot someone but, "as a mother, I wanted her to protect her baby." "She did a very good job

NEW: The accused man can't have contact with the shooter, a court document says . He posts a $50,000 bond that had been requested by prosecutors, a court clerk says . Sarah McKinley fired a gun after checking with a 911 dispatcher, killing the intruder . Alleged accomplice Dustin Louis Stewart is charged with murder, though he didn't fire a gun .

(CNN) -- A man who faked his drowning death nearly 20 years ago off a Florida beach was found out by North Carolina police who stopped him for a traffic violation, authorities said Thursday. Bennie Wint told police he faked his drowning death in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1989. Bennie Wint left behind a grieving fiancee and a daughter from a previous marriage. Over the past two decades, he acquired a common-law wife and another child in Marshall, North Carolina. Wint told police he faked his death in Daytona Beach, Florida, because he was "paranoid" about his narcotics-related activity at the time, Weaverville, North Carolina, police Sgt. Stacy Wyatt told CNN. When pulled over in Weaverville on Saturday because of malfunctioning lights on his license plate, the man said his name was James Sweet, Wyatt said. But when Wyatt ran the name through official databases, he was unable to find any information. "I found it suspicious and believed it to be a false name," Wyatt said. He arrested the man on suspicion of driving without a license and giving false information, both misdemeanor offenses, and booked him under the name "John Doe." But "John Doe" finally opened up to Wyatt, admitting he was really Bennie Wint and had been on the run since 1989. Watch how reports of his death were premature » Wint returned a call Thursday from CNN and asked what an interview with him would be "worth to you." Told that CNN does not pay for interviews, he responded, "Unless you want to pay for it, don't come up here. You are wasting your time. There are 'no trespassing' signs on my property." He then hung up. According to police reports, Wint was on a trip to Daytona Beach with his then-fiancee, Patricia Hollingsworth. She told police they were engaged and had discussed getting married while on the trip. But it was not to be. On September 25, 1989, Hollingsworth told beach patrol officials that Wint disappeared while swimming. "We spent a bunch of time looking for him," said Volusia County Beach Patrol Capt. Scott Petersohn, who was on the beach patrol at the time, although he did not respond to the call. "We used helicopters, boats and boatloads of lifeguards." Hollingsworth, then 37, told officials Wint entered the ocean about 4 p.m. and swam past the breakers before she lost sight of him, according to the incident report. The report notes Hollingsworth was "very upset" and that after contacting officials, she "began to run north and south in the area," looking for Wint. Members of the beach patrol, however, thought the supposed drowning was suspicious. "It is very rare to drown offshore and not wash back in onto the shore," Petersohn said. In addition, he said, the lifeguard on the beach told officials he did not see anyone swimming in the area. Wyatt submitted Wint's fingerprints to the FBI for identification and, while waiting for the results, searched the Internet for information on a Bennie Wint. "I found a daughter that was looking for him," Wyatt said. The woman posted information about her father in 2007, saying he went missing under suspicious circumstances. Wyatt contacted the now-23-year-old woman, who said she was 4 when her father disappeared. Wint has been released from jail and has not been charged in relation to the 1989 incident. It was not known whether he contacted his daughter. Wyatt said Wint now has a common-law wife, a child and a business selling NASCAR items. The night he was arrested, Wyatt said, his wife was "distraught" upon learning his true identity. Wyatt said Wint told him he was involved in narcotics in the 1970s and '80s, and "he ran out of paranoia, thinking people were out to get him." He said he went from Daytona Beach to Ozark, Alabama. CNN's attempts to contact Hollingsworth were unsuccessful, and

North Carolina officer didn't believe man's story during traffic stop . He couldn't find name man that gave in police database . Eventually, "James Sweet" confessed he was Bennie Wint . Wint was reported missing off Daytona Beach, Florida, in September 1989 .

(CNN) -- A man who is accused of trying to board an Air Jamaica flight at Orlando International Airport with apparent bomb-making materials was taken into custody Tuesday. Witnesses say the man arrested Tuesday was "rocking left and right and up and down." Officials said Kevin Brown, a Jamaican national, was acting strangely and caught the attention of an air safety officer at the Florida airport. Brown was arrested on charges of carrying a weapon or explosives onto a plane, according to the FBI. The bureau said Brown, who is in his early 30s, had baggage that concealed two galvanized pipes, end caps, two containers of BBs, batteries, two containers with an unknown liquid, a laptop and bomb-making literature. "He looked rather crazy," a passenger told CNN affiliate WKMG. "He was rocking left and right and up and down." Transportation Safety Administration officials said Brown caught the eye of a "behavior identification officer" about noon Tuesday as Brown approached a ticket counter for his planned flight to Jamaica. Lee Kair, the TSA's federal security director in Orlando, said the materials in his bags posed no danger to other travelers. Initial record checks indicate that Brown was in the United States legally, the FBI said. The FBI and the Orlando Police Department are investigating, Kair said. Airport officials say several ticket counters were shut down during the incident and 11 flights were delayed. Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said Air Jamaica, Air Canada, West Jet and Frontier flights were among those delayed. "Things are slowly returning to normal," Fennell said, adding that the terminal where Brown was apprehended was operating normally by 3 p.m. Kair said that behavior identification officers like the one who spotted Brown are plain-clothes officers trained to watch for suspicious behavior at airports. "When people are doing things that are deceptive, they exhibit behaviors that are involuntary," he said. "Our officers are very well trained to identify these behaviors." Brown is scheduled for an initial appearance in federal court in Orlando on Wednesday. E-mail to a friend

NEW: FBI: Kevin Brown accused of carrying a weapon or explosives onto a plane . The Jamaican national tried to board an Air Jamaica flight at Orlando airport . Official says suspicious items posed no immediate danger to other travelers . Some ticket counters were shut down, and 11 flights were delayed .

(CNN) -- A man who landed a plane with the assistance of air traffic controllers after the pilot fell unconscious and died said Monday he was "still in a daze of adrenaline." Doug White said he is certified to fly a single-engine plane, but had no idea how to fly the large turboprop. "I'm grateful, thankful to be alive," Doug White of Archibald, Louisiana, told CNN affiliate WINK. "I'm glad my family is safe, but let's don't lose sight of the fact that a man died, and I don't want people to forget that." White, his wife and two daughters were flying from Marco Island, Florida, to Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday after attending a funeral for White's brother. White recalled watching and listening as the pilot, Joe Cabuk, conducted his "climb checklist" upon takeoff from Florida. After the checklist was complete, he said, Cabuk laid his book down. About a minute later, White told WINK, he looked at Cabuk, and "he was just sitting there. He had his chin on his chest, looking down at his lap, but there's nothing in his lap that he needed to be looking at." "That's when I kind of looked at him for a minute, probably two, three seconds, and I touched him on the shoulder. I said, 'Joe! Joe!, and that's when his head rolled over to the side, and his eyes rolled back in his head, and his arm fell off the armrest ... and I knew if he wasn't gone then, he was in deep distress, but we were in trouble." Listen to White describe seeing the pilot's eyes roll back in his head » The plane's autopilot was on, and the plane was at about 5,000 feet and climbing, White said. Although he was a certified single-engine pilot and had about 130 flying hours, he had no idea how to fly the much larger Super King Air two-engine turboprop plane. "The only thing I knew how to do up there was talk on the radio," White told WINK. "I've only been up there (in the cockpit) one other time. I made it a point to ask the pilot -- not Joe, but another one -- 'How do I talk on the radio?' and they showed me what button to push." He told his daughters, " 'Y'all go back there, and I want you to pray hard.' The wife kind of trembled and shook the whole time, and the youngest daughter, Bailey, cried and squalled, and the oldest daughter, Maggie, vomited and threw up three or four times." Although White sounded fairly calm, some tension is evident on recordings released by the Federal Aviation Administration as controllers at Fort Myers, Florida, attempted to talk him through landing at the airport there. At one point, a controller asked whether the autopilot is still on or whether White is flying the aircraft himself. "Me and the good Lord are hand-flying this," White replied. He described his mindset as being one of "focused fear." "I had a 10,000-pound gorilla by the hand, and it wasn't wanting to cooperate," White recounted to WINK. Asked about his mindset, White said, "I lost it" after landing. His emotion can be clearly heard on the recording as he told air traffic controllers in a shaky voice, "We're down, buddy. Thank you." Air traffic controllers at Miami Center helped White at first, talking him through disengaging the autopilot, turning the plane and beginning his descent. They then handed the plane over to air traffic control at Fort Myers' Southwest Florida International Airport. Hear audiotape of emergency landing » It was a Fort Myers controller who called Kari Sorenson of Danbury, Connecticut, for help in talking White down. A veteran pilot and flight instructor, Sorenson is intimately familiar with the plane

Pilot Joe Cabuk went unconscious at the controls during a flight from Florida . "I said, 'Joe! Joe!' and that's when his head rolled over to the side," Doug White says . White says, "The only thing I knew how to do up there was talk on the radio" Air traffic controllers helped White safely land plane carrying his wife and 2 daughters .

(CNN) -- A man who told Maryland State Police that his wife was killed by a carjacker early Friday morning has been charged in her death. Ryan Holness, 28, was charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Serika Dunkley Holness, 26, according to Maryland police. Her body was found about 6 a.m. Friday in a field in Crumpton, Maryland, police said. Holness was arrested after inconsistencies surfaced in his story, according to investigators. Holness said that he and his wife were carjacked by a man armed with a knife and a gun on the New Jersey Turnpike while returning to Maryland from New York on Thursday night, police said. "He told investigators that he was assaulted by the suspect and forced to drive to Crumpton," said Gregory Shipley of the Maryland State Police. "He said the suspect bound his feet and hands with duct tape before attacking his wife who had tried to flee the scene." Police interviewed various people and launched a nationwide search for the carjacker and Holness' 2007 blue Honda Accord, Shipley said. "Information provided by Holness throughout the day Friday did not match information developed through witnesses and evidence at the scene," Shipley said. Shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, Holness' car was located by a D.C. police officer on a Washington street. "Maryland State police homicide detectives have taken custody of the car," Shipley said. State police are not yet sure how the car got to Washington.

Police arrest man who blamed carjacker for wife's death . Ryan Holness told police he and wife were assaulted on trip to Maryland . Police say information Holness provided did not match witness statements, evidence .

(CNN) -- A man with a pistol killed one person and wounded three others at a cafe in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Saturday morning, a police spokesman said. Police officers stand next to the body of the victim killed by the cafe gunman in Rotterdam. Patrons at the cafe managed to capture the shooter, a 45-year-old man, and hold him until police arrived, Rotterdam Police spokesman Gerde Jung told CNN. Police arrested the man and recovered his weapon, Jung said. The shooting was probably the the result of a quarrel the man had earlier, but details of that argument were unclear, Jung said. All of the victims were male, he said.

Gunman shoots one person dead, wounds three others at a Rotterdam cafe . Patrons at the cafe manage to capture the 45-year-old man . Police: Shooting was probably the the result of a quarrel .

(CNN) -- A man, incensed that a 6-year-old girl chose to walk through a path reserved for upper caste villagers, pushed her into burning embers, police in north India said Wednesday. She was seriously burned. Dalits, or "untouchables," are victims of discrimination in India despite laws aimed at eliminating prejudice. The girl is a Dalit, or an "untouchable," according to India's traditional caste system. India's constitution outlaws caste-based discrimination, and barriers have broken down in large cities. Prejudice, however, persists in some rural areas of the country. The girl was walking with her mother down a path in the city of Mathura when she was accosted by a man in his late teens, said police superintendent R.K. Chaturvedi. "He scolded them both and pushed her," Chaturvedi said. The girl fell about 3 to 4 feet into pile of burning embers by the side of the road. The girl remained in critical condition Wednesday. The man confessed to the crime and was charged with attempted murder, Chaturvedi said. The assault took place in India's Uttar Pradesh state, about 150 km (93 miles) south of Delhi. The state is governed by Mayawati, a woman who goes by one name and is India's most powerful Dalit politician. Her Bahujan Samaj Party seeks to get more political representation for Dalits, who are considered so low in the social order that they don't even rank among the four classes that make up the caste system. Hindus believe there are five main groups of people, four of which sprang from the body of the first man. The Brahmin class comes from the mouth. They are the priests and holy men, the most elevated of the castes. Next is the Ksatriyas, the kings, warriors and soldiers created from the arms. The Vaisyas come from the thighs. They are the merchants and traders of society. And the Sudras, or laborers, come from the feet. The last group is the Dalits, or the "untouchables." They're considered too impure to have come from the primordial being. Untouchables are often forced to work in menial jobs. They drink from separate wells. They use different entry ways, coming and going from buildings. They number about 250 million in India, about 25 percent of the population, according to the Colorado, U.S.-based Dalit Freedom Network. "Dalits are seen to pollute higher caste people if they come in touch with them, hence the 'untouchables,'" the group says on its Web site. "If a higher caste Hindu is touched by, or even had a Dalit's shadow fall across them, they consider themselves to be polluted and have to go through a rigorous series of rituals to be cleansed." Recent weeks has seen a rise in violence against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN, reported Wednesday. E-mail to a friend

Girl pushed into pile of burning embers by man in his late teens . Man charged with attempted murder . Assault took place in India's Uttar Pradesh state .

(CNN) -- A manhunt is under way in New Jersey as multiple law enforcement agencies search for Arthur E. Morgan III, who is wanted for questioning in the death of a two-year-old girl, authorities said. The girl is believed to be Morgan's biological daughter. A group of boys discovered the child's body partially submerged in a stream in Shark River Park in Monmouth County on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. She was still strapped in her car seat, CNN afffiliate WABC reported. The stream runs directly beneath an overpass, suggesting the child and car seat were thrown from the overpass, said county prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni. Morgan was supposed to return the child to her mother Monday night following a custody visit, Gramiccioni. When he failed to return the child, prosecutors in Ocean County charged him with endangering the welfare of a child and interfering with child custody Tuesday morning. The child was found dead some 20 hours later, WABC reported. A number of federal and state agencies, including the FBI, are involved in the search, suggesting Morgan may try to leave New Jersey where he and the child's mother live separately, Gramiccioni said.

Arthur E. Morgan III is wanted for questioning in the death of a two-year-old girl . The child's body was discovered partially submerged in a creek inside a county park . Official: The child was last seen with her father but was never returned to her home .

(CNN) -- A marijuana bust along the U.S.-Mexico border revealed 30 pounds of the drug stuffed into framed pictures of Jesus Christ, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Wednesday. "This is not the first time we have seen smugglers attempt to use religious figures and articles of faith to further their criminal enterprise," said William Molaski, port director of the agency's office in El Paso, Texas, in a statement. "What some might find offensive or sacrilegious has unfortunately become a standard operating procedure for drug smugglers. This would include using religious symbols, children and senior citizens in their attempts to defeat the CBP inspection process." Authorities said a 22-year-old woman in a Jeep from Juarez, Mexico, told federal border patrol officers that she had nothing to declare besides the framed art. The officers checked out the vehicle with Cesar, a federal drug-sniffing dog, who alerted them to three framed pictures of Jesus in the vehicle. The officers pulled the backing of the pictures and found numerous bundles, authorities said. The woman was arrested. The bust was one of three marijuana seizures made Tuesday at the El Paso point of entry. Officers said they seized 214 pounds of marijuana in the two other busts.

Bust at U.S.-Mexico border reveals marijuana stuffed into framed pictures of Jesus . U.S. Customs says criminals sometimes use religious artifacts to hide illegal goods . Cesar, a federal drug-sniffing dog, discovered the hidden marijuana . 22-year-old woman in a Jeep from Juarez, Mexico, arrested .

(CNN) -- A massive dust storm swept through parts of Australia on Wednesday, bathing the city of Sydney in a reddish haze. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is seen on Wednesday in Sydney, Australia. Susan Paget marveled at the eerie red view from the balcony of her apartment in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, and said she took the day off work to avoid the dust storm mess. "It just feels dirty and rusty," Paget told CNN. "It was totally bizarre to wake up around 5:30 a.m. and see such a red bizarre sky." A video Paget submitted to CNN's iReport showed thick haze, which made it difficult to see her neighbors' homes. Watch Paget's updated iReport Health officials in Sydney warned residents to stay in indoors if possible, especially if they had asthma or heart and lung conditions. "Avoid spending too much time outdoors due to the high particle levels and hazardous air quality," the New South Wales Department of Heath Web site said. See images of the dust storm » The Ambulance Service of New South Wales said the dust storm had kept it busy with emergency calls. "We have already seen an increase in calls to people suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems," the agency said in a statement. Watch a news report on the haze » iReporter Mark Clarke told CNN he woke up earlier than usual with a stuffy nose and cough at his home in Stanmore, a suburb of Sydney. iReporter: "It was like Mars" He pulled the curtains back and saw a "strange red orangish glow coming from outside." "It feels and smells like a vacuum cleaner exploded," he said. Watch Clarke's iReport The country's bureau of meterology attributed the red haze to strong north-westerly winds which blew the dust overnight to Sydney and regions west of the capital. During the day, the dust blanket moved north onto the Queensland capital of Brisbane. The bureau of meterology's senior forecaster Tony Auden told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the haze was likely to continue moving north. "It should make its way up into the Sunshine Coast and into those Capricornia and central coast areas soon," he said. "For the south-east expect it to probably linger for the rest of today and hopefully settle out of the air overnight."

Residents of Sydney, Australia wake to eerie red haze over surrounding areas . Weather forecasters say strong north-westerly winds blew dust in overnight . Wind blew dust storm north onto Brisbane, predicted to move further north . iReporter: "It was totally bizarre to wake up and see such a red bizarre sky"

(CNN) -- A massive iceberg -- more than twice the size of New York's Manhattan island -- is drifting slowly toward Australia, scientists said Wednesday. The iceberg, measuring 140 square km (54 square miles), cleaved off an ice shelf nearly 10 years ago and had been floating near Antarctica before commencing on its unusual journey north. Named B17B, it was about 1,700 km (1,056 miles) off the coast of West Australia, according to the country's Antarctic Division. "B17B is a very significant one in that it has drifted so far north while still largely intact," said Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist Neal Young, who spotted the slab using satellite images taken by NASA and the European Space Agency. "It's one of the biggest sighted at those latitudes." It is unlikely to drift too close to the coast in its current form, Young said. The warmer waters will cause it to melt. "As the water warms up, the iceberg is slowly breaking up, resulting in hundreds more smaller icebergs in the area," Young said on the Australian Antarctic Division Web site. In November, an iceberg estimated to be 500 meters wide and 50 meters high was spotted close to Macquarie Island in the southern Pacific drifting towards New Zealand. Scientists working on the island were astounded by its size. "We pulled out the binoculars that we use for work on the seals and, sure enough, it was a huge floating island of ice basically and, yeah, it was an incredible sight," Australian researcher Dean Miller told CNN affiliate TVNZ. The Australian Antarctic Division said the iceberg was part of a flotilla that would have broken off from a larger ice flow that possibly came from the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica's largest. Although shipping lanes in this region are not particularly busy in November, the icebergs prompted Maritime New Zealand to issue navigation warnings. Three years earlier, another family of icebergs led to a small tourist boom when they drifted along the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. Oceanographer Mike Williams told Radio New Zealand the icebergs had "pretty much the same origin" but that some had probably been trapped in the icy seas of Antarctica for longer, before being carried north by the currents. However he was reluctant to cite global warming as the reason for the large-scale movement of ice. "We do have to a change our position a little because in 2006 we thought this was a 'once in a lifetime' event. "But large ice shelf carvings, where the ice comes from, are still only carving on a 30 to 50-year period."

The iceberg, measuring 140 square km cleaved off an ice shelf nearly 10 years ago . Named B17B, it was about 1,056 miles (1,700 km) off the coast of West AustraIia . In November this year a flotilla of icebergs was spotted drifting towards New Zealand's coast .

(CNN) -- A massive winter storm has left at least 17 people dead and more than a million homes across the Midwest without power, according to reports from several state emergency management agencies. A tree pulls on utility lines Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky, in a photo from iReporter Jacek Jasinski. Almost half those households are in Kentucky, where 45 shelters have been set up to help residents battling icy conditions, a spokesman for the governor's office said. "One of our biggest concerns is [providing] power generators, especially for nursing homes out in the western part of the state that are without power," Jay Blanton, spokesman for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, said Wednesday. The storm dumped ice and snow on a region that extends from Texas to Kentucky and left "absolutely everything in northwest Arkansas ... at a standstill," an Arkansas police officer said. Watch ice damage trees in Arkansas » "It's hard to walk, let alone drive," Fayetteville, Arkansas, police officer Dan Baker said. "It looks like tornado damage." He added, "Our officers are wearing metal cleats just so they can walk the streets." iReport.com: Send your wintry weather photos, videos Northwest Arkansas has been hit hard, and schools and universities were closed throughout the state. See the impact of the storms » "It's like a ghost town," Barbara Rademacher of Rogers, Arkansas, said Wednesday morning. "It's just white and ice," Rademacher said while looking out her kitchen window at a street devoid of traffic and littered with the ice-weighted branches of oak trees. "The roads are impassable, and there are shelters set up in every community because there are so many people with power out," she said. The storms were extending their reach into the New England states Wednesday. The National Weather Service issued freezing rain, ice and winter storm warnings from Texas up through the Ohio Valley and into New England. Watch how to have fun in the snow » As of Wednesday, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission reported at least 27,621 homes and businesses affected by power outages across the state. The commission office was closed Wednesday because of the icy conditions. Heavy snow fell in many areas Tuesday into early Wednesday. Parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland were hit with 4 inches; parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana were struck with 6 inches; and areas of Ohio were covered with 12 inches of snow, forecasters said. Ice storms blast the heartland Weather-related flight delays were reported at New York's LaGuardia and Washington Dulles International airports as well as in Dallas, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Newark, New Jersey, a Federal Aviation Administration Web site indicated. Check on your airport For Dorenda Coks, assistant manager at City Bites in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the winter blast was a completely new experience. Watch the terrible driving conditions in Oklahoma and Arkansas » The Jamaica native is experiencing her first winter in Oklahoma and wasn't prepared for the cold. "You just try to stay warm," Coks said. Oklahomans were due for some relief Wednesday as temperatures were expected to rise above freezing, according to meteorologist Andy Wallace of CNN affiliate KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. CNN's David Ariosto contributed to this report.

At least 17 deaths blamed on icy winter storm . Kentucky opens 45 shelters for thousands without power . "Everything in northwest Arkansas is at a standstill," police officer says . Storms drop ice, sleet and snow from Texas to Ohio Valley to New England .

(CNN) -- A member of the group dubbed the "Jena 6" is facing misdemeanor assault charges after a fight at his Texas high school Wednesday, police said Thursday. Bryant Purvis was arrested after a fight Wednesday at his Texas high school, police said. Bryant Purvis, 19, was arrested after the incident at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. Carrollton police Sgt. John Singleton told CNN the altercation does not appear to be racially motivated. School officials contacted police about the fight Wednesday morning. An 18-year-old student told authorities two males approached him and asked if he had flattened the tires of "their homeboy's" car, according to an affidavit supporting the arrest warrant. The student said he didn't, but the two told him they didn't believe him and walked away. Purvis, he said, approached him from behind immediately afterward, then grabbed him with one hand and began to choke him. "Purvis continued to choke [the student] and told him, 'Don't you ever mess with my car again,'" the affidavit said. "Purvis then pushed his head into the seating area of the bench," causing the student to strike his left eye, then walked away. The affidavit said that in a written statement, Purvis wrote, "I walked over to him and grabbed him by his neck, then told him not to mess with my car anymore, then I left." Police reported the student had marks on his neck and bruising on his eye. A municipal judge set Purvis' bond at $1,000, and he was transferred to the Denton County Detention Facility, Singleton said. Purvis is one of six former students in Jena, Louisiana, accused of being involved in the beating of a white student. He initially was charged with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy, but charges against him were reduced in November to second-degree aggravated battery. He is awaiting trial in that case. Civil rights leaders Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton led more than 15,000 marchers to Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- in September to protest how authorities handled the cases against Purvis and the five others accused in the December 2006 beating of fellow student Justin Barker. After his arraignment in November, Purvis told reporters he had moved to another town to complete high school. E-mail to a friend

Bryant Purvis, 19, is facing misdemeanor assault charges, police say . Fight involving Jena 6 teen does not appear to be racially motivated, official says . Purvis allegedly choked a teen who he thought flattened friend's car tires . Teen, whose bond is $1,000, is still awaiting trial in the Jena 6 case .

(CNN) -- A memorial cruise is scheduled to set sail 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic, following the same trans-Atlantic route as the ill-fated ship, according to organizers. A list of first class passengers for the R.M.S. Titanic is one of the artifacts that remains after the sinking. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is to set sail in April 2012, departing from Southampton, England, on April 8, just as the Titanic did. On April 15, the ship -- the Balmoral -- will arrive at the spot in the North Atlantic where the Titanic sank after it collided with an iceberg. Passengers on the 2012 cruise will take part in a memorial service at the site, according to organizer Miles Morgan Travel. Artifacts from the Titanic and a piece of the ship's hull have been recovered, but most of the wreckage remains where the luxury cruise liner sank. The 12-night memorial cruise will then take passengers to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, so they can visit cemeteries where some of the Titanic victims are buried. The trip will end in New York, where the Titanic was headed. Prices for the trip start at $3,900. Millvina Dean, thought to be the last survivor of the Titanic, died in June 2009 at age 97, according to friends. Dean was an infant when the Titanic -- publicized as "practically unsinkable" and as the largest passenger steamship at the time -- struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, during its maiden voyage from Southampton in southern England to New York. The ship sank less than three hours later, killing more than 1,500 people. Dean's brother and mother also survived the sinking.

The Titanic Memorial Cruise is to set sail in April 2012, 100 years after the sinking . It will depart from Southampton, England, on April 8, just as the Titanic did . The trip will end in New York, where the Titanic was headed .

