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(CNN) -- Apple rivals Google and Samsung said Friday that they have canceled the launch of a new smartphone next week to honor the death of Steve Jobs. The press announcement for the Android phone was set for Tuesday at a wireless industry trade show in San Diego, but representatives from Google and Samsung decided Thursday night, a day after the Apple co-founder's death, that they would postpone the event, Samsung spokesman Kim Titus said in a phone interview. "We just felt that it wasn't the right time to make a major product announcement while the world is still paying tribute to Steve Jobs," Titus said. "There's never been such an iconic figure in our industry pass away before." A Google spokesman said in a statement: "We believe this is not the right time to announce a new product as the world expresses tribute to Steve Jobs' passing." He added that the development is on schedule. Titus also said the product is on track and that the delay is related only to Jobs' death. Google and Samsung were expected to showcase a new Nexus phone with a curved glass screen, which would be the first to run a next-generation version of Android called Ice-Cream Sandwich. They have not set a new date for the news conference, Titus said. Titus acknowledged that Apple and its partners are carrying on in the wake of Jobs' death. Apple and its cellular operators began selling pre-orders for the iPhone 4S on Friday. Sprint Nextel, the newest carrier for the iPhone, announced Friday that its next-generation 4G network will debut in 120 cities by the end of next year. "Under the current circumstances, both parties have agreed that this is not the appropriate time for the announcement of a new product," Titus said in a statement to reporters and clients. Despite Jobs' public disparagement of Apple rivals, executives from Google and Samsung voiced only condolences after the technology pioneer's death. Google CEO Larry Page expressed his sadness at the news and said Jobs had always been an inspiration to him. He also revealed that a sick Jobs offered Page advice earlier this year when Page took over as CEO from Eric Schmidt, a former Apple board member. Sergey Brin said he and his co-founder, Page, had admired Jobs' "vision and leadership" skills. In comments on Apple earnings calls and at conferences, Jobs described Android as a flawed, fragmented system and lamented about how Google, once a close partner, decided to compete with Apple. In a string of legal disputes around the world, Apple and Samsung have traded assertions that they copied the other's inventions, and both companies are trying to block the sale of each other's gadgets. After Jobs' death, Samsung CEO Choi Gee-Sung said in a statement: "Steve Jobs introduced numerous revolutionary changes to the information technology industry and was a great entrepreneur. His innovative spirit and remarkable accomplishments will forever be remembered by people around the world." Similar statements came from other Apple competitors that Jobs had waged public wars with in the past, including Microsoft, Nokia, Research in Motion and Sony.

Google and Samsung say they canceled an event in honor of Steve Jobs' death . The companies were set to unveil a new Android phone next week . The event was planned to conincide with a wireless industry trade show .

(CNN) -- Arab League finance ministers recommended Saturday that economic sanctions be levied against the Syrian government for its part in a bloody, months-long crackdown on civilian demonstrators, a senior Arab League official told CNN. State-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) called the move an "unprecedented procedure (that) contradicts the rules of the economic and trade cooperation among the Arab countries and targets the Syrian people." Arab League foreign ministers from the regional alliance will meet at 11 a.m. Sunday in Cairo (4 a.m. ET) to consider whether to adopt the proposal, the league official said. Damascus had failed to respond to a Friday deadline for it to allow Arab League observers into the Middle Eastern country to monitor the government's response to civil unrest. "The Syrians responded with more requests to amendments to the protocol; they did not reject or accept," a senior Arab League diplomat said. The slate of sanctions proposed Saturday in Cairo -- which were opposed by Algeria and Iraq -- include barring any private or commercial airlines from the league's 22 member states from flying into or out of Syria. In addition, all assets belonging to the Syrian government and its officials would be frozen so they couldn't be accessed, and Syrian officials would not be allowed to visit Arab League countries. Pictures on SANA's website on Saturday showed people packed in the city of Lattakia, reportedly to decry "the Arab League decisions and foreign interference in the Syrian internal affairs." Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Syria risked international isolation if it continued along its present path -- adding that the reported violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests could not be tolerated. "Syria has to make a decision," he said in Istanbul alongside his Italian counterpart, Giulio Terzi. "It will either continue this crackdown policy against its people and become isolated more and more, or it will say yes to this well-intentioned Arab League proposal, sign this protocol and observers will monitor the situation on the ground by going to all Syrian cities." Meanwhile, more violence was reported in Syria on Saturday, with the activist group Local Coordination Committees of Syria claiming that at least 29 civilians -- among them, four children -- had been killed. Twenty-two deaths occurred in Homs, as "big military reinforcements" equipped with eight troop carriers and four tanks allegedly reached the city. In addition, three were reported killed in Hama, two in Deir Ezzor, and one each in the Damascus suburbs of Kanaker and Idlib, said the group, which organizes and documents anti-government protests. State-run SANA, meanwhile, reported that 25 army and security force members were buried Saturday. "The martyrs were killed in the line of duty by the armed terrorist groups in the governorates of Damascus Countryside, Homs and Hama," that report said. "The families of the martyrs expressed pride in their son's martyrdom, ... stressing that Syria will remain steadfast in the face of the conspiracy which targets its unity and stability. They said that the Syrian people will overcome this ordeal through national unity, and that the blood of the martyrs will protect Syria and make it stronger in the face of challenges." CNN cannot independently verify reports from either side, since Syria's government has limited access to international news organizations. Since March, protesters in cities across the country have been demanding President Bashar al-Assad's ouster and democratic elections. The United Nations estimated earlier this month that more than 3,500 Syrians have died in the subsequent government crackdown, said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Al-Assad's government has consistently blamed armed gangs for the violence. Adding to the pressure on Damascus, the United Nations Committee Against Torture said Friday it is "deeply concerned about gross and pervasive human rights violations in Syria," which are allegedly taking place "in a context of impunity." "Of particular concern are reports referring to children who have suffered torture and mutilation while detained; as well as cases of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary

NEW: 29 civilians, including 4 children, are killed Saturday, an opposition group says . NEW: 25 Syrian army and security forces are laid to rest, official media reports . NEW: State media says proposed sanctions are "unprecedented" and "target" Syrians . The measures include banning flights to and from Syria and visits by Syrian officials .

(CNN) -- Archie Manning: Super Bowl XLIV is Sunday in Miami, Florida. The New Orleans Saints will face the Indianapolis Colts, and it's the first time the Saints have been in the Super Bowl in the team's four-decade history. Archie Manning is in an interesting situation. The quarterback was drafted by the Saints in 1971, and was hands-down the most famous and revered Saint, staying with them for ten years. He still has a home in New Orleans, Louisiana. Now his son, Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Colts, will face his father's old team, the team he grew up rooting for. Archie Manning and his wife, Olivia, raised three football-playing sons. Cooper, an all-state high school wide receiver and now a partner in an investment firm; Eli, who led the New York Giants to their Super Bowl win two years ago; and Peyton, who did the same for the Colts the year before that. Eli and Peyton both won MVP awards. A few weeks ago, Mike Chappell in the Indianapolis Star reported that Archie Manning said he plans to root for the Colts. "I'm going to pull for my son," Archie said. "(Saints coach) Sean Payton knows that. He's a great friend of mine. (Saints quarterback) Drew Brees knows that. That's just the way it is. Anybody who thinks it's different must not have children." Indy Star: Saints legend Archie Manning pulling for son, Colts Robert Park: North Korea said Friday it was releasing the Korean-American missionary detained after reportedly illegally entering the country in December, state-run media reported. Tyong Park, Robert Park's father, said in San Diego, California, that he was "so excited" by the news but had no other information about his son's release. Robert Park told relatives before Christmas that he was trying to sneak into the isolated communist state to bring a message of "Christ's love and forgiveness" to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. After an investigation, North Korean authorities "decided to leniently forgive and release him, taking his admission and sincere repentance of his wrong doings into consideration," the state-run Korea Central News Agency said. During an interview with North Korean authorities, Park reportedly told investigators that "he was taken in by the false rumor spread by the West and committed a criminal act in the end." Park said he heard stories of concentration camps and of mass killings, prompting him to go to North Korea to help, the news agency said. A South Korean Web site in December posted a copy of the letter it said Park was trying to deliver to Kim, urging the North Korean leader to free political prisoners and "open your borders so that we may bring food, provisions, medicine, necessities, and assistance to those who are struggling to survive." But according to the North Korean news agency, once Park was in North Korea he said he was treated well and allowed to attend church and pray freely. CNN: N. Korea says it is releasing U.S. citizen Joe Lombardi: He's the grandson of legendary New York Giants and Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi. The Los Angeles Times reports that Joe Lombardi, 38, never met his famous grandfather; he was born a year after his death in 1970. Lombardi, the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints, told the newspaper that he had seen a quote from his grandfather saying he wished he had never said "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing," and that he feels Vince was misinterpreted. "I think his point was that certainly your goal is to win, but it's the process that you take in order to get there, the will to win, the will to prepare -- doing everything in your control in order to put yourself in position to win at anything. And I think that's what his point was, more so than win at all costs, even if you've got to cheat or cut corners,

Former Saints quarterback puts family before team . Korean-American missionary to be released from North Korea . Poet D.A. Powell wins $100,000 award for book, "Chronic"

(CNN) -- Arctic reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia are getting a view from space to help them look after their herds as the region copes with climate change. Snow worries: Satellite maps of snow coverage and melt can help reindeer herders. Using satellite-based snow melt maps supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA) backed program Polar View, herders are able to view the depth of snow and judge where the best foraging spots are to take their reindeer. "Snow is of paramount importance for reindeer herding, because its quality determines whether reindeer are able to access the pastures that lie beneath it for much of the year," Anders Oskal, the Director of the International Center for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) told the ESA. "Detailed circumpolar snow information is, thus, becoming increasingly important following the recent changes in the Arctic climate." Oskal is working with Sámi reindeer herders in Finnmark, Norway, to help them maintain and develop sustainable reindeer husbandry. According to Oskal, Finnmark is the area of Norway that is predicted to experience the largest temperature increases, raising concerns about whether ice layers will form over pastures preventing reindeer from foraging. Under the Polar View initiative, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) have been providing snow melt maps for Norway and Sweden, as well as snow cover maps for Eurasia, for the last 18 months. The ICR partnered with Polar View in a trial of the maps to examine how satellite observations could help by gathering information on snow change in a timely manner for such vast circumpolar regions. "The experience so far has definitely been positive, and the reindeer herders are extremely interested in the future utilization of Polar View products that can relate important information about local snow conditions," said Oskal. "These products could have important consequences for herders' decisions regarding winter pasture quality and potential migration routes." In addition to climate change, reindeer herders also have to face a loss of pastures because of infrastructure development, such as roads, hydroelectric power dams and cabin resorts. The same technology would help the ICR to monitor the different forms of land-use change over time.

Sámi herders using satellite-based maps of snow to judge best areas . Climate change has made it harder to find foraging spots for reindeer herds . Technology could also be used to monitor land-use change over time .

(CNN) -- Are airports equipped for the crunch of tech-savvy holiday travelers? Not really, according to a report from the folks at PCWorld, who say that only a fraction of the country's airports are ready for takeoff when it comes to meeting passengers' electronic needs. "Overall, I would give the top 40 airports a C grade for accommodating tech-savvy travelers," senior editor Mark Sullivan said. "The airports, together, offer an average of 5.5 outlets per gate. When you consider that most people are now carrying devices that need wireless service and battery charge-up, this number is woefully low." Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) tops the magazine's "20 Best U.S. Airports for Tech Travelers" list released this week. The airport got decent marks across all categories, and its Wi-Fi and cellular signals helped it edge out the competition. Following close behind is New York's JFK International (JFK), whose $800 million Terminal 5 wowed researchers. Delta Air Lines' terminals 2 and 3 at JFK also impressed them, with restaurants that had iPad kiosks to take your order in the gate area and have your food delivered there. Overall, the airport offered more electrical outlets than any other and "decent" free Wi-Fi. The country's busiest airport, Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), came in third place. The electrical outlets available to passengers totaled 1,377, an average 8.1 per gate. No. 20 on the "best" list? Oregon's Portland International, which managed to rate in all categories despite what PCWorld called its "painfully slow (but free) airport Wi-Fi." PCWorld researchers visited 3,300 gates, testing more than 17,000 electrical outlets, 5,000 USB ports and 1,350 charging stations during an audit of the 40 busiest airports in the United States. Auditors also conducted hundreds of tests of airport Wi-Fi and cellular broadband service. Among the airports that didn't make the top 20 list, Denver International came in last, at No. 40. The exhaustive study took nearly four months and examined the features, or lack thereof, that were common frustrations for tech-savvy travelers. These included the average number of electrical outlets, USB ports, charging stations, Internet kiosks and workspace available per airline gate. "I believe this feature to be the largest and most complex undertaking in the magazine's 28-year history," senior editor Mark Sullivan said. The bottom line? Even among the winners, PCWorld¹s researchers concluded that there's plenty of room for improvement.

PCWorld study says only a fraction of U.S. airports fulfill electronic needs . The airports offer an average of 5.5 outlets per gate . PCWorld researchers visited 3,300 gates, testing outlets, ports and charging stations .