(CNN) -- A military junta that toppled Guinea's government announced its new leader Wednesday in a nationwide radio address. Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara wrapped in the Guinean flag Wednesday. Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara declared himself president of the National Council for Democracy, which he called a transitional body that will oversee the country's return to democracy. In effect, that would make Camara president of Guinea, which was thrown into turmoil Monday after the death of President Lansana Conte. Camara also declared a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. local time. Guinea's parliament is holding negotiations with the military, Africa News reporter Mamdou Dian Donghol Diallo told CNN. "For the time being the situation is calm and negotiations are under way," Diallo said. "There is no traffic. Everyone is staying inside their homes." Camara, previously the spokesman for the National Council for Democracy, suspended the government, constitution, political parties and trade unions, Diallo said from Conakry. The newly formed government, made up of 26 military personnel and six civilians, is negotiating a power-sharing deal that would reflect its ethnic make-up, Diallo said. But some in the military may not support the new leadership, he said. International institutions, including the African Union, have condemned the coup. Guinea, in western Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean, has had two presidents since gaining independence from France in 1958. Conte came to power in 1984, when the military seized control of the government after the death of the first president, Sekou Toure. The country did not hold democratic elections until 1993, when Conte was elected president. He was re-elected in 1998 and 2003 amid allegations of electoral irregularities. Worsening economic conditions and dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006, the CIA World Factbook says. A third nationwide strike in early 2007 sparked violent protests that resulted in two weeks of martial law. To appease the unions and end the unrest, the Factbook says, Conte named a new prime minister in March 2007. Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite its mineral wealth, according to the British charity Plan UK. The country hosts large refugee populations from neighboring Liberia and Ivory Coast.

NEW: Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara named de facto president of Guinea . Coup leaders impose overnight curfew; government, constitution suspended . President Lansana Conte died Monday after near 25-year rule . Coup condemned by African Union .

(CNN) -- A militia killed a ranger in a Democratic Republic of Congo park where authorities are trying to protect endangered gorillas threatened by civil war, the park said. Safari Kakule, a ranger at Virunga National Park, was killed Thursday in an attack by a militia, the park says. A Mai Mai militia attacked a ranger station in the Virunga National Park on Thursday night and killed ranger Safari Kakule, according to a news release from the park. Another ranger was wounded in the attack, and one of the rebels was captured, the statement said. The Mai Mai are community-based militias without specific political objectives, often involved in banditry and looting, the park statement said. "It is not clear why the group attacked [the ranger station] but the attack went on for several hours during Thursday night and the rangers were heavily outnumbered," the statement said. Seven rangers were at the station when the attack happened, according to the statement. That area of the park is home to an isolated population of 18 endangered Eastern Lowland gorillas. The park also is home to about 200 of the world's estimated 700 mountain gorillas, the park has said. The Virunga park's Web site said 15 additional rangers have been sent to the park, where they will be "strengthening the position, which we cannot abandon." "Because of the arrest that the rangers were able to make, we have several leads on the perpetrators of the attack, who will be brought to justice," a statement on the Web site said. More than 100 rangers returned to the park's gorilla sector late last year after hundreds of rangers fled the area in 2007 because of fighting involving ethnic Tutsi rebels, the Congolese army and militias. Rangers and scientists were out of contact with the park's endangered gorillas for more than a year until rangers returned late last year, the park said.

One ranger killed, another injured in attack by militia, park says . One attacker captured; park says it doesn't know why rangers were attacked . Park in Democratic Republic of Congo is home to endangered gorillas . Rangers are trying to protect gorillas threatened by civil war .

(CNN) -- A mining company has found what may be the largest gold deposit ever found in the British Isles, the company's chairman said Tuesday. The price of gold is at historic highs, making new prospects very valuable. Drill samples indicate more than 1 million ounces of gold may lie below what is now rolling Irish countryside, said Richard Conroy, the chairman of Dublin, Ireland-based Conroy Diamonds and Gold. With the price of gold near historic highs, the find could be worth as much as $300 million on the market, Conroy told CNN. The company has been working for 10 years to find gold in a 1,500-square kilometer (600-square-mile) area spanning the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, he said. The site where the company found the gold is near Clontibret, a village in the northern part of Ireland, he said. "I think it's a major development in Ireland that we now have a significant gold resource," Conroy said. "It's the largest amount of gold, the largest number of ounces, that's ever been reported in Ireland, or indeed in either Britain or Ireland." The price of gold is currently around $900 an ounce on global commodities markets. Factoring in costs for mine construction and operation, Conroy said, the gold near Clontibret could fetch roughly $300 million. The company now plans to do more drilling at the site and conduct feasibility studies before moving ahead, he said. An analyst cautioned, however, that the reported amount of gold is still only an estimate. "Until you've actually mined the stuff, there's always a moderate level of uncertainty," said William Tankard, a senior analyst at metals consultancy GFMS in London. One million ounces, if confirmed, would be significant for both Conroy and Ireland, Tankard said. Ireland has small precious metal deposits but nothing as large as Conroy's reported find, Tankard said. Conroy said only one gold mine is currently active in Ireland. "By no means is it world-leading, but a million ounces is certainly worth thinking about," Tankard said. Tankard added that the quality of the gold -- including grade and how concentrated it is -- will also affect its value.

Company finds what may be largest gold deposit found in Britain or Ireland . More than one million ounces of gold may lie below rolling Irish countryside . With price of gold near historic highs, find could be worth as much as $300m .

(CNN) -- A motel owner in New Zealand -- fed up with one too many incidents of rowdy behavior -- has banned an entire town from checking in as guests. Steve Donnelly, an Australian, has been accused of racism following his decision. Steve Donnelly, the owner of the Supreme Motor Lodge in the town of Palmerston North, said he decided to yank the welcome mat for the 16,000 residents of Wainuiomata because "each time they visited, our life became less exciting." "I'm not Santa Claus. I can't figure out who's naughty and who's nice," he said. "So we went ahead and banned all of them." Wainuiomata, near the capital, Wellington, is about two hours' drive from Palmerston North. Donnelly said he banned the town after three groups of people from Wainuiomata checked in on separate occasions over a six-month period, riling other guests at the 51-room hotel. "We have moms and dads who come here with two or three kids to relax," he said. "They don't want some loudmouth spitting on the pavement, flirting with girls and swearing." The "no vacancy" extends to the members of parliament, as Wainuiomata lawmaker Trevor Mallard found out when he came to test the ban. "He's barging in here with a TV camera, trying to book a room to prove a point," Donnelly said. "We just stood at the front door and said, 'You're not welcome here. Go away.'" By "we," Donnelly is referring to himself and his general manager, Malcolm Glen -- a Scotsman known in the community as "Basil Fawlty" after the iconic and paranoid John Cleese character in the British sitcom "Fawlty Towers." News of the ban sent some former guests complaining, and others accusing Donnelly, an Australian, of racism. Many wanted to know whether he was violating the Human Rights Act, which prohibits hotel owners from discriminating based on race. "Some people are making it out to be about the big Aussie brother giving his poor little Kiwi cousin a hard time," Donnelly said. "They were flabbergasted that there wasn't a law that stopped me. But it's like having a pub. You don't have to have a reason why you won't serve alcohol to any group of people." Donnelly, who's owned the 25-year-old motel for the past two and a half years, said he might annul the ban in the future -- if Wainuiomata adjusts its behavior.

Steve Donnelly owns Supreme Motor Lodge in town of Palmerston North . 16,000 residents of Wainuiomata, near Wellington have been banned . Donnelly says guests from the town are always rowdy . He says he might annul ban in the future -- if Wainuiomata adjusts behavior .

(CNN) -- A mother's plot to blame a stranger for killing her sons went awry when one of the boys survived and told police how Michelle Kehoe cut his throat, then moved on to his younger brother, an Iowa prosecutor said Thursday. Police found the 7-year-old covered in dried blood in the family van the morning of October 27, 2008, in a secluded area near a pond east of Littleton. Beside the van, his 2-year-old brother lay dead, his throat also slashed. "She cut me," the boy said in a high-pitched voice in an audio recording that was played Thursday in Kehoe's first-degree murder trial. Kehoe, of Coralville, Iowa, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and child endangerment causing serious injury. Before the trial, her lawyers filed a notice of intent to present an insanity defense, according to court records. Kehoe's lawyers chose to reserve their opening arguments for the start of their case. Dressed in a blue and white striped blouse, Kehoe frowned as she listened to her son's voice on the recording, occasionally bowing her head. The boy had locked himself in the van overnight after his mother slashed him and his younger brother the previous day and left them for dead, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Andrew Prosser said in his opening statement. Kehoe then walked to a nearby pond and attempted to kill herself by slashing her throat with the same weapon, a camouflage-handle Winchester hunting knife she bought the month before, Prosser said. When it became apparent she was not going to die, the prosecutor said, she staggered half a mile down the road to the nearest home and told a story she'd concocted weeks before of how a stranger abducted the family, killed her sons and tried to kill her. But when authorities went searching for the stranger, they instead found her 7-year-old son in the car and his younger brother dead outside the driver's side. "Do you know where you're injured at?" Deputy Stephen Peterson asked the boy in the recording. "Just my throat," the boy said. "Who did that to you?" "My mom." The boy said his mother also put duct tape over his eyes, nose and mouth, but that he pulled them off after his mother left him. "She was hurting my baby brother," he said. Kehoe began plotting the attack the month before with the purchase of the knife and the duct tape, Prosser said. She allegedly chose the date of the incident to coincide with when her husband, Gene, was scheduled to take a yoga class, telling him they were going to visit her mother at a nursing home in Sumner. Police also say they found signs of a cover-up at the scene, including pieces of a first-aid kit scattered around the scene and a handwritten note documenting the attack, Prosser said. The note detailed how a man broke into the car when the family stopped at a gas station and forced them to the area where the van was found. Kehoe tried to fight him off with pepper spray but he knocked her unconscious, the note said, according to the prosecutor. Police said Kehoe later told them she had written the note in the midst of the attack to explain what had happened to those who would find the scene, according to the prosecutor. "And the note, which you'll see, ends with, 'Oh no, here he comes again...' " Prosser told the jury. Kehoe faces life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder for her son's death.

Michelle Kehoe slashed sons' throats, left them for dead, tried to kill herself, prosecutor says . Iowa jury hears tape of surviving boy telling police his mother cut him, hurt brother . Prosecutors say Kehoe hatched plan month before to blame attacks on stranger . Kehoe's lawyers have filed a notice of intent to present an insanity defense .

(CNN) -- A multiagency search is under way for the killers of two U.S. citizens in northern Mexico, according to Chihuahua state officials. A girl stands at the coffin of Mormon church leader Benjamin LeBaron in Chihuahua State. Benjamin LeBaron, 32, and his brother-in-law, Luis Widmar, in his mid-30s, were beaten and shot to death after armed men stormed into their home in Galeana on Tuesday morning. The killers have yet to be identified, but the case seems to be connected to local drug lords, said Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state attorney general's office. Sandoval said a note was found on LeBaron's body, but he could not confirm the contents. Local media reported that the note indicated the slayings were in retribution for the capture of 25 drug suspects in a nearby town. LeBaron's younger brother, Eric, was kidnapped in May and returned unharmed after a week. The incident prompted LeBaron to become a nationally recognized anti-crime activist who moved the local community to take a stand. "There are no leaders here, or we are all leaders," LeBaron's brother, Julian LeBaron, told CNN television affiliate KINT in El Paso, Texas. "If they kill my brother another three will take his place, and if they kill us, another hundred will take their place. We are not giving up. No way." The LeBaron brothers belonged to the "Community of LeBaron" in the Municipality of Galeana, a township founded by ex-communicated Mormons.

Benjamin LeBaron and his brother-in-law are shot dead in their home . The killers have yet to be identified, but the case seems tied to local drug lords . Local media: Slayings retribution for capture of drug suspects in town nearby . LeBaron was a nationally recognized anti-crime activist .

(CNN) -- A multistate romaine lettuce recall because of fear of contamination with a potentially deadly bacteria has restaurants east of the Mississippi River scrambling to assure customers that their salad is safe. "We have taken the extra precaution of contacting our lettuce supply chain partners to ensure that our product meets our usual high standard of quality," New York-based franchise Just Salad said in an e-mail to its customers. "We are happy to say that we have confirmed that this recall will have no effect on Just Salad's romaine lettuce," the e-mail said. On Thursday, Freshway Foods in Sidney, Ohio, announced a voluntary recall of products containing shredded romaine lettuce with a use-by date of May 12 or earlier because they may be contaminated with E. coli linked to outbreak of illness. Read about recall on CNN's This Just in Yum! Brands -- the largest restaurant company, and owner of popular fast food chains KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver's -- said Freshway Foods is a not supplier to any of its brands. The romaine lettuce, sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands, was recalled in connection with an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people in Michigan, Ohio and New York. Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some cause severe illness. Diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses are just some of the consequences of ingesting certain kinds of the bacteria. Blog: What you need to know about E. coli The lettuce under recall was sold to wholesalers and food service outlets in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Freshway Foods also advised consumers not to eat "grab and go" salads sold at in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh stores in 23 states and the District of Columbia. The Freshway recall does not affect bagged and prepackaged romaine lettuce mixes sold in the produce section. "It is important to note that bulk and prepackaged romaine or bagged salad mixes containing romaine that were purchased in supermarkets are not included in this recall; Freshway Foods does not produce these products," Freshway said in a statement. Consumers with recall questions and concerns can contact Freshway Foods at 888-361-7106 or visit its website, www.freshwayfoods.com.

Just Salad sent e-mail to customers saying it confirmed safety . Freshway Foods is voluntarily recalling lettuce possibly contaminated with E. coli . E. coli outbreak has sickened 19 people in Michigan, Ohio and New York .

(CNN) -- A mushroom cloud of thick dark smoke hovered over the Puerto Rican capital after a blast ripped through a fuel storage complex near San Juan early Friday and caused a massive fire. At least one injury occurred and at least 350 people have been evacuated as about 100 firefighters worked through the night to fight the blaze, Gov. Luis Fortuno said. Firefighters said it would take a few days to control the inferno. Eleven tanks are ablaze, and firefighters are trying to cool down the remaining 29 tanks. The tanks are holding jet and diesel fuels and gasoline. Authorities are looking into the cause of the blaze, which took place at Caribbean Petroleum Corp., a storage complex on San Juan's bay that owns the Gulf brand in Puerto Rico. iReport.com: See, share, send images of the explosion Justin Gehrke, a U.S. Army civilian employee who filed an iReport for CNN, was taken aback by the sight of the thick black smoke and took photos of the scene from his iPhone. "I didn't expect to see a mushroom cloud from my house," he said.

Explosion, fire rip through fuel storage complex . One person injured, 350 evacuated near San Juan, Puerto Rico . Caribbean Petroleum Corp. tanks held jet, diesel fuels plus gasoline . iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, videos of the flames .

(CNN) -- A mysterious X-shaped pattern of space debris seen by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was probably two asteroids that collided, scientists said Tuesday. The object, called P/2010 A2, was discovered in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research sky survey, or LINEAR, on January 6, NASA said. The shape, and the streamers of dust shooting off of it, were photographed by Hubble on January 25 and 29, according to NASA. Astronomers have long thought the asteroid belt is being ground down because of collisions, but such a head-on crash had never been seen before. "If this interpretation is correct, two small and previously unknown asteroids recently collided, creating a shower of debris that is being swept back into a tail from the collision site by the pressure of sunlight," said principal investigator David Jewitt, from the University of California at Los Angeles. At first, astronomers thought what they saw might be a main belt comet, a rare case of a comet orbiting while in the asteroid belt. But the images taken by Hubble revealed the complex X-pattern of filamentary structures near the object's nucleus. Jewitt said the filaments are made of dust and gravel. Some of them are being swept back by radiation pressure from sunlight, creating the long, straight dust streaks, he said. The nucleus of the presumed boom is 460 feet in diameter, NASA said. Asteroid collisions happen fast, with an average impact speed of more than 11,000 mph, or five times faster than a rifle bullet.

NASA says LINEAR survey saw apparent crash, Hubble telescope photographed it . The collision appeared as a giant "X" shape, with trails of dust and gravel . Astronomers think crashes are shrinking asteroid belt, but none had been viewed . Asteroid collisions happen fast -- 11,000 mph, NASA says .

(CNN) -- A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate Thursday night suggests that Democratic Sen. Joe Biden won, but also says Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeded expectations. Poll respondents give Sen. Joe Biden the edge over Gov. Sarah Palin in ability to express views. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. said 51 percent of those polled thought Biden did the best job, while 36 percent thought Palin did the best job. But respondents said the folksy Palin was more likable, scoring 54 percent to Biden's 36 percent. Seventy percent said Biden was more of a typical politician. Both candidates exceeded expectations -- 84 percent of the people polled said Palin did a better job than they expected, while 64 percent said Biden also exceeded expectations. How Palin would perform had been a major issue for the Alaska governor, who had some well-publicized fumbles during interviews with CBS' Katie Couric leading up to the debate. Respondents thought Biden was better at expressing his views, giving him 52 percent to Palin's 36 percent.iReport.com: Tell us who you think did best On the question of the candidates' qualifications to assume the presidency, 87 percent of those polled said Biden is qualified and 42 percent said Palin is qualified. The candidates sparred over which team would be the better agent of change, and Biden came out on top of that debate, with 53 percent of those polled giving the nod to the Delaware senator while 42 percent said Palin was more likely to bring change. Respondents overwhelmingly said moderator Gwen Ifill was fair during the vice presidential debate, repudiating critics who said that Ifill, of PBS, would be biased because she is writing a book that includes Biden's running mate, Sen. Barack Obama. Ninety-five percent of those polled said Ifill was fair. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Obama was selected as a winner over Republican Sen. John McCain in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll on the September 26 presidential debate.

51 percent say Democratic Sen. Joe Biden wins vice presidential debate . Republican Gov. Sarah Palin exceeds expectations, 84 percent say . Palin beats Biden on likability, 54-36 . 87 percent say Biden is qualified for job, 42 percent say Palin is .

(CNN) -- A nervous calm settled over northwest Peru on Monday night, three days after clashes between indigenous citizens and national police left more than 30 dead and 50 wounded. Alberto Pizango, a leader of the protesters, says his followers did not kill police officers. A 3 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew seemed to be holding, and both sides in the bloody episode said they wanted dialogue, not bullets. "The situation is much more tranquil," foreign minister Jose Andres Garcia Belaunde told CNN. "There's the possibility of entering into a dialogue." The violence started Friday when national police attacked a roadblock near the city of Bagua in the Amazonian part of northwestern Peru. About 2,500 indigenous people had blocked the main road to protest measures the government has taken to sell land to energy companies and other businesses. Indians native to the area say that it is their land even though they don't have formal property titles. When it was over, many lay dead and wounded. How many -- and what happened -- depends on who's telling the story. Belaunde said 24 police were killed and nine Amazonian natives lost their lives. He said he did not know the number of wounded. Amnesty International, however, said more than 30 demonstrators and 22 police have been killed since Friday. The Web sites for RPP radio and El Comercio newspaper said at least 33 people died, including 22 police. More than 50 people have been injured, various reports said. Indian rights advocates put the number of dead and missing as much higher, with some groups saying more than 100 were killed or are missing. The Amazon Watch advocacy group accused the government of ditching bodies in rivers and the jungle to suppress the death count. "There seems to be a concerted government effort to cover up the number of indigenous deaths," said Gregor MacLennan, Peru program coordinator for Amazon Watch. Belaunde emphatically denied the accusation. "That is a lie," he said. "Part of the great lies that have been told about Bagua -- that a massacre occurred, but more police than indigenous were killed. If this is true, let the family members come forth and tell us this happened." Amazon Watch and indigenous supporters say the police -- some in helicopters -- opened fire indiscriminately and without provocation on the roadblock about 450 miles (730 kilometers) north of Lima, the capital. "Police began in the morning by firing tear gas," MacLennan told CNN. "When people did not move and were standing strong, they began firing shots." Belaunde said the helicopters fired tear gas and police were fired upon, too. "The police did not want to use their arms," he said, noting that many of the dead officers were killed with weapons protesters had taken from authorities. Ten police were killed after they were taken hostage when they arrived to help other officers and were surrounded by protesters, Belaunde said. More than 70 suspects have been arrested, Belaunde said. MacLennan placed the count at 150 and said 900 others are in hiding. "Eight to 10 police officers had their throat slit," Belaunde said. "Somebody must be held accountable for that, don't you think?" MacLennan agreed that if "indigenous people tortured and killed police, they should be brought to justice." Authorities had been searching for Alberto Pizango, leader of the indigenous rights group behind the Bagua demonstrations, but he sought refuge in the Nicaraguan embassy in Lima, Peruvian Prime Minister Yehude Simon said Monday night. Officials said Monday they will remove a roadblock within the next two days in the main highway between the cities of Yurimaguas and Tarapoto. Yurimaguas officials met with indigenous leaders Monday to negotiate dismantling the roadblock, the state-run Andina news agency said. The roadblocks have been hurting Peru's economy, since export shipments of oil and other resources have not been able to get through. Peruvian President Alan Garcia vowed to put down the demonstrations, some of which have been going on since early April. "We will not give in

More than 30 people have died, 50 have been injured since Friday, reports say . Indigenous people protest government plan to sell land to energy companies . Peruvian President Alan Garcia vows to put down the demonstrations .

(CNN) -- A new flow of oil emerged from BP's damaged undersea well in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday evening after a remote-controlled submarine successfully cut into the well's riser pipe. BP used robots in its latest attempt to curtail the flow of crude from the largest spill in U.S. history, which spread to barrier islands off Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday. When the robot submarines cut into the undersea well's riser pipe, a fresh spew of oil temporarily obscured the view of the mechanical arm. The cut was a first step toward placing a cap over the well that has spewed hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day since late April. BP expects to make more cuts to the riser before bringing in a diamond saw to make a clean cut where the cap will be fitted. Doug Suttles, the company's chief operating officer, told CNN's "John King USA" that the procedure should collect the "vast majority" of the oil if it succeeds. "We'll be putting the cap assembly, loading that out and sending it to the sea bed later tonight," Suttles said. "We should be able to install this tomorrow. And hopefully by late tomorrow or Thursday, we should have this thing operating." But the operation carries the risk that the flow of crude from the ruptured well could increase by up to 20 percent once the damaged riser is cut away. The job already has been complicated by pipework around the well that has had to be removed before massive metal shears could be brought to bear Tuesday evening, Suttles said. The gusher may not be shut down until August, when BP expects to complete relief wells that will take the pressure off the one now spewing into the Gulf. The 5,000-foot-deep well erupted after an explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20. The rig sank two days later, taking 11 men with it and leaving up to 19,000 barrels (798,000 gallons) of oil pouring into the Gulf, according to federal estimates. After fouling sections of Louisiana's marshes over the past two weeks, the oil was spreading toward the northeast on Tuesday. Tar balls and patches of reddish-brown "weathered" oil came ashore on Dauphin Island, Alabama, south of Mobile, and on Mississippi's Petit Bois Island, off Pascagoula, authorities reported. Oil hits Alabama, Mississippi barrier islands More than a dozen miles offshore, researchers from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab reported seeing more rust-colored swaths of oil spattering the surface of the Gulf. They ranged from the size of half-dollar coins to 30 or 40 feet long, said John Dindo, the laboratory's associate director. BP's handling of the spill has been sharply criticized by members of Congress, officials in the Gulf states and the Obama administration, which announced Tuesday that a criminal investigation of the spill was under way. In addition, federal officials will no longer hold joint news briefings with the company, the administration announced. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government's point man on the spill, will now become the face of the response effort. Allen told reporters in New Orleans, Louisiana, that his job is to speak "very frankly with the American public." Rear Adm. Mary Landry, who has been the Coast Guard's on-scene coordinator for five weeks, will be returning to her duties as chief of the service's New Orleans district office. Allen praised Landry's work leading "an anomalous and unprecedented response" to the spill, but said Landry now needs to focus "on the larger array of threats" to her district -- including this summer's Atlantic hurricane season, which began Tuesday. In Louisiana, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser warned that a hurricane in the area could drive more oil ashore. "We don't want to scare anybody, but we need to be realistic about it," Nungesser said. "If a storm does top out levees, it will probably bring oil with it." He said residents who evacuate ahead of a hurricane might return "

Oil spill spreads to Mississippi, Alabama . U.S. begins criminal investigation into oil spill . Spill makes a third of Gulf off-limits to fishing . BP puts cost of spill response at $1 billion .

(CNN) -- A new national poll suggests Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich could be on the top of Santa's naughty list. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tops new CNN poll of which politician has been the naughtiest of 2008. Fifty-six percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday said Blagojevich, who has been arrested on corruption charges, was the naughtiest politician in 2008. Blagojevich, accused of attempting to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former Senate seat, has said he has done nothing wrong and plans to fight the allegations. The poll also found 23 percent believed former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer should get the nod, followed by 19 percent for former presidential candidate John Edwards. Spitzer resigned in March after it was revealed he was Client No. 9 in a high-end prostitution ring. In November, prosecutors announced they would not be bringing criminal charges against Spitzer. Edwards, who had been considered a major contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, admitted in August to having an extramarital affair with former campaign staffer Rielle Hunter. The former North Carolina senator also denied he was the father of Hunter's then-newborn baby. CNN polling director Keating Holland said while Blagojevich's top spot in the survey may be due to his arrest occurring more recently than the transgressions of the others, there may be another reason. iReport.com: Do you trust your political leaders? "Americans typically take a much dimmer view of corruption than of sex scandals, since the former is a violation of the public trust and the latter is usually considered more of a private matter," he said.

CNN poll: Rod Blagojevich was the naughtiest politician in 2008 . Illinois governor accused of trying to sell President-elect Obama's Senate seat . Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer was second in poll, followed by former Sen. John Edwards .

(CNN) -- A new study that surveyed racial attitudes suggests that racial prejudices could tip the balance in the upcoming presidential election. A poll finds a small percentage of voters said they may turn away from Sen. Barack Obama because of his race. If there were no racial prejudice among voters, Sen. Barack Obama would receive about 6 percentage points more support, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll, designed in partnership with Stanford University. The results suggest that 40 percent of white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, including more than a third of white Democrats and independents. A small percentage of voters -- 2.5 percent of those surveyed -- said they may turn away from Obama because of his race. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey also indicates that race could play a big role in November. Asked if race would be a factor in their vote, 37 percent of respondents said yes. But of that group, many are Republicans who are not likely to vote for any Democrat, and some are Democrats who may vote for Obama because of his race. Of the 8 percent of Democrats who told CNN they plan to vote for Obama's GOP rival, Sen. John McCain, half said race was a factor. The survey, conducted August 29-31, questioned 1,031 people and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Experts point out that it's hard to quantify racial prejudice because many people who hold prejudices are not going to admit to it. Watch how race could affect the election » "The hardest thing in the world for pollsters to poll for, with the exception of sexual behavior, is racial attitudes and how it affects behavior," said Walter Shapiro, Washington bureau chief for Salon.com. Shapiro said while people might say things differently off the record, racial issues cannot easily be quantified. The pollsters for the AP/Yahoo survey used techniques that they thought would be more likely to lead to honest results -- such as conducting the poll online and using subtle methods and formulas to calculate racial attitudes. That study also suggests that the number of people who may turn away from Obama because of his race could be larger than what the margin of victory was in the 2004 election. Jeff Johnson, host of BET's "The Truth With Jeff Johnson," said, "I think there is a concern clearly about the number of people who will vote based on race. "But I agree -- how you quantify that number, I think, is very difficult." According to CNN's average of recent national polls, Obama holds a lead of 5 percentage points over McCain. Johnson said one misconception is that racial prejudices are unique to conservatives or people in "Middle America." "There are liberals also in many cases that are racist. I don't think we know yet how it's going to play out," he said. In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Obama said while some people might not vote for him because he is black, others might vote for him just because he is. "Are there going to be some people who don't vote for me because I'm black? Of course. There are probably some African-Americans who are voting for me because I'm black or maybe others just inspired by the idea of breaking new ground, and so I think all that's a wash," he said. Democrats, however, typically get close to 90 percent of the African-American vote anyway. Salon.com's Shapiro said Democrats can work on increasing turnout among black voters but that it will be hard to make gains on the percentages they already see. Johnson said he thinks race will matter, and the best way for Obama to balance out any negative effect is to just stay on message. "I don't know if I believe it's going to be a wash. I think it's going to matter. This race is extremely close, and so every single demographic and every single point is going to

Racial prejudices could cost Sen. Barack Obama 6 percentage points, poll suggests . Poll: Forty percent of white Americans have at least a partly negative view of blacks . Experts point out that it's hard to quantify racial attitudes . Democrats typically get close to 90 percent of the African-American vote .

(CNN) -- A newborn infant, who was abducted Tuesday from his home in Tennessee, has been found alive in Alabama, according to authorities. Yair Anthony Carillo is reported to be in good health since being recovered. Yair Anthony Carillo was found Friday night in a home in Ardmore after an intensive three-day search, said Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Tammy Renee Silas, 39, was taken into custody for allegedly stabbing Maria Gurrolla at her Nashville home and then stealing the baby just four days after he was born. Gurrolla told police a woman posing as an immigration worker attacked her and took Carillo. A break in the case came when investigators were able to track down a Kia Spectra that was photographed in a Wal-Mart parking lot shortly before the attack. Authorities determined that Silas rented the vehicle from the Nashville airport, Gwyn said. My Harrison, of the FBI's Memphis office, praised all of the investigators who worked on the case. "We reunited a family," she said. "It doesn't always turn out this way." There is no word on a possible motive or what charges Silas will face. Carillo, who is reported in good health, will be reunited with his family after a routine medical examination, Harrison said.

Yair Anthony Carillo found safe after being abducted days after birth, authorities say . Child's mother says woman posing as immigration worker stabbed her, took boy . Tammy Renee Silas taken into custody; no word on possible motive .

(CNN) -- A one-of-a-kind bicycle belonging to U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong was stolen from a team truck in California just hours after he rode it Saturday on the first day of a nine-day race. Lance Armstrong is racing in the California Amgen Tour as he attempts a comeback after retiring in 2005. Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong is racing in the Amgen Tour of California this week as he continues his latest comeback after retiring from the sport in 2005. Armstrong's first comeback came in 1998, two years after he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him a less than 50 percent chance of survival. Armstrong announced the bike theft on his Twitter account Sunday morning and posted a photograph. "There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," the Texan wrote before going out and finishing fifth in Sunday's testing first stage won by Spain's Francisco Mancebo. Swiss Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, who started the day in the yellow jersey after winning Saturday's time-trial prologue, pulled out midway through the stage feeling unwell. Armstrong improved from 10th to fifth overall, one minute five seconds adrift, with Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer, the two-time defending champion, in second place behind Mancebo. "Holy hell. That was terrible," commented Armstrong who had a puncture. "Maybe one of the toughest days I've had on a bike, purely based on the conditions. I'm still freezing." The bicycle that was stolen is not the one that Armstrong rides every day during the race. The stolen bike is used only for time trials, a race in which cyclists ride individually at staggered intervals over a set distance and try to get the best time. The thieves took four bikes from a truck Armstrong's Astana team had parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. The other three bicycles belonged to team members Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych, Astana said. Armstrong, 37, won the Tour de France, considered the premiere bicycle race in the world, a record seven times from 1999-2005. The 750-mile Amgen Tour of California ends Sunday. It is the second major race in which Armstrong has participated since announcing his comeback in September. He raced last month in the Tour Down Under in Australia, finishing 29th. Armstrong said he is aiming for another Tour de France victory this summer and was not expected to contend in the Australian race, which he used to gauge his fitness level after more than three years out of the saddle.

Lance Armstrong's one-of-a-kind bicycle stolen from team truck in California . Four bicycles stolen from truck Armstrong's Astana team parked behind hotel . Cancer survivor Armstrong is currently fifth overall in Amgen Tour of California . Armstrong won the Tour de France a record seven times from 1999-2005 .

(CNN) -- A one-of-a-kind bicycle belonging to U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong was stolen from a team truck in California just hours after he rode it Saturday on the first day of a nine-day race. Lance Armstrong is racing in the California Amgen Tour as he attempts a comeback after retiring in 2005. Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong is racing in the Amgen Tour of California this week as he continues his latest comeback after retiring from the sport in 2005. Armstrong's first comeback came in 1998, two years after he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him a less than 50 percent chance of survival. Armstrong announced the bike theft on his Twitter account Sunday morning and posted a photograph. "There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," the Texan wrote before going out and finishing fifth in Sunday's testing first stage won by Spain's Francisco Mancebo. Swiss Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, who started the day in the yellow jersey after winning Saturday's time-trial prologue, pulled out midway through the stage feeling unwell. Armstrong improved from 10th to fifth overall, one minute five seconds adrift, with Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer, the two-time defending champion, in second place behind Mancebo. "Holy hell. That was terrible," commented Armstrong who had a puncture. "Maybe one of the toughest days I've had on a bike, purely based on the conditions. I'm still freezing." The bicycle that was stolen is not the one that Armstrong rides every day during the race. The stolen bike is used only for time trials, a race in which cyclists ride individually at staggered intervals over a set distance and try to get the best time. The thieves took four bikes from a truck Armstrong's Astana team had parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. The other three bicycles belonged to team members Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych, Astana said. Armstrong, 37, won the Tour de France, considered the premiere bicycle race in the world, a record seven times from 1999-2005. The 750-mile Amgen Tour of California ends Sunday. It is the second major race in which Armstrong has participated since announcing his comeback in September. He raced last month in the Tour Down Under in Australia, finishing 29th. Armstrong said he is aiming for another Tour de France victory this summer and was not expected to contend in the Australian race, which he used to gauge his fitness level after more than three years out of the saddle.

Lance Armstrong's one-of-a-kind bicycle stolen from team truck in California . Four bicycles stolen from truck Armstrong's Astana team parked behind hotel . Cancer survivor Armstrong is currently fifth overall in Amgen Tour of California . Armstrong won the Tour de France a record seven times from 1999-2005 .

(CNN) -- A pair of Georgia men faced more than a half-hour of skeptical questions from reporters Friday as they defended their claim that they stumbled upon the body of Bigfoot while hiking in a remote North Georgia forest. The thawed body of a creature reputed to be Bigfoot reportedly weighs more than 500 pounds. Introduced by a publicist and beside a man who promoted what turned out to be a fake Bigfoot discovery in 1995, Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer repeatedly said that their claim is not a hoax and that scientific analysis will prove it. "We were not looking for Bigfoot. ... We wouldn't know what we were doing if we did," said Whitton, a police officer on leave after being shot in the hand while making an arrest. "I didn't believe in Bigfoot at the time. ... But you've got to come to terms with it and realize you've got something special. And that's what it was." The men say they were hiking in early June when they discovered the body of a 7-foot-7, 500-pound half-ape, half-human creature near a stream. They also claim to have spotted about three similar living creatures -- and showed reporters video stills of what they say is one of those creatures shadowing them through the woods. Watch report of scientist skeptical of Bigfoot claim » The announcement, which the men first made on the Internet radio show "Squatch Detective" several weeks ago, has been greeted with healthy skepticism, even among some Bigfoot enthusiasts. Scientists, including the head of North Georgia College and State University's biology department, have said it's unlikely a tribe of 7-foot-tall creatures would have avoided discovery in a region popular among hikers, hunters and vacationers. Several Web sites have popped up questioning the claim and comparing a photo that the men say is the creature's body inside a freezer to a widely available Bigfoot costume. On Friday, Whitton acknowledged creating a pair of videos posted on the Internet video site YouTube, one in which his brother poses as a scientist and another in which Whitton briefly seems to admit that the body is a fake. "It seems that the stalkers have busted us in a hoax," he says in the video. But then adds, "we still have a corpse. We just wanted to give you something to do for the weekend." At Friday's news conference, Whitton first said that no video existed in which he calls the discovery a hoax. But after speaking to Tom Biscardi, the self-described "Real Bigfoot Hunter" who has been searching for the creature of legend since 1971, he said the video was made "to have a little fun with it" and was originally intended to throw off the "psychos" who had stalked him and his family since the men first made their claim. iReport.com: Have you seen 'Bigfoot'? The two also promoted a Web site registered to Whitton on June 16 and said they plan to write a book about their experience. Friday's news conference was held in Palo Alto, California, near the home of Biscardi. About 100 reporters and onlookers attended the event, in a hotel banquet room, including a man who shouted questions while wearing a gorilla suit. Dyer and Whitton said they were carrying a video camera during their hike to film wildlife. They said they handed the body over to Biscardi, who is keeping it at an undisclosed location until a team of scientists can examine it. One of the two photographs the men gave to reporters Friday showed what appears to be the creature's mouth, an effort to disprove allegations that what's in the photo is a costume. "I want to get to the bottom of it," Biscardi said. "I'll tell you what I've seen and what I've touched and what I've felt, what I've prodded was not a mask sewed onto a bear hide, OK?" Biscardi acknowledged that he promoted a fake Bigfoot discovery in 1995, saying the woman who claimed to have the body convinced his staff members before

North Georgia men say they stumbled upon body while hiking in forest . They also claim to have spotted three similar living creatures . The body of the furry half man-half ape is 7 feet, 7 inches tall, they say . Men won't reveal Bigfoot den's location because they don't want others disturbed .

(CNN) -- A pair of earthquakes with magnitudes of at least 5.0 struck within 90 minutes of each other near Christchurch, New Zealand, on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, reviving vivid memories of a deadly quake that killed more than 180 people in February. "Everyone is on edge here anyway," said Rhys Taylor, who said he could hear sirens and see helicopters flying over Christchurch. "Obviously, power's out -- sort of all over the city at the moment -- and phone lines are down." Police evacuated sections of the city's central business district after reports of a possible gas leak, police said. Several bridges in the city were closed as a precaution. "It was quite an exciting ride," Christchurch Police Acting Inspector Murray Hurst told CNN after the first quake, adding that there was some damage caused by the quake and a few injuries that were not life-threatening. The first quake -- a magnitude 5.2 -- was centered 9 kilometers (5 miles) east-southeast of Christchurch at a depth of 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), according to USGS. The quake took place at 1 p.m. Monday. A second quake -- a more powerful 6.0 tremor -- struck at 2:20 p.m., roughly 13 kilometers (8 miles) north-northeast of the city at a depth of 9 kilometers (5.6 miles). And at least one smaller quake followed. A magnitude 4.6 quake struck at 2:40 p.m. about 11 kilometers (6 miles) east of Christchurch and at a depth of 12.5 kilometers (7.8 miles), according to the USGS. The quakes came nearly four months after a 6.3-magnitude temblor struck the same area, killing more than 180 people. CNN's Jack Maddox and Anisha Bhandari contributed to this report.

Three quakes strike near Christchurch within two hours . Two of the quakes have magnitudes of at least 5.0 . Power is out and phone lines are down in Christchurch, a resident says . A 6.3-magnitude temblor struck the same area in February, killing more than 180 people .

(CNN) -- A part-time actor has been accused of killing his neighbor and then luring the victim's friend to her death in an attempt to cover up his crime, authorities in California said. The Costa Mesa Police Department last week charged Daniel Wozniak, 27, with two counts of murder. Wozniak is being held without bail and will be arraigned June 25, said Farrah Emami, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Wozniak has been accused in the shooting death of Samuel Herr, 26, and Juri Kibuishi, 23, of Irvine, police said. According to investigators, Wozniak and Herr, who lived in the same residential complex in Costa Mesa, drove to the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base on Friday, May 21. It is at the base that Wozniak shot and killed Herr for financial gain, police said. The suspect cut off Herr's head, left arm and right hand and discarded the body parts at a park in Long Beach, police said. After the slaying, Wozniak used Herr's cell phone to text Kibuishi and arrange for her to come to Herr's apartment, investigators alleged. Shortly after midnight on May 22, Kibuishi arrived at the Herr's home, where she was shot and killed by Wozniak, police said. "Wozniak then staged the crime scene to appear as if a sexual assault had occurred by partially removing her clothing," police said in a statement. In addition, investigators said a 17-year-old individual was directed by Wozniak to make several ATM withdrawals using Herr's bank card. Several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have been assisting the Costa Mesa Police. From April 23 to May 23, Wozniak starred in a local theater's production of the musical "Nine." In a statement, the Hunger Artists Theatre Company said, "We at Hunger Artists are horrified and saddened by the deaths of Juri Kibuishi and Samuel Eliezer Herr. Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to their friends and families in this tragic time."

Part-time actor Daniel Wozniak, 27, is charged with two counts of murder . Police say he shot Samuel Herr at California training base for financial gain . Police say he then lured Herr's friend, Juri Kibuishi, to her death with text message . Wozniak is being held without bail in Orange County; he was recently in musical .

(CNN) -- A partnership between NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Boeing will bring more than 100 jobs to Florida's Space Coast, the governor announced on Monday. "Florida has five decades of leadership in the space industry, which makes our state the logical place for the next phase of space travel and exploration," Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement. Boeing's plans include manufacturing and testing its Crew Space Transportation-100 spacecraft and locating its Commercial Crew program headquarters at Cape Canaveral. The move is expected to create 140 jobs in Florida by June 2013 and 550 by December 2015. Republican Rep. Sandy Adams called the announcement "welcomed news" as she recounted the devastating job losses her 24th Congressional District has suffered since the space shuttle program ended. It was a little more than a year ago that NASA laid off more than 1,200 workers, even after a bill that extended the retirement date of the shuttle program from February to July 2011. Thousands more, including shuttle workers and contractors, lost their jobs when the program ended. Despite the massive job losses, state and federal leaders have worked hard to preserve the history of the space center and produce new jobs that will secure economic growth for years to come. "This marks the beginning of the vibrance of the economy of the Space Coast," Republican Rep. Bill Posey said. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Beth Garver thanked the Obama administration and Congress for their support and called the agreement "the latest sign of tangible progress" as the space center transitions from a government-only facility to a commercial space port. The partnership is "also part of a larger commitment on the part of NASA and the Obama administration to bring jobs and economic development to the Space Coast by building on all of Kennedy's world-class launch capabilities," Garver said. "The Boeing Co. is helping lead the way in the next chapter of human spaceflight, and I am proud that they chose our community for their home," Adams said. The CST-100 spacecraft is a reusable capsule-shaped aircraft that has a crew module and service module, a statement from the governor said. Boeing has planned test flights from Cape Canaveral in 2015.

Boeing partners with Kennedy Space Center to establish new headquarters . The move is expected to bring 140-550 jobs to Florida . Florida congresswoman calls partnership "welcomed news"

(CNN) -- A passenger who landed at Tokyo's Narita airport over the weekend has ended up with a surprise souvenir courtesy of customs officials -- a package of cannabis. Sniffer dogs failed to find the cannabis after it had been slipped into a passenger's bag. A customs official hid the package in a suitcase belonging to a passenger arriving from Hong Kong as part of an exercise for sniffer dogs on Sunday, Reuters.com reported. However, staff then lost track of the drugs and suitcase during the exercise, a spokeswoman for Tokyo customs said. Customs regulations specify that a training suitcase be used for such exercises, but the official had used passengers' suitcases for similar purposes in the past, domestic media reported. Tokyo customs has asked anyone who finds the package to return it.

Customs official slips cannabis into passenger's bag to test sniffer dogs . Cannabis slips through the net, with officials forced to ask for its return . Cannabis hidden in bag of unwitting passenger from Hong Kong .

(CNN) -- A pea-sized seahorse, the world's longest insect, a "ghost slug" and the world's smallest snake were among the top 10 species discovered in 2008, a committee of scientists said Friday. A tiny seahorse and the world's longest insect were among the top 10 new species discovered in 2008. These unusual critters were among thousands of species found last year, many in remote or tropical regions of the planet, that hint at the breadth of the Earth's undiscovered biodiversity. "Most people do not realize just how incomplete our knowledge of Earth's species is," said Quentin Wheeler, director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University, which announced the top 10 new species list. "We are surrounded by such an exuberance of species diversity that we too often take it for granted," Wheeler added. The ASU institute and an international committee of taxonomists -- scientists devoted to species exploration and classification -- compile the top 10 list of new species each year. Also on the 2008 list are a caffeine-free coffee plant, a snail whose shell twists around four axes, a palm that flowers itself to death and microscopic bacteria that live in hairspray. See photos of the new species » Here's the complete list: 1. Pygmy seahorse: Classified by its Latin name, Hippocampus satomiae, this species measures about half an inch long and was found near Derawan Island off Kalimantan, Indonesia. 2. A plant that kills itself: Found in a small area of northwestern Madagascar, a rare genus of palm -- Tahina spectablilis -- produces huge, spectacular flowers and then dies and collapses. Fewer than 100 have been found. 3. Decaf, please: Known as Coffea charrieriana, this plant found in Cameroon is the first record of a caffeine-free coffee species from Central Africa. 4. Spray-on species: An extremophile bacteria, Microbacterium hatanonis, was discovered in hairspray by Japanese scientists. 5. A stick that moves: The world's longest insect, with a body length of 14 inches (22.3 inches including legs), Phobaeticus chani resembles a stick and was found in Borneo, Malaysia. 6. The Barbados Threadsnake: Leptotyphlops carlae measures only 4.1 inches long and is believed to be the world's smallest snake. 7. A pale "ghost slug": Selenochlamys ysbryda was a surprising find in the densely populated area of Cardiff, Wales. 8. A very limber snail: This unique species, Opisthostoma vermiculum, is found on a limestone hill in Malaysia and has a shell that twists around four axes. 9. Damsel in the deep blue sea: Chromis abyssus is a beautiful species of damselfish found in deep-reef habitat off the coast of Ngemelis Island, Palau. 10. Fossil mama: A fossilized fish, Materpiscis attenboroughi, is an extremely rare find from Western Australia and shows a mother giving birth 380 million years ago. Scientists are still classifying species found around the globe in 2008, so final data for that year are not available. But on Friday, the taxonomists issued a State of Observed Species report card that states 18,516 species new to science -- about half of them insects -- were discovered and described in 2007. The vast majority of the 18,516 species named in 2007 were invertebrate animals (75.6 percent), vascular plants (11.1 percent) and vertebrates (6.7 percent). The report was compiled by ASU's International Institute for Species Exploration in partnership with other scientists. "Charting the species of the world and their unique attributes are essential parts of understanding the history of life," Wheeler said. "It is in our own self-interest as we face the challenges of living on a rapidly changing planet." According to Wheeler, a new generation of tools is coming online that will vastly accelerate the rate at which humans can discover and describe species. The annual release of the top 10 new species list and State of Observed Species report commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Carolus Linnaeus, who initiated the modern system of plant and animal names

A committee of scientists named the top 10 species discovered in 2008 . Among them are an Indonesian seahorse that measures about half an inch long . The world's longest insect has a body length of 14 inches and resembles a stick . A coffee plant from Cameroon is a rare caffeine-free coffee species .

(CNN) -- A person's risk of stroke is associated with the number of fast-food restaurants near their residence, according to a study presented Thursday at a stroke conference in San Diego, California. Fast-food restaurants may be associated with stroke risk, a new study says. Some say there's not enough evidence. Researchers led by Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor counted 1,247 strokes caused by blood clots in 64 census tracts in Nueces County, Texas, which includes Corpus Christi, from January 2000 through June 2003. They also mapped the county's 262 fast-food restaurants and then adjusted for socioeconomic status and demographics and found a statistically significant association. "The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant," the authors wrote in a poster presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference. Residents of neighborhoods in the 75th percentile of fast-food restaurants had a 6 percent increased risk of stroke compared with residents of the 25th percentile of such eateries, according to the study, which was paid for by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Morgenstern, director of the University of Michigan's stroke program and professor of neurology and epidemiology, warned that the finding does not prove that proximity to fast-food restaurants caused the increase in strokes of people living nearby. Watch more on the link between fast food restaurants and stroke » "What we don't know is whether fast food actually increased the risk because of its contents or whether fast-food restaurants are a marker of unhealthy neighborhoods," he said. Still, he added, "If this association is causal, the findings have large public health importance due to the high prevalence of fast-food restaurants." A spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association lambasted that concern as unsupported by the data. "This article is seriously flawed and by its own admission shows no correlation whatsoever between dining at chain restaurants and incidence of stroke," Beth Johnson said. "Further, it tells us nothing about the eating and exercise habits of the individuals involved. The restaurant industry continues to offer a growing number of healthier offerings, move away from the use of trans fats and provide more nutrition information. "In fact, the National Restaurant Association strongly supports a national, uniform approach to providing detailed nutrition information in chain restaurants. Constructive and responsive measures like these, and not misleading studies, will help consumers make healthy choices for themselves and their families," she added.

Study looked at 1,247 strokes in Nueces County, Texas . Risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by 1 percent for every fast-food restaurant . Spokeswoman for National Restaurant Association says study is flawed .

(CNN) -- A phone hacking scandal may have cost Rupert Murdoch his biggest-selling newspaper in 2011, but the billionaire media mogul managed to end the year with a modest addition to his empire -- an account on Twitter. Within 48 hours of debuting with tweets about family, work and politics, Murdoch had pulled in more than 45,000 followers and stirred internet debate over why the 80-year-old was now embracing a technology often used to attack him. The tweets also raised doubts that the notorious technophobe was writing the messages himself. Twitter creator Jack Dorsey -- one of only four people being followed by Murdoch -- however insisted that the media mogul was writing "with his own voice, in his own way." Murdoch appears to have made his Twitter debut on New Year's Eve with a couple of brief comments on books including the biography of late Apple boss Steve Jobs, which he called "interesting but unfair." These were followed by praise for cinema releases "We Bought a Zoo," and "The Descendants," both produced by Murdoch's Fox Movies. These fueled suspicions that Murdoch's Twitter account was being used as a publicity tool to help improve his image after a damaging year. "Could be brilliant News Corp PR operation," Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff tweeted after earlier commenting: "Might be somebody who knows Murdoch, but it's not Rupert (he doesn't use a computer unassisted nor get his own email)." Others claimed that the voice of the tweets, as well as their faltering grammar and punctuation, were unmistakably Murdoch. "You can tell by the tweets he's doing it himself," wrote CNN's Piers Morgan, a former editor of one of Murdoch's newspapers. A spokesperson for Murdoch's News Corp. confirmed to CNN the account is genuine. The account could offer new insight into a businessman whose life has been under intense scrutiny this year after revelations that journalists at News of the World, one of his most profitable newspapers, illegally accessed the voicemail messages of scores of celebrities and public figures. Twitter played a prominent role at the height of the scandal when it was used to pressure advertisers into boycotting the paper. Commentators said the loss of revenue was a key factor in Murdoch's decision to shut the paper down. Murdoch's subsequent appearance before a British parliamentary inquiry into phone hacking also caused a sensation on Twitter, particularly after his wife, Wendi Deng, pounced on a man who tried to attack him with a foam pie. There were echoes of Murdoch's parliamentary appearance -- which he called the "most humble day day of my life" -- in New Year pledges which he tweeted in a January 1 message to Dorsey. "My resolutions, try to maintain humility and always curiosity. And of course diet!" But there were also signs that the media mogul was still getting to grips with social media. Reports suggested he was forced to quickly delete one post -- possibly after Deng leapt to his aid once again. The Sydney Morning Herald -- a fierce rival of his Australian publications -- was among news outlets claiming that Murdoch was guilty of "tweeting-before-thinking" for suggesting that the British have too many holidays for a "broke country." The message was apparently removed, but not before someone tweeting as Wendi Deng implored: "RUPERT!!! delete tweet!" A further post on the unverified Deng account later added: "EVERY1 @rupertmurdoch was only having a joke pROMSIE!!!" [sic] Murdoch also follows an account that appears on the surface to be Google CEO Larry Page but is actually run by a man in Virginia. It's not clear whether Murdoch realizes he's not following the real Larry Page. Among other tweets by Murdoch, who also follows Zynga CEO Mark Pincus and Silcon Valley entrepreneur and British businessman Alan Sugar, were an expression of support for Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum.

Rupert Murdoch has notched up more than 45,000 followers after joining Twitter . Murdoch's tweets so far focus on family, politics and cinema releases . 80-year-old's social media appearance called a PR stunt by some . News Corp. official confirms to CNN that account is genuine .

(CNN) -- A pilot dragged his passenger to safety and buried him neck-deep in sand to protect him from hypothermia Sunday night after their helicopter crashed in crocodile-infested mudflats in Australia's Northern Territory. Air ambulance workers attend to a man buried in sand following a helicopter crash. "The pilot thought that in this remote location, nobody would find them. So he buried his friend to try and stop the hypothermia," said Ian Badham, director of CareFlight, the air ambulance service involved in the rescue. The two friends had gone camping on a remote beach without road access, about 130 km (80 miles) from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin. While leaving Sunday night, the pair decided to fly their two-seater helicopter over waters that are home to large crocodiles. "It's an area known for its big saltwater crocodiles," Badham said. "Those things make alligators look like wussies." The pilot later told rescuers that they flew in to take a closer look. The next thing he remembered was lying upside down in the mud with the wreckage of the helicopter on top of him, Badham said. The men, both in their 50s, were about 100 meters (328 feet) from the main beach. Finding his friend seriously hurt, the pilot dragged him back to shore, away from the crocodiles -- and buried him in sand up to his neck to prevent him from freezing to death. Rescuers responded after the pilot used a satellite phone to alert them. The friend remained hospitalized Monday in serious but stable condition, Badham said. He suffered head and chest injuries. He also fractured his arm and several ribs. The pilot suffered minor injuries. "It was the opinion of the (air-ambulance) doctor that the friend's injuries were grave and, quite likely, this man would not have survived the night," Badham said.

Helicopter pilot buries injured passenger in sand to save him from hypothermia . Pilot dragged him from crocodile-infested mudflats in Australia's Northern Territory . Helicopter crashed as they flew in low over mudflats to look for the giant reptiles . Passenger remains hospitalized Monday in serious but stable condition .