(CNN) -- Are the world's top male players playing too much tennis? It is a question that has been asked frequently over the years, but recent comments from world number three Andy Murray, and former world number one Andy Roddick, have indicated the matter could be coming to a head. With a schedule that runs from the beginning of January to the end of November, taking in 65 singles tournaments, the ATP World Tour came under scrutiny like never before when Murray hinted that the world's top players were prepared to take strike action in an attempt to modify the calendar. "We're only proposing small changes, a few less mandatory events and some more rest periods," said Murray. "Tennis is in a great place right now but there are just a few minor things we'd like to see changed and we hope to sit with the ATP and other officials and discuss them. Two or three more weeks off a season is really what we are thinking of." And Murray's comments were backed up by Roddick, who told reporters: "It's a more physical game than it used to be, but the season is longer than ever. "I don't think we're storming offices, but I think the sentiment is still there. We need to be smart about it and take our time and make sure that it's well thought out and not be kind of reactionary. But, you know, there is a discussion going on." The absence of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic from the recent Shanghai Masters indicates, in Roddick's opinion, that the demands are too harsh on the top players. "They don't get their money this week. If they were feeling well and they weren't worn down, then they would be here," he continued. "We're not getting away with anything by pulling out of tournaments. I feel like that's the way it's presented sometimes. That's just not the case," he added. The lowdown Yet, despite the claims of both Murray and Roddick, the facts show that the number of singles tournaments has actually fallen over the last 11 years. In year 2000 there were 69 ATP Tour singles events, however, that figure steadily decreased during the last decade and since 2007 it has remained static on its current number. And, for those 65 events, there has been a significant increase in the prize money on offer from the ATP Tour, with prize funds set to exceed $90 million for the first time by 2014. So why are is there a perception that players are playing more tournaments, than ever before? Somebody who knows all about the rigors of the ATP Tour is Australian Mark Woodforde. The 46-year-old won a remarkable 67 doubles titles, many alongside compatriot Todd Woodbridge, with the duo completing the grand slam of all four major doubles titles. In addition to this, Woodforde also managed to win four singles titles, reaching a career-high 19th in the world in 1996, and has first hand knowledge of how demanding the circuit can be. "When I was playing and performing well in both singles and doubles, the calendar issue was raised even then," Woodforde told CNN. "What with Davis Cup ties, the Olympics etc, you never felt like there was any time to take a breather, it was full on. "The weeks off were cherished. As an aspiring player, you play to gain experience -- and since you may not survive through to the end of a tournament, the toll is not as great on you physically or mentally. Losing first and second round matches can be replaced by simply entering another event to compensate," added Woodforde. "Yet as a top player, you end up playing many more matches, the pressures are greater, you try to strike a healthy balance to prepare for excellence at the grand slams and it's a continual mounting of pressures." The reaction Woodforde also believes it a positive thing that today's players are campaigning together, although he does not necessarily believe

The ATP Tour tennis schedule is coming under fierce scrutiny once again . Andy Murray and Andy Roddick are among the players who want a reduction in tournaments . Mark Woodforde believes more big-money exhibitions will be played if the schedule is reduced .

(CNN) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner signed a decree Tuesday requiring all ships navigating from Argentina to the disputed Falkland Islands to carry a government permit. The move comes as tensions over the territory simmer because of British oil companies' efforts to drill off the northern coast of the islands. The Falklands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, lie in the South Atlantic Ocean off the Argentinean coast and have been under British rule since 1833. But Argentina has always claimed sovereignty over them. The two nations fought a war over the islands in 1982. Tuesday's decree followed an accusation made last week by the Argentine government that a ship docked on the mainland was preparing to transport tubes to the Falklands for oil and gas exploration. The decree also creates a special commission that will oversee the application of the new measure. "It's public knowledge that the United Kingdom has started the search for hydrocarbon resources in the Falkland Islands area," Argentine Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said at a news conference, according to the official Telam news agency. The Argentine position is that natural resources around the islands should be protected, and Britain must accept international resolutions labeling the Falklands a disputed area. "This has to do with the defense of the interests of Argentineans, not just about sovereignty," Fernandez said, adding that Argentina lays claim not just to the islands, but to any resources that could be found there. The Argentines blame "unilateral moves" by the British companies toward exploration as the reason for the recent spat. "The companies that are planning to explore and exploit gas and oil are going to be met with legal challenges because they are doing it on a continental shelf that Argentina maintains is our own," Argentine congressman Ruperto Godoy told CNN. CNN's Brian Byrnes and Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.

Argentina requires ships navigating from Argentina to the Falklands to carry permit . Tensions over islands because of UK oil firm's efforts to drill off the coast of the islands . Argentina claims ship docked on mainland was to transport tubes for Falklands oil exploration . Falklands under British rule since 1833, but Argentina claims sovereignty over them .

(CNN) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was sworn in for a second four-year term Saturday, extolling her country's economic stability during a time of global crisis. "We are a new Argentina, but we are also in a new world with more challenges and more decisions to be made in the best interest of our people and society," she said. A bulk of her long speech focused on specifics of the Argentine economy that are impressive against the backdrop of a global downturn. Industrialization has created more than 5 million jobs during her administration and minimum wages are the highest in the region, she said. Argentina's economy could see growth of 9% in 2011, she said. Internal growth in the country was one of the main drivers that kept the economy afloat, she said. "I don't have to read you the consumption statistics. It's enough to go to the streets in any place, in any town ... to know that the domestic market is precisely what permitted us to survive the crisis of 2008 and 2009," she said. While she talked a lot about specific economic indicators, Fernandez did not abandon her populist side. "I am not the president of the corporations," she said. "I am the president of the 40 million Argentinians." Fernandez ranks as one of the most popular candidates in Argentina since its return to democracy. She won re-election with more than 54% of the vote. Her presidential campaign was also the first she had to wage without her late husband and former president, Nestor Kirchner. He was president from 2003 to 2007, when Fernandez succeeded him. He died in October of 2010. In an apparent symbol of mourning, Fernandez wore black at her swearing in. And when she took the oath of office, she asked God, country and "he" -- referring to her husband -- to hold her to account. Her eyes watered as she said those words. "As everyone can imagine, today is not an easy day for this president," Fernandez said. "Despite the happiness, despite the overwhelming votes, something -- and someone -- is missing." Her second term as president extends to 2015.

Fernandez won re-election with 54% of the vote . She was sworn in on Saturday . She praised the country's economy and warned of future challenges .

(CNN) -- Argentine coach Diego Maradona has urged Carlos Tevez to quit Manchester United at the end of the season and head for Italy. Tevez has been advised by Argentine coach Maradona to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. Maradona watched United trounce Chelsea 3-0 last weekend at Old Trafford where striker Tevez remained on the bench despite a rousing reception when he went on a touchline warm-up during the game. "I saw the Manchester United match. They won, but did so without Tevez. This situation is not good for him. For sure, certain things are happening which mean his departure is nearing," Maradona told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. "Italy, and Inter (Milan) in particular, would be great for him. Among other things, the fact that his contract is soon to expire facilitates a change of shirt." Weekend reports claimed that United manager Alex Ferguson has already pinpointed Lyon's French international striker Karim Benzema as his chief summer target. Benzema, whose contract runs until 2013, made his mark against United in a Champions League tie last season when he scored in a first leg tie. He hit the target 20 times as Lyon secured a seventh straining French League title and he has netted five times in this season's Champions League. Lyon are said to be willing to cash in at the right price with Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid also monitoring the situation. Media reports said Lyon would want around £40 million (45 million euros) for Benzema while the asking price for Tevez -- he joined United on a two-year loan -- is likely to be around £32 million. Tevez, who hit the headlines during two seasons in Brazil with Corinthians, has struggled to retain a starting place at Old Trafford following his controversial stay at West Ham. He has indicated he would respond positively to any approach from Real Madrid, but is sure to take on board the advice of Maradona who twice led Napoli to the Serie A title after joining the Italian club from Barcelona. Meanwhile, West Ham face a fresh inquiry after the FA and Premier League launched an investigation relating to dealings with Tevez's representatives after the club had initially been fined £5.5m for breaching league rules over third-party agreements. It follows the findings of an arbitration tribunal in favour of Sheffield United and against West Ham last year which decided Tevez should not have been able to play for the Hammers at the end of the 2006-07 season. Premier League West Ham insist that they have nothing to hide.

Diego Maradona urges Carlos Tevez to quit Manchester Utd at end of season . Argentine coach believes striker would be better off joining Italy's Inter Milan . Tevez on bench when Maradona watched United beat Chelsea at the weekend .

(CNN) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday deflected concerns that the state's new immigration law will hurt economic development, saying many businesses have long wanted tougher action. The new law requires Arizona police to determine whether people are in the United States legally if there is a reason to suspect they aren't. Brewer signed the controversial legislation into law on Friday. "The bottom line is that when I go about meeting with businesses that come into Arizona ... they want to know that we have a safe and secure environment into which to move their businesses here," Brewer said at an Arizona Town Hall event in Tucson. "They want to know that their employees are going to have a quality of life that they've had in the places where they're moving from to move here." "I believe it's not going to have the kind of economic impact that some people think that it might," Brewer, a Republican, said. Would you boycott Arizona over immigration law? The law, scheduled to go into effect 90 days after the close of the state's legislative session, would require immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times. Previously, officers could check someone's immigration status only if that person was suspected in another crime. Critics say the law could foster racial profiling and prompt businesses, conventions and tourists to stay away from the state. The bill has prompted rallies by opponents and supporters, and some prominent politicians in Washington and Arizona have criticized the measure, including Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, who has said he'll file a lawsuit to block the law. People have been protesting the bill outside the state Capitol since Friday, CNN affiliate KTVK reported. "People are going to be stopped just because of the color of [their] skin. And it ain't right," protester Jose Acosta told CNN on Sunday. "Are they going to be looking for Europeans as well, or is it just the brown people?" Supporters say the measure is needed because the federal government has failed to enforce its own immigration laws. In Tucson on Monday, Brewer said she has written to the federal government five times about the issue in the past year and a half. "[The letters] have been met with complete, total disrespect to the people of Arizona. I mean, we don't even get an answer back from our letters in regard to securing our border," Brewer said. "So, given that, I think it was time that Arizonans did step up, and that was one reason why I think that [the new state legislation] was signed." Brewer emphasized an executive order she issued last week to accompany the law will require additional training for local officers on how to implement the law without engaging in racial profiling. "I want you all to know that racial profiling is illegal. It's the law," she said Monday. "We are going to be very diligent, and we're going to make absolutely sure that that law ... will be implemented properly and respectfully." Gordon, Phoenix's mayor and a Democrat, said his office hopes the City Council will authorize the city to file a lawsuit Tuesday. "Convention [and] tourist business groups have already gotten dozens of calls. We're pleading with them not to boycott Phoenix or the state because of [the bill]," Gordon said Monday on CNN's "The Situation Room." "There will be court challenges. I'm confident that the federal courts will enjoin it at least until it is determined [whether it's] constitutional and how to enforce it so that officers don't get sued by individuals alleging civil rights violations." President Obama last week called the legislation "misguided" and said the federal government must act on the immigration issue. "Our failure to act responsible at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer: Businesses have long asked for tougher immigration action . But law's opponents argue it will cause tourists, businesses to stay away . New law requires police to determine whether a person is in U.S. legally . Phoenix, Arizona, mayor says he'll sue to block the law .

(CNN) -- Arizona police are looking for an Iraqi man who they allege ran down his daughter and her friend because he believed his daughter had become "too Westernized." Police say they're looking for Faleh Hassan Almaleki, who they say struck two people with a vehicle Tuesday. Peoria, Arizona, police said Wednesday that Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, struck his 20-year-old daughter, Noor Faleh Almaleki, and her friend Amal Edan Khalaf with a vehicle he was driving in a parking lot Tuesday afternoon. Faleh Hassan Almaleki was angry with his daughter "as she had become too 'Westernized' and was not living according to [the family's] traditional Iraq[i] values," Peoria police said in a statement released Wednesday. Noor Faleh Almaleki is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, according to the statement. Khalaf, 43, received injuries that are not life-threatening but is still in the hospital, police said. Noor Faleh Almaleki lives with Khalaf, police said but did not elaborate on how the two women knew each other. Faleh Hassan Almaleki was last seen in a gray or silver Jeep Grand Cherokee, police said. No further details were immediately available. Peoria is about 13 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Police: Man struck daughter, her friend with vehicle on Tuesday in Arizona . Man thought daughter, 20, wasn't living according to family's Iraqi values, police say . Woman has life-threatening injuries, police say . Police seek Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48 .