(CNN) -- A pilot who parachuted from his disabled Marine Corps jet last year said he was horrified to see it smash into a California home, newly released documents say. A firefighter walks past as flames rise from the wreckage of a military jet crash in California. Marine Corps Lt. Dan Neubauer's statements, describing the December crash that killed four family members in a San Diego home, were released Tuesday by military officials. The four-page document details in technical terms several attempts Neubauer made to keep his crippled F/A-18D from crashing. When it became apparent that the plane was going down, Neubauer parachuted out. "I looked down to see where my plane had crashed and saw that it had gone right into a house. I screamed in horror when I realized what had just happened," Neubauer said in the document. Neubauer landed in the backyard of another home and was not injured. The pilot had been trying to reach the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar when he started having problems with his fighter jet. See satellite photo of crash site » The jet crashed into Dong Yun Yoon's house, killing his wife, his two young children and his mother-in-law. An unoccupied house was also destroyed. Days after the incident, Yoon said he did not blame the pilot. "Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," Yoon said. "I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could."

Pilot horrified after seeing disabled jet crash into California home . Crash killed four people in home, including two children . Relative of four killed says he doesn't blame pilot for crash .

(CNN) -- A pint-sized version of the Tyrannosaurus rex, with similarly powerful legs, razor-sharp teeth and tiny arms, roamed China some 125 million years ago, said scientists who remain startled by the discovery. An adult Raptorex was about 9 feet tall and weighed about 150 pounds, scientists say. The predator, nicknamed Raptorex, lived about 60 million years before the T. rex and was slightly larger than the human male, scientists said. The findings, to be released Friday in the journal Science, are based on fossilized remains discovered in lake beds in northeastern China. They show a dinosaur with many of the specialized physical features of Tyrannosaurus rex at a fraction of its size. "The most interesting and important thing about this new fossil is that It is completely unexpected," said Stephen Brusatte, co-author of the article, in a conference call with reporters. "It's becoming harder and harder to find fossils like this that totally throw us for a curve," added Brusatte, a paleontologist with the American Museum of Natural History. Scientists who have studied the fossilized animal, which was 5 to 6 years old when it died, believe it was an ancestor of the fearsome T. Rex. "Raptorex really is a pivotal moment in the history of the group where most of the biological meaningful features about Tyrannosaurs came into being," said lead author Paul Sereno, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago. "And the surprising fact is that they came into being in such a small animal," he added. Based on estimates of other similar-sized theropods, or "beast-footed" dinosaurs, Sereno and his colleagues estimate an adult Raptorex was about 9 feet tall and weighed about 143 pounds. By contrast, the Tyrannosaurus rex, which topped the prehistoric food chain until dinosaurs went extinct about 65 million years ago, was believed to weigh at least five tons. Scientists hypothesize that Raptorex ran its prey down, using its enlarged skull, powerful jaws and sharp teeth to dispatch animals much larger than itself. Like the T. rex, the Raptorex also had tiny forelimbs, they said. "We can say that these features did not evolve as a consequence of large body size but rather evolved as an efficient set of predatory weapons in an animal that was 1/100th the size of Tyrannosaurus rex and that lived 60 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex," Brusatte said. After the remains were discovered, they were smuggled out of China and into the United States, where they were eventually purchased by a Massachusetts collector, Henry Kriegstein, who donated them to science. Sereno was later asked to identify the fossil. "I hope that this is a pathway that other important specimens that do find their way out of the ground in the dark of night do not get lost to science," Sereno said. The Raptorex fossil will eventually be returned to China, where it will be put on display near the excavation site, scientists said.

Scientists discover a fossil they believe was a tiny version of the T. rex . The predator, nicknamed Raptorex, lived about 60 million years before the T. rex . Scientists: An adult Raptorex was about 9 feet tall and weighed about 150 pounds . Fossilized remains were discovered in northeastern China .

(CNN) -- A plane crash in eastern Guatemala on Sunday killed 10 people, including eight Americans, a Guatemalan official told CNN. A Cessna Caravan 208 carrying 14 people was en route from Aurora to El Estor when the pilot started making distress calls about engine failure about 45 minutes after takeoff, said Jose Carlos, Guatemala's director of civil aeronautics. The air traffic tower in Guatemala City lost communication with the plane at 9:45 a.m. The plane crashed in Zacapa, an agricultural hub about 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of Guatemala City, killing the pilot Monica Bonilla, co-pilot Luis Fernando LanFiesta and the Americans. Four other passengers were injured and taken to a local hospital. "It seems like the pilot tried her best to make a safe landing in a open field, but was not successful," said Ricardo Lemus, a Zacapa firefighter at the scene of the crash told reporters. "On impact, the aircraft was split into pieces." The charter flight was operated by Aero Ruta Maya.

Cessna Caravan 208 was en route from Aurora to El Estor . Pilot started making distress calls about 45 minutes after takeoff . Plane crashed in Zacapa, about 115 kilometers (71 miles) east of Guatemala City .

(CNN) -- A plane crashed early Sunday in the southern port city of Karachi, killing at least eight people on board and sending flames shooting through the night sky, a Pakistani official said. The cargo plane took off at 1:45 a.m. from the Jinnah Karachi International Airport for Khartoum, Sudan, said Pervez George, a spokesman for Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority. It went down a few minutes later in the Gulistan-e Johar section of Karachi, an area where many Pakistani naval officers live. Masood Raza, a Karachi district government official, told CNN affiliate GEO News in Pakistan that the pilot appeared to deliberately bring the plane down in a less densely populated residential area in order to save lives. "If the plane would have crashed in a (more crowded) residential area, it would have been a very big disaster for the city of Karachi," Raza said. All eight people confirmed dead were members of the downed aircraft's crew and all are Russian nationals, said George. A local hospital spokesman told CNN that the hospital had received five bodies by 4 a.m. The Russian-made cargo plane was carrying relief supplies, including tents, to Africa before it went down. The plane arrived in Karachi on Saturday from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, George said. An eyewitness told CNN that he saw fire on one of the plane's wings before it crashed. Firefighters, rescue personnel and area residents rushed to the scene, with jet fuel fanning the large flames and huge plumes of smoke. The blaze was put out by 4 a.m., according to George, at which point rescue personnel continued to comb through the rubble looking for other people possibly killed or hurt. The plane appeared to hit several buildings under construction. Hospital sources told GEO News that Mohammed Raees had burns over 60 percent of his body, resulting from the crash and subsequent fire. Raees told GEO News that he was hurt after flaming parts of a building hit him and the motorcyle he was preparing to ride.

NEW: Official says the pilot saved lives by guiding the plane to a less crowded area . Firefighters put out blaze caused by cargo plane crash in the southern city of Karachi . The plane hit buildings under construction in an area housing Pakistani naval officers . All 8 killed were Russian crew members of the Sudan-bound aircraft .

(CNN) -- A polar bear falls through thin Arctic ice while searching for food for his family. A humpback whale guides her calf on a perilous 4,000-mile journey. A herd of African elephants in search of water battles a sandstorm in the Kalahari Desert. "Earth," a documentary in theaters Wednesday, follows families of polar bears and other animals. These dramatic scenes await viewers in "Earth," a feature-length documentary hitting theaters Wednesday for Earth Day. For British filmmakers Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, surveying the whole planet for Earth's most exotic species and magnificent landscapes was a daunting task. "We wanted to tell an epic story about the whole planet," co-director Fothergill told CNN in an interview. "We spent a record 2,000 days in the field. We filmed in 46 countries worldwide, on every continent." Fothergill and Linfield shot the footage for the film while making "Planet Earth," the Emmy-award-winning nature series that aired on the BBC and the Discovery Channel in 2007. See photos from "Planet Earth" » But the filmmakers say "Earth" is not just a remix of the previous project. "The movie has over 40 percent original footage. It has a very distinctly different story line than the TV series," said Fothergill, who believes small TV screens don't do justice to the images he and Linfield captured. Watch directors give behind-the-scenes look at 'Earth' » "It's very hard [on TV] to give people a true sense of what it's like to be there," he said. "What we think is very special about the movie is its surround sound. When the lions roar, you get a real feeling for being there." "Earth" is the first of a series of movies set to be released under the newly branded Disneynature label -- a spin-off of "True-Life Adventure," Disney's first nature documentary series of the '40s and '50s. Nature movies have made a big impression on national and international audiences in recent years. The 2005 documentary "March of the Penguins" cost roughly $3 million to make and sold over $127.4 million in tickets worldwide. Disney plans to release one feature-length film a year. The next one is "Oceans" in 2010 followed by "Big Cats" and "Chimpanzees." In honor of Earth Day 2009, Disney promised to plant a tree for each person who goes to see the movie on its opening weekend. "Earth" examines the resilience of life in the face of ever-present danger through three stories of mothers and their young: polar bears in the Arctic, elephants in Africa's Kalahari Desert and humpback whales in the tropical oceans. Thirty-nine other exotic species from all corners of the world get supporting roles. The film is narrated by James Earl Jones, and George Fenton composed the score, which is performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. iReport.com: Tell us about nature and environmental issues near you Over the course of five years, the filmmakers collected video footage from some of the most remote places on the planet, including the Aurora Australis in Antarctica, the peaks of the Himalayas, and the tropical birds of Papua New Guinea, to reveal the earth's intrinsic beauty and harsh realities. Central to the movie's storyline is the constant tug-of-war between the animal "actors" and their ever-changing environment. See iReporters' photos and video of local ecological issues » "Although the elephants and the humpback whales and polar bears are the animal stars, the other big star of the movie is the earth -- the planet itself," said Fothergill. "Really the one thing that unites all of our planet and all the animals that live on it is the seasonality of it." Without the earth's 23.5-degree tilt to the sun there would be no seasons, no variation in daylight and darkness, said Fothergill. Fothergill and Linfield used state-of-the-art camera

"Earth," a movie about animals and their dramatic journeys, hits theaters Earth Day . The documentary was shot by the same filmmakers who made "Planet Earth" The movie is the first released under Disney's newly branded Disneynature label . Disney vowed to plant a tree for everyone who sees the film opening week .

(CNN) -- A polygamist sect member arrested following last year's raid of a west Texas ranch was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting an underage girl, authorities said. Raymond Jessop was found guilty last week of assaulting a girl under 17, with whom he had entered into a "spiritual" marriage, said Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for the state attorney general. Jessop also received an $8,000 fine, said Sheriff David Doran, of Schleicher County, Texas. The victim in the case was one of 400 children seized from the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas, in April 2008 by state child welfare workers. The children were returned after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state had no right to remove them and lacked evidence to show that they were in danger of abuse. Jessop belongs to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church -- a 10,000-member offshoot of the mainstream Mormon church -- openly practices polygamy on the ranch, as well as in Arizona and Utah. Critics of the sect say young girls are forced into "spiritual" marriages with older men and are sexually abused. Sect members have denied any sexual abuse. CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.

Raymond Jessop sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexual assault of teen "bride" Jessop must also pay $8,000 fine . Girl was one of hundreds seized after 2008 raid at Texas polygamist ranch .

(CNN) -- A possible merger between the two of the largest companies in the concert business has raised protests from singer Bruce Springsteen and prompted a congressman to call for a federal anti-trust investigation. A possible merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation has drawn interest. Ticketmaster, which has long dominated ticket sales, is reportedly in merger talks with Live Nation, the world's largest concert promoter, which just recently began selling its own tickets. Live Nation did not respond to a CNN inquiry, while Ticketmaster's spokesman said "we cannot comment on rumor or speculation." "Being two public companies, they can't really comment on it right now, but it seems very real to me," said Ray Waddell, Billboard magazine's concert tour reporter. iReport: What do you think of the possible merger? "You're talking about a hugely powerful entity if these two combine forces," Waddell said. "They're locking up a whole lot of the revenue streams for live music, and that is really the most consistent and profitable part of the music business right now." Ticketmaster, long a target of fan and artist criticism, drew Springsteen's ire this week when it routed some of his fans trying to buy tickets to his show in New Jersey to a "secondary site" where they were charged far more than face value. Tickets on that site -- which Ticketmaster owns -- cost between $200 and $5,000, while face value starts at $54. Springsteen, in a message posted on his Web site, accused Ticketmaster of "in effect 'scalping' " the tickets. Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff apologized to Springsteen in a letter Wednesday, saying it wouldn't happen again. New Jersey Congressman Bill Pascrell, who said he was "deluged this week by calls from angry music fans," sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission chairman asking that the FTC look into Ticketmaster's practices. After reports that Ticketmaster and Live Nation might merge, Pascrell sent another letter to the House Judiciary Committee calling for a probe. "There is an incredible potential for abuse when one company controls the primary and secondary market for concert tickets," Pascrell wrote. "That potential will surely be magnified exponentially should one company be able to control every aspect of recording, record sales, licensing, venue ownership and ticket sales." Springsteen's Web message asked his fans to "make it known to your representatives" if they opposed a merger. "The one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing," said the message, signed by Springsteen and his agent. Waddell, who has covered the friction between Ticketmaster, artists and fans, said combining the two companies could mean some fan-friendly changes, including rolling all fees into one ticket price to eliminate "sticker shock" when fans look at their credit card bill. Ticketmaster's practice of stacking "convenience fees" onto purchases inflated ticket prices and drew fan resentment. Ticketmaster pioneered online ticket sales, a modern convenience that did away with long lines at the box office. "What Ticketmaster has done to ticketing, they've really revolutionized it as far as the old days, when you had to camp out for a high-demand show," Waddell said. Waddell said he doesn't expect ticket prices would "just blow up" after a merger. "Traditionally, when there's competition taken out of the marketplace it really doesn't do a lot for lowering prices, but both these companies are very sensitive to the market and what the fans can pay," he said. A combined company, though, would control "everything before, during and after a concert takes place over the course of an entire tour, and that's pretty sizable," he said.

Ticketmaster, Live Nation reportedly in merger talks . Two companies have huge share of concert business . Bruce Springsteen mad about Ticketmaster snafu; congressman hears from citizens .

(CNN) -- A potentially deadly new strain of the swine flu virus cropped up in more places in the United States and Mexico on Saturday, in what the World Health Organization called "a public health emergency of international concern." Women wearing masks wait at a health clinic Saturday in Mexico City. The most recent reports Saturday afternoon were of two confirmed cases of the virus in Kansas -- bringing the number of confirmed U.S. cases to 11. Those joined nine confirmed cases in Texas and California and an apparent outbreak at a private school in New York City, where officials say eight children likely have the virus. By Saturday night, health officials in Mexico said 81 deaths there were "likely linked" to the swine flu. Dr. Jose A. Cordova Villalobos, Mexico's Secretary of Health, said viral testing has confirmed 20 cases of swine flu across the country. President Felipe Calderon on Saturday issued an executive decree detailing emergency powers of the Ministry of Health, according to the president's office. The order gives the ministry with the authority to isolate sick patients, inspect travelers' luggage and their vehicles and conduct house inspections, the statement said. The government also has the authority to prevent public gatherings, shut down public venues and regulate air, sea and overland travel. The WHO's Gregory Hartl said the strain of the virus seen in Mexico is worrisome because it has mutated from older strains. "Any time that there is a virus which changes ... it means perhaps the immunities the human body has built up to dealing with influenza might not be adjusted well enough to dealing with this new virus," Hartl told CNN. In Mexico, otherwise young and healthy people have been hit by the virus -- "one of the pieces of the puzzle that is worrying us," he said. Mexico City has closed all of its schools and universities because of the virus, and the country's National Health Council said all Saturday's soccer games would be played without public audiences. Watch an alarmed Mexico City react with face masks, cancellations » WHO has sent experts to Mexico at the request of the country's government, Chan said. All of the U.S. patients have recovered or are expected to. Two of the border cases were in Texas, near San Antonio, and seven of the cases were in southern California, the CDC said. Watch for more on the U.S. cases » More than 1,300 people with flu-like symptoms have been admitted to hospitals in Mexico, and officials are trying to determine how many of those patients have swine flu, the country's health minister, Cordova said. U.S. health officials said Friday that some cases of the virus matched samples of the deadly Mexican virus. On Saturday, New York's Bureau of Communicable Diseases said preliminary tests from a Queens school suggest that eight out of the nine children tested probably have the swine flu virus. Dr. Don Weiss said up to 200 students at the school reported feeling ill. He said the samples will be sent to the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the subtype of the strain. The results could be known as early as Sunday. "What's concerning about this is, first, that it's likely swine flu; second is that at this time it is spreading from person to person," said New York City health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. Watch news conference with NYC health department spokesman » When the flu spreads person to person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it a tougher strain that is harder to treat or fight off. Watch author John Barry discuss potential for a pandemic » The infected people in Kansas are a man who had recently traveled to Mexico and his wife, officials said. Neither of them was hospitalized, said Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, director of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The United States had not issued any travel warnings or quarantines by Saturday evening. The Canadian Public Health Agency had issued a travel health notice, saying, "The Public Health Agency of Canada is tracking

NEW: 81 deaths in Mexico "likely linked" to swine flu . NEW: Mexican Health Ministry given emergency powers . Two cases confirmed in Kansas; more suspected in New York . Mutated form concerns World Health Organization .

(CNN) -- A powerful and dangerous Bering Sea storm prepared to slam Alaska's west coast late Tuesday, bringing a brutal mix of high seas, blizzard conditions and strong winds, the National Weather Service said. Sustained winds in some areas are expected to reach up to hurricane-force levels of 75 and 80 miles per hour, with higher gusts possible, meteorologist Stephen Kearney told CNN. Nome, with a population of about 3,700, will endure sea levels 7 to 8 feet above normal, with occasional 10-foot waves, he said. Chip Leeper, incident commander with the Nome government, said people in low-lying areas and on the edges of a sea wall are being advised to seek shelter elsewhere. There were no mandatory evacuations late Tuesday. While the town was taking the matter seriously, residents were taking things in stride. "Most people are a hardy lot," Leeper told CNN. "We don't scare easy." Forecasters said the storm would cross the Chukotsk Peninsula and take a northwestern track into the Chukchi Sea on Wednesday. Widespread flooding and severe beach erosion are expected in several areas, including Norton Sound. While fall storms happen, this one has officials particularly concerned because of the anticipated coastal flooding. Usually, the less-populated Aleutian Islands to the south are most affected. The U.S. Coast Guard said it had moved helicopters into positions to assist. "We are prestaging helicopters from Air Station Kodiak to parts of Western Alaska in response to severe weather advisories, including hurricane force winds and high seas that are forecast all along the west coast of Alaska," said Capt. Daniel Travers, Coast Guard District 17 chief of incident management. A 143-foot fishing trawler, Rebecca Irene, had lost an engine in the Bering Sea and Coast Guard crews were preparing to remove non-essential personnel, the Coast Guard said in a statement The mayor of Point Hope, an Inupait village, told CNN Fairbanks affiliate KTVF the community was prepared. Mayor Steve Oomittuck said, if necessary, everyone in the village of about 700 will go to the school, which sits on higher ground.

National Weather Service tracks major storm in Bering Sea . U.S. Coast Guard makes preparations . Business district of Nome largely protected by sea wall .

(CNN) -- A predicted busy hurricane season this summer is on a collision course with an unprecedented oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the results are anyone's guess, weather experts say. "The problem is that this is a man-made experiment we wish we hadn't made," said Jenni Evans, a professor of meteorology at Penn State University. Scientists on Thursday said as much as 19,000 barrels of oil have been spewing every day from the BP well in the Gulf, making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Most of the oily water lies off the coast of Louisiana, where marshes and wildlife have been coated and the state's fishing and tourism industries have taken direct hits. Not only is it hard to track how contaminants would be redistributed by a hurricane, but it's also hard to predict how the slick would affect the storm, NOAA Public Affairs Officer Dennis Feltgen and Evans agreed. Evans said the storm could either move the oil along the water's surface or it could mix the oil with the water and cause it to sink. If the oil moved horizontally, the shoreline would be polluted, she said. If it moved vertically, the marine life under the surface would suffer. The oil could slow the storm's growth, Feltgen said. Evaporated ocean water fuels hurricanes, and the oil forming a film across the Gulf could buffer the water from the air, preventing the ocean water from feeding the hurricane, he said. But other scientists say the storms could be stronger than usual because the black oil would heat the water faster and accelerate formation of hurricanes, which rely on warm waters for their development, Evans said. CNN meteorologist Chad Meyers said there was another threat from the volatile mix of hurricanes and oil: storm surge. "All the winds would be coming here," he said, indicating the coast on a map, "and there would be storm surge here. All the winds would be going this way, and there would be scouring and cleaning of the beaches on this side. But the storm surge that could make its way up and bring the oil miles inland could be completely contaminating the oil inland." Oil in the Gulf coast isn't the only worry for hurricane forecasters this year: In earthquake-devastated Haiti, roughly 1.5 million displaced people are at risk. They are living under tarps and in tents in makeshift camps. In Haiti, aid agencies relocated about 20,000 people who were vulnerable to flooding and mudslides when the rainy season began. But it is impossible to hurricane-proof the congested tent cities that many are calling home right now, said Heather Paul, CEO of the aid program SOS Children's Villages. Paul's program is working to provide permanent, stable homes to orphans in the form of polypropylene shelters. While her program's anchored shelters have the greatest potential to withstand strong winds, the outlook appears grim for many Port-Au-Prince residents. "It's only short of a miracle to prepare these people for hurricane season," she said.

Hurricanes would pile on to problems of oil spill, Haiti quake survivors . Storm surge could force oil from shore miles inland, forecaster says . It's hard to predict how oil slick would affect a hurricane, experts say . Oil could slow the storm's growth, or make it stronger .

(CNN) -- A preliminary autopsy on the body of an energy executive pulled from the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana, this week revealed a head laceration and evidence of drowning, investigators said Thursday. The body was found Tuesday, four days after Douglas Schantz, president of Houston, Texas-based Sequent Energy Management, disappeared. A toxicology report, due back in roughly three weeks, will show "how much Schantz had to drink before falling into the Mississippi" last week, said John Gagliano, lead investigator at the New Orleans coroner's office. Authorities recovered Schantz's body around noon Tuesday, said police spokesman Gary Flot. Police said Schantz was found with all his personal belongings, including his wallet, credit cards, identification and jewelry. Schantz, 54, was last seen outside a Bourbon Street bar at 2:06 a.m. Friday, New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley told reporters Tuesday morning. No one had heard from him since then. At the Tuesday morning news conference, Riley said detectives reviewed video from "almost every" business in the busy French Quarter. Several cameras captured a "disoriented" Schantz walking alone from a bar toward the Mississippi River, Riley said. Schantz had been drinking, Riley said, and was headed toward a boat at the wharf. "The last video of Mr. Schantz is when he was near the boat Natchez, walking on a 2- to 3-foot-wide walkway near the river," Riley said. "From 2:40 until 6:40 a.m. video was watched and ... once he [Schantz] walked out of that frame near the Natchez, he never returned on any frames of the video." Riley said that according to the video, no one approached Schantz during the walk. Texas Equusearch, a search-and-rescue team, searched the waters with sonar equipment, and the Coast Guard and Harbor Police had also joined the search, according to Riley. Family and friends said they knew something was wrong Friday morning when Schantz didn't show up at the airport, missed a company meeting, and didn't return calls. Such behavior, they said, was uncharacteristic of him. "There's never been a time he was out of reach," said Pete Tumminello, vice president of Sequent Energy, on Monday. "I've worked with him for seven years. There's never been a time he's been out of reach." Schantz missed a flight Friday morning with his daughter, a Tulane University senior, police said. He also did not show up for an office meeting in Houston. Schantz went to the French Quarter with friends on Thursday night, Sequent Energy spokesman Alan Chapple told CNN on Tuesday. They went there after an earlier event at Tulane University to present a $25,000 donation to the Tulane Energy Institute, Chapple said. Schantz and his colleagues had dinner with professors and students at the school, and later he and some others went to the bar. Schantz was staying at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, only about two blocks from the bar that he was seen leaving, Chapple said. Members of the party had left the establishment at varying times, he said. During their investigation, police had not discovered any evidence of a crime, Flot said Tuesday morning. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and private investigators were also working the case, Riley said. Schantz's son, Michael, described Monday the agony his family was feeling as they awaited news. "My family is distraught, I'm distraught, [in] shock," he said. "We just want him found alive and back with our family." CNN's Carolina Sanchez and Khadijah Rentas contributed to this report.

Body of Douglas Schantz, 54, was found Tuesday . Body found four days after Schantz disappeared . Schantz was president of Houston, Texas-based Sequent Energy Management .

(CNN) -- A president's most solemn duty is to protect America and her people -- a responsibility that, in a time of evolving security threats and unsustainable debt, will only grow harder for the next administration. In the aftermath of the failure of the super committee, we are facing cuts in defense. Yet there has still been little discussion about overall defense spending priorities and how we must transform our defense infrastructure for the 21st century. Some of my opponents suggest maintaining the status quo, thus avoiding the tough decisions. Others advocate retrenchment and isolationism through draconian across-the-board cuts, which brings greater instability and risks. Still others revert to the oft-repeated pledge to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse from the Pentagon -- a worthy cause yet one of minimal consequence. Cutting wasteful spending alone amounts to only pennies on the dollar and leaves in place the same archaic defense infrastructure. These approaches miss the target in two respects. First, they let resources drive strategy, rather than using strategy to drive force structure and capabilities. Second, they fail to fundamentally alter our defense posture -- so any short-term savings will be quickly erased. In recognition of the growing asymmetrical threats we face and the evolving requirements of counterterrorism, we need a different set of capabilities. The world may have seen its last heavy armor battle between two nation-states. The relative importance of counterterrorism, intelligence, training and equipping foreign security forces, and special forces operations will continue to grow. Our forces must be designed appropriately. This means a greater focus on intelligence gathering and more agile special forces units, which can respond swiftly and firmly to terrorist threats in any corner of the globe. We must be prepared to respond to threats -- from al Qaeda and other terrorist cells -- that emanate from a much more diverse geography, including Yemen, the Horn of Africa, Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific region. We must also transform our orientation. By almost any objective measure -- population, economic power, military might, energy use -- the center of gravity of global human activity is moving toward the Asia-Pacific region. Embracing this reality may bring a dramatic change to the look of our military. The Asia-Pacific region is a maritime theater whereas Europe was mostly a land theater. For the U.S., the Asia-Pacific features a collection of bilateral military alliances in contrast to our involvement with the multilateral NATO in Europe. We are a Pacific nation living in a Pacific Century, and our vital interests in that region cannot be compromised. We can cut our base force and transition more responsibility for contingency operations to our National Guard and Reserve. In addition to being our most precious and valuable resource, our troops are also the most expensive part of our military. If we simultaneously transform our capabilities and posture while enhancing our Guard and Reserve, our active duty army could be reduced to around 450,000 troops, from the approximately 565,000 we now have. Our Department of Defense civilian work force can also be cut by 5% to 7% of its current size. At the same time, we should conduct a global posture review with the goal of closing at least 50 overseas military installations. The U.S. military maintains more than 700 installations outside the United States, the vast majority of which were opened during the Cold War. With a more mobile and flexible force, we simply don't need as many facilities overseas. We must risk American blood and treasure overseas only when there exists a vital national security interest. I have consistently called for our troops to return from Afghanistan as soon as possible. But I also believe President Barack Obama has been too quick to commit forces to other missions not core to our security interests. Within the same week of announcing a troop drawdown in Iraq, the president announced a deployment of a small number of combat forces to Africa -- an unnecessarily risky and costly mission. America alone cannot police the world. We should increase burden-sharing for the protection of the global commons among countries that share our values and security objectives. Unfortunately, we are not the only

Jon Huntsman: Presidents must place priority on protecting America . He says new threats and budget cuts will make the task harder for next presidency . Huntsman says smarter strategy could enable U.S. to make do with fewer troops, bases . He says America alone cannot police the world .

(CNN) -- A prisoner killed in a Maryland county jail on Sunday was a victim of "vigilante justice," Prince George's County Chief Executive Jack Johnson said. Ronnie White, 19, died of strangulation and asphyxiation and had two broken bones in his neck, an autopsy showed. An attorney for White's family said that because White was being held in solitary confinement at the Prince George's County Correctional Center, a corrections officer would have had to let whoever killed the prisoner into his cell. His death came two days after his arrest in connection with the death of Prince George's County police Cpl. Richard Findley, who died Friday after being struck by a truck. Authorities believe that White was driving the truck, which was thought to be stolen. Police were attempting to flag it down when Findley was struck. "The killing of the officer is absolutely abhorrent, but also, Mr. White was presumed innocent and deserved his day in court just like any other citizens," Johnson said Monday night. "We live in a constitutional democracy, and no one has the right to be judge and jury." The FBI's Baltimore field office said it has opened a civil rights investigation into White's death. The Justice Department said Tuesday that federal prosecutors have been in contact with the state police and FBI as well as county prosecutors and the department's own Civil Rights Division. "In support of the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office, which intends to retain lead responsibility for the criminal investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office will provide guidance and legal advice to the officials looking into the death and seeking to develop evidence of criminal violations," the department said in a written statement. Johnson said Monday that he had requested that the Maryland State Police conduct an independent investigation into White's death. White family attorney Bobby Henry said there are only two ways someone could get into solitary confinement. Watch why death has outraged family » "You either have to be buzzed in from the booth -- I believe it's called the control booth -- you need a key from there, or you have to get a key from one of two officers who were assigned to his unit on that day," Henry said. The attorney said a "yet to be identified person or persons took it upon themselves to be the judge, jury and executioner for Mr. White." "The family of Ronnie White is absolutely, unequivocally outraged, incensed and deeply saddened that the life of their loved one could be taken so cold[ly], so callously," Henry said Tuesday. "Something is dreadfully wrong with the system." County authorities have said that police are not suspects and that seven corrections officials and an unspecified number of supervisors were the only ones authorized to be in White's cell. None has been suspended or removed. There were no surveillance cameras in the area of the jail where White was being held. White had not had the opportunity to meet with an attorney, Henry said. A physical conducted when White was processed revealed no health issues, according to Johnson. He was checked regularly in his cell and appeared fine when corrections officers saw him at 10:15 a.m. Sunday. When officers brought him lunch 20 minutes later, he was unconscious and without a pulse, Johnson said. Henry said White's family was not notified of his death until several hours after it occurred. They were told to go to Prince George's Hospital to identify the body, he said, but upon arrival were told the state medical examiner's office had taken custody of the body and it had been taken to Baltimore. "At this very moment, the family has not even seen the body of their loved one," Henry said. "They have been denied the opportunity to start the grieving process which naturally must occur." He said White's family is calling upon the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Maryland State Police and county officials "to conduct a thorough and exhaustive investigation into all of these tragic events, beginning with the events of Friday, June 27

NEW: FBI opens civil rights investigation . 19-year-old held in connection with death of police officer . Ronnie White died of strangulation . White was in solitary confinement at Prince George's County Corrections Center .

(CNN) -- A proposal to house federal prisoners, including some detainees from Guantanamo Bay, in a largely vacant maximum-security prison would be an economic boost to struggling northern Illinois, state officials said Sunday. "This is something that is very good for our state, it's good for our economy, it's good for public safety," Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn told reporters. Officials from the departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security and the federal Bureau of Prisons will visit the Thomson Correctional Center on Monday, the officials said. Quinn's office on Saturday said the officials would see whether the "virtually vacant, state-of-the-art facility" in Thomson, about 150 miles west of Chicago, could be of use to the Bureau of Prisons. If it is, the governor and other officials said Sunday, it could provide up to 2,000 jobs and up to $1 billion in federal money to the area. And Dick Durbin, the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, said he believes the proposal provides a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for his state's residents. "There are other states that want to take these jobs," Sen. Durbin said. "We've got to win this competition." Under the proposal, he said, federal officials have said fewer than 100 detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba would be housed in the 1,600-bed facility. They would be in a wing under the control of the Department of Defense, while the Bureau of Prisons would assume responsibility for the rest of the facility. The United States is asking other countries to house some of the Guantanamo detainees when the prison is closed, said Durbin, the Senate majority whip. But those countries are asking why America is not housing some of the inmates itself, he said, and use of the Thomson facility would demonstrate to them that the United States is willing to shoulder some of the responsibility. An Obama administration official said Saturday that as part of the conversion at Thomson, the Bureau of Prisons and Defense Department would enhance security to exceed those of the nation's only supermax prison -- the U.S. Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado. No person has ever escaped from the prison. The Thomson proposal, first reported Saturday by the Chicago Tribune, triggered immediate concern from critics. U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, whose district covers suburban Chicago, circulated a letter addressed to President Obama to Illinois leaders Saturday, opposing the possible transfer of detainees and saying that housing them in Thomson would turn metropolitan Chicago into "ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization." As home to Chicago's Willis (formerly Sears) Tower -- the nation's tallest building -- "we should not invite al Qaeda to make Illinois its number one target," says Kirk, who is running for the same Senate seat once held by Obama. Durbin on Sunday pointed to the federal maximum-security prison in Marion, Illinois, which he said already houses 35 people convicted of terrorism, along with members of Colombian drug gangs and Mexican drug cartels -- "some of the most dangerous people in America." "They're all in our prisons, and they're all held safely," he said. And "things haven't changed in Marion, Illinois." Those housed in the Marion penitentiary include Ali al-Marri, who is serving a sentence of eight years and four months after pleading guilty in federal court to conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda. The Thomson prison was built in 2001 and sat empty for five years because the state lacked the resources to open it. Despite being built as a maximum-security facility, it houses 144 minimum-security male inmates, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections Web site. "After living in limbo for eight years, we're open to any and all alternatives for Thomson," said Jerry "Duke" Hebeler, Thomson village mayor. He estimated that the move would cut the county's unemployment in half. "I'd never chase jobs if I thought

Proposal calls for using maximum-security prison in struggling northern Illinois . On Monday, federal officials to visit facility in Thomson, about 150 miles west of Chicago . "It's good for our economy, it's good for public safety," Illinois governor says . But Rep. Mark Kirk says plan could make Chicago "ground zero" for terror plots, recruitment .

(CNN) -- A rabbi walks into St. Peter's Square, meets the pope, and tells the Holy Father that one way to defuse the sex abuse scandal plaguing the church is for the Vatican to begin promoting a secular version of Shabbat dinner, the traditional Jewish Friday meal. It's no joke. A prominent American rabbi, Shmuley Boteach, spoke briefly to Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday about encouraging parents to eat dinner with their children as a way for the Vatican to re-establish its pro-family image, which has been battered by the priest sex abuse scandal, Boteach said. The brief exchange came after the pope's regular Wednesday address at the Vatican, during which Boteach was seated on a dais along with other Vatican guests. When he met Benedict on a receiving line afterward, Boteach pitched him on his family dinner initiative, called "Turn Friday Night into Family Night." "I said ... 'If the church embraces an initiative like this, which is positive, it could put a lot of the scandal behind it,'" Boteach said, recounting his chat with the pope. "People will see the church doesn't just speak about opposition to gay marriage and abortion.'" The pope appeared to be receptive to the idea, Boteach said. " 'We have to work together on this, we have to work together on this,' " Boteach quoted the pope as saying. But, Benedict did not make a firm commitment to the family dinner initiative, the rabbi said. The Vatican was not immediately available for comment. "The church is now perceived as not being a champion of families because the scandal has hit with so much force," Boteach said. "I came (to the Vatican) as a friend and as someone who is critical as well. Because my criticism is real, the church knows my friendship is real." Following his talk with the pope, Boteach said he was invited to meet with Cardinal Walter Kasper, who spearheads the Vatican's Jewish outreach, with whom Boteach fleshed out his criticism of the church's response to priestly sex abuse. Boteach was invited to the Vatican to look over documents related to Pope Pius XII, the Holocaust-era church leader who Benedict has signaled he would like to move closer to sainthood. The rabbi has been a spiritual adviser to Michael Jackson, who died last year, and a frequent guest on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. A number of recent Vatican actions have caused tensions between the church and the Jewish world. Last year, Benedict lifted the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop, Richard Williamson. Earlier this month, the pope's personal preacher compared the fury over sexual abuse within the church to anti-Semitism, though the priest, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, later apologized. But Boteach has been impressed by the Vatican's overtures to him and to other Jewish leaders. "I thinks he's a friend to the Jews -- a very close friend," Boteach said of the pope. Boteach said that the Vatican had shown him documents from its private archive showing that Pius XII, a controversial figure among Jews, rescued Italian Jews during the Holocaust. But Boteach remains critical of Pius, saying he displayed "absolute silence in condemning the Nazi Holocaust outright, which might have gone to great lengths to prevent it." The church has said that Pius would have put more Jews in danger by publicly condemning the Holocaust because it would have provoked the Nazis.

American rabbi Shmuley Boteach spoke to Pope Benedict XVI about dinner idea . Boteach calls his proposal "Turn Friday Night into Family Night" Pope seemed receptive to idea, but made no firm commitments, Boteach said .

(CNN) -- A racially-charged word with many meanings may be at the root of a dispute between two sports rivals that reaches far beyond the soccer field, analysts say. Manchester United's Patrice Evra, who is black, says the word Uruguayan Luis Suarez shouted repeatedly during a match last month was a racial slur. Evra demanded that Suarez be held accountable for the controversial exchange, which erupted as authorities investigate other accusations of racism in soccer. Suarez, a striker for Liverpool, hasn't specified what he said, but he argues that it wasn't offensive. "I didn't insult him. It was only a form of expressing myself. I called him something his own teammates from Manchester call him," Suarez said, according to the Uruguayan newspaper El Pais. British media reports have suggested Suarez used the Spanish word "negrito." If that's the case, whether Suarez's remark was racist is a complicated question that doesn't have a black-and-white answer, according to scholars who've studied race issues in Latin America. Leading figures call on soccer chief to step down "It's about questions of translation or context," said Mark Sawyer, director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics at the University of California Los Angeles. The word's literal translation is "little black man." But generally, negrito is not considered a racial slur in Latin America, Sawyer said. In fact, it frequently has a positive meaning. "It's often a term of endearment," he said. But what the word means also depends on where -- and how -- it's said. "In Puerto Rico, it has one meaning. In Cuba it has a slightly different connotation and in the Dominican Republic it has a slightly different connotation," said Jorge Chinea, director of the Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit. Blatter a controversial figure Chinea said his mother and stepfather, both of whom were light-skinned, frequently used the word. "When they talked as a couple, my mother would say, 'negrito, I love you.' ... I grew up listening to those expressions commonly being used by a lot of people in my community in Puerto Rico. And it was never associated with any color," he said. After he moved to the United States in the 1960s, Chinea said, the word took on a different meaning. Many of his acquaintances used racial nicknames, he said, but there was no harm intended. "It was always more like a quick way of acknowledging the distinctiveness of that person in a very friendly way," he said. But Chinea said one of his Cuban colleagues in graduate school who employed the word drew criticism. "When he used it and other people heard it, people came to me to complain. ... In the United States, it sounds offensive to some people," Chinea said. In Uruguay, the meaning is clear, said U.S. radio talk show host Fernando Espuelas, who originally hails from the South American country. "It's not a slur whatsoever," said Espuelas, whose show often addresses racism in the Latino community. "It's a term of endearment. You definitely would not use that if you were angry. It would sound ridiculous." Blatter comments spark Twitter storm Several scholars said the word's meaning could be connected with complicated racial politics in different Latin American countries, which each had unique historical experiences with colonization and the slave trade. Uruguay, Chinea noted, has a smaller population of African descendants than some other Latin American nations. In 2006, about 9% of the population declared "Afro or black" roots, according to Uruguay's National Statistics Institute. "If I were of African descent and someone from that part of the world was to use the word toward me, I would probably think twice about what the intentions are, whereas if the person who was saying it was from Cuba you'd probably take it as a

Patrice Evra accuses Luis Suarez of using a racial slur . British media reports suggest Suarez shouted the Spanish word "negrito" Experts say what that word means depends on when -- and how -- it's said . "It's often a term of endearment," one scholar says .

(CNN) -- A raging blaze at a fuel storage complex in Puerto Rico lit up the night sky Friday near San Juan as firefighters battled to keep it from spreading further. iReporter Maria Marquez photographed the flames early Friday from the 17th floor of her San Juan condominium. Fifteen of the 40 tanks at the Caribbean Petroleum Corp. facility in the city of Bayamon were ablaze more than 19 hours after an explosion of unknown origin rocked the complex, Gov. Luis Fortuno said at an evening news conference. The governor had put the tally at 11 a few hours earlier. "I don't think there's ever been a fire like this in Puerto Rico," Fire Lt. Jose Atorre told CNN affiliate WLII-TV. The fire started shortly after midnight, when at least one fuel tank exploded. Residents described a surreal scene after the blast woke them from their sleep and shattered windows miles away. "I was in bed and all of a sudden heard this really horrible sound, so I ran upstairs and thought the whole town had blown up," said Teo Freytes, who filed an iReport for CNN. "The explosion blew out windows here in Old San Juan," he said. "It's still burning outrageously." Others woke up Friday morning to an extremely unusual sight. "I didn't expect to see a mushroom cloud from my house," said Justin Gehrke, a U.S. Army civilian employee who also filed an iReport. Fortuno said he declared a state of emergency for the area so Puerto Rico can get aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The storage and refinery complex sits near San Juan's bay, and Fortuno said officials are working to protect the water from being affected. "We have serious worries that the bay or other bodies of water could be contaminated," he said. Caribbean Petroleum's Web site says the complex has storage facilities for gasoline and gasoline-related products. "We have been monitoring the water visually and we have installed preventive pads and other material to contain a spill," said Pedro Nieves, chairman of the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board. "No oil has reached the water." But Nieves said that Caribbean Petroleum has a history of spills and "there was potential that it had contaminated ground water." He said he did not have any specifics on hand and that his organization was more focused on containing the current problem of fire and smoke. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did not immediately return calls about the company's environmental history. Newspaper and TV reports said a 4-inch pipe from a lagoon on the complex was broken, preventing firefighters from using 2 million gallons of water from the lake to battle the blaze. About 150 area firefighters and 215 National Guard personnel were battling to keep the blaze from spreading. One person suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to a hospital, Fortuno said. At least 350 people were evacuated to a nearby stadium. iReport.com: See, share, send images of the explosion The smoke can be toxic for people with breathing conditions and officials have asked nearby residents to stay away, the governor said. "This is a tremendous amount of smoke, and fire contains all kinds of irritants and this is oil that is burning," said Mary Mears, spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency region that includes Puerto Rico. "It's smoke, so you're going to notice coughing, tearing, maybe a sore throat." The wind shifted to the north Friday morning, blowing most of the smoke over less-populated areas and the Atlantic Ocean. The smoke plume also is rising 5,000 feet straight up before starting to drift, which keeps it away from people on the ground. "The average air quality for Puerto Rico is still good," Nieves said. But the wind was expected to change Saturday morning, blowing the smoke over a large part of the island west of the fire. Officials also are concerned that rain mixed with the smoke could lead to acid rain. Authorities urged residents to bring in animals and their food and for people not to go out

NEW: Crews battled into the night to contain a massive fuel depot fire in Puerto Rico . Complex sits near San Juan's bay, causing worries the water could be affected . One person injured, 350 evacuated near San Juan, Puerto Rico . iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, videos of the flames .

(CNN) -- A rat believed to be extinct for 11 million years, a spider with a foot-long legspan, and a hot pink cyanide-producing "dragon millipede" are among the thousand newly discovered species in the largely unexplored Mekong Delta region. The "dragon millipede" is among the 1,068 new species discovered in the Mekong Delta region. The region, including parts of Vietnam and five other countries, is home to 1,068 species found between 1997 and 2007, according to a World Wildlife Fund report released this week. Some of the creatures were not lurking in fertile floodplains or tropical foliage. A scientist visiting an outdoor restaurant was startled to see a Laotian rock rat among the nearby wildlife. The hairy, nocturnal, thick-tailed rat, which resembles a squirrel, had been thought for centuries to be extinct. "There is a certain amount of shock because our scientists will sometimes see something that doesn't fit anything they know," said Dekila Chungyalpa, Director of the Fund's Mekong Program. "They run through a catalogue of wildlife in their brain, asking themselves, 'Have I seen this?'" Perhaps a more startling discovery than the rat was a bright green pit viper scientists spotted slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. The Fund dubbed the Mekong a "biological treasure trove." The organization's report "First Contact in the Greater Mekong" says 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four birds, four turtles, two salamanders and a toad were found. Scientists are still trying to determine if they have uncovered thousands of new invertebrate species. Scientists are discovering new species at a rate of two per week, said Chungyalpa, who said the reason for publishing the report now was twofold. "We realized that we should highlight these discoveries in part because of the legacy of war and conflict in the region," she said. "There's an urgency with the threat of development in the Mekong countries." A horned bovine found in 1991 living in the evergreen forests of the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam has not been found in recent years, she said. Timber development and mining industries are encroaching. There are 150 large hydropower dams that have been constructed along the Mekong river, and another 150 are slated to be built, according to the Fund. Dams that can trap and kill fish are at different stages of planning in the Greater Mekong. High variation in geography and climate zones that enabled species to flourish are now jeopardized by climate change, said Chungyalpa. War is always a threat in countries touched by the Mekong River, particularly Burma. Also known as Myanmar, the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia has been ravaged over the years by conflict, political instability and natural disaster. This summer, for example, the United Nations reported that as many as 100,000 people were killed by a cyclone that hit Myanmar. The country's ruling military junta blocked the outside world for weeks before allowing aid to flow into the region. There are cultural obstacles to protecting rare species, too. Many restaurants serve them as food. Restaurants often have rickety bamboo floors that one can look through to see cages filled with exotic animals, Chungyalpa says. The more exotic the animal, the more status it often bestows on the person who consumes it. "Reports [like the WWF's] are important because these regions can be educated," said Maureen Aung-Thwin, the director of The Burma Project, which is funded by the George Soros Foundation and supports local Indonesian organizations working toward an open society. "People are taking climate change more seriously and even the ruling junta have a forestry NGO. There are glimpses of hope," said Aung-Thwin. "But it's also a situation where someone could step forward and say 'We don't need this' and cut it all down." WWF said it is working with governments and industry to plan the conservation of more than 231,000 square miles

World Wildlife Fund documents new species of mammals, plants, lizards, fish . 1,068 species were found between 1997 and 2007, according to WWF report . WWF calls the Mekong Delta region a "treasure trove" of rare creatures .

(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 .

(CNN) -- A receptionist with a gunshot wound in her stomach played dead under her desk and called 911 on Friday after a shooting massacre in a Binghamton, New York, immigration center. Zhanar Tokhtabayeba, who was taking an English class at the center, says she hid in a closet during the rampage. It is unclear how much time passed from the moment the woman and her colleague were shot until she placed the 911 call, police said. But by the time law enforcement arrived at the American Civic Association, about two minutes after the 10:31 a.m. call to 911, the shootings had ceased and 14 people were dead in the center, including the suspected gunman, law enforcement officials said. Four more people were wounded in the attack, in what the city's mayor has called the "most tragic day in Binghamton's history." The incident has sent shockwaves through Binghamton, a city of about 50,000 about 140 miles northwest of New York City, as police work to confirm the gunman's identity. A senior law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation identified the suspect as Jiverly Wong, who is believed to be in his early 40s. Authorities executed a search warrant at Wong's home in Johnson City, near Binghamton, and spoke to the suspect's mother, the source said. Binghamton police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was unemployed at the time of the shooting. He told CNN's Susan Candiotti that Wong had recently worked in a vacuum repair shop. Christine Guy said she worked with Wong a few years a go at Endicott Interconnect Technologies, a high-tech electronics company in Endicott, New York, where he was an engineer. He went by the name "Vaughn," which is what co-workers called him, she said. View photos from the scene in Binghamton » "He was quiet -- not a violent person," said Guy, who now lives in Wellington, Colorado. "I can't believe he would do something like this. Police are still investigating motives but said the use of a car to block the back door of the building suggested premeditation. "It is our understanding he had ties to the civic association," Zikuski said. Watch Zikuski give a timeline of the shooting » The shooter, who was carrying a satchel of ammunition, was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot to the head, Zikuski said. In all, law enforcement removed 14 bodies from the building and 37 survivors, Zikuski said. Watch Binghamton's mayor extend his condolences » Two semi-automatic handguns -- a .45-caliber and a 9-millimeter -- were found at the center, where immigrants were believed to be taking citizenship and language classes. Most of those who managed to survive the incident hid in a boiler room and storage closets during the rampage. "I heard shootings, very long time, about five minutes, and I was thinking when it will be stopped, but it was continued. No screaming, yelling, just silence, shooting, silence, shooting, silence," said Zhanar Tokhtabayeba, who was taking an English class. "It's free English class and it's very good, but now I'm scared to go," she said. Others in the building also reportedly described lulls between the gunshots. "They told me they tried to be quiet and run away," Than Huynh, 45, a high school teacher who translated for some of the Vietnamese survivors during police interviews, told the New York Times. At 10:31 a.m., authorities received a 911 call from the receptionist, who said she'd been shot in the stomach, Zikuski said. View a timeline of recent U.S. shootings » She told police that a man with a handgun also shot and killed another receptionist before proceeding to a nearby classroom, where he gunned down more victims, Zikuski said. While the gunman continued to fire, 26 others in the center hid in a boiler room downstairs, where law enforcement found them. It took another two hours or

NEW: Survivor didn't hear screams, just "shooting, silence, shooting, silence" NEW: Former co-worker describes shooting suspect as "quiet," not violent . Law enforcement finds 14 dead in immigration center, 37 survivors . Shootings occurred at American Civic Association, which helps immigrants, refugees .

(CNN) -- A registered sex offender has been indicted on 85 counts -- including aggravated murder, rape and kidnapping -- in the deaths of 11 women whose bodies were found at his home, authorities said Tuesday. In addition, Anthony Sowell, 50, is charged with "brutalizing" three women and raping two of them, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Sowell, Mason said. Sowell is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. Sowell is now charged with 11 counts of aggravated murder with a "mass murder specification," meaning multiple people were killed in a similar fashion, Mason said. He also is charged with abuse of a corpse, kidnapping and tampering with evidence. The indictment also alleges that Sowell assaulted women on December 8, 2008, and on September 22 and October 20 of this year. The September and October victims were raped, and the other woman was punched and choked before she escaped, Mason said. Sowell's charges in the incidents include attempted murder, rape or attempted rape, kidnapping, robbery and felonious assault. Sowell already faced charges in the September 22 rape and has pleaded not guilty. On October 20, neighbors reported seeing a naked woman fall from the second floor of his house. Firefighters responded and later notified police. But the woman told officers she fell off the roof while she was at the home "partying," police said earlier. No charges were filed at the time. Mason said, however, that the 51-year-old woman had been invited to Sowell's home and left, but was lured back in. After being choked and raped, she attempted to escape out a second-floor window as Sowell tried to pull her back in. When he was unsuccessful, he pushed her out, and she lay unconscious in an alley for a while before he pulled her back in the house. Sowell threatened his victims and warned them not to contact police, Mason said. It's possible there are other victims, he said, and he urged anyone who has not come forward to do so. Sowell "knew what he was doing was wrong at the time he was doing it," Mason said. As of last month, Sowell was on suicide watch at the request of his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz. She had said a psychiatric evaluation of Sowell had been ordered but was unlikely to happen until after an indictment was filed. Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid said Tuesday that Sowell has been a "model prisoner," is kept in an isolated unit and has declined visitation requests. All of the 11 victims were African-American women, authorities have said. Most of them were strangled by ligature -- which could include a string, cord or wire -- and at least one was strangled by hand, officials said. Seven still had ligatures wrapped around their necks. All that has been found of one woman is a skull that was wrapped in a paper bag and stuffed into a bucket in the home's basement. Sowell served 15 years in prison for a 1989 attempted rape and was released in 2005. He was required to register as a sex offender. After the 11 victims were found, police in mid-November used thermal imaging in an attempt to see whether any additional human remains were on the property. They dug certain areas by hand. No more were found. Police and the FBI have said they are looking at the unsolved murders of three women in East Cleveland to determine whether there are similarities with the remains found at Sowell's home. The inquiry continues, Mason said Tuesday. Police in Coronado, California, have said they are attempting to determine whether Sowell is linked to a 1979 rape there. Though the statute of limitations has expired, authorities said they would like to provide closure to the victim. Neighbors and police have said that women were seen at Sowell's home from time to time and that he would offer them alcohol. Police said he also might have offered them drugs. In the September assault, the 36-year-old woman told police that

NEW: Indictment includes 11 aggravated murder charges with "mass murder specification" Police say they found remains of 11 women after woman reported an assault . Authorities investigating whether Sowell has connections to crimes in Ohio, California . Sowell, registered sex offender, served 15 years in prison for 1989 attempted rape .