(CNN) -- Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a state of emergency Saturday night after a day of clashes between police and protesters, a spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry said. Opposition supporters wave an Armenian flag during a protest rally in Yerevan, Armenia, on Saturday. The protesters claim last month's presidential election was rigged. The state of emergency will "hopefully bring some order" to the capital, Yerevan, said Salpi Ghazarian, assistant to the Armenian foreign minister, who spoke to CNN early Sunday. The state of emergency could last until March 20, she said, but the government hopes "that it will be lifted sooner." The clashes began when authorities used force to clear Freedom Square of thousands of demonstrators who had camped there for the past 10 days, according to a U.S. Embassy official. Ghazarian said the authorities "moved in" because "they thought that there were arms there, and it turned out that they were right." Watch a report on clashes between police and the opposition » The embassy official estimated that the demonstrations in Freedom Square grew to as many as 60,000 Armenians at times over the last 10 days. As of early Sunday morning, Freedom Square was empty, Ghazarian said, but the protesters were demonstrating in a main square elsewhere in the city. Watch Ghazarian discuss the situation in Armenia » "What is happening on the streets of Yerevan is people protesting what they consider to be unfair elections," Ghazarian said. "After the president was forced to declare a state of emergency, things have quieted down. There are a couple of burning cars, and there are a few hurt people," she said. "We're convinced that this will come to an end soon." She did not elaborate on the number of people injured or the extent of their injuries. Witnesses told CNN that Saturday morning's action by Armenian riot police was bloody, but the U.S. official said there were no confirmed deaths or serious injuries. An Armenian woman interviewed by CNN said there was "huge chaos" when police moved in. "These are innocent people," she said. "They just want their freedom. They just want to be heard. They are being beaten up, some people have horrible wounds." She asked that CNN not use her name because she feared for her safety. As night fell Saturday, the sounds of gunfire could be heard from the direction of the protesters' gathering, and tracer fire could be seen in the sky, according to another Yerevan resident, who also asked not to be identified out of fear for his safety. The man said his wife saw two demonstrators hit by a police car earlier in the day. The car initially did not stop, he said, but the protesters surrounded the car, dragged the officers out and burned the vehicle, he said. The officers were able to escape, he said, but he did not know the condition of the protesters who were struck. The protests began soon after the February 19 presidential election. Opposition presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian lost to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, a political ally of outgoing President Kocharian. The opposition party immediately accused the government of vote fraud and demanded that the results be voided. Ghazarian said Sunday that the government had reached out to the opposition. "We are hoping with the help of the international community, the opposition, the leader of the opposition, will come and enter a political dialogue rather than continuing this debate on the streets," she said. Haroutiun Khachatrian, editor of the Noyan Tappan News Agency, told CNN that riot police arrested several hundred people in the square Saturday morning, including many opposition party officials. Ter-Petrosian was there but was not arrested, he said. The opposition vowed to pursue its claims through legal means. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitored last month's Armenian election and concluded that it was mostly in line with international standards, although it did include some criticism in its report. The U.S.

NEW: Protest moves after crackdown at Freedom Square . Order sought after protests over last month's election turn violent . Demonstrators say the election was fraudulent . State of emergency could last until March 20, official says .

(CNN) -- Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a state of emergency Saturday night after a day of clashes between police and protesters, a spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry said. The protesters claim last month's presidential election was rigged. The state of emergency will "hopefully bring some order" to the capital, Yerevan, said Salpi Ghazarian, assistant to the Armenian foreign minister, who spoke to CNN early Sunday. The state of emergency could last until March 20, she said, but the government hopes "that it will be lifted sooner." The clashes began when authorities used force to clear Freedom Square of thousands of demonstrators who had camped there for the past 10 days, according to a U.S. Embassy official. Ghazarian said the authorities "moved in" because "they thought that there were arms there, and it turned out that they were right." Watch a report on clashes between police and the opposition » The embassy official estimated that the demonstrations in Freedom Square grew to as many as 60,000 Armenians at times over the last 10 days. As of early Sunday morning, Freedom Square was empty, Ghazarian said, but the protesters were demonstrating in a main square elsewhere in the city. Watch Ghazarian discuss the situation in Armenia » "What is happening on the streets of Yerevan is people protesting what they consider to be unfair elections," Ghazarian said. "After the president was forced to declare a state of emergency, things have quieted down. There are a couple of burning cars, and there are a few hurt people," she said. "We're convinced that this will come to an end soon." She did not elaborate on the number of people injured or the extent of their injuries. Witnesses told CNN that Saturday morning's action by Armenian riot police was bloody, but the U.S. official said there were no confirmed deaths or serious injuries. An Armenian woman interviewed by CNN said there was "huge chaos" when police moved in. "These are innocent people," she said. "They just want their freedom. They just want to be heard. They are being beaten up, some people have horrible wounds." She asked that CNN not use her name because she feared for her safety. As night fell Saturday, the sounds of gunfire could be heard from the direction of the protesters' gathering, and tracer fire could be seen in the sky, according to another Yerevan resident, who also asked not to be identified out of fear for his safety. The man said his wife saw two demonstrators hit by a police car earlier in the day. The car initially did not stop, he said, but the protesters surrounded the car, dragged the officers out and burned the vehicle, he said. The officers were able to escape, he said, but he did not know the condition of the protesters who were struck. The protests began soon after the February 19 presidential election. Opposition presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian lost to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, a political ally of outgoing President Kocharian. The opposition party immediately accused the government of vote fraud and demanded that the results be voided. Ghazarian said Sunday that the government had reached out to the opposition. "We are hoping with the help of the international community, the opposition, the leader of the opposition, will come and enter a political dialogue rather than continuing this debate on the streets," she said. Haroutiun Khachatrian, editor of the Noyan Tappan News Agency, told CNN that riot police arrested several hundred people in the square Saturday morning, including many opposition party officials. Ter-Petrosian was there but was not arrested, he said. The opposition vowed to pursue its claims through legal means. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitored last month's Armenian election and concluded that it was mostly in line with international standards, although it did include some criticism in its report. The U.S. Embassy has warned the several hundred Americans living in Yerevan to stay at home and avoid the downtown area

NEW: Protest moves after crackdown at Freedom Square . Order sought after protests over last month's election turn violent . Demonstrators say the election was fraudulent . State of emergency could last until March 20, official says .

(CNN) -- Armored cars patrolled the streets of Zimbabwe's capital and residents flocked to banks Thursday after limits on cash withdrawals were lifted in the inflation-ravaged African nation. With prices rising even more than once a day, shopping is a mathematical proficiency test for Zimbabweans. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had capped maximum daily withdrawals at 500,000 Zimbabwean dollars -- about 25 U.S. cents, and about a quarter of the price of a loaf of bread. But faced with mounting chaos in a country already in economic free fall, the bank decided last week to raise that limit to 100 million dollars ($50 U.S.) per week. Soldiers were deployed to all banks in anticipation of throngs of people lining up to withdraw money Thursday, when the increase took effect. Wednesday, police chased depositors away and arrested union leaders who planned to protest the limits. Zimbabwe's inflation rate of 231 million percent is the world's highest. In addition, the country is faced with a growing outbreak of cholera that its government declared a national emergency Thursday. The outbreak has killed at least 565 people and sickened more than 11,000, the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Office said. Medical professionals blame the resurgence of the water-borne disease on the lack of safe water in many parts of the country. The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said 69 people were arrested across the country during Wednesday's demonstrations. Amnesty International has demanded to know the whereabouts of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, whom it said was abducted at dawn Wednesday by armed men in plainclothes posing as police. And angry, unpaid soldiers clashed with foreign currency exchangers and some civilians Monday, three days after troops who had failed to get cash from their banks looted shops they suspected to be illegally dealing in foreign currency.

Residents flock to banks after limits on cash withdrawals lifted; troops patrol streets . Central bank caps maximum daily withdrawals at 500,000 Zimbabwean dollars . Bank last week raise that limit to 100 million dollars ($50 U.S.) per week . Zimbabwe's inflation rate of 231 million percent is the world's highest .

(CNN) -- Army Maj. Steven Hutchison fought battles in the jungles of Vietnam. Then he fought an epic battle on the home front. And at age 60, he still wasn't done fighting for his country. Maj. Steven Hutchison served 22 years in his first Army stint, then returned at age 57. He died Sunday. The battle ended for Hutchison on Sunday. He died in Basra, Iraq, of wounds from a roadside bomb in Al Farr. He is the oldest U.S. service member to die in Iraq or Afghanistan. Hutchison joined the Army in 1966 and served two one-year tours in Vietnam, according to a news release from Fort Riley, Kansas, home of Hutchison's 1st Infantry Division, the famous "Big Red One." Over the next 22 years, he was a platoon leader in Germany and commander of a basic training company at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Along the way, he earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Delaware and became an assistant professor of military science at Claremont College in California. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal, among others. Hutchison retired from the military in 1988 and took up the quiet life of a college professor. He taught at several small colleges in California and became a researcher for a health care company in Scottsdale, Arizona, said his brother, Richard Hutchison. But Hutchison felt compelled to return to military service after the terrorist attacks of September 11. His wife, Kandy, vetoed that idea, however. That decision proved fateful, as Hutchison was able to stand by his wife's side through her battle with breast cancer. She died of the disease in January 2006. The always-athletic Hutchison channeled his grief by whipping himself into shape and returning to active duty at age 57 the following year, his brother said. Military rules say retirees may be recalled up to age 64 for general officers, 62 for warrant officers and 60 for all others. Hutchison served a tour in Afghanistan and then was sent to Iraq, where he was part of a team training Iraqi forces to secure their own country. "He's been a soldier his whole life," Richard Hutchison, of Mesa, Arizona, told CNN affiliate KNXV-TV. Watch a report on Hutchison's life » "He was a great guy," he said. "We hung around together; we went to the movies together, went out to dinner together. He loved to shoot pool; we used to shoot pool all the time, either at my house or at his house. He was just a great friend and a great brother." The soldier-psychology professor, who is also survived by two daughters and two half-siblings, had a mischievous side, too. "He liked to tease me about him being younger than me, even though he was five years older than me," Richard Hutchison said with a soft chuckle. "He would tell everyone he was the youngest one. And they would believe him. Made me feel real good." Richard Hutchison plans to fly to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware over the weekend to claim his brother's body and return it to Scottsdale for burial. The last communication the brothers had was a routine e-mail Steven Hutchison sent from Iraq about two weeks ago. He rarely wrote about his experiences in Iraq, Richard Hutchison said. However, there was one matter on the ground that the soldier involved his brother in. "When he was in Iraq, they found a dog and were taking care of it. He sent me an e-mail asking me to send some dog food and dog supplies," Hutchison said. The Army made Hutchison's team give up the dog, but they left it in good hands, his brother said. "He had a big heart." CNN's Adam Levine, Larry Shaughnessy, Barbara Starr and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

Army Maj. Steven Hutchison, 60, becomes oldest American killed in Iraq . Hutchison retired after 22-year Army career, volunteered to return years later . Psychology professor served tours in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq . During interim, he stood by wife during her fight against cancer .

(CNN) -- Around 1,000 people accused of being witches in Gambia have been locked up in secret detention centers and forced to drink a dangerous hallucinogenic potion, according to human rights organization Amnesty International. Amnesty claims Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, pictured in 2006, invited "witch doctors" to the West African nation. At least two people have died after drinking the liquid while many more have suffered serious kidney problems. Others suffered injuries as a result of being severely beaten, Amnesty said Wednesday as it called on authorities to "put an immediate stop to the witch-hunting campaign." Amnesty claimed Gambian President Yahya Jammeh had invited "witch doctors" -- believed to be from neighboring Guinea -- to the West African nation following the death of his aunt. Jammeh, a former soldier who has ruled Gambia since leading a military coup in 1994, is reported to believe that witchcraft was involved in her death, according to Amnesty. CNN contacted State House, the presidential residence in the Gambian capital, Banjul, but no-one was available to comment. "I have no information," a woman told CNN. Victims and their relatives tell Amnesty that "witch doctors" accompanied by police, soldiers and security forces have been visiting villages and seizing people accused of being witches by force and at gunpoint. Members of Jammeh's personal guard, known as "green boys," are also alleged to have taken part in the campaign. In the most recent incident on March 9, 300 people from the village of Sintet were forced to go to a farm owned by Jammehk, Amnesty said. One of those seized said he had been held for five days and forced to drink "dirty water" containing poisonous herbs which caused instant diarrhoea and vomiting. "I experienced and witnessed such abuse and humiliation. I cannot believe that this type of treatment is taking place in Gambia. It is from the dark ages," the victim told Amnesty. Hundreds of Gambians have also fled to neighboring Senegal following attacks on their villages, according to Amnesty. It also said it was concerned that a prominent opposition lawmaker, Halifa Sallah, who was arrested earlier this month after investigating the witchcraft claims for a newspaper, could be at risk of being tortured while in custody. Halifa, a former presidential candidate, heads the People's Democratic Organization of Independence and Socialism and is minority leader in Gambia's national assembly.

Amnesty International: 1,000 seized in Gambia in "witch-hunt" campaign . Victims forced to drink dangerous hallucinogenic potion; at least two have died . Amnesty says Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is behind the campaign . Jammeh reportedly believes witchcraft involved in aunt's death, Amnesty says .