(CNN) -- A report from Canadian researchers published Monday says there is not enough sound evidence to support routine screening of children for autism, but several autism experts are questioning the paper's conclusions. The article, published in the journal Pediatrics, is based on a review of existing studies. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics -- which publishes the journal -- recommends that doctors screen children for autism during regular checkups at the ages of 18 and 24 months. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 110 children has some form of autism, a handful of different neuro-developmental disorders that cause mild to severe social, communication and behavioral problems. Monday's report questions whether screening for autism is the right approach. "Good screening tools and efficacious treatment [for autism] is lacking," it says, adding that "none of the autism screening tests currently available has been shown to be able to fulfill the properties of accuracy." The report's authors are cerebral palsy experts at McMaster University in Ontario. But several leading autism experts -- who diagnose, treat and study children with autism -- said they were puzzled and concerned by the new report's conclusions. "By screening for autism at an early age, children are able to begin intervention as soon as possible," said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the Autism Speaks advocacy group. "Studies have shown that early intervention results in significant increases in cognitive and language abilities, and adaptive behavior, and gives children the best chance for a positive outcome." Dr. Patricia Manning-Courtney, a developmental pediatrician and the director of the autism center at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said the study goes completely "against the experience in this field" in which experts have said early intervention or therapy can yield the most benefits for a child later in life. "I have never, ever met a family that regretted being told their child may have symptoms -- not a single family," she said. If a diagnosis of autism is later found to be inaccurate, the child isn't harmed by the therapy given in the interim, she said. But Manning-Courtney said she's met thousands of parents whose children were diagnosed at an older age "who wished they were listened to sooner." Dr. Charles Cowan, medical director of the Seattle Children's Autism Center, echoed Manning-Courtney's concerns, saying the report's conclusions seem to negate well established research and recommendations from people who treat children with autism, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. More research is needed, he said, but just because all the necessary research hasn't been done yet, it "does not negate the benefit of screening." Dr. Paul Lipkin, who chaired the academy's 2006 committee that recommended the screenings at 18 and 24 months, said the conclusions in Monday's report overlooked significant benefits to screening. Doctors are also identifying problems beyond autism, including a wide range of developmental disorders, he said. Lipkin, the director of the Center for Development and Learning at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, acknowledged that screening tools aren't perfect, but noted that doctors combine them with continuous surveillance. "We are hoping that the combination can then overcome any of the limits of the tests or surveillance. The combination is better than either one of them," he said, adding that some newer studies, not cited in the Canadian study, suggest that "it does look like we're on the right track." Despite the apparent criticisms of screening in Monday's article, study author Dr. Jan Willem Gorter said he and his co-authors were not specifically referring to "the surveillance that is happening in doctors' offices" at 18 and 24 months. They were recommending against a population-wide screening program that would require screening every child at a certain age level for autism, he said. Nobody is conducting such a study at this time in the United States. Results from a South Korean study of that nature published last month in the American Journal

A new paper says "good screening tools and efficacious treatment" for autism are lacking . Several leading autism experts question the article's conclusions . The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening at 18 and 24 months . One of the report's authors says finding and helping children with autism is his goal .

(CNN) -- A roadside bomb attack Thursday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, injured the nation's interior minister and killed one of his secretaries, according to a source close to the minister. The Bakaraha market in Somalia's capital is one of the most dangerous areas of the city. The mid-day attack on Abdukadir Ali Omar, a member of the transitional government, left him with shrapnel wounds to his leg. The extent of his injuries was unclear, said the source, who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media. The explosion occurred about noon at the Bakaraha market, in one of the most dangerous areas of the city. The interior minister is a popular moderate who led assaults against Ethiopian forces during their invasion of Somalia. Ethiopian troops invaded the country at its request in December 2006. The Ethiopian invasion ousted the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamic movement that had claimed control of Mogadishu earlier that year. Thursday's attack on Ali Omar fueled concerns that moderate Islamists would strike out against the hardline Al-Shabab, which is suspected in the explosion. Al-Shabab -- which the United States has designated a terror organization -- warmly welcomed a recent call for the overthrow of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's new president. The call, delivered via an audio recording, purportedly came from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. -- Journalist Mohamed Amin Adow contributed to this report.

Attack on Abdukadir Ali Omar left him with shrapnel wounds to his leg . Explosion occurred about noon at the Bakaraha market in Mogadishu . Interior minister is a popular moderate in Somalia . Fueled concerns moderate Islamists would strike against hardline Al-Shabab .

(CNN) -- A rumored rift between Iran's two most powerful leaders surfaced Sunday when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei overruled President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's acceptance of the resignation of the country's intelligence minister. The Fars semiofficial state news agency reported that Ahmadinejad had accepted the resignation of Heydar Moslehi as the intelligence minister, who oversees the crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran. A later Fars report said Moslehi was reinstated by Khamenei "because the supreme leader opposed his removal from his post." "Following the reports in news websites belonging to the government that said Moslehi's resignation had been accepted by the president, he will remain in his post because the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, opposed the resignation," according to Fars. Under Iranian political tradition, the supreme leader appoints or approves the appointments of the ministers of intelligence, interior, defense and foreign affairs. The first indications of a rift between Khamenei and Ahmadinejad came in 2009, when Khamenei forced the president to remove his first vice president, who also is the father of Ahmadinejad's daughter-in-law. CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this story.

Ahmadinejad accepted the intelligence minister's resignation . Supreme Ruler Khamenei then rejected the change . It is the latest indication of a rift between the two .

(CNN) -- A sailor accused of killing another sailor was found dead in his cell in a southern California military jail, officials said Friday. Seaman August Provost, shown on his MySpace page, was killed while on sentry duty at Camp Pendleton. Petty Officer Jonathan Campos was found dead in the brig at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, a military statement said. The cause of death was self-inflicted asphyxiation, according to the statement. Campos had been charged with murder in the June 30 shooting death of Seaman August Provost. Provost was killed while he was standing guard as a sentry for the Assault Craft Unit 5 compound at Camp Pendleton, officials said. Authorities also said Provost's body was set on fire at his guard post. Provost's family believed that he was killed partly because of his sexual orientation. However, a spokesman for Camp Pendleton, where the shooting took place, said there was no indication early in the investigation that the killing was a hate crime. Along with the murder charge, Campos was facing charges of drug use, larceny, burglary, theft, arson and unlawful handling of a deceased individual.

Sailor charged in death of gay sailor found dead in brig, officials say . Officials believe Jonathan Campos asphyxiated himself . Seaman August Provost was shot, killed during sentry duty in June .

(CNN) -- A salty soup of seawater, microscopic pieces of plastic and marine debris. Those are the ingredients in the North Pacific Gyre, an ocean vortex estimated by Greenpeace to be the size of Texas, contaminated with the floating detritus of our modern lives. The sheer size of the ocean area affected has been enough to catch public attention, but a number of concerned groups are aiming to capture more than that. Project Kaisei plans to find a way to scoop up the plastic waste and devise a way to turn it into a future fuel source. It's a huge task, but led by innovator and environmentalist Doug Woodring, Project Kaisei has already embarked on a mission to the gyre. An August voyage onboard the New Horizon and Kaisei sailing ships was in partnership with Scripps Research Institute. The crews returned with samples of the water from various locations in the gyre and the most immediate discovery was the pervasiveness of plastic material found at regular points over 3,500 miles. The most heavily polluted areas of surface water in the gyre contained six times more plastic than plankton biomass. Derelict, or "ghost" nets, plastic crates and even toys were found by the crew. Some items like plastic bottles had become impromptu homes to varieties of marine mollusc. As well as posing hazards to the oceans through toxic contamination and to sealife through ingestion or being trapped in nets, unnatural transport systems could allow invasive species to be introduced to different areas and upset delicate ecosystems. The project now counts scientists, innovators, sailors and environmentalists among its ranks, galvanized around a desire to clean up the Pacific's plastic vortex. A further voyage next year hopes to gather more data and move closer to a practical solution to the ever increasing problem.

Voyage to the North Pacific Gyre found plastic in the ocean over 3,500 miles . Plastic vortex has large pieces of plastic and microscopic fragments . Aim of voyage was to learn how to collect the waste and turn into fuel . Project Kaisei will embark on another mission next year .

(CNN) -- A satellite whose orbit is degrading is likely to crash back to Earth on Friday, and 26 pieces have a good chance of surviving the heat of re-entry, NASA said. Despite being pretty sure that the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, will re-enter the atmosphere sometime Friday afternoon, U.S. time, NASA says there is no way to know where it will fall. Because the satellite travels thousands of miles in a matter of minutes, even minutes before re-entry, it will be impossible to pinpoint an exact location, Mark Matney of NASA's Orbital Debris team said Wednesday. On top of that, he said, "part of the problem is the spacecraft is tumbling in unpredictable ways and it is very difficult to very precisely pinpoint where it's coming down even right before the re-entry." NASA says most of the six-ton spacecraft is made of aluminum, which has a relatively low melting temperature and will burn up on re-entry. But about half a ton of material is likely to make it through. "There are some pieces that are made of stainless steel and titanium and beryllium that have very high melting temperatures, and those pieces will survive," Matney said. He said NASA has identified 26 pieces, ranging from tens of pounds to a few hundred pounds, that could make it. Because water covers about 70 percent of the Earth's surface, NASA believes most, if not all the debris that survives will land in an ocean or sea. And even if pieces strike dry land, there's very little risk any will hit people. Objects this size re-enter the Earth's atmosphere about once a year, according to NASA. This is the largest NASA satellite to re-enter in about 30 years, but at six tons, it's only a fraction of the size of the 75-ton Skylab that fell back to Earth in 1979. Portions of it hit Western Australia.

Re-entry of the atmospheric research satellite is likely to come Friday afternoon, NASA says . Most of the satellite will burn up during re-entry, it says . There is little chance that the pieces that survive will hit anyone, it adds .

(CNN) -- A school board in Rhode Island has voted to fire all teachers at a struggling high school, a dramatic move aimed at shoring up education in a poverty-ridden school district. In a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, the board approved the plan by Frances Gallo, superintendent at Central Falls School District, to discharge the teachers, administrators and other personnel at Central Falls High School. The firings, which will be effective at the end of this school year, came after the district said it failed to reach an agreement with the teachers' union on a plan for the teachers to spend more time with students to improve test scores. A union spokesman called the firings drastic and cited a 21 percent rise in reading scores and a 3 percent increase in math scores in the past two years. The school district said 93 people -- including the principal, three assistant principals and 77 teachers -- were fired. The teachers' union said the firings affected 74 classroom teachers plus a number of other educators such as guidance counselors and reading specialists. Central Falls High is one of the lowest-performing schools in Rhode Island. It is in a community where median income is $22,000, census figures show. Of the 800 students, 65 percent are Hispanic and for most of them, English is a second language. Half the students are failing every subject, with 55 percent skilled in reading and 7 percent proficient in math, officials said. In a proposal based on federal guidelines, Gallo asked teachers to work a longer school day of seven hours and tutor students weekly for one hour outside school time. She proposed teachers have lunch with students often, meet for 90 minutes every week to discuss education and set aside two weeks during summer break for paid professional development. A spokesman for the union said the teachers had accepted most of the changes, but wanted to work out compensation for the extra hours of work. The superintendent said the two sides could not agree on a pay rate. Under new federal requirements for school reform, low-performing schools have several options. One is called the transformation model, which includes a series of changes that teachers agree to adopt. When the negotiations on those changes failed at Central Falls High, the superintendent switched to another option: the turnaround model, which means firing every teacher at the troubled school. Kathy May, a teacher at Central Falls High, said she's disheartened. "I feel like, after 20 years, I can see some progress beginning to be made. And I'm sad that we're not going to be around to follow that through, to push that forward." Gallo, who said Rhode Island law says notice must be given by March 1, said the problem isn't solely the fault of teachers and it wasn't her preference to make the move. She indicated that some of the teachers might be rehired. "When we had to move from the transformation model, the next best move was the turnaround model. And that requires us to remove the teachers and rehire, of those who reapply, up to 50 percent," she said. "This is a major move, for a very significant reason, and that being that we couldn't hone in on the assurances we needed for the transformation model." Asked what would happen if the teachers' union accepted the original terms, Gallo said it would be very difficult to go back, but can't be discounted. "And if ... as we move forward, if indeed something of that effect comes around, then I still think we have a lot of doors that could be opened." At a community rally before the school board meeting on Tuesday, supporters of the teachers slammed the plan. Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers Union, said teachers have been unfairly targeted and scapegoated and the union will fight to have them reinstated. "We want genuine reforms, not quick fixes that do nothing but create a wedge between teachers, our school and our community," said Sessums. She added that "

Board votes to discharge all teachers, other educators at Central Falls High School . District, union fail to reach agreement for teachers to spend more time with students . Union president says teachers scapegoated, union will fight to reinstate them . Terminations will go into effect in the next school year .

(CNN) -- A search is under way for a pregnant 20-year-old Marine who has been missing from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, since December 14. Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was eight months pregnant when she went missing on December 14. Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach could give birth at any time, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown told the Jacksonville, North Carolina, Daily News on Monday. The sheriff's department said Lauterbach's mother said that her daughter, of Montgomery, Ohio, had witnessed an incident at Camp Lejeune and was to testify about it. Sheriff's department officials said evidence causes them to be concerned about Lauterbach's disappearance, WITN reported. The Marine's car was found Monday at Jacksonville's bus station, Brown told the Daily News, and her cell phone had been found at Camp Lejeune's front gate on December 20. Her mother reported her missing on December 19, and told the sheriff's department "that she was very suspicious that something bad may have happened to her daughter," the department said in a news release. Watch Lauterbach's mom say what raised her concerns » Investigators told the Marine Corps Times that a withdrawal from Lauterbach's bank account was made on December 14 and said there was "suspicious activity" on the account 10 days later. December 14 was also the last time Lauterbach's cell phone was used, authorities told the Marine Corps Times. The Raleigh News and Observer, citing Brown, reported that the woman's mother said her daughter phoned home or her relatives up to 12 times a week and the mother became concerned when she did not hear from her daughter for five days. A Facebook page established to help find Lauterbach says she was last seen December 14 in Jacksonville. "Call mom!!! You know the number," the page says. "All of us love you and we miss you. Please come home!" The page contains pleas for contacts from fellow Marines and friends of Lauterbach in Ohio. Lauterbach is a personnel clerk assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps said. She joined the service on June 6, 2006. E-mail to a friend

Lance corporal due to give birth at any time, sheriff says . Marine's car found Monday at bus station . Mother reported Marine missing on December 19 . Sheriff: Marine was to testify about incident at base, according to mother .

(CNN) -- A search was under way Tuesday for the pilot of an F-16 that crashed over the Utah Test and Training Range west of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Air Force said. An F-16 from Hill Air Force Base trains in Utah in 2001. The F-16 crashed about 10:25 p.m. Monday, according to a posting on the Air Force's Web site. The crash site was found in a remote area of the range, but no contact has been made with the pilot, the Air Force said. Emergency responders from nearby Hill Air Force Base were searching for the pilot. The F-16 was assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base and was on a routine training mission when it crashed, the posting said. Air Forceofficials will investigate the incident.

Emergency responders from Hill Air Force Base in Utah searching for pilot . Crash site found in remote area of Utah Test and Training Range . No contact has been made with the pilot, who was on a routine training mission .

(CNN) -- A second person has died during construction for Madonna's upcoming concerts in Marseilles, France, authorities said Friday. Firefighters leave the Stade Velodrome stadium in Marseille after the accident on Thursday. The second fatality was a 32-year-old British citizen, the British Foreign Office and a high-ranking police official said. It was not clear whether the person was a man or woman, but the next of kin had been informed, the Foreign Office said. A 53-year-old French man was killed Thursday when a crane collapsed at the venue, a fire department spokesman in the southern French city said. A third person was in critical condition, said Alexandre Lanzalavi, a spokesman for Marseille Hospital. Two other people were in hospital and required surgery, and seven others were treated and released, Lanzalavi said. Madonna said Thursday that she was "devastated" to hear about the death. "My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families, along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news," Madonna said in a statement issued by her representative, Liz Rosenberg. At least one Madonna show had been canceled, Rosenberg told CNN. The accident happened when a crane collapsed while lifting a large metallic truss -- a structure from which lights hang -- into place, Lt. Thierry Delorme of the French Navy told CNN. In Marseille, the fire department is a part of the Navy. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the collapse, he said. Some 27 fire engines and 80 firefighters responded to the emergency when the accident occurred about 5:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. ET). Madonna was to play the first of five concerts for her "Sticky and Sweet" tour at the 60,000-seat Stade Velodrome on Sunday. The singer was in Udine, Italy, when she heard the news, Rosenberg said. Flora Genoux in Paris, France, contributed to this story for CNN.

Two people killed when stage being built for Madonna concert collapses . Accident happened Thursday afternoon in southern French city of Marseille . Madonna was due to play first of five concerts in city Sunday .

(CNN) -- A second runner missing since Monday was found alive near a ravine on a rugged mountain trail in Southern California hours after her running partner was found, an Orange County Sheriff's spokesman told CNN. Runner Maria "Gina" Natera-Armenta, 34, is severely dehydrated and in serious condition, officials said. Authorities and fellow runners had been looking for Maria "Gina" Natera-Armenta, 34, and her brother-in-law, Fidel Diaz, 50, since Monday. Diaz was found about 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, but the search for Natera-Armenta continued as police questioned him. Orange County Sheriff's officials, searching the area by helicopter, eventually spotted Natera-Armenta waving from the ravine, which was about five miles from the sheriff's command post, Orange County Sheriff spokesman Lt. Jim Amormino. "She was lying in the shady area," Amormino said. "She did see the helicopter before, but didn't have enough energy to get up." Natera-Armenta is in serious condition, and was severely dehydrated when she was found, Amormino said. She is currently in the intensive care unit at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California. The pair had set out at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. According to their spouses, they planned to do an eight- to 10-hour run on a remote mountain trail in the Cleveland National Forest near San Diego. But it wasn't until Monday night that their spouses individually reported to police that the two were missing. Natera-Armenta and Diaz are ultrarunners, devotees of an endurance sport in which it's common to trek and run for many hours over rugged terrain. Natera-Armenta is an experienced ultrarunner and was a top finisher at a 100-mile race in San Diego.

NEW: Official: Second ultrarunner found in serious condition with severe dehydration . NEW: Spokesman: Woman found when helicopter spotted her waving . Police: California runners leave at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, reported missing Monday . Maria "Gina" Natera-Armenta and Fidel Diaz said they planned long run in forest .

(CNN) -- A security camera video of a toddler being run over twice on a street in China has swept across the Web in recent days and has drawn a chorus of horrified denunciations. How, we wonder, could so many passers-by have so callously ignored the girl's plight? As humans, we are horrified when we learn that a person in distress is not helped, even when, as in this case, many potential helpers are present. Our horror increases if the person is victimized in a particularly vicious or careless way by fellow human beings. Our horror is further heightened when we learn that the victim is helpless and the kind of person who normally stimulates our instinct to aid and protect. Our spontaneous reaction is to say: "Had I been there, I would have helped; what is wrong with these people?" If an incident occurs in a foreign country or culture, it is easy -- maybe tempting, as we grapple with something so baffling -- to conclude that the particular culture is to blame, that it is being callous, uncaring or egotistical. It is true that cultural differences exist in many aspects of human behavior, and many of these differences are not trivial. But in the Chinese incident, in which the small child was gravely injured before someone finally carried her away, it would be too facile to think that apathy in the face of others' suffering is a signature of the local culture. First, the public outcry and outrage within China was quite the same as what one would see in other countries. Second, there have been, of course, similar cases in other countries. Indeed, there was the torture and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York, in a 1964 street attack. Early reports, which may not have been entirely accurate, indicated that many people listened to or watched the attack and did nothing to stop it, and so a media blitz followed . Commentators asked: What is wrong with New York City, what is wrong with these times, and what is wrong with the particular neighborhood? Outrage in China after toddler run over, ignored The incident spawned research on the so-called bystander effect: a set of brilliant experiments conducted by John Darley and Bibb Latané, who showed in their 1968 study that as the number of bystanders goes up, the probability of any individual bystander intervening goes down. This is so because each bystander is trying to solve a so-called "volunteer's dilemma." If everyone responds, the cost could be high and the volunteers might get in each others' way. It would be best if only one bystander responded, the thinking goes. If this is so, it is reasonable to ask who it will be and why it should be me. Since the original experiments, many studies have explored the bystander effect. Recently, I was part of a research team brought together by Peter Fischer of the University of Regensburg, Germany. We surveyed the existing scientific literature and statistically integrated the findings from 105 data sets. We found that the bystander effect is quite robust, that it has declined somewhat in magnitude over time, and that there are certain conditions under which it disappears or is even reversed. For example, in a situation in which several bystanders need to band together to overwhelm a perpetrator, they will be more likely to act collectively than to act alone. The heroic effort of the passengers on United Flight 93, which was suspected to be in line to strike a Washington target on 9/11/2001, comes to mind. It is these extreme cases, the callous injury of a helpless toddler and the heroic revolt of ordinary people in the face of terrorism, that capture our attention. With a bit of luck, most of us will not find ourselves in such existential situations. We must ask ourselves, however, how we will respond in more mundane situations that present us with fellow human beings who are in need. Will we help or hope that someone else will? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Joachim Krueger.

Joachim Krueger says video of a toddler run over twice in China has shocked, horrified many . He says we wonder why it took so long for someone to help and ask are people in China callous? He says what researchers call "volunteers dilemma" not unique to China; cites NY case . Krueger: "Bystander effect" sometimes less when a group is needed, as in United Flight 93 .

(CNN) -- A self-help expert said Tuesday that he has hired his own investigators to determine what happened at his Arizona retreat last week, when two people died after spending considerable time in a sweat lodge. Self-help author James Arthur Ray has hired investigators to investigate two deaths at an Arizona sweat lodge. Tuesday's tearful speech before about 200 supporters was the first time that best-selling self-help author James Arthur Ray had publicly discussed the case. Authorities said James Shore of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Kirby Brown of Westtown, New York, died Friday at the Angel Valley Resort after spending up to two hours in the sauna-like sweat lodge. Nineteen others were treated for injuries. "I have no idea what happened. We'll figure it out," Ray said, adding that he had hired investigators. "I've lost people I love and really care about." Police are also investigating the incident at the central Arizona resort, located in a secluded valley 20 minutes from Sedona. Ray is the author of the best-selling book "Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want." Ray, described on his Web site as a "personal success strategist," has appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" and the "Oprah Winfrey Show," and is featured in the self-empowerment film "The Secret." On Tuesday, Ray told the crowd that he is struggling with the deaths. "These are challenging times," he said. "I've faced many; none like this. I don't know how to deal with it really." The use of sweat lodges for spiritual and physical cleansing is a part of several Native American tribes' cultures. A traditional Native American sweat lodge is a small dome-like structure made up of willow branches carefully tied together and covered in canvas. Rocks are heated in a nearby fire pit and placed inside the lodge, and water is poured over them to create steam. CNN's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.

James Arthur Ray says he hired investigators to look into sweat lodge deaths . Two dead, 19 injured at Ray's retreat meant to provide for spiritual cleansing . Ray: "I have no idea what happened"

(CNN) -- A series of U.S. diplomatic cables from early this year directly accused Syria of supplying advanced weaponry, including SCUD ballistic missiles, to the Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon. U.S. protests to Damascus met with persistent denials, according to the cables, which were published by the WikiLeaks website. At a meeting in February, according to one cable, a senior U.S. diplomat stressed Washington's concerns directly with Syrian President Bashar Asad, "who bluntly stated that he knew of no new weapons systems going to Hezbollah." But just a week later, an urgent note from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the U.S. Embassy in Damascus said the United States had learned of Syrian plans to supply Hezbollah with SCUD-D ballistic missiles, which would magnify its threat to Israel. Clinton wrote: "I must stress that this activity is of deep concern to my government, and we strongly caution you (Syria) against such a serious escalation." To reinforce the point, the cable continues: "Your interest in avoiding war should require you to exert maximum restraint, including restraining Hezbollah and preventing the group's acquisition of such lethal, long-range weapons." Within 24 hours, the senior U.S. diplomat in Damascus met with the vice foreign minister, Faisal al-Miqdad, to convey Clinton's message. The cables described him as "clearly surprised" by the allegations. "Flatly denying any Syrian role in the supply of weapons to Hezbollah, Miqdad contended Damascus supported Lebanese independence," a cable says, quoting Miqdad as saying: "You may hear about weapons going to Hezbollah, but they are absolutely not coming through Syria." Miqdad then went on the offensive, according to the cable, asking: "The most sophisticated weapons are coming to Israel, to be used against whom?" But the U.S. diplomat in Damascus commented: "Even a seasoned diplomat like Miqdad could not restrain a raised eyebrow at our mention of the transfer of ballistic missiles to Hezbollah." The following day another cable from the secretary of state's office asked U.S. diplomats to rally support from allies for Washington's position. It said: "We want France, Britain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar to make a renewed push to echo our concerns with Syria." Allies should be told that Washington believed "Syria has provided or will provide guided short-range ballistic missiles to Hezbollah that could target two-thirds of Israel, including Tel Aviv, from launch sites north of the Litani." The Litani is a river in southern Lebanon. "Our information also indicates that Syria has made advanced surface-to-air missile systems available to Hezbollah and has probably provided training on these systems to Hezbollah personnel," the cable continued. In April this year, Israeli officials alleged that the transfer of SCUD-D missiles had gone ahead. At the time, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said: "If such an action has been taken, and we continue to analyze this issue, clearly it potentially puts Lebanon at significant risk." So why would Syria provide Hezbollah with weapons that could destabilize an already volatile region? Another cable tries to answer that question. "Syrian leaders appear convinced that arming Hezbollah will increase Syria's leverage in bringing Israel to the negotiating table," it says. But the top U.S. diplomat in Damascus suggests in a cable that is misguided. "Syria's actions have created a situation in which miscalculation or provocative behavior by Hizballah could prove disastrous for Syria and the broader region," he writes. The U.S. assessment is that Hezbollah is far better-armed than it was in 2006, when it fought a one-month cross-border war against Israel. Referring to its missile and rocket armories, a cable from November 2009 says: "This capability, if fully used, would represent a quantum leap over the damage and psychological terror Hezbollah rockets caused in northern Israel during the 2006 war." Regional analysts believe that Hezbollah has some 40,000 rockets as well as up to a dozen SCUD-Ds from Syria.

SCUD ballistic missiles would increase Hezbollah's threat to Israel . U.S. cables accuse Syria of supply weaponry including SCUDs to the Shiite militia . U.S. protests to Damascus were met with persistent denials, according to the cables .