(CNN) -- Around 200 new species of frogs have been found in Madagascar, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. A study has found nearly 200 new species of frogs in Madagascar. A study identified between 129 and 221 new species of frogs on the island. The Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC), who carried out the study, believe the find could practically double the number of amphibians known in the world if the results are extrapolated at a global scale. The study, published in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA," suggests that the number of amphibian species in Madagascar has been significantly underestimated. "The diversity of species in Madagascar is far from being known and there is still a lot of scientific research to be done. Our data suggest that the number of new species of amphibians not only has been underestimated but it is spatially widespread, even in well studied areas," said Professor David R. Vieites, CSIC researcher to the press at the Spanish National Natural Sciences Museum in Madrid. "For example, two of the most visited and studied national parks, Ranomafana and Mantadía/Analamazaotra, harbor 31 and 10 new species respectively." Dr. Frank Glaw, curator of herpetology at the Zoologische Staatssammlung from Munich was part of the research team: "During the past 15 years, we discovered and described over 100 new frog species from Madagascar, which led us to believe that our species inventory is almost complete. But as our new surveys show, there are many more species than we suspected," he said in a press statement. The paper suggests that the total biodiversity on the island could be much higher in other species as well, so the actual destruction of natural habitats may be affecting more animals than previously thought. This has important consequences for conservation planning, as the rate of destruction of rainforests in Madagascar has been one of the highest in the planet, with more than 80 percent of the historic surface of rainforest already lost, according to the study's authors. Almost a quarter of the new species discovered have not been found yet in protected areas, but the unstable political situation in Madagascar has also been cited as hampering conservation efforts. "Although a lot of reserves and national parks have been created in Madagascar during the last decade, the actual situation of politic instability is allowing the cut of the forest within national parks, generating a lot of uncertainty about the future of the planned network of protected areas", said Vieites. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and one of the most biodiverse areas globally, with a high degree of endemic species. "To get an idea of its biodiversity --while in the Iberian Peninsula [there] are about 30 species of amphibians and in Germany about 20, in a single locality in Madagascar we can find around 100 species of frogs," said Vieites. Dr. Miguel Vences, professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, who was also part of the study team, and believes that a century of new species discovery is just beginning: "People think that we know which plant and animal species live on this planet. But the majority of life forms on Earth is still awaiting scientific recognition."

Nearly 200 new species of amphibians found on biodiversity hotspot of Madagascar . Study found many outside of the island's conservation areas . Political instability in the country makes conservation efforts extra difficult .

(CNN) -- Around 204,000 people have fled their homes in the Somali capital of Mogadishu as a result of a militant offensive against government forces, the U.N. refugee agency said on Tuesday. Islamist fighters exchange gunfire with government forces in Mogadishu on July 3. The eight-week long push by Al-Shaabab and Hisb-ul-Islam militias has prompted what the agency calls "the biggest exodus from the troubled Somali capital since the Ethiopian intervention in 2007." "The escalating conflict in Mogadishu is having a devastating impact on the city's population causing enormous suffering and massive displacement," the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. The agency said its local partners in the capital reported that fighting over the past week "has killed some 105 people and injured 382." "Neighborhoods affected by the fighting include Kaaran, Shibis, Shangaani and Boondheere in North Mogadishu. These areas have hitherto been islands of peace, escaping much of the conflict and destruction. Many residents are fleeing their homes for the first time since the start of the Somali civil war in 1991," the agency said. The agency said the number of internally displaced people in Somalia amounts to more than 1.2 million people. There has been growing concern that Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, could be the next base for al Qaeda as U.S. forces pound their positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last month, a U.S. State Department spokesman said the United States is providing weapons and ammunition to Somalia's transitional government as it fights al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants. CIA Director Leon Panetta recently said that the intelligence agency is keeping tabs on the region as a possible destination for fleeing al Qaeda operatives. "Our concern right now is that likely safe havens are areas in the Horn of Africa, like Somalia and Yemen, that are countries that because of their political status can be attractive to al Qaeda in order to operate there," Panetta said earlier this month. Al-Shaabab, also known as the Mujahideen Youth Movement, was officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in March 2008. It is waging a war against Somalia's government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law.

Eight-week long push by Al-Shaabab and Hisb-ul-Islam militias prompted exodus . U.N.: Conflict in Mogadishu having devastating impact on city's population . More than 1.2 million people internally displaced in Somalia, U.N. estimates . Many fleeing their homes for first time since start of Somali civil war in 1991 .

(CNN) -- Arriving in central Bangkok from the sparkling international airport, a visitor might not know at first glance that much of the city is under water. Shops and restaurants are open as usual, while the futuristic sky train continues to ferry commuters to work in the numerous office complexes that make up the central business district. But just a few miles northwards along the Vibhavadi Rangsit highway, the road gradually disappears into a sea of filthy brown water -- floodwater from the north of Thailand that shows little sign of disappearing quickly. This is due in large part to a system of floodgates set up to protect the commercial center of the city and other key industrial areas by diverting the run-off to these parts. For almost a month, residents in outlying areas such as Rangsit and Lumlukka have been living in water that is often chest-high. Many defied government evacuation orders to protect their property, even if it meant being stranded with limited food and no clean running water. Read predictions that flooding would remain for weeks Romeo Romei, a local businessman, lost his house and is battling to save his factory, but he still manages to take a boat out each day with his friend Alex Stamp and cousin Duccio Lucchesi to distribute water, food and clothes to those in need. From his factory office in Rangsit, supplies donated by friends and family are sorted into rescue packs for men, women and children, while the factory workers man an array of water pumps -- some of them cannibalized swimming pool pumps -- around the clock, praying that the defensive wall they erected around the warehouse doesn't collapse. They are literally under siege from the water. Yet Romeo is concerned about the 10 families around the corner who have been forced to set up camp on the upper floors of a dilapidated industrial building nearby. Watch Romeo visiting families in a Rangsit warehouse Riding in the fully-laden dinghy across what was once the factory's car park, he explains what spurred him into action. "For the first few days after the floods we went about our business dealing with the factory. But soon we couldn't bear to see people suffering." He says the government is not helping these people, while aid agencies are nowhere to be seen around these flood-hit streets. "I saw one boat with around 10 packs of food, but there are thousands of people here," he said. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra laid out a three-point recovery plan, including immediate aid to those whose homes and businesses have been destroyed. Meanwhile, relief workers have been distributing aid to evacuation centers but face difficulties reaching residents who have decided to wait out the crisis in their homes. As we unload the supplies of eggs, fruit, rice and medicine at our destination, the conditions the families are living in is humbling. On the ground floor, children play in the same stagnant water that dogs defecate in, while the adults gather in their damp makeshift sleeping areas with what little they could salvage from their homes. However, the atmosphere is not depressing, especially since a year-old baby has taken his first steps in this unlikely setting. Romeo points out that Thais never complain and always have a smile on their faces. He contends this is because there is no expectation that anyone will be there to help them. Watch Romeo and friends boat down a road in Rangsit As the boat pushes off to find more people to help, we're immediately surrounded by people. Some are asking if we have water, while others are looking for diapers. No one seems greedy or aggressive. They paddle around in anything that will float, from polystyrene blocks to an old refrigerator, while small children swim about in "life jackets" made from empty plastic bottles strung together and stuffed into pieces of clothing. This, Alex says, is evidence of the Thai ability to improvise and adapt in adversity. Impact Your World: See how you can help An internet security consultant, Alex frequently has to field calls from clients on the boat. He says he even

Floodwaters from north Thailand show little sign of disappearing quickly . Residents in outlying areas have been living in water for almost a month . A factory owner is trying to keep floods out of his warehouse . He feels compelled to help stranded people nearby .

(CNN) -- Arsenal climbed to the top of the English Premier League with a 2-0 victory over London rivals West Ham despite playing half of Saturday's clash with only 10 men. Arsene Wenger's team moved a point above champions Manchester United, who host Liverpool on Sunday, while Chelsea dropped to third ahead of their trip to Blackburn. Carlo Ancelotti's side can join Arsenal on 67 points with victory in that game. Gianfranco Zola's West Ham team were left to rue a missed penalty as the defeat left them just three points above the relegation zone. Arsenal, who on Friday were handed a chance to avenge 2006's Champions League final defeat by Barcelona in the upcoming quarterfinals, took the lead after just five minutes in the rain at the Emirates Stadium. Brazil midfielder Denilson fired in a low shot for his sixth goal this season, having dispossessed Valon Behrami and then played a neat one-two on the edge of the area with striker Nicklas Bendtner. But Arsenal could not turn their dominance into further goals, and West Ham should have leveled just before halftime when Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen was sent off as his nudge in the back of Guillermo Franco saw the Mexico striker tumble in the box. But Alessandro Diamanti saw his penalty saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, and the hosts also escaped in the second half when substitute striker Carlton Cole saw his fierce low shot hit the outside of the post. Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas made the points safe on his return from injury five minutes after that with a penalty on 82, as England defender Matthew Upson paid the price for deliberately blocking the Spain midfielder's clever little flick with his arm. Tottenham consolidated fourth place with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at 10-man Stoke, as substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen came off the bench to put the London club ahead before Dean Whitehead was sent off and then helped set up Niko Kranjcar's 77th-minute winner. The on-loan Iceland forward netted just 18 seconds after halftime having come on for Roman Pavlyuchenko, who joined England striker Jermain Defoe on the injured list after suffering a hamstring problem in the first half. Whitehead went three minutes later for his second booking, but Stoke leveled on 64 as winger Matthew Etherington scored from the penalty spot against his former club after fullback Benoit Assou-Ekotto fouled striker Paul Kitson. Gudjohnsen's dummy allowed Croatia midfielder Kranjcar to put the Londoners four points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool, who will have played one more match after Sunday's trip to bitter North-West rivals United. The victory was doubly important for Tottenham after fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa had to come from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw with lowly Wolverhampton in the Midlands derby earlier on Saturday. John Carew put Villa ahead in the 16th minute despite appearing to be offside, and the Norway striker salvaged a point for the hosts with eight minutes remaining as he steered Steve Sidwell's low shot into the visitors' net for his 13th league goal this season. Wolves moved four points clear of the bottom three, but were denied a first win at Villa Park in 30 years despite Jody Craddock's bundled 23rd-minute equalizer and an own-goal from England international James Milner seven minutes before halftime. The result left Villa in seventh, having played one less game than Tottenham, equal on 50 points with Manchester City, who travel to Fulham on Sunday. Everton moved above Birmingham into eighth place with a 2-0 win at home to Bolton, who had Gretar Steinsson sent off in the 71st minute for bringing down Nigeria striker Yakubu. Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta fired in the resulting freekick and South Africa international Steven Pienaar wrapped up victory with a minute to go after Leon Osman hit the crossbar. Birmingham crashed 3-1 at Sunderland, who eased their relegation worries as England World Cup hopeful Darren Bent scored twice in the first 11 minutes to take his Premier League tally to 20 goals this season and 21 overall. Wigan moved seven points clear of the bottom three with a 1-0 win over Burnley, as Colombia striker Hugo Rodallega's 90th-minute header

Arsenal climb to top of English Premier League with 2-0 victory over London rivals West Ham . Relegation-threatened West Ham miss penalty after Thomas Vermaelen is sent off . Tottenham consolidate fourth place with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at 10-man Stoke . Fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa held to a 2-2 draw by lowly Wolverhampton .

(CNN) -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger can expect an apology from Premier League referees chief Keith Hackett following his dismissal in the closing seconds of Saturday's 2-1 English Premier League defeat to Manchester United. Arsene Wenger has to stand with Manchester United fans after being sent off at Old Trafford. League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan has spoken to Hackett about the Old Trafford incident which saw Wenger sent to the stands by referee Mike Dean on the advice of fourth official Lee Probert. And he has been told that Wenger will receive an apology from the Premier Game Match Officials Board which appoints officials to top-flight games in England. The Gunners manager caught Probert's attention when he kicked an empty water bottle down the touchline following a disallowed goal for Arsenal. There was then confusion as Wenger seemed unaware of where he was supposed to go -- moving first to the back of Arsenal dugout then starting to walk down the touchline as the whistle was blown. On the decision to penalize Wenger, Bevan said: "Although correct in 'law', it was completely out of context in the game and it was followed by the nonsense which followed over where Arsene Wenger should sit to watch the game." He added: "I've spoken to Keith Hackett and he fully recognizes the situation was an error and an apology will follow to Arsene Wenger. "Lee Probert totally failed to manage the situation and created a needless pressure point taking the focus away from the pitch in a big event with only a minute to go." Meanwhile, Arsenal's north London rivals Tottenham have suffered a setback with a serious injury to Croatia playmaker Luka Modric. The 23-year-old broke his leg in Saturday's 2-1 victory against Birmingham, which left the club second in the English Premier League after four wins from four. "X-rays have determined that Luka Modric sustained a fracture to his right fibula," said a statement on the official Spurs Web site. Tottenham did not indicate how long the midfielder would be sidelined, but he is likely to miss the home game against champions Manchester United and the trip to Chelsea which follow the upcoming international break. Croatia play England at Wembley on September 9 in a crucial World Cup qualifier.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to receive an apology from referee's chief . Wenger sent off in the closing seconds of the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United . Wenger kicked an empty water bottle down the touchline after disallowed goal . Tottenham's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric suffers a broken right leg .

(CNN) -- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on his team to continue their rejuvenated bid to win the English Premier League title in the wake of the horrific broken leg suffered by young midfielder Aaron Ramsey. The 19-year-old Wales international has been ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg in Saturday's 3-1 victory against Stoke City. The injury, caused by a challenge from Stoke's new England squad member Ryan Shawcross, brought back memories of the horror break suffered by Arsenal teammate Eduardo against Birmingham two years ago. Ramsey is seen as a star of the future, having impressed after making 29 appearances in his second season with the club. The Londoners battled back from 1-0 down at Stoke to move to within three points of leaders Chelsea, who had two players sent off in a 4-2 defeat at home to Manchester City on Saturday. Wenger believes his team can still win the title despite recent defeats to Chelsea and second-placed Manchester United. "It will be tight until the end," the Frenchman told the club's official Web site. "But this group is so strong mentally and have a unity, so this will give us one more reason to fight until the end and do it for him. "We had some other problems two years ago. But on Saturday we had a midfield of Nasri, Fabregas, Ramsey, Song, Eboue. They have an average of 20 or 21 years old. Up front, Bendtner is 21 years old. "At their age, to handle the game like they did is absolutely remarkable." Wenger's dedication to "the beautiful game" has often seen his team criticized for being "soft" but he said that he often tells his players off for not committing to tackles. "I encourage my players to play and be committed," he said. "I have a go at them when they don't put their foot in sometimes. "But as well, sometimes I nearly feel guilty to do that because when Aaron goes for the ball like he did on Saturday and gets done like he did, it is not an easy situation. "But the way I try to play the game, I believe, is the right way. When we don't win I get a lot of stick because of that way, but I still prefer to continue to play like that. "We will respect the game, the opponents and try to give pleasure to people who watch us."