(CNN) -- A series of spooky lights above parts of the northeastern United States Saturday sparked a flurry of phone calls to authorities and television news stations. NASA said strange lights seen in the Northeast on Saturday were caused by an experimental rocket. CNN affiliate stations from New Jersey to Massachusetts heard from dozens of callers who reported that the lights appeared as a cone shape shining down from the sky. However, the lights were the result of an experimental rocket launch by NASA from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, a spokesman told CNN. Keith Koehler said the Black Brant XII Suborbital Sounding Rocket was launched to study the Earth's highest clouds. The light came from an artificial noctilucent cloud formed by the exhaust particles of the rocket's fourth stage about 173 miles high. Natural noctilucent clouds, also called "polar mesospheric clouds," are "found in the upper atmosphere as spectacular displays that are most easily seen just after sunset," according to a NASA statement published earlier in September. "The clouds are the highest clouds in Earth's atmosphere, located in the mesosphere around 50 miles altitude." Normally, noctilucent clouds are not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen when illuminated by sunlight below the horizon. The launch took place at 7:46 p.m. Saturday, just as the sun was setting for the day. Observation stations on the ground and in satellites will track the artificial noctilucent clouds created by the rocket for months, NASA said. "Data collected during the experiment will provide insight into the formation, evolution, and properties of noctilucent clouds, which are typically observed naturally at high latitudes. "In addition to the understanding of noctilucent clouds, scientists will use the experiment to validate and develop simulation models that predict the distribution of dust particles from rocket motors in the upper atmosphere," the NASA statement said. CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report.

Dozens in Northeast report seeing cone-shaped lights in sky . NASA says lights came from exhaust particles of research rocket . Black Brant XII rocket will study highest clouds in Earth's atmosphere .

(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 .

(CNN) -- A severely disfigured woman received the nose, cheeks, upper jaw and facial tissue from a female cadaver in the first near-total face transplant in the United States, the woman's surgeon said Wednesday. Cleveland Clinic doctors replaced 80 percent of a woman's face two weeks ago in the first such U.S. surgery. The 22-hour face surgery was completed two weeks ago by a team of eight surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic. The patient had severe deformity in the middle of her face and was missing her right eye and upper jaw, the Cleveland Clinic doctors said. She could not taste or smell, and she had trouble speaking. Dr. Maria Siemionow, the head of plastic surgery research at the Cleveland, Ohio, hospital, said many people are "hiding from society because they're afraid to walk to the grocery stores; they're afraid to go to streets because they're called names and humiliated." "Our patient was called names, and our patient was humiliated," she said. "We very much hope for this special group of patients, there is hope, and one day they will be able to go comfortably from their houses and enjoy the things which we take for granted." The patient is doing well, the doctors said. Interactive: More details of the surgery » Details about the recipient, including her name and age, were withheld at her request. In the surgery, 80 percent of the woman's face was transplanted. The forehead and chin were left intact. In this transplant, tissue from the donor's face was shaped and fitted into position. Multiple layers of tissue, bone, muscles and blood vessels, nerve grafts and each artery and vein were connected. Watch an explanation about face transplants » "Our hope is she should be able to smile again," said Dr. Frank A. Papay, chairman of the Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. With physical therapy, surgeons hope the patient will regain her ability to smell and blink and will have other facial functions. Siemionow said the patient never saw a photo of the donor and said, "the donor never looks like the recipient. The recipient never looks like the donor." Siemionow had medical and ethical clearance for a full facial transplant since 2004. She said it has taken 20 years of research and four years to find the right patient who understood the risks involved. The doctors' approach from the beginning was to consider "only patients who are the most disfigured" and had "exhausted all existing procedures," Siemionow said. "This patient exhausted all conventional means of reconstruction and is the right patient," she said. Watch Dr. Siemionow in the news conference. » Dr. Eric Kodish, the professor and chairman of the Cleveland Clinic's Department of Bioethics, said doctors thought she would adhere to medications after the surgery. "This patient had very robust decision-making capacity," he said. Like with all transplants, there is a risk that the recipient's body could reject the graft. The doctors say they haven't seen any such signs. The transplant recipient has to take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of his or her life to prevent rejection of the donated tissue. In the past three years, facial transplants have been completed in France and China, but these cases have raised medical and ethical questions. Read about the first facial transplant Some candidates for a face transplant are survivors of trauma, such as burn or accident victims, who have exhausted all other reconstructive possibilities. The recipient in France, Isabelle Dinoire, had been mauled by a dog, and the Chinese man, Li Guoxing, was attacked by a bear. Both received major facial disfigurements. In 2007, a French team performed the third partial facial transplant on a man who was disfigured by a genetic disorder that created large tumors on his face. Watch a 2006 report about China's first face transplant Guo Shuzhong, the face transplant doctor who handled Li's case, confirmed to CNN that he died in

Reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow led face transplant team . Eighty percent of trauma patient's face reportedly transplanted . Siemionow has had clearance to perform full facial transplant since 2004 . Previous transplants have come under ethical cloud, professor says .

(CNN) -- A shadowy figure in the back seat of an SUV in surveillance photos is a second "person of interest" in the slaying of the University of North Carolina student body president, police said Monday. Investigators say a second male appears in the back seat in this ATM photo, which has been colorized. Police on Saturday released photos taken by an ATM camera that show a young man driving a sport utility vehicle possibly using one of student Eve Carson's ATM cards in the Chapel Hill area. A large, shadowy form appears in the back seat of the vehicle, which police say may have been Carson's. Carson, 22, was found shot to death early Wednesday in a suburban neighborhood near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus. Her Toyota Highlander was found the next day in another neighborhood to the west, close to where she lived with roommates. "We do believe there is a second unidentified male seated in the rear seat," the Chapel Hill Police Department said in a statement. "We have been exploring ways to enhance the quality of this photo in an effort to learn more about this person." Police have not identified the pictured driver, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a vintage Houston Astros baseball cap. Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian Curran said Saturday that Carson's killing "feels like a random crime." The medical examiner told police that there were no injuries to Carson's body besides gunshot wounds and no signs of sexual assault, Curran said. On Sunday, more than 1,000 people crowded the First United Methodist Church in Carson's hometown of Athens, Georgia, for her funeral, the Athens Banner-Herald reported. The University of North Carolina will hold a memorial service for Carson after students return from this week's spring break, Chancellor James Moeser said in a statement on the school's Web site. On Saturday, the school's top-ranked men's basketball team wore reminders of the popular student president on their jerseys as they took on Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Watch as students remember the slain campus leader » The North Carolina players wore patches on the jerseys that simply read "Eve," and many of Duke's fans donned small light-blue ribbons as a show of support. A moment of silence for Carson also was held before tipoff. The UNC-Chapel Hill board of trustees has pledged $25,000 to the Crime Stoppers program in the area for information leading to the arrest of anyone responsible in Carson's slaying. Carson was a student member of the board. E-mail to a friend

ATM photo shows driver, shadowy figure in back seat of SUV . Driver appears to be using one of student Eve Carson's ATM cards . Carson was found shot to death early Wednesday near campus . Carson was student body president at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .

(CNN) -- A sharp increase in the number of reported cases of the H1N1 virus in Australia may prompt the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the first global pandemic in over forty years. Australian rugby league star Karmichael Hunt is one of several players being tested for the H1N1 virus. The number of Australian cases of the virus, commonly known as swine flu, has reached more than 1,200, with state and federal medical officers set to hold an emergency meeting in Sydney to review the country's swine flu protection measures. "We will take each decision along the way in response to the expert medical advice," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). On Wednesday it was announced that the entire Brisbane Broncos rugby league squad had been placed into quarantine after one of their players was suspected of having the virus. The Queensland club confirmed on its Web site that full-back Karmichael Hunt was being tested for the virus, while the sport's governing body, the National Rugby League (NRL), said Hunt had tested positive for the common flu, influenza A. With over 26,000 H1N1 cases worldwide, the WHO could move to Phase 6, the highest on its pandemic alert system. "It's really a matter of making sure that countries are prepared as possible. We do not want people to overly panic," Keiji Fukuda, WHO's Assistant Director General, told ABC. In a statement a day earlier, Fukuda said the WHO had been working extremely hard preparing countries for what a potential move to a global pandemic would entail. "I want to point out that by going to Phase 6 the activity has become established in at least two regions of the world," he said. "It does not mean that the severity of the situation has increased and that people are getting seriously sick at higher numbers or higher rates than they are right now."

Australian cases of the H1N1 virus reach more than 1,200 . Phase 6 is highest on pandemic alert system and means global pandemic . Designation does not reflect the severity of the disease, but how widespread it is .

(CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy who killed six young people at a house party in Crandon, Wisconsin, apparently died after shooting himself three times in the head with a .40-caliber pistol, the state attorney general said. Tyler Peterson, a sheriff's deputy, shot and killed six people, police said. Initial reports that 20-year-old Tyler Peterson was killed by a police sniper's bullet were apparently incorrect, though it appears the sniper may have shot Peterson in the arm, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said. Although the final forensic determination could take several weeks, the attorney general said that Peterson had his personal .40-caliber Glock when police found him. The three gunshots to the head came from a .40-caliber. "The three gunshot wounds to the head included two nonfatal rounds with entry points below the chin, and one fatal shot that entered Peterson through the right side of the head," Van Hollen said. "Each of the three head shots were fired while the gun was in contact with his skin, or extremely close to the skin," he said. "These three head wounds are consistent with self-inflicted wounds, and not consistent with long-range rifle fire." The fourth gunshot wound, Van Hollen said, struck Peterson in the left bicep and appeared to have been fired from a rifle "at some distance." Watch Van Hollen explain the shootings "will never make sense" » Peterson was a Forest County sheriff's deputy and a part-time officer with the Crandon Police Department. According to Van Hollen, Peterson, while off-duty shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, entered a house where the seven young men and women had gathered. While there, Van Hollen said, Peterson apparently got into an argument with Jordanne Murray, accusing her of having a relationship with another person. "The argument got heated, and Murray demanded he leave," the attorney general said. "Peterson left, and returned minutes later," breaking down the door and opening fire with an AR-15 rifle, of the type he was issued by the Forest County Sheriff's Department. Police said Peterson fired about 30 rounds. Fewer than 20 minutes later, a patrolling Crandon police officer, after hearing gunfire, reported it and went to the house to investigate, Van Hollen said. The officer, Greg Carter, 21, reported seeing Peterson leave the house with a rifle. After momentarily losing sight of Peterson, Carter "heard multiple rounds of gunfire" and his windshield burst. Peterson escaped. Van Hollen said that Peterson apparently "drove aimlessly around the northern part of the state" for several hours, calling in false reports to police to throw them off. Peterson ended up at a cabin in the town of Argonne shortly before 8 a.m. He told friends about the shootings, handed over the AR-15 and two other rifles and left the cabin. After meeting with family members, he returned to the cabin around 9:15 a.m. Police arrived about 15 minutes later, Van Hollen said. Peterson was killed during a police shootout after police couldn't persuade him to surrender. All seven victims were students or graduates of Crandon High School, from which Peterson also was a graduate. In addition to Murray, the dead were identified as Aaron Smith, Bradley Schultz, Lindsey Stahl, Lianna Thomas and Katrina McCorkle. The sole survivor, Charlie Neitzel, 21, "played dead" after Peterson shot him three times, Van Hollen said. After Peterson shot him once, Neitzel begged him to stop. But Peterson fired again. Neitzel fell to the floor, was shot a third time and didn't move. "Playing dead until Peterson left, Neitzel survived," Van Hollen said. Neitzel was the last person shot. Neitzel underwent surgery Tuesday and was in stable condition Tuesday night, a hospital employee said. The families of the six slain young people asked that media leave them alone in their grief, Van Hollen told reporters. But the families of the victims also wanted it known that they had met with Peterson's family.

Attorney general: Deputy shot himself twice in the chin, once in side of the head . Forensic examination on deputy could take several weeks . Shots to deputy's head "consistent with self-inflicted wounds" After killing six people at party, Peterson drove around, confessed to friends .

(CNN) -- A ship carrying U.N. relief supplies, including food and water, arrived Friday in the hurricane-ravaged Haitian city of Gonaives, an official with the United Nations' World Food Programme said. The ship sailed from the capital, Port-au-Prince, carrying 19 tons of high-energy biscuits, 50,000 bottles of water, water purification tablets and other supplies, Myrta Kaulard said. An ambulance, two trucks, a four-wheel drive vehicle and a small speedboat to be used in rescues were also aboard the ship, she said. "Distributions are ongoing at present," she said, speaking by phone from the capital. "We are also airlifting biscuits now to Gonaives." Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has endured three storms -- Hanna, Gustav and Fay -- over the past month. The last storm, Hanna, killed at least 137 people when it passed Tuesday over Gonaives and lingered nearby for days. It left water more than 4 meters deep in some places in the city, according to Abel Nazaire, Haiti's assistant coordinator of Risk and Disaster Management. Watch as flooding overwhelms Haitians » Much of the water remained Friday in Gonaives, and the city was unreachable by car or truck, as roads were flooded and bridges had collapsed, Kaulard said. "We need to send food and water and primary needs," said Jean-Pierre Gueatou, executive director of the Haitian Red Cross. "The other things, they will come later." People trudged through city streets that were covered in murky brown water thigh-deep and higher in some places. Some residents camped out on their roofs, their clothing and blankets hung over the sides of buildings. "Drinking water is the biggest problem," said Joel Trimble, co-founder of Haiti for Christ Ministries. "That water that everybody's been wading in -- now for days -- is contaminated with dead carcasses of animals, and cadavers of people." "We remember the last time this happened," a man told The Associated Press, according to the agency's translation. "It was the same situation. A lot of aid money was given for nothing. They did nothing with that money. If that money had been invested in this town, we would not be in this situation today." "People really have lost a lot of things," Kaulard said. "They are asking for clothes, they are asking for water, they are asking for food. "The situation is very tense, people are exhausted." Kaulard said World Food Programme officials hope to send another ship laden with similar supplies on Saturday, before Hurricane Ike, a Category 3 storm in the central Atlantic, approaches. Ike is predicted to sweep more than 100 miles north of Hispaniola -- the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. "We really hope that the current trajectory ... is maintained," Kaulard said. On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard delivered enough hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and water jugs for 2,000 people in Gonaives, according to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince. With those supplies, and others expected to arrive Saturday in Gonaives on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the United States expects to help about 10,000 people, the embassy said. In addition, the USS Kearsarge is expected to arrive Monday in Haiti from Colombia to support relief efforts, the embassy said, though it noted that Hurricane Ike could delay its arrival. U.S. ambassadors in Jamaica and Haiti have authorized $100,000 in emergency relief for each country, and the United States is providing $50,000 worth for the Dominican Republic, said State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood in Washington. The United States offered to send humanitarian relief and a disaster assistance team to Cuba, but has received no response from the Cuban government, the State Department said. "The situation in Gonaives is catastrophic," Daniel Rouzier, Haiti chairman of Food for the Poor, wrote in an e-mail, according to the AP. "We, just like the

International aid groups struggle to reach thousands after Tropical Storm Hanna . Hurricane Ike also could hit Haiti this weekend . Poorest country in the Western Hemisphere has been hit by 3 storms in a month . Drinking water in Haiti is contaminated by bodies, Haitian volunteer says .

(CNN) -- A shoeless Tiger Woods snored on their lawn while the golfer's wife stood silently by in the minutes after his SUV crashed into a tree, neighbors told Florida investigators. The Florida Highway Patrol on Thursday released the audio recording of their interview of Wood's longtime neighbors who rushed out of their house in the early hours of last Friday to help Woods. Troopers issued a careless driving citation to Woods for the crash, but he will not face criminal charges, police said Tuesday. Woods, 33, struck a fire hydrant and a tree with his 2009 Cadillac SUV in his luxury neighborhood near Windermere, Florida, early Friday, police said. Kimberly Harris said she was awake in her bedroom when she heard "a faint, continuous knocking sound for about 10 or 15 minutes." It was unclear from the interview what Harris heard. Harris eventually noticed headlights shining toward her house from a vehicle on the lawn, so she awakened her brother, Jarius Adams. "It's Tiger, dial 911," Harris said her brother yelled after rushing outside. "I saw Tiger lying on the ground," Adams said. "Elin was talking to him," he said, referring to Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren. "'Can you please help me, can you please help me?' " he said she asked. After that, she "wasn't very verbal," Adams said. "She was actually very quiet. Just kind of in shock, you know, just kind of sitting there." Nordegren told investigators she used a golf iron to smash a rear window so she could unlock the door to get her husband out after the wreck. Woods appeared to have a cut lip, but he wasn't bleeding much, Adams told the troopers. "Maybe if you'd have bitten your lip, or something like that," he said. "Nothing on his shirt, nothing on his hands." It was a cool morning, so Adams and Harris covered Woods with a blanket and put pillows under his head, Adams said. "I tried to just keep everyone kind of calm," he said. When a trooper asked if Woods was unconscious, Adams said, "At that point, he was, uh, he was snoring." "He was snoring?" the investigator asked. "He was actually snoring," he said. Adams said he never smelled alcohol on Woods' breath. Woods eventually was placed in an ambulance and taken to a hospital. He was released several hours later. The police report called his injuries serious, but a spokesman for Woods described them as minor. Woods cited the injuries as the reason for his decision not to attend his own charity golf tournament this week.

Shoeless Tiger Woods snored on neighbor's lawn as his wife stood by after car crash . Neighbor said she was alerted to accident by headlights shining into home from vehicle on lawn . "She was actually very quiet. Just kind of in shock," neighbor said of Woods' wife . Neighbors didn't smell alcohol on Woods as they covered him with blanket, gave him pillows .

(CNN) -- A shootout in a border city that leaves five alleged drug traffickers sprawled dead on the street and seven police wounded. A police chief and his bodyguards gunned down outside his house in another border city. Four bridges into the United States shut down by protesters who want the military out of their towns and who officials say are backed by narcotraffickers. Mexican police carry a body after a clash with gangs that left 21 dead in the state of Chihuahua on February 10. That was Mexico on Tuesday. What is most remarkable is that it was not much different from Monday or Sunday or any day in the past few years. Mexico, a country with a nearly 2,000-mile border with the United States, is undergoing a horrifying wave of violence that some are likening to a civil war. Drug traffickers battle fiercely with each other and Mexican authorities. The homicide rate reached a record level in 2008 and indications are that the carnage could be exceeded this year. Watch a reporter duck to avoid gunfire » Every day, newspapers and the airwaves are filled with stories and images of beheadings and other gruesome killings. Wednesday's front page on Mexico City's La Prensa carried a large banner headline that simply said "Hysteria!" The entire page was devoted to photos of bloody bodies and grim-faced soldiers. One photo shows a man with two young children walking across a street with an army vehicle in the background, with a soldier standing at a turret machine gun. Larry Birns, director of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs, calls it "a sickening vertigo into chaos and plunder." By most accounts, that's not hyperbole. "The grisly portrait of the violence is unprecedented and horrific," said Robert Pastor, a Latin America national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. "I don't think there's any question that Mexico is going through a very rough time. Not only is there violence with the gangs, but the entire population is very scared," said Peter Hakim, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based policy center. Speaking on a news show a few weeks ago, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called it a civil war. Birns agrees. "Of course it's a civil war, but that only touches the violence of it," he said Wednesday. "It's also a civic conflict, as an increasing number of people look upon the law and democratic values as something that can be violated." Hakim is not prepared to go that far. "One has to be careful and not overdo it," he said. "Mexico is a long way from being a failed state. Mexico has real institutions. It paves roads and collects the garbage. It holds regular elections." Enrique Bravo, an analyst with the Eurasia consulting group, points out that the violence so far is mostly affecting just drug gangs and is primarily localized along the U.S. border and Mexico's western coast. The violence along the border is particularly worrisome, analysts say. "The spillover into the United States is bound to expand and bound to affect U.S. institutions," Birns said. Pastor and Hakim note that the United States helps fuel the violence, not only by providing a ready market for illegal drugs, but also by supplying the vast majority of weapons used by drug gangs. Pastor says there are at least 6,600 U.S. gun shops within 100 miles of the Mexican border and more than 90 percent of weapons in Mexico come from the United States. And it's not just handguns. Drug traffickers used a bazooka in Tuesday's shootout with federal police and army soldiers in Reynosa, Mexico, across the border from McAllen, Texas. "The drug gangs are better equipped than the army," Hakim said. Pervasive corruption among public officials is central to the drug cartels' success. "There is so much money involved in the drug trade, there is so much fear involved in the drug trade, that no institution can survive unaffected," Birns said. "

Drug-related conflicts bring waves of violence, death that some liken to a civil war . U.S. helps fuel violence with market for illegal drugs, weapons supply for drug gangs . "The drug gangs are better equipped than the army," expert says . Pervasive corruption among public officials also at center of drug cartels' success .

(CNN) -- A silent, invisible battle is being fought against roadside bombs in Iraq. Though the military doesn't like to advertise their use, electronic jamming systems are playing a key role in neutralizing the threat. Smoke billows from tires of a U.S. military truck hit by an IED near the Iraqi-Syrian border in October 2005. "Any weapon we had against IEDs, [improvised explosive devices] was utilized including jamming technology," said Jason Spencer, 29, an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, engineer who served with the Army in Iraq in 2005. Vehicle mounted electronic jammers attempt to block a signal going to a radio-controlled IED. The military also uses portable backpack jammers. "The sophistication of IEDs definitely increased during my time in Iraq," said Spencer. "There was a definite increase in remote detonation." A signal going to a remote-controlled IED operates on a radio or infrared frequency. Jamming devices, known as Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare, or CREW systems, attempt to intercept or block a signal before it reaches its intended target, preventing detonation. One common method is barrage jamming, which knocks out a broad range of radio signals. However, it also knocks out communications used by U.S. troops putting them at increased risk. "Ideally what you want to be able to do is have something that can grab very precise signals, capture the signals and render them irrelevant without knocking out your own communication," said CNN military analyst retired Army Brig. Gen. James "Spider" Marks. These technologies represent the last line of defense, Marks said. "We don't want to give our potential enemies an understanding of what we are doing to counter their efforts," he said. Along with jammers, troops use air surveillance, robots, blast-resistant vehicles and mine rollers as countermeasures. See counter-IED technologies in Iraq » IEDs are the No. 1 source of U.S. and alllied casualties in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. From July 2003 to July 2007, 1,565 coalition forces were killed by IEDs, according to iCasualties.org. See the casualty toll inflicted by IEDs » "We dealt with hundreds of IEDs while in theater," said Spencer. "IEDs were always on our minds during every patrol." Spencer says IEDs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. "From a simple mortar round on the side of the road with a fuse and a wire running to a push-button, to complex explosives poured into concrete (shaped like curbs) with remote detonators and booby traps." Most roadside bombs are remotely detonated using common household devices: cell phones, garage door openers, burglar alarms, key fobs, doorbells, or remote controls for toy cars. Learn more about the IED threat » "Our enemy hides in plain sight. He buys his bomb parts in stores. It's standard commerce," said Marks. U.S. forces are dealing with an adaptive, innovative and flexible enemy, according to the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, which is leading the counter-IED effort for the military. As insurgents modify their devices to outwit the military, the military in turn adapts its own jamming technologies. Many companies have been tapped to supply jammers to coalition forces. JIEDDO is interested in technologies that can be used in the field within two to eight months -- "light speed" in Defense Department terms. The Army's main CREW system is the Warlock Duke, a vehicle- mounted radio jammer developed by Syracuse Research Corporation. It's capable of jamming most radio-controlled IEDs, according to the Pentagon. The Navy, which oversees the CREW program, contracted BAE Systems to produce 3,800 wearable jammers to be fielded in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2008. Canadian firm Med-Eng is building jammers for the Marines, reports military contractor General Dynamics. By the end of 2007, JIEDDO will have funded more than 30,000 jammers for Marine and Army units. They have spent $1.6 billion on jamming technology for this fiscal year.

Counter-IED technologies are troops' last line of defense in Iraq . Signal jammers used to block an IED from detonating . Enemy is adaptive, innovative and flexible . Best way to combat insurgents -- go after the bomb makers .

(CNN) -- A single-engine airplane made an emergency landing on a California highway Sunday morning, though no major injuries were reported, authorities said. The Piper Comanche 260 carrying a married couple landed on the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101. The Piper Comanche 260 carrying a married couple landed on the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101 just outside Santa Barbara and a few miles from the airport, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer James Richards. The plane's engine quit, and as the pilot descended, he lost control of the plane and landed in the southbound lane facing oncoming traffic. The plane struck two vehicles while landing, then spun and hit another one with its tail, Richards said. One vehicle passenger was treated for minor injuries, he said. No other injuries were reported. The landing happened at 10:36 a.m. (1:36 p.m. ET) and held up traffic for less than two hours, Richards said. He added that the plane had departed Temecula in southwestern Riverside County, California, and was destined for the airport in Santa Barbara, a flight of about 180 miles. The pilot told authorities that he attempted to switch fuel lines during the flight, but was unable to restore power to the plane. He said he alerted a tower at the airport that a landing on the highway was imminent, Richardson said.

Piper Comanche 260 carrying a married couple landed on U.S. Highway 101 . Plane's engine quit, pilot lost control; landed in south lane facing oncoming traffic . Plane struck two vehicles while landing, then spun and hit another one with its tail .

(CNN) -- A slaughterhouse that has been accused of mistreating cows agreed Sunday to recall 143 million pounds of beef in what federal officials called the largest beef recall in U.S. history. Officials said this is the largest recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 recall of 35 million pounds. Keith Williams, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman, said investigators have found no cases of illness related to the recalled meat. But Dick Raymond, the undersecretary of agriculture for food safety, said there was a "remote probability" that the meat from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company in Chino, California, could cause illness in humans. The amount of beef -- 143 million pounds -- is roughly enough for two hamburgers for each man, woman and child in the United States. The largest U.S. meat recall before Sunday came in 1999, when about 35 million pounds of product possibly contaminated with listeria were ordered off shelves. USDA officials said that was Class I recall, involving a known risk to human health. Sunday's action was a Class II recall, under which authorities say there is little risk of illness. Raymond said cattle that had lost the ability to walk since passing pre-processing inspections were slaughtered without an inspector having examined them for chronic illness -- a practice he said violated federal regulations and had been going on for at least two years. Watch video of cows being abused » Federal regulations are aimed at preventing the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE -- the scientific name for "mad cow" disease. It's important to keep downed cattle out of the food supply because they also may pose a higher risk of contamination from E. coli or salmonella because the animals tend to wallow in feces and have weaker immune systems, according to AP. Raymond said the average age of the cattle involved is 5-7 years, meaning they were likely born long after a 1997 ban on ruminant feed, and that the incidence of BSE in U.S. cattle is "extremely rare." "We do not know how much of this product is out there at this time. We do not feel this product presents a health risk of any significance," he said. "But the product was produced in non-compliance with our regulations, so therefore we do have to take this action." About 37 million pounds of the meat went to school lunch programs and other federal nutrition programs since October 2006, said Ron Vogel, of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. The recall dates back to February 1, 2006, and Raymond said "the great majority" of the meat has probably been eaten already. USDA officials have begun tracing the products covered by the recall, he said. "A lot of this is fresh, raw product and with ground beef, etcetera, that has a very short shelf life and refrigerator life," he said. Most of the beef was sent to distribution centers in bulk packages. The USDA said it will work with distributors to determine how much meat remains, the AP reports. In January, the Humane Society of the United States accused Westland/Hallmark of abusing "downed" cattle, releasing video that showed workers kicking cows, jabbing them near their eyes, ramming them with a forklift and shooting high-intensity water up their noses in an effort to force them to their feet for slaughter. Federal inspectors halted operations at the plant earlier this month after finding "clear violations" of USDA regulations. California prosecutors on Friday announced animal cruelty charges against two former employees of the plant. In a statement issued February 3, Westland Meat President Steve Mendell said the company was cooperating with the USDA and called the practices depicted in the humane society video as "a serious breach of our company's policies and training." "We have taken swift action regarding the two employees identified on the video and have already implemented aggressive measures to ensure all employees follow our humane handling policies and procedures," Mendell said. E-mail to a friend CNN's Jen Pifer contributed to this report.