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey ruled out for rest of season with badly-broken leg . The 19-year-old Wales international suffered injury in 3-1 victory at Stoke on Saturday . Manager Arsene Wenger calls on team to win English Premier League title in his honor . Third-placed Arsenal now within three points of leaders Chelsea, who lost at weekend .

(CNN) -- Arsenal moved to within three points of leaders Chelsea at the top of the English Premier League after Cesc Fabregas inspired them to a 2-0 victory at Bolton to spoil new manager Owen Coyle's first match in charge. Captain Fabregas produced an impressive display on his return from a hamstring injury and scored his 10th league goal of the season in the 28th minute after a neat one-two with Eduardo. His surging run then led to substitute and fellow-Spaniard Fran Merida scoring the second 12 minutes from time as former Wanderers player Coyle's reign at the Reebok Stadium got off to a losing start. With these two teams due to meet in the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, Arsene Wenger's side could well take over at the top of the table in the next few days. Bolton remain second from bottom, with Coyle having swapped one relegation battle with Burnley for another. Earlier in the day, Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen put the seal on his side's long-awaited return to winning ways as they overcame Fulham 2-0 at Ewood Park. Nelsen applied the finish to Benni McCarthy's 54th-minute free-kick to put Rovers within touching distance of their first three-point haul since November. Defender Chris Samba had earlier settled the home side's nerves with a fortuitous 24th-minute opener after he ricocheted home an attempted clearance by former Blackburn winger Damien Duff. In the day's other match, Aston Villa failed to cash in on slip-ups by their Champions League-chasing rivals after being held 0-0 at home by West Ham. Villa could have closed the gap on the top four after Manchester City, beaten at Everton, and Tottenham, held at home by Hull, both dropped points on Saturday. But a combination of a below-par performance and some fine saves by Robert Green meant they had to settle for their first goalless draw of the league campaign.

Arsenal move to within three points of Chelsea at the top of the English Premier League . Returning captain Cesc Fabregas scores one goal and makes the other in a 2-0 win at Bolton . The result spoils the debut of new Bolton manager Owen Coyle following his switch from Burnley .

(CNN) -- Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin became the first player to score four goals in a league game at Liverpool for 64 years but it was not enough to stop the Reds returning to the top of the Premier League after another 4-4 draw. Russian Arshavin hit four goals for the first time in his career in a dramatic eight-goal Anfield thriller. A week after crashing out of the Champions League 7-5 on aggregate after sharing eight goals in their quarterfinal second leg at Chelsea, Liverpool took their fans on another rollercoaster ride. A draw was going to be enough to take the Merseysiders above Manchester United -- they have two games in hand -- but it needed 90 minutes of drama before they edged ahead on goal difference. Russian striker Arshavin opened the scoring after 36 minutes and struck again after 67, 70 and 90 as Arsenal bounced back following their weekend FA Cup semifinal defeat. Fernando Torres, with a header after 49 minutes, and Yossi Benayoun (56) hit back after halftime before Arshavin sent Arsenal 3-2 ahead with 20 minutes left. Torres's second of the night after 72 hauled Rafael Benitez's side level two minutes later -- but it took Benayoun to salvage a draw for Liverpool in the third minute of time added on after that man Arshavin had hit number four after 90 minutes. It was the first time in his career that Arshavin had scored four in a match and he told Sky: "I liked the game but of course it's not good for the team...almost basketball." Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said of his Russian star: "His performance was outstanding. He had a quiet first half but when he comes into the game he is always very dangerous. He has personality and is a winner." Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez saw his team concede a quartet of sloppy goals but he could not fault their commitment to the cause. "You never know," he said of the Reds' dwindling hopes of overhauling United. "Today we made too many mistakes, but it's also very positive because the team showed character until the last minute." Benitez added: "They (United) had it (the advantage in the title race) before and they continue in the driving seat. We have to keep pushing and showed today we will fight until the last game."

Andrey Arshavin hits four goals as Arsenal draw 4-4 at Liverpool who go top . Arshavin opened scoring after 36 minutes and added more on 67, 70 and 90 . Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun replied with two goals apiece for Reds .

(CNN) -- Artillery shells slammed into a hospital Sunday in the northern Sri Lankan district of Mullaittivu, where civilians -- including a growing number of children -- are being treated as government forces and Tamil rebels continue to clash. A Sri Lankan soldier walks through Mullaittivu, the former military headquarters of the Tamil rebels. More than 200 civilians and at least 30 children have been injured in the last three days of fighting, a relief worker told CNN Sunday. "That is the absolute minimum (number of injured)," the aid worker, who did not want to be identified for fear of jeopardizing the work of relief organizations, said. Government officials are accusing aid organizations and foreign media of sensationalizing civilian casualties. "It looks as if it's convenient for certain agencies to exaggerate the numbers so that this can be converted to a humanitarian crisis in the public eye, " Secretary of Foreign Affairs Dr. Palitha Kohona told CNN. On Sunday, Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to "continue with the military offensive until we liberate the remaining area under LTTE (the rebel group) control," according to Sri Lanka's state-run news agency. Watch a report on civilians caught in fighting » A "handful" of United Nations staff are working around the clock to save a growing number of children caught in the crossfire, a U.N. spokesman said Saturday. Children as young as 4 months old were being treated in local hospitals for shrapnel injuries and other "wounds of war," spokesman James Elder told CNN. "There is just intense fighting in a small area where children and other civilians are," Elder said. "The space (where conflict is taking place) is shrinking and the fighting is augmenting." Thursday, U.N. aid workers rescued 50 critically injured children and 105 adults, he said. "We are trying to get as many people out of there as we can," Elder said. Humanitarian groups say as many as 250,000 unprotected civilians are trapped in the area. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised to allow safe passage to trapped civilians and urged the Tamil Tigers to promise the same. "We have declared a safe zone for civilians, the coordinates of which were announced by the security forces," Rajapaksa said on his government's Web site. "It is unfortunate that the (Tamil Tiger group) is exploiting this declared safe zone for civilians by placing their heavy artillery within the safe zone and using it as a launching pad to attack security forces and indiscriminately kill civilians." The fighting has created a "nightmarish" situation for civilians in the conflict zone, Elder said. An emerging shortage of humanitarian supplies and diminished access to clean water, sanitation, and food are compounding a crisis, he said. Sunday, Sri Lankan soldiers seized a key rebel stronghold in a surprise attack deep in Tamil held territory. Troops crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from Tamil fighters, according to the government-run news agency. The The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- commonly known as the Tamil Tigers -- have fought for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead.

Sri Lankan hospital hit by artillery shells . Children young as 4 months treated in local hospitals for shrapnel injuries . Aid workers rescue 50 critically injured children and 105 adults . Sri Lankan President has promised to allow safe passage to trapped civilians .

(CNN) -- Aruban authorities questioned Joran van der Sloot in the Netherlands about the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, the Aruban prosecutor's office said Friday. Joran van der Sloot awaits transfer from the Netherlands to Aruba in November. He later was released. It happened less than a week after a Dutch television program aired video footage showing the young man saying he was with the missing Alabama teenager when she died. During the two-hour interview with Aruban investigators, van der Sloot again denied any role in Holloway's vanishing, the prosecutor's office said in a written statement. Van der Sloot said that he was under the influence of marijuana when he was secretly videotaped saying that he was with Holloway when she died, and that he arranged for a friend to dump her body in the ocean, the statement said. On the video, which aired Sunday, van der Sloot also says that he wasn't sure Holloway was dead before a friend disposed of her body. Patrick van der Eem, a man who feigned friendliness toward van der Sloot, recorded the conversations on hidden cameras installed in the Range Rover he was driving, according to the report that aired Sunday. Watch how the video has renewed interest in the case » Shortly after the video was made public, an investigative judge said that enough evidence exists to reopen the inquiry against the Dutch college student, but denied a prosecution's request that van der Sloot be detained. Hans Mos, the Aruban prosecutor, is appealing that decision, and a three-judge panel will rule on it "after this weekend," Mos said. Watch Holloway's father say van der Sloot should 'come clean' » Earlier this week, Dutch authorities executed several search warrants at van der Sloot's current and former residences, a source close to the investigation said. They took a hard drive and a laptop computer, the source said. Van der Sloot's attorney, Joe Tacopina, told CNN that the video did not show a "confession" and said that van der Sloot is innocent. The college student is willing to answer "any questions" investigators ask, Tacopina said. Earlier this week, he told ABC that much of what was on the video is "easily disprovable based on corroborative evidence. ... The fact of the matter is he still is not responsible. The evidence -- not Joran, the evidence -- says he's not responsible for Natalee's death." Holloway, 18, was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving an Oranjestad, Aruba, nightclub with van der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe and his brother, Satish. Mos dropped charges against the three men in December, saying he couldn't be sure of a conviction. See a timeline of the case » Holloway was visiting Aruba with about 100 classmates celebrating their graduation from Mountain Brook High School in suburban Birmingham, Alabama. Holloway failed to show up for her flight home the following day, and her packed bags were found in her hotel room. E-mail to a friend CNN's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report.

The two-hour interview takes place in the Netherlands . Joran van der Sloot again denies any role in Natalee Holloway's disappearance . Says he was under the influence of marijuana when he was secretly videotaped . Footage shows van der Sloot saying he was with Holloway when she died .

(CNN) -- As "The Dark Knight's" crusading District Attorney Harvey Dent vigorously tries to combat Gotham City's crime spree, he quotes the old saying: "The night is always darkest before the dawn." The late Heath Ledger plays the Joker in "The Dark Knight," a performance already garnering raves. But the dawn may have been the brightest time for "The Dark Knight," which was scheduled to have about 3,000 late-night showings, including almost 100 showings at 3 and 6 a.m. Friday, according to Fandango.com spokesman Harry Medved. Medved said he couldn't remember the last time there were more than two or three such showings in the middle of the night -- usually in New York or Los Angeles. "Isn't that when people are just thinking about waking up and going to Starbucks?" Medved asked. "I predict coffee sales will increase tomorrow." With the film's running time of two and a half hours, Medved is declaring "The Dark Knight's" opening day Dark Friday, predicting that attendance at work could be dramatically down. During a survey given to people who buy tickets through Fandango.com, 38 percent of those who are working said they would be taking either some time or the day off to see the movie. According to MovieTickets.com, "Dark Knight" sold out more than 150 performances in Los Angeles and New York alone. The midnight show times were not just for major movie centers, either. Medved said cities such as Fresno, California; Orlando, Florida; and towns in Minnesota are hosting early-morning showings. Enthusiasts showed up in groups, some dressed head to toe in costume to celebrate the movie's release. The midnight showing at the 428-seat Henry Ford IMAX theater in Detroit sold out in less than a week, according to the Detroit Free Press. One group attending the showing, which was preceded by a costume party, showed up with a homemade version of the Batmobile and outfits representing nearly every major Batman character. The film also opened Thursday in Australia and Wednesday in Taiwan. It will be released in Japan on August 9. See when the film is opening around the world "The Dark Knight" has risen to second place on Fandango.com's all-time list of advance tickets sales, second only to "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith." "The Dark Knight" tickets represent 94 percent of Fandango's sales, Medved said. Interest is high at IMAX theaters, too, especially because six film sequences were shot with IMAX cameras. And it's not just the movie business that were looking to cash in on the blockbuster. Corporate America hopes to capitalize on the hype, too, with Dominos offering a Gotham City pizza and Comcast showing behind-the-scenes movie footage and interviews with the cast and filmmakers via its On Demand service. As fans left the midnight screenings, the hype surrounding the movie has only continued to build. The film is even earning Oscar buzz, thanks to the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Moviegoers purchasing tickets on Fandango echoed those sentiments, with 53 percent saying his performance was their main motivation for seeing the film. Ledger's performance has been hailed as "indelible" (Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan), "powerful" (The Washington Post's Stephen Hunter, in an overall mixed review) and "mesmerizing" (CNN.com's Tom Charity); clips of his character have dominated the movie's marketing campaign. See how Ledger made the joker his own » His absence was conspicuous Monday at the New York premiere, his co-stars noted. "He should be here, shouldn't he? Because this is his big moment; because he is the most amazing thing in the picture," said Michael Caine, who plays Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred. "And it's not because he's dead or something and everyone's concentrating on him. He would have been the most amazing thing in the picture anyway." Caine also praised the late actor's commitment to immersing

"The Dark Knight" will open with about 3,000 late-night shows . Fandango.com: Movie will have almost 100 shows at 3 and 6 a.m. Friday . Cast praises Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker .

(CNN) -- As 2010 draws to a close, we who report on the ever-evolving digital space have been given the perfect backdrop for looking back at the year that was and the year ahead. In a year full of gray -- think of the debate over whether Facebook and WikiLeaks are forces for good or evil -- two high-profile attempts to make things black and white bubbled to the surface in the past few weeks: the federal government's rules on access to internet service and its proposed "do not track" registry for online advertising. Both represent a significant shift in thinking about the internet, even if the results for the average American aren't immediately obvious. For starters, an internet version of the "do not call list" for telemarketers would seem to destroy the holy grail that online publishers and advertisers have sought since the early days of the Web: advertising directly targeted to individual consumers' behavior. Although marketers have long used cookies to track your Web surfing, recent innovations have given them a whole new level of precision. Facebook's "like" button -- derided this year as a major privacy infraction because it exposes you and your preferences not just to friends but to advertisers -- has been installed on more than 2 million Web sites, with tens of thousands more adding it daily. Geolocation services like Foursquare, in their infancy a year ago, now track the whereabouts of millions of users. With smartphones growing ubiquitous and location-aware applications of all kinds becoming commonplace, advertising that knows both where you are and what you like is very much a reality. Most advertisers and publishers do allow users to opt out of such targeting, but the Federal Trade Commission believes that simpler, more transparent options are needed. The devil is in the details here: Opt-outs on obscure Web pages or hidden browser menus won't help consumers much, but in-your-face requirements that encourage more users to take their privacy more seriously may pose a huge problem to some of the Web's most promising companies. Information and how it travels are also central to "net neutrality," the buzzword for unrestricted access to internet services and content. Rules passed this month by the Federal Communications Commission probably won't much alter the way you use the internet, but they pose interesting questions. For starters, as an internet regulator, would the FCC have the authority -- through its new relationship with internet service providers -- to block a site like WikiLeaks, which posts information potentially harmful to government interests? Thus far, we've seen the private sector self-regulate by cutting off services to WikiLeaks, but the new FCC-ISP dynamic could create intriguing (frightening?) scenarios down the road as WikiLeaks intensifies its document dumps, which seems likely. Other internet issues that seized our attention in 2010 are at least tangentially related to this debate. A largely unregulated internet has created knowledge and wealth, but it's also long provided a medium for predatory, abusive and bullying behavior. Concern over this came to a head this year, with social networking services taking heat for their role in cyberbullying. Perhaps the most prominent example of internet harassment came in September, when Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi committed suicide after a video stream set up without his knowledge showed his sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room. Although prosecution of cyberbullies falls out of the FCC's jurisdiction, provisions in the net neutrality rules, such as the ability for businesses that provide internet access (like coffee shops and bookstores) to block content as they see fit, have the potential to cut off a readily available source of the anonymity that bullying thrives on. Of course, blocking access to the likes of Facebook and Twitter has negative repercussions too, especially as more consumers turn to these services both for communication and to share news and information. But like much of what went on in 2010, that's still a gray area, too. The reality of the year ahead probably falls somewhere between doomsday scenarios and an internet that continues to evolve for both consumers and big business. Information is coming of

Adam Ostrow says 2010 brought gray areas such as WikiLeaks and privacy issues . He says new rules on internet access and proposed "do not track" registry loom . These raise issues for new year of who gains, cedes control on the internet, he says . Ostrow: Consumer, business control, privacy, bullying are key in evolving information age .

(CNN) -- As Apple enthusiasts speculate over why pancreatic cancer survivor Steve Jobs won't appear at Macworld Conference & Expo this year, the CEO asks them to think differently about his health. Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivered keynote addresses in September 2008, left, and in October 2005, right. Addressing the "Apple Community" in a statement, Jobs said his doctors think they have found the reason behind his weight loss: "a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis." But doctors unaffiliated with Jobs' care say this "hormone imbalance" could be a symptom of a slew of underlying conditions, including cancer or diabetes. However, any diagnosis based on this description and Jobs' cancer history is purely speculative, experts say. Based on Jobs' history of gastrointestinal problems, it's possible his gastrointestinal system either isn't absorbing proteins or is losing proteins, said Dr. Kenneth Burman, director of Endocrinology at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, who is not involved in caring for Jobs. "I suspect he's referring to his gastrointestinal system and some of the hormones related to that, rather than more classic endocrine hormones," which are associated with the thyroid, adrenal or pituitary glands, Burman said. While abnormalities related to those hormones may also lead to weight loss, they are not necessarily associated with pancreatic disease, he said. There is not enough information available to say how severe a gastrointestinal hormonal problem would be, he said. Others speculate the hormonal issue could relate to his cancer. Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, clinical professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center, said a tumor in the pancreas would typically create an overproduction of hormones. Glucagon, a hormone produced in the pancreas, would lead to weight loss if produced in excess. "In a patient whom a few years ago had pancreatic cancer, then progressive weight loss, then develops complications from the weight loss, it would be logical to associate his symptoms now with the previous cancer," he said. But the weight loss is not necessarily cancer-related, and Jobs' statement suggests that it's not, said Dr. Andrew Lowy, chief of the division of surgical oncology at the University of California, San Diego's Moores Cancer Center. Plenty of hormonal conditions, as well as diabetes related to cancer treatment, could be the reason, he said. Jobs, who co-founded Apple Inc., first learned he had pancreatic cancer in October 2003. He had been getting abdominal scans because of a history of intestinal problems, and a tumor appeared on one of them, Fortune reported last year. The growth was an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of pancreatic cancer that is operable, Fortune reported. While Jobs initially wanted to treat the tumor with a special diet and alternative therapies, he finally underwent a Whipple procedure, a painful but relatively safe operation, in July 2004, Fortune reported. If Jobs had a recurrence of this tumor, and it was a functional neuroendocrine tumor, which produces problem-causing hormones, that would be one speculative explanation, Lowy said. But not enough information is available to say whether the tumor was the functional kind, he said. "Is it possible that a cancer recurrence would result in weight loss? Of course. He's saying that's not what he has, and so, I have to take him at his word. None of us know the truth except his doctors," Lowy said. Rumors about Jobs' declining health have been circulating for months, as his weight visibly dropped from one public appearance to the next. While Jobs' keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo is usually the highlight of the Apple fan gathering, Apple announced in December Jobs would not appear this year and the company would no longer participate in the event after 2009. CNN's Danielle Dellorto contributed to this report.

Doctors: Jobs' "hormone imbalance" could refer to several health conditions . Cancer recurrence could explain weight loss . Hormonal imbalance related to thyroid, pituitary or adrenal glands also possible . Jobs will not appear at Macworld this year .

(CNN) -- As Democratic and Republican presidential candidates scour the country for votes during the 2008 campaign, they'll inevitably court the Hispanic community, a voting group growing rapidly in number and diversity. Some Democratic presidential candidates pose before a debate sponsored by Univision. The Republican debate was postponed after only one candidate agreed to attend, a development which troubled some party leaders. The Hispanic vote is neither homogenous nor loyal to one party. Though the current political moment seems to favor the Democratic Party, experts say that affinity should not be taken for granted. The Hispanic community is the fastest-growing minority group in the United States, according to the U.S. census. But its percentage of the electorate is lower than its numbers as a whole because of lower citizenship rates, less voter participation and a youthful demographic. Of the nation's more than 44 million people of Hispanic origin, about a third are too young to vote. But all that's changing. Before the midterm elections in 2006, the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based think-tank, estimated more than 17 million Hispanics would be eligible to vote in that election. The number represented a 7 percent increase from 2004. The Hispanic share of the U.S. electorate increased from 8.2 percent to 8.6 percent during the same period, Pew estimated. That percentage may grow even more by 2008 as a result of citizenship drives, get-out-the-vote campaigns and the natural growth of the community. Univision, the Spanish-language broadcast giant, has thrown its considerable weight behind a citizenship drive this year. "We feel that empowering our audience is good for Hispanics and the country," Univision President Ray Rodriguez told the Wall Street Journal in May 2007, adding that it was "a totally nonpartisan effort." Organizations such as the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, or NALEO, are also mobilizing the vote. "We have spearheaded a massive naturalization campaign and close to, I think, a million applications will have been submitted this fiscal year," said NALEO's executive director, Arturo Vargas. The change in the electorate could play a significant role in possible swing states like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida during the 2008 election. There's a reason the Democratic Party decided to hold its presidential convention in Denver, experts said. "I don't think it's really registered with people just how influential the Latino vote can be in some of these state primaries," Vargas said. The Hispanic vote has historically been aligned with the Democratic Party, an allegiance established during the administrations of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, said Harry Pachon of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute. That political alignment was further cemented when Proposition 187 -- designed to deny health care, education and welfare benefits to illegal immigrants -- was pushed by Republicans and passed in California in 1994. But the Republican Party, intent on gaining more Hispanic voters, made inroads during the early parts of this decade, culminating in the 2004 presidential campaign by President Bush. Exit polls showed he carried 40 to 44 percent of the Hispanic vote, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. "There are a lot of issues that Latinos agree with Republican philosophy," Pachon said, pointing to the GOP stances on entrepreneurship, fiscal policies, its appeal to Hispanic evangelicals and its policies toward Cuba. But the heated immigration debate, when many congressional Republicans disagreed with President Bush over granting a path toward citizenship for many illegal immigrants, may erode those gains. "The Republicans are really caught between a rock and a hard place," Pachon said. They must balance the interests of a segment of their constituency that is very anti-immigrant with the interests of a "Latino voter that is affluent and middle class, who can theoretically be reached by Republican Party principles," he said. It is little wonder then, that among Republican presidential candidates, only Arizona Sen. John McCain agreed to appear at an Univision debate scheduled for mid-September. The debate didn't happen. All but one of the

Political observers: Hispanic voters as diverse as wider community . Grassroots efforts under way to increase Hispanic citizenship . Hispanic vote could play significant role in 2008 swing states .

(CNN) -- As European consumers shift their drinking habits away from bars and into their homes, industry giants such as Heineken are looking at ways to adapt. Beer sales in bars and restaurants - traditionally the primary outlets for the Dutch brewer's products - have fallen sharply across the continent in recent years. As a result, Heineken recorded a 4.6% drop in sales in 2010, down to €7.89 billion ($11.3 billion). Didier Debrosse, president of Heineken's Western Europe division, is now looking for way to reflect consumer's changing needs as the company looks to arrest the drop. He has helped to implement a strategy he hopes will align the brewing giant with the demands of modern European consumers. A key component of the transition so far has seen Heineken move away from its traditional focus on bars and restaurants as primary points of sale. A series of partnerships and promotions with supermarkets such as France's Carrefour have been established - providing direct access to the home consumer market. Initial results of the link up are promising. Heineken recorded sales 3% higher at Carrefour stores than at any other outlet in the last year. The key is products which are easier to consume at home, such as a can to drink on the terrace, or a bottle to have with a meal. The aim, Debrosse said, is "to cover all the consumer moments." Debrosse is careful, however to maintain a long term definition of success. "It is a journey," he says. "It takes time to build a brand." CNN's Eoghan Macguire contributed to this report

Beer sales in European bars and restaurants have fallen sharply in recent years . Heineken recorded a 4.6% drop in sales in 2010 . The Dutch brewer has a new strategy it hopes will appeal to European consumers .

(CNN) -- As Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial proceedings got under way Monday, the embattled Illinois governor hit the media circuit, answering questions about Oprah, foul language and why he isn't resigning. Gov. Blagojevich appeared on CNN's Larry King Live Monday night. Blagojevich appeared Monday on ABC's "Good Morning America" and "The View," and gave his first live prime-time interview on CNN's "Larry King Live." "I'm not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell President Obama's former Senate seat, told King. "I'm entitled to a presumption of innocence." Blagojevich also further explained comments that he channeled major political figures who overcame adversity as he was being arrested. "I've been criticized for this, but I'm not comparing myself to Dr. King or Nelson Mandela or Mahatma Gandhi, but I tried to reach in to history and imagine some inspiring figures that would have gone through something like I was going through for sustenance and inspiration." Blagojevich also said that he looks forward to the day when he can tell his story in full, rather than people judging him by snippets of conversation released to the media. Watch Blagojevich tell Larry King he's done nothing wrong » The governor said he is the victim of political enemies who want to raise taxes in Illinois. "Snippets of conversations out of full context is unfair," Blagojevich told CNN. "If the full context, all of the tapes are heard, you hear the story of someone trying to make decisions and maneuver for the best intentions of the people of Illinois." However, Blagojevich said he has not listened to the tapes in their entirety. He addressed the news that his lead attorney, Ed Jenson, is leaving his defense team. "Look, I think lawyers like that want you to simply say nothing, and I'm champing at the bit, dying to show my innocence." Blagojevich said his legal fees will be paid through campaign funds. Blagojevich did say he looked forward to calling witnesses -- including White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois; and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- who had conversations with him about who should replace Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illinois. Blagojevich maintained the goal of the conversations was to get the best senator for the people of Illinois. "There was a lot of exchanging of ideas, asking questions, exploring options -- including Oprah Winfrey -- but never, not ever did I have any intention of violating any criminal law," Blagojevich said. "Never was this about selling any Senate seat for any kind of personal gain." On both of his ABC appearances and on CNN, Blagojevich explained why talk-show host Oprah Winfrey was a contender to fill Barack Obama's former Senate seat. "I was trying to think outside of the box. The idea came to me from a friend who suggested Oprah -- it wasn't my idea," Blagojevich told CNN. "I threw it around in conversation with senior staff and political advisers, who were all involved in this whole adventure we're on. "And among the things we talked about was the, you know, the unlikelihood she would be interested in it, because she has a bully pulpit that's worldwide and more influence that U.S. senators combined -- all 100 of them." Winfrey said that she had no idea she was under consideration. She said she found out from best friend Gayle King, who called to tell her on Monday morning. Watch Oprah's reaction » Winfrey said she was "amused by the whole thing" but would have turned down the proposal had it been made. Blagojevich also said he was worried about how to present the offer to Winfrey without it looking like a gimmick. The governor said the talks never got to that point "partly because I was interrupted on December 9." Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested then on federal corruption charges, including allegations that the governor