About 37 million pounds of the meat went to school lunch programs . USDA official: There is "remote probability" beef could cause illness in humans . Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company employees accused of cattle abuse . Hidden video shows animals unable to walk being dragged, carried by forklifts .

(CNN) -- A slaying spree spread across two southern Alabama towns left 10 people dead Tuesday. The gunman then took his own life. Mayors Wynnton Melton, left, of Geneva, Alabama, and Clay King of Samson, Alabama, speak with CNN. CNN "American Morning" anchor Kiran Chetry spoke with the mayors of the two towns on Wednesday. They are Mayor Wynnton Melton of Geneva, Alabama, and Clay King of Samson, Alabama. Kiran Chetry, CNN anchor: Police have identified the gunman who they say went on a killing spree in southern Alabama yesterday afternoon. They say Michael McClendon murdered 10 people, including his own mother, his grandparents, an aunt, an uncle, along with a sheriff's deputy's wife and child. And these are crime scenes now spread out across two small towns this morning. And their mayors join us now, Wynnton Melton of Geneva, Alabama, and Clay King of Samson, Alabama. Mayor King, let me start with you. ... You knew all of the victims and also the shooting suspect who took his own life as well. What can you tell us about the situation this morning, Mayor King? Mayor Clay King, Samson, Alabama: Well, the whole community is still in shock. Like I said, we know, I personally know everyone that is involved, both the shooter and the victims. And that makes it more difficult to have to deal with. Watch the mayors talk of the tragedy » Chetry: And Mayor King, you say you coached him, along with your own sons in T-ball, in Little League, and that you would have never had any idea that he could have done something like this. Is there any motive that people are talking about this morning? King: No, ma'am. At this time, I don't think anybody has any idea of what the motive is. And yes, I did. I coached the shooter's -- I coached him in both T-ball and in Little League baseball along with my two sons. Chetry: And Mayor Melton, I want to ask you about this situation. I mean, this turned -- it appears from the beginning, this shooter targeted people within his own family. After that, it turned into really a random shooting spree. He had a semiautomatic, according to police, and he was firing at random until the sheriffs were able to corner him at this place of business. What are you learning about just how dire the circumstances were and how law enforcement was able to respond the way they did? Mayor Wynnton Melton, Geneva, Alabama: That is correct. And the response was very quick. He was intercepted in Geneva by one of our officers, and then the chief of police arrived at the scene. Both of those received fire from the assailant. The chief of police was nicked in the arm, not very seriously. The pursuit went on to the metal fabrication plant, Reliable, where an exchange of gunfire occurred in the parking lot. The suspect went into the building and took his own life there inside the building, which probably had around 400 people working at the time. But no injuries there at all, in the building. He took his own life at that point. Chetry: And Mayor King, it's also just so ironic that one of the sheriff's deputies who was actually responding to the call of this emergency going on, it was his wife and one of his children killed, and his second child also airlifted to a hospital in Florida. What is going on with that situation? How did that family become involved in any way in this shooting? King: They just happened to be over across the street visiting with the family. Chetry: The family, the grandfather, grandmother, uncle and aunt who were out on the porch? King: Right, right. Chetry: So, just an unfortunate circumstance. So, besides his family, you guys are investigating this, or your authorities are, as a random act? I mean, I

Mayor says he coached gunman in T-ball, Little League . "The whole community is still in shock," mayor says . Killings show that even in small towns, "we are not shielded"

(CNN) -- A slightly higher number of Americans will travel Thanksgiving holiday weekend compared with last year, but those traveling by air is expected to decline, AAA said. The association, which surveyed 1,350 American households, projects that 38.4 million Americans will travel over the holiday weekend, up from 37.8 million last year. However, the number traveling by air is expected to decline to 2.3 million, the automobile association said. In 2008, 2.5 million Americans traveled by plane for Thanksgiving. "We do this every year," said Mindy Potter of Atlanta, Georgia, who was flying with her husband and 6-year-old son. "It's insanity every year." Potter said she and her family were headed Wednesday to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, to see her husband's family. See the FAA's flight delays map She said they were allowing themselves plenty of time at the airport. "My husband's a stickler for going early," she said. "If I was in charge of it, we'd probably have a frenzied rush." AAA said the slight increase in the number of Thanksgiving travelers from last year reflects improved consumer confidence as well as "a growing sense among many consumers that the worst of the global economic crisis is behind us." Travelers are still concerned about the economy, said AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom, and the numbers remain well down from two years ago. "Clearly, there was a huge drop-off in the number of people traveling last year," he said. According to the association, Thanksgiving travel dropped 25.2 percent last year, compared with 2007. Still, Sundstrom added, "We are encouraged that the numbers have stabilized and turning up from what they were a year ago." The bulk of Thanksgiving travelers -- about 33.2 million -- will be traveling by car, AAA said. Jennifer Burrell of Tucker, Georgia, said she, her husband and their two daughters were driving Thursday morning to the Asheville, North Carolina, area, and will return Sunday. She said she wasn't expecting traffic on the way there but "it always gets heavy" on the return trip. In addition to those traveling by car, some 2.9 million will travel by train, watercraft, bus or a combination of transportation modes, and 2.3 million will travel by air, the automobile association predicted. Citing excess baggage fees and surcharges for jet fuel, along with delays and flight groundings, Sundstrom said that it's "not a very friendly environment this decade for the airline industry or the airline traveler." As in earlier years, the Federal Aviation Administration said military airspace will be opened to commercial flights along the East and West coasts and in the Southwest in an attempt to alleviate congestion. The airspace will be opened from Tuesday to Monday, spokesman Paul Takemoto said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the FAA Web site was reporting slight delays because of "weather/wind" at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Of course, some Americans are not traveling at all. Heather McKinnon of Broomfield, Colorado, said she is staying home with family for Thanksgiving. "I don't like to fly and really rarely like flying on holidays," she said, adding that she would consider driving. "I know what it's like going through the airport," she said. Plus, she added, "Everything I love is here."

AAA attributes slight increase to improved consumer confidence . Number of travelers still well down from two years ago . AAA predicts 38.4 million Americans will travel over the holiday weekend . Those traveling by air is expected to decline to 2.3 million, from 2.5 million last year .

(CNN) -- A small plane crashed Friday near an Ohio-area high school during a football scrimmage. Spectators at a high school football scrimmage watch as a plane goes down Friday in Ohio. Spectators at a practice game at Harrison High School watched from the bleachers as the plane went down at 8:08 p.m. ET, said police officer Jennifer Coyle, who witnessed the incident. Two people on the plane died at the crash scene, authorities said. According to CNN affiliate WLWT, witnesses said the plane was heading toward the football field when it suddenly dropped, crashing in a gravel pit near the school. "It looked like he was going straight for the boys on the field, but then just did a straight nosedive," Mindy Brinson told WLWT. It is not yet known what caused the plane to crash. Harrison is in the southwest corner of Ohio. CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.

Plane crashes near football scrimmage at Ohio high school . Witness says plane was headed toward field when it did a sudden nosedive . Two people on board died in the crash, authorities say .

(CNN) -- A small plane headed from New Jersey to suburban Atlanta crashed onto an interstate shortly after takeoff Tuesday, killing five people, authorities said. Two men, one woman, two children and a dog aboard the plane died in the crash in Morristown, New Jersey, just after 10 a.m. ET, said Robert Gretz, a senior air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane, a six-seater Socata TBM700, was headed from Teterboro, New Jersey, to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in suburban Atlanta when it crashed onto Interstate 287 about 14 minutes into the flight, Gretz said. The plane was at about 17,500 feet when "there was some discussion between the pilot and the controller of locations of icing conditions," he said. He told reporters Monday night the conversation seemed "routine" and was "not a distress call." Gretz said he did not know whether the conversation concerned a cloud that might contain ice; actual icing on the airplane; or whether the pilot was inquiring where ice might be or reporting it. "I've heard this thirdhand. ... That's something I need to listen to the tapes to know," he said. Gretz said he was not aware of any icing conditions on the ground at Teterboro that would have required the plane to be deiced. However, he stressed that the investigation is in its infancy and it is too soon to speculate what might have caused the crash. "It's too early to tell whether it was something mechanical or something the pilot did -- we just don't know," he said. Preliminary information is that the five were headed to Atlanta for a combination business-leisure trip, Gretz said. Authorities did not release the names of those who died, pending positive identification by the medical examiner and notification of relatives. But New York investment banking firm Greenhill & Co. reported that those on board were two of the firm's managing directors, Jeffrey Buckalew, 45, and Rakesh Chawla, 36; Buckalew's wife, Corinne, and their two children, Jackson and Meriwether. Ages for the children were not given. "The plane belonged to Mr. Buckalew, an experienced pilot whose passion was flying," the company said in a statement. "The firm is in deep mourning over the tragic and untimely death of two of its esteemed colleagues and members of Jeff's family." No one on the ground was injured, although a pickup truck narrowly missed the plane, Gretz said. The debris field from the crash was spread over about a half-mile, with part of a wing and the plane's tail found in a tree in a residential area, he said. Witnesses reported the plane was in an "uncontrolled spin" before it crashed. A Federal Aviation Administration radar facility in New York lost radio contact with the plane, and also lost it on radar, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said. The crash site was about 30 miles southwest of the Teterboro airport, Peters said. Gretz said Monday evening he was not sure how long after the conversation regarding icing that the plane dropped off radar, saying investigators will be determining that. The plane struck the southbound lanes of I-287, continued through a wooded median and came to rest on the northbound lanes, New Jersey State Police Lt. Stephen Jones said. Most of the interstate was shut down after the crash, Jones said. One northbound lane and two southbound lanes were open as of Tuesday afternoon, but officials were "still trying to recover both the pieces of the plane and the remains of the victims." Gretz said Monday night the wreckage recovery was halted about 6 p.m. because of darkness and would resume after Tuesday's morning rush hour, at 9:30 a.m. The New Jersey Department of Transportation said motorists had two of three travel lanes in each direction available for Monday evening's rush hour. CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.

An investment firm identifies those killed in the crash . Before the crash, the pilot mentioned icing, NTSB investigator says . The crash's debris field stretches over a half-mile . Crash shut down most of Interstate 287 in Morristown, New Jersey .

(CNN) -- A small plane startled shoppers but caused no injuries or damage Tuesday when it made an emergency landing in the parking lot of a New Jersey shopping mall. The plane's pilot reported a "rough-running engine" before landing Tuesday, an FAA spokeswoman says. The plane landed around noon at the Rockaway Townsquare Mall, according to Greg Poff, an official with Rockaway Township, about 25 miles northwest of Newark, New Jersey. Neither of the two people aboard the Cessna 172 was hurt, Poff said. Footage from the scene showed the plane resting nose down in a part of the parking lot near JCPenney. Mall employee Jennifer Nelson was relieved to hear that no one was hurt, and kept her sense of humor about the novelty of the incident. The optician at Pearle Vision did not see the landing, but heard about it when a patient came in and told her a plane was in the parking lot. At first she thought the patient was kidding. "I did, because, who would think? It's craziness," she said. The unusual excitement near her store did inspire one idea. "We'll have to have a plane crash special on eyeglasses," she said with a laugh. Lori Magie, who works at the JCPenney department store, said that when she heard from others that a plane had landed in the lot, her first thought was to check on her car. "When I was told, I could not believe there would be an accident like that around here," she said. iReport: Watch video shot at the scene of the parking-lot landing The pilot of the plane reported a "rough-running engine" before the aircraft landed in the parking lot, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac. One of the plane's wheels apparently hit a tree during the landing, said Les Morris, a spokesman for Simon Property Group, which owns the mall. FAA records indicate that the plane is registered to an aircraft charter company called Genesus One, based in Paramus, New Jersey.

Plane carrying two people lands in parking lot of New Jersey shopping mall . No one injured, Rockaway Township official says . Pilot reported engine trouble before landing, FAA spokeswoman says . Mall worker says she thought landing was a joke when she first heard about it .

(CNN) -- A small town in Maryland is setting a precedent in eco-friendly road construction, breaking ground this week on one of the greenest streets in the nation. The tiny port town of Edmonston in Prince George's County is billing the thoroughfare as the greenest on the East Coast. The road will help clean and filter toxic storm water pollution that drains into rivers, and eventually into Chesapeake Bay. "What we're hoping to do, from top to bottom, is build a street that is completely environmentally sustainable, " said Edmonston Mayor Adam Ortiz. Ortiz says the blueprint incorporates native tree cover to cool off the streets, wind-powered street lights that use high-efficiency LED bulbs, and pedestrian and bicycle access But most important, says Ortiz, is the plan for all that water that rolls down the streets when it rains. "[It's] not going to be flushed into our local rivers. Instead it's going to be naturally filtered. And that's very important for us to save our rivers and to help save the Chesapeake Bay here in Maryland." Storm water runoff often carries toxins and pollution from parking lots and city streets, and from farms and agricultural lands in rural areas. Most cities and towns have underground concrete drain systems that collect the runoff and dump it into rivers and streams, pollutants and all. "What we're going to do, instead, is divert that water into natural gardens. To the naked eye it just looks like a regular garden, but actually it's very specially engineered to absorb a lot of water and naturally filter it before it gets into the water table, and to keep it from washing all those pollutants into the river," according to Ortiz. The storm water runoff in Edmonston drains into the nearby Anacostia River, which feeds into the Washington Channel, then empties into the Potomac River and eventually Chesapeake Bay. The eco-street project includes using porous bricks in building the road and creating bioretention cells or rain gardens. The idea is to trap the polluted runoff water, sending it through natural filter systems so that when it makes it into the Anacostia, it's a lot cleaner. Maryland Department of the Environment Deputy Secretary Robert Summers hopes this new main street in Edmonston is just the first of many. "This kind of green infrastructure project to reduce storm water and energy consumption is exactly the kind of thing we need to do around the bay watershed to reduce pollution." Summers says the benefits of this project are twofold: a reduction in storm water pollution and, through the energy efficiency in powering lighting, a reduction in air pollution and fallout. But how much can converting one street really help in cleaning up an area the size of the Chesapeake Bay? Summers acknowledges this is just the beginning. "We need to grow it by leaps and bounds." The Edmonston green street project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency through a $1.1 million Recovery Act grant. Summers says the state of Maryland has already allocated $20 million for other green projects and that this is the first of many projects. The District of Columbia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania are also reviewing this green technology to eventually help do their part to clean up Chesapeake Bay. And in the Northwest, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, have already taken steps to clean and control polluted storm water runoff. "Our goal is that other towns and cities and communities will steal our ideas," Edmonston Mayor Ortiz said. "We'll know we're successful when we see these technologies used in other places."

New road will help clean storm water pollution that drains into rivers, Chesapeake Bay . Road will divert runoff into natural gardens designed to filter water . Plan also uses native tree cover to cool streets, wind-powered street lights . Project aims to reduce storm water pollution, air pollution, fallout to the bay, official says .

(CNN) -- A snow storm on the first day of spring could drop several inches this weekend from New Mexico to Missouri, while farther north, Minnesota and North Dakota brace for the rising waters of the Red River. The waters of the Red River are forecast to rise another foot this weekend, testing the more than a million sandbags stacked as a defensive barrier along Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota. Waters had reached 36.8 feet -- just two-tenths short of cresting level -- by Saturday night, the National Weather Service reported. The river had reached flood stage at 18 feet and major flood stage at 30 feet. The river is expected to crest Sunday, about 3 feet below last year's record flood level of 40.8 feet. Last year, there were 10 reports of property damage, Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said Saturday. There have been no reports of property damage associated with the recent river rising, he said. More than 700,000 sandbags were guarding Fargo, and the National Guard was deployed to help in the city and surrounding Cass County on Friday. The flooding began last week when warmer weather and rain melted snow south of Fargo and Moorhead, causing the Red River to swell. Upstream, snow and ice have yet to melt, pushing water back toward the two cities. Near one area of the river bank in Moorhead, a mound of packed snow several inches high sat across from a flooded and impassable underpass. iReport: Are you there? Share photos, video The waters are expected to start receding Monday afternoon, but Walaker said he plans to keep Fargo's sandbags in their places through next week as a precautionary measure. "Right now, I feel that all the dikes, sandbags and earthen dikes should stay in place until we at least get it down to 30 feet and if its continuing to go down we can start the process," he said. "But I would hate to see us move because of the quick change in the weather. I mean it doesn't take much to bounce us back ... just a weather front moving in with significant precipitation." The Weather Service forecasted the waters to recede to 32 feet by next Saturday. Farther south, the Plains are dealing with another severe weather threat. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry called for a state of emergency on Friday in anticipation of the coming snow storm, according to the governor's office. Ten to 14 inches of snow could fall from northeast Oklahoma to northwest Arkansas, the Weather Service said. The Tulsa metro area could see 5 to 9 inches of snow. By Saturday night, snow accumulations had reached up to 7 inches in some areas and had slowed down operations at Will Rogers World Airport. Freezing fog and snow have caused delays of at least an hour and several flight cancellations, the airport announced in a news release. Continental Airlines canceled all departures and four arrivals, according to the statement. A ski resort in New Mexico's Santa Fe County received 21 inches, the largest snowfall total from the storm in the state, according to the weather service. Other parts of the county saw half an inch or less, while 15 inches dropped over Rociada, which lies on the east side of the Santa Fe National Forest. More than 6 inches of snow had already fallen in Lawrence, in northeast Kansas, the weather service reported. Seven inches of snow was tallied about 120 miles northeast in Conception Junction, Missouri. From southeast Kansas to western Missouri, 4 to 8 inches of snow are expected through Sunday, the Weather Service said. Meteorologists forecast 2 to 6 inches in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles through Saturday afternoon. Wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour could cause whiteout conditions on roads, the Weather Service said. Snow drifts higher than 2 feet could also occur.

Red River waters forecast to rise another foot this weekend in Minnesota, North Dakota . State of emergency declared in Oklahoma in anticipation of snow storm, governor's office says . Meteorologists forecast 2 to 6 inches in the Texas, Oklahoma panhandles through Saturday .

(CNN) -- A snowstorm that could last up to 18 hours was on its way to southern New England, and Boston, Massachusetts, could be snowed under with up to 15 inches, the National Weather Service said Sunday afternoon. A snowstorm is threatening parts of the Northeast with as much as 15 inches of snowfall. Monday's commuters in the region could face a nightmare with blowing and drifting snow, freezing temperatures, gusty winds and periods of sleet. Flight delays and cancellations were likely, the weather service said. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino declared a snow emergency starting 10 p.m. Sunday in anticipation of the storm, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. Boston public schools will be canceled on Monday. At 2:15 a.m. Monday, light snow was starting to fall, WCVB reported. Winter storm warnings straddled Interstate 95 from Maine to the Carolinas, and they also were issued in parts of Georgia and Alabama. Delta Air Lines canceled 300 flights, most of them to or from Atlanta, because of snowy weather, spokesman Brian Kruse said Sunday. It was snowing in Atlanta, where Delta is based, and 2 to 4 inches was expected. David Spear, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Transportation, expected traffic chaos. "People tend to get a little animated out here at the sight of snow," he told CNN. "Our concern is going to be -- as we move into the evening hours and the temperature drops -- that that slush becomes ice and then we have a real situation for our morning commute tomorrow." He said about 200 DOT trucks were deployed to help make roads safe for motorists. In northern Connecticut, southern New Hampshire and most of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, a winter storm warning was to be in effect from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 p.m. Monday, the weather service said. Such a warning is issued when winter weather conditions are expected to make travel dangerous. As the storm continued its northward trek late Sunday, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina was closed at 9 p.m. for snow removal from runways, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Farther north, Richmond International Airport in Virginia was closed at 10:45 p.m. for the same reason, the FAA said. Both airports were expected to reopen before midnight. The heaviest snow, up to 15 inches, was forecast for the heavily populated I-95 corridor between Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island, northeast Connecticut and north into the Merrimack Valley in northeast Massachusetts, the weather service said. As much as 3 inches per hour could fall between 10 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday. In Washington, Mayor Adrian Fenty declared a snow emergency Sunday afternoon, meaning any street designated as "snow emergency route" by signs would be cleared of any parked vehicles, towed if necessary, so snow plows could work unimpeded. Watch report on the storm system » "It is important that our crews have access to the roads from curb-to-curb in order to plow the snow," said Fenty, whose city was expected to get up to 8 inches of accumulation Sunday night and early Monday with accumulations up to 10 inches by Monday night. "This is one of the first plow events we have had this season, and we want to ensure we are able to maintain clear and safe roadways as we move into Monday morning," Fenty said. Forecasters said as many as 14 inches of snow could pile up in Philadelphia and New York City, starting Sunday night. Lesser amounts of snow were reported as far south as Alabama, although Charlotte, North Carolina, could see up to 8 inches. Watch snowfall in Georgia » In Memphis, Tennessee, CNN iReporter George Brown said Sunday that forecasters had predicted "Teflon snow," which wouldn't stick to the ground. But the snow that fell was much heavier, he said. iReport.com: Share photos of icy, snowy weather in your town "We were getting an inch or more an hour," he said. "Some roads are impassable because the folks here aren't use to dealing with slick streets. Many cars

Winter storm warnings issued from New England south to Georgia, Alabama . Washington declares snow emergency, could get 10 inches by Monday night . Heavy snow could make for nightmarish Monday commute in parts of New England . Snow falls in South; Georgia-based Delta Airlines cancels 300 flights .

(CNN) -- A soldier who had been slated to begin serving at Fort Campbell in Tennessee was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of killing his wife, police said. Jonathan Downing was found in a wooded area 20 miles from the home where his wife was found slain, police say. Jonathan Clyde Downing, 31, was being held without bond and will be tried in civilian court in the killing of 25-year-old Sena Marie Downing, said Jim Knoll, public information officer for police in Clarksville, Tennessee. Police officers went to the couple's Clarksville home shortly after 3 a.m. after receiving notice of a possible shooting, Knoll said. "When the officers responded, the door was ajar; they went in and found her inside of the garage, and she had been shot," Knoll told CNN in a telephone interview. A few hours later, officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Robertson County Sheriff's Office located Downing's vehicle about 20 miles away in Robertson County and found Downing in woods nearby, Knoll said. "That's where he finally gave up," Knoll said. "It took them almost two hours to convince him." Downing, who had recently served at Fort Knox in Kentucky, was taken into custody shortly before noon and was charged with criminal homicide.

Jonathan Downing arrested hours after police found his wife slain at home . Downing, 31, was found in woods about 20 miles from the home, police say . Downing to be tried in civilian court, police say .

(CNN) -- A southwest Illinois man accused of strangling his wife and two young sons appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to murder charges, officials said. Christopher Coleman sits in the back of a police car after his arrest Tuesday in the slayings of his wife and two sons. Christopher Coleman, 32, will remain jailed without bond pending a June 10 preliminary hearing, according to the Monroe County, Illinois, district court clerk's office. He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sheri Coleman, 31, and sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9. Their bodies were found May 5 in the bedrooms of the Coleman's two-story home in Columbia, Illinois, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The three died of strangulation by ligature -- a string, cord or wire -- police said. Coleman was arrested Tuesday at his parents' home in Chester, Illinois. As a police patrol car carrying Coleman arrived at the Monroe County courthouse for Wednesday's hearing, a waiting crowd shouted "murderer" and "baby killer," according to video posted on the Web site of CNN affiliate KSDK. Coleman told police he left the house at 5:43 a.m. the day of the deaths and drove to a gym to work out. Watch report of Coleman's actions after deaths » "Shortly thereafter, he started calling his house, realized that nobody was answering and on his way back at around 6:50 a.m. is when he made the phone call to the Columbia Police Department, said Maj. Jeff Connor, commander of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. Coleman said he was calling the house to make sure the boys were waking up for school, Connor said. Threatening messages were found on the walls inside the home, Connor said, but would not disclose the exact wording. In an article posted on the Major Case Squad's Web site, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported the message said something to the effect of, "I told you this would happen." A glove with red spray paint on it was found along Interstate 255, which would have been on Coleman's route to the gym, the newspaper reported. The message in the Coleman home was written in paint of a similar color, the article said. Coleman previously worked in the security department for Joyce Meyer Ministries, an evangelical Christian organization based in suburban St. Louis, said spokesman Roby Walker. Walker told CNN Coleman resigned last week after the two met regarding "a violation of moral conduct." He would not elaborate. The Post-Dispatch cited police sources as saying Coleman had more than one romantic rendezvous with a Florida woman, a friend of his wife, during out-of-town ministry trips. Neither Coleman nor his attorneys have commented on that report, the Post-Dispatch said. Police said Tuesday they did not have a motive for the killings. Joyce Meyer Ministries said in a statement Wednesday that it had learned of the charges against Coleman. "This horrible tragedy has deeply saddened us all and although nothing can compensate for the loss of this beautiful family, our ministry remains fully behind the diligent efforts of the law enforcement community," the statement said.

NEW: Illinois man held without bond on three counts of first-degree murder . Chris Coleman pleads not guilty to slayings of wife, two children . Bodies were found in Southern Illinois home on May 5 . Coleman claimed he left home for gym before slayings, police say .

(CNN) -- A spray-painted anti-Muslim message was discovered Thursday morning on the front of the Al-Farooq Islamic Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, according to police. A written note disparaging Islam also was left at the mosque, police said. Video from the scene showed "Muslims go home," in red spray paint across a window of the mosque. The mosque was established in 2003, according to the center's Web site. The FBI also is involved in the investigation. CNN could not immediately reach mosque members for comment.

"Muslims go home" found sprayed on the Al-Farooq Islamic Center . A written note also was left disparaging Islam, police said . The FBI also is involved in the investigation .