NEW: Governor says taking "snippets of conversations out of full context is unfair" Blagojevich says he channeled MLK, Gandhi, Mandela during arrest . Governor says he considered Oprah Winfrey to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat . Blagojevich says resigning would be "worst thing I could do"

(CNN) -- As Haitians struggle to recover from the devastation of Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake, mental health experts caution that the most severe psychological effects won't take form until individuals' situations stabilize. Feelings of confusion, fear, agitation, grief and anger that surround a large-scale traumatic event such as the Haiti earthquake give way to more pronounced psychological disorders once people's basic human needs are taken care of, experts say. "Once the initial resources are in, when actually most people are going to start feel out of danger, is when the psychological aftereffects are going to hit people," said Dr. Daniella David, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. "People need to ask for help when that happens." In the immediate short-term period after a large-scale traumatic event, people are concerned primarily with self-preservation and taking care of family and friends, said Dr. Sandro Galea, chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. These people experience acute stress and anxiety, which is taken up by trying to fulfill the immediate physical needs. There is a normal and immediate stress response that comes with an event that causes damage to homes and infrastructure and loss of family members, David said. Haiti has the potential for higher rates of mental illness and a slower recovery after this episode because the population is already strained from weak social and economic supports, Galea said. In those conditions, they may already be predisposed to developing mental illness irrespective of the earthquake itself, he said. View or add to CNN's database of missing persons in Haiti The stress of the disaster situation, combined with the potential predisposition toward stress disorders, could lead to an extreme emotional reaction, but that does not mean these factors predict any kind of violent or other extreme behavior, said Joan Cook, assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University, in an e-mail. "I'd say that if the rate of psychological problems turns out similar to previous severe natural disasters in other economically disadvantaged countries, as many as 50 percent or more could suffer in the short-term from clinically significant distress," she said. When disaster victims have information about their situation, they tend to make rational decisions and tend to the immediate needs of themselves and those close to them, Galea said. There is little evidence of widespread panic in those cases, he said, but there is a danger of misinformation. "People can accept uncertainty, as long as they are brought into the uncertainty and told what central authorities do know, and also what central authorities don't know," he said. "It's critically important that there is information that comes out centrally from a single source." To assist at the early stage, the most important thing to do immediately after a disaster -- for example, at this moment in Haiti -- is to try to help with basic needs such as shelter and food, David said. In terms of psychological support, studies of natural disasters show that people should be moved to safety and informed that the immediate danger is over, something that has unfortunately been difficult to do in Haiti, she said. About a month after a disaster occurs, once the immediate physical needs are addressed, symptoms of mental illness begin to coalesce into specific conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, Galea said. PTSD in particular can last years after the event in a substantial portion of people, he said. The response varies. Some people may become fearful and develop panic attacks, while others experience sadness that turns into depression, and still others have an acute stress reaction that leads to PTSD or another stress disorder, David said. The high rates of mental illness in a population that has experienced a traumatic event go down over time, depending on how various problems in the area are resolved, Galea said. "The extent to which we are able to assist people in rebuilding their lives becomes a tremendously important driver of whether or not the psychopathology that is caused by the trauma

After initial shock of tragedy wanes, other mental issues arise, experts say . World Bank: Life expectancy in Haiti is 61 years; U.S. is 78 . Expert: The Haitian population is already strained from weak social and economic supports . There is a danger of rumors spreading, leading people to make bad decisions .

(CNN) -- As Hayden Henshaw was being rushed to the doctor's office after becoming ill, his father heard that his son's classmates had been struck with the deadly swine flu virus like the one sweeping through Mexico. Swine flu commonly affects pigs and occasionally infects people in contact with pigs. Patrick Henshaw called his wife immediately to have Hayden checked for it. Later, they received the bad news. Hayden had become the third confirmed case of swine flu at his Texas high school. It is a virus that has killed 68 people in Mexico and infected at least eight people in the United States. Health officials arrived at the Henshaws' house Friday and drew blood from the whole family, then told them to stay inside and away from the public, Henshaw told CNN. The whole family is quarantined indefinitely, according to CNN-affiliate KABB. Henshaw said his family was shocked when they got the news about their son. "Stunned. My wife was having a panic attack," Henshaw told the affiliate. U.S. health officials have expressed concern about U.S. cases of a swine flu virus that has similar characteristics to the fatal virus in Mexico. More than 1,000 people have fallen ill in Mexico City in a short period of time, U.S. health experts said. "This situation has been developing quickly," Richard Besser, acting director of the Atlanta, Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Friday. "This is something we are worried about." Besser said all of the eight U.S. patients have recovered. Watch for more on the U.S. cases » New York health officials said Friday they were testing about 75 students at a school in New York City for swine flu after the students exhibited flu-like symptoms this week. A team of state health department doctors and staff went to the St. Francis Preparatory School in the borough of Queens on Thursday after the students reported cough, fever, sore throat, aches and pains. Test results are expected as early as Saturday. The new virus has genes from North American swine influenza, avian influenza, human influenza and a form of swine influenza normally found in Asia and Europe, said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's Influenza Division. Swine flu is caused by a virus similar to a type of flu virus that infects people every year but is a strain typically found only in pigs -- or in people who have direct contact with pigs. There have, however, been cases of person-to-person transmission of swine flu, the CDC said. CNN's David Alsup contributed to this report.

Texas teen is one of eight in U.S. diagnosed with swine flu . Teen's family ordered to stay away from public . Dozens in Mexico have died from same strain of swine flu found in U.S. Officials say new strain has resisted some antiviral drugs .

(CNN) -- As Iraqi officials speak loftily of ethnic and political reconciliation, Abu Wissam seethes. In April 2006, two Iraqis mourn a relative slain in sectarian violence in the city of Falluja. He wants cold, hard justice for the killers of his son, Raed, a 25-year-old business school graduate, "cut to pieces" by Mehdi Army militia members in their Baghdad neighborhood. The Wissams are among the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis caught in the maelstrom of the militia violence that rippled across Iraq after the 2006 bombing in Samarra of the Askariya Mosque, a Shiite shrine. The kind of trauma and pain endured by the Wissam family is kindling an interest in a social healing process adopted by countries around the world -- truth commissions. They are bodies across the globe that have provided a forum for victims and perpetrators to give cathartic public testimony on human rights abuses and come up with policy recommendations to correct the root cause of the abuses. "Iraq, like many Arab cultures, is an intensely rich narrative culture," said Miranda Sissons, Iraq director of the International Center for Transitional Justice, which helps countries pursuing accountability for past mass atrocities and human rights abuses. "The idea of standing up and witnessing is tremendously appealing, the kind of act and mechanism they can understand." Watch how the "business of death" continues to thrive » The U.S. Institute of Peace -- one of the independent agencies behind the all-important Iraq Study Group report in 2006 -- is backing an initiative in Iraq to generate understanding and "spark public dialogue on the usefulness of the truth commission process." The institute is teaming up with Iraq's Ministry of Human Rights to screen a USIP film across Iraq about the work of four different commissions. Called "Confronting The Truth: Truth Commissions and Societies in Transition," the film -- produced by York Zimmerman and Peter Ackerman -- explores the workings of such commissions in South Africa, Peru, Morocco and East Timor. The film is getting some good reviews among Iraqis. "The truth commission process is one in which you encourage folks to directly confront that past and how to get behind it," said Sermid Al-Sarraf, the executive director of the International Institute for the Rule of Law, a group that manages USIP's rule of law programs in Iraq. Truth commissions and other conflict-resolution strategies have been on Iraq's radar for years. Oral history projects have emerged, one being the Iraq History Project -- which "gathers and analyzes personal narratives from victims, their families, witnesses, perpetrators and others" about the "torture, massacres, assassinations, rape, chemical weapons attacks, disappearances, and other acts of systematic repression" during the Saddam Hussein regime. That project is managed by the International Human Rights Law Institute of DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and is run by an all-Iraqi in-country staff. Last year, Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari's Crisis Management Initiative and a conflict-resolution initiative at the University of Massachusetts Boston were behind an effort to forge the so-called Helsinki agreement -- a statement of reconciliation principles among a wide range of Iraqi politicians. That process was notable because former antagonists in Northern Ireland and South Africa worked with the Iraqis. Padraig O'Malley, a UMass conflict-resolution professor involved in the Helsinki process, is planning a three-day forum in April for "divided cities," where officials from ethnically tense Kirkuk in Iraq will discuss common problems with officials from Derry/Londonderry and Belfast in Northern Ireland, Nicosia in Cyprus, and Mitrovica in Kosovo. The International Center for Transitional Justice says Coalition Provisional Authority officials initially proposed a "truth-seeking commission" for Iraq in 2003 but eventually decided to "delay the process" in order for Iraqis to rigorously study other truth-telling efforts, as advocated by the center. In 2005, the center also discussed the establishment of a center for the missing and disappeared. As for truth commissions today, some observers say there hasn't been the political will on the part of the national government to pursue one.

Relatives of slain Iraqis struggle with feelings of grief, revenge . Truth commissions provide forums for victims to be heard, perpetrators to testify . Process lets participants "directly confront" the past . Truth commissions could lead to other societal improvements, backers say .

(CNN) -- As Michael Jackson fans and the media pour into Los Angeles, California, for what could be the most widely watched memorial of all time, an obvious question remains: Where will he be laid to rest? Bette Davis is among the notables buried at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn park. Although the Jackson family hasn't made an official statement, all signs seem to point toward Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, the not-for-profit organization that has buried a vast number of Hollywood's notables. Forest Lawn officials were working with the Jackson family on their plans, which were part of "a package" of events Tuesday, said Jim McDonnell, assistant chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday. His comments, however, did not answer questions about where or when Jackson would be buried. There is speculation that the burial will be at Forest Lawn's Glendale location, but the media are swarming around the Hollywood Hills memorial park, located right off the freeway behind Disney Studios. Tito Jackson's ex-wife, Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson, is believed to be buried there. Forest Lawn Memorial is the first stop tourists make in search of the crypts of Hollywood greats. Numerous books and Web sites such as findagrave.com and seeing-stars.com claim to have insider knowledge about celebrity grave locations on the properties, but Forest Lawn is unrelentingly secretive about who, exactly, is entombed in its parks. "We hold the privacy of our client families in very high regard," said Bill Martin, spokesman for the Glendale location, which is considered the "mother lode" for celebrity grave hunters. "There are certain areas and property types that have limited access." The tombs of Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart and Jean Harlow are in locked areas not accessible to the general public, according to findagrave.com. With that kind of commitment to privacy, it's understandable why Jackson, known for being reclusive, might be buried there. Avid grave hunter Lisa Burks, who frequents both the Glendale and Hollywood Hills parks, said she wouldn't be surprised if Jackson were to be buried at either location. Burks was first drawn to Forest Lawn Glendale because of its artwork and statuary, but once she found out that celebrities were "buried with the regular people," she said, she began to grave hunt. "We leave flowers and take pictures," Burks said of her time at famous graves. "It's the way of remembering someone who made a difference, who cheered me up when I was a kid or entertained me. With Michael Jackson ... if he ends up at a cemetery, I'll definitely go and take flowers. They feel like a member of the family, so you treat them like a member of the family." Even if you can't find a way to see your favorite celebrity's crypt, Los Angeles residents said that just stepping foot in the park is an experience in itself. "I know for some people cemeteries can be intimidating or just where you go to mourn. But at Forest Lawn, it isn't sad; it's really a beautiful place," said Beth Zeigler, an Echo Park, California, professional who frequents the park's museum. But if you call any of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuaries a cemetery, you would be remiss. There are certainly graves behind the Glendale park's majestic wrought-iron gates, but that's where the similarities end. Amid its 300 acres, the park has three churches, replicas of all of Michelangelo's works and a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in stained glass. Instead of above-ground tombstones, the park uses flat, engraved markers for grave sites, so from afar all you can see are grassy hills. The memorial park draws over a million visitors each year, including 70,000 who come to get married. Built in 1906 as a traditional cemetery, Forest Lawn was revamped by Dr. Hubert Eaton in 1917. Like Jackson, Eaton was "an icon [of his] time,"

Will Jackson be buried among other stars at a Forest Lawn location? The not-for-profit group's strict regulations about privacy would match Jackson's life . Sammy Davis Jr. and Humphrey Bogart buried there, among other stars .

(CNN) -- As Michael Jackson fans and the media pour into Los Angeles, California, for what could be the most widely watched memorial of all time, an obvious question remains: Where will he be laid to rest? Bette Davis is among the notables buried at the Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn park. Although the Jackson family hasn't made an official statement, all signs seem to point toward Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, the organization that has buried a vast number of Hollywood's notables. On Monday, sources told CNN that Jackson's relatives will hold a private gathering at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Los Angeles Tuesday morning ahead of a massive public service. The gathering is scheduled for 8 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) -- two hours before a memorial service at the Staples Center arena downtown. Cemetery officials have not commented on the matter. Sunday, Jim McDonnell, assistant chief of staff of the Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday, said Forest Lawn officials were working with the Jackson family on their plans, which were part of "a package" of events Tuesday. His comments, however, did not answer questions about where or when Jackson would be buried. There is speculation that the burial will be at Forest Lawn's Glendale location, but the media have been swarming around the Hollywood Hills memorial park, located right off the freeway behind Disney Studios. Tito Jackson's ex-wife, Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson, is believed to be buried there. Forest Lawn Memorial is the first stop tourists make in search of the crypts of Hollywood greats. Numerous books and Web sites such as findagrave.com and seeing-stars.com claim to have insider knowledge about celebrity grave locations on the properties, but Forest Lawn is unrelentingly secretive about who, exactly, is entombed in its parks. "We hold the privacy of our client families in very high regard," said Bill Martin, spokesman for the Glendale location, which is considered the "mother lode" for celebrity grave hunters. "There are certain areas and property types that have limited access." The tombs of Sammy Davis Jr., Humphrey Bogart and Jean Harlow are in locked areas not accessible to the general public, according to findagrave.com. With that kind of commitment to privacy, it's understandable why Jackson, known for being reclusive, might be buried there. Avid grave hunter Lisa Burks, who frequents both the Glendale and Hollywood Hills parks, said she wouldn't be surprised if Jackson were to be buried at either location. Burks was first drawn to Forest Lawn Glendale because of its artwork and statuary, but once she found out that celebrities were "buried with the regular people," she said, she began to grave hunt. "We leave flowers and take pictures," Burks said of her time at famous graves. "It's the way of remembering someone who made a difference, who cheered me up when I was a kid or entertained me. With Michael Jackson ... if he ends up at a cemetery, I'll definitely go and take flowers. They feel like a member of the family, so you treat them like a member of the family." Even if you can't find a way to see your favorite celebrity's crypt, Los Angeles residents said that just stepping foot in the park is an experience in itself. "I know for some people cemeteries can be intimidating or just where you go to mourn. But at Forest Lawn, it isn't sad; it's really a beautiful place," said Beth Zeigler, an Echo Park, California, professional who frequents the park's museum. But if you call any of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuaries a cemetery, you would be remiss. There are certainly graves behind the Glendale park's majestic wrought-iron gates, but that's where the similarities end. Amid its 300 acres, the park has three churches, replicas of all of Michelangelo's works and a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in stained glass. Instead of above-ground tombstones, the park uses flat, engraved markers for grave

Will Jackson be buried among other stars at a Forest Lawn location? The not-for-profit group's strict regulations about privacy would match Jackson's life . Sammy Davis Jr. and Humphrey Bogart buried there, among other stars .

(CNN) -- As Occupy Wall Street demonstrates its staying power, media increasingly portray it favorably. Because of its success, the movement is being asked to put forth a list of its demands. So far, members have said no. And well they should. The refusal of Occupy Wall Street to tie itself down with an agenda that can be debated piecemeal is one of its great strengths. The decision allows Occupy Wall Street to remain a cri de coeur for all who believe they have lost ground over the last decade. In choosing this strategy, Occupy Wall Street is doing more than defying expectations. It is linking itself with the best of 1960s America. Fifty years ago in his 1961 Inaugural Address, President John F. Kennedy declared that the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans. A year later, in its Port Huron Statement of 1962, the group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), took Kennedy's generational declaration a step further, insisting that the time had come for America to make a new commitment to social justice. For SDS, an organization dominated by college and graduate students, participatory democracy was a version of Occupy Wall Street's horizontal democracy, and to look back at SDS's Port Huron Statement is to see why Occupy Wall Street activists should feel confident about the path they have chosen. The Port Huron Statement was often maddeningly vague. But like Occupy Wall Street's chant, "We are the 99 percent," the Port Huron Statement left no doubt about the all-inclusive equality SDS sought. As Kirkpatrick Sale has written in his definitive history "SDS: The Rise and Development of the Students for a Democratic Society," the organization both captured and shaped the spirit of the new student mood. "America rests in national stalemate" was the underlying premise of the Port Huron Statement. SDS believed the "decline of utopia and hope" was the defining feature of the American political landscape in the early '60s, and its task was to search for "truly democratic alternatives." SDS members had, they believed, grown up when America was the wealthiest and strongest country in the world, and they saw themselves struggling with the complacency such power produced. SDS did not underestimate the difficulty of overcoming the problems it faced. At a time when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was still years away and the fall of the Berlin Wall was impossible to imagine, SDS was concerned not only with the questions of economic equality but the entrenched racism of the South and the nuclear arms race. The organization conceded that much groundwork had to be laid if serious change was possible. "The first task of any social movement is to convince people that the search for orienting theories and the creation of human values is complex but worthwhile," the Port Huron Statement says. The group never said exactly how it would succeed at that task. But it was clear about what it wanted. "We would replace power rooted in possession, privilege, or circumstance by power and uniqueness rooted in love, reflectiveness, reason, and creativity." SDS was not bothered by criticism that such a declaration of principles was too idealistic. It faced its critics head on. "If we appear to seek the unattainable, as it has been said, then let it be known that we do so to avoid the unimaginable," the concluding lines of the Port Huron Statement declare. The organization's faith in people, particularly those belonging to its college-age generation, was knowingly idealistic. At the core of the Port Huron Statement was SDS's unapologetic insistence: "We regard men as infinitely precious and possessed of unfilled capacities for reason, freedom, and love." By the end of the 1960s, SDS was a spent force, but the values expressed in the Port Huron Statement had a life of their own. They were echoed in the civil rights movement as well as in the social programs of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, and they continued into the 1970s with the antiwar movement. It is too early to predict what will follow from Occupy Wall Street,

Nicolaus Mills: Occupy Wall Street makes smart move by refusing to list demands . Mills: In 1962, Students for a Democratic Society's Port Huron Statement didn't list demands . Mills says the values outlined in that statement lived on long after SDS ended . Occupy allows room for all who have lost ground to bring issues to light, he writes .

(CNN) -- As President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon talk tough about cracking down on the deadly drug war, the United States is changing tactics in the battle against illegal narcotics at home. Legalizing marijuana is off the table, the White House says. The man Obama picked to be the new "drug czar," Gil Kerlikowske, has made it clear that the United States is going to do a better job of treating addicts to try to reduce the demand for narcotics. Kerlikowske, 59, is a military veteran with 36 years of law enforcement experience. The drug czar oversees an agency that sets the country's drug-control strategy. The White House and Congress want to see more drug courts, and increased funding for the program 250 percent in the spending bill signed in March. It's a campaign pledge that the Obama administration thinks will give nonviolent offenders "a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior," according to the White House Web site. Judge Paul Gluchowski, who works with the Prince William County Juvenile Drug Court in Virginia, dismissed the notion that a drug treatment program is the easy way out. Watch what it's like inside the drug court » If anyone thinks that, he said he'd tell them they should "come and talk to some of the participants. A lot of them probably wish they never agreed to undergo drug court. And a lot of them have given up because it's too hard." Those who slip up in drug court can be forced to wear ankle-monitoring bracelets or put into juvenile detention. "If they don't give up, then when it comes time for graduation and you see the shine on their face, when you know that they have accomplished something, and they know that. That's what it's all about," Gluchowski said. Vice President Joe Biden stressed the importance of drug courts and prisoner re-entry programs when he announced Kerlikowske's position in March, saying they "can serve as the light at the end of the tunnel, of a very long, long dark tunnel, for those who are stuck in the cycle of drug addiction and incarceration." Kerlikowske said he was committed to tackling the nation's drug problem, but noted that it would take a "coordinated and multifaceted effort." "The success of our efforts to reduce the flow of drugs is largely dependent on our ability to reduce demand for them," Kerlikowske said, calling the nation's drug problem one of "human suffering." "It requires prosecutors and law enforcement, courts, treatment providers and prevention programs to exchange information and to work together. And our priority should be a seamless, comprehensive approach," he said. In meeting with Calderon on Thursday, Obama tried to show Mexico's president that he is committed to ending a crisis that hits so close to home. Obama vowed to beef up security along the border and to work to slow the flow of guns and drugs. He said the United States shares responsibility for the drug problem, saying "a demand for these drugs in the United States is what is helping to keep these cartels in business." But he also tried to limit expectations that there could be any sort of quick fix. "Now, are we going to eliminate all drug flows? Are we going to eliminate all guns coming over the border? That's not a realistic objective," he said. "What is a realistic objective is to reduce it so significantly, so drastically that it becomes once again a localized criminal problem, as opposed to a major structural problem that threatens stability in communities along those borders." The White House has listened to those who say legalizing marijuana will pull the rug from under the violent cartels in Mexico and boost the U.S. economy, but that option is not on the table. Asked Thursday if that is something realistic, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano quickly responded, "No, it

Drug court supporters say program is more effective than jail time . Biden stresses the importance of drug courts in announcing new drug czar . Obama vows crackdown on drug war but says stopping all drug flow is unrealistic . Legalizing marijuana is not an option, White House says .

(CNN) -- As South Carolina Republicans begin voting in the first primary of the south today, GOP insiders say that all the candidates have had their problems in Palmetto State, one reason why today's outcome has been so hard to predict. One veteran South Carolina GOP operative summed up the dilemma of many of his colleagues in the state who are still on the fence. "For the first time in my professional life I am not working for a candidate and undecided on whom I will vote for. My heart says one thing, my mind says another." According to a CNN survey of 46 South Carolina GOP insiders -- including state legislators, state and local party officials, business and conservative interest group leaders, veterans of previous presidential primary campaigns, Palmetto State GOP political consultants, and other party activists -- former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's biggest hurdles in South Carolina are his Massachusetts political roots and his more centrist views. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich calls Romney a "Massachusetts moderate." What do you think has been the biggest obstacle for Romney in South Carolina? His record in Massachusetts -- 85% His Mormon faith -- 13% His role at Bain Capital -- 2% Now that Romney wants the GOP presidential nomination again, he has moved to the right from some of his positions and the tone of his previous campaigns in the state. And that has fed the perception that Romney is willing to change his stands for political expediency. Ironically, Romney's continued defense of the Massachusetts health care reform law he helped enact as governor remains a stumbling block with some conservatives who would rather he repent on that issue. "The two big issues that stick out to me regarding his record are his flip-flopping on abortion which many voters in South Carolina don't understand, and of course his signing of 'Romney-care,' " said one South Carolina insider. "As a result, many don't trust him and wonder if he will simply say anything in order to win the election." And while Gingrich maintains that he's the logical alternative for conservatives, the former House Speaker's problem has been that, up until Thursday, there were two other options for South Carolina voters who were uneasy with Romney -- former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Gov Rick Perry, who has since suspended his campaign. However, the insiders don't think Gingrich's personal issues have played as much of a factor, although they were surveyed before reports surfaced on January 19 that Gingrich's second wife said he asked her for an "open marriage." What do you think has been the biggest obstacle for Gingrich in South Carolina? Conservative vote is too divided among candidates -- 52% Attacks against Romney's role at Bain Capital backfired -- 33% The negative ads run against him -- 13% Personal baggage (volunteered) -- 2% "Newt's populism resonates with red-meat voters in South Carolina, but the Romney-alternative field (has been) too crowded for him to lock down a solid win here," said one GOP insider. The other main contender for the fervent conservative vote in South Carolina has been Santorum and he shares Gingrich's problem of being one of too many choice on the right. What do you think has been the biggest obstacle for Santorum in South Carolina? His past record as senator on earmarks and right-to-work -- 41% Conservative vote is too divided among candidates -- 56% Doubts about him among Southern voters -- 2% "The biggest obstacle for all the 'not-Romney' candidates has been in a word, 'ego,' " said one GOP Insider. "All of their egos were too big to drop out (early) and work to truly consolidate conservative voters." But another operative noted that in a state where the Republican governor had battled with the Obama administration over whether Boeing could move airplane production from assembly lines that were unionized in Washington State to a nonunion facility in South Carolina, Santorum's defense of his opposition to right-to-work laws while he

GOP insiders in South Carolina say that each candidate has worrisome issues . Romney has been seen as too centrist, says poll . The anti-Romney vote is split between Gingrich and Santorum . Ron Paul's national security positions keep him out of mainstream, says poll .

(CNN) -- As Tax Day approaches, Tea Party activists are uniting to voice the message they've been honing for more than a year: It's time to reduce the size of government, honor the Constitution and return to fiscal responsibility in Washington. The Tea Party Express' third cross-country tour brings activists to Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, before culminating with an anti-tax rally at the nation's capital on Thursday. The "Just Vote Them Out!" tour has weaved through areas represented by vulnerable Democrats, bringing thousands to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's hometown in Nevada on its opening day. The tour's other top target -- Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan -- announced his retirement the same day the tour was in his turf. Tea Party favorite Sarah Palin was the top draw at the Boston event. Republican Sen. Scott Brown, whose winning Massachusetts campaign was infused by the Tea Party, turned down his invitation to the event, although his office said he wished the rally success. Are you at a Tea Party rally? Share your images So far, the movement's success is in the eye of the beholder. Tea Party activists running for office have yet to make much impact in the Republican primaries, and Stupak rejected the notion that the Tea Party played a role in his decision to step down. Tea Party changes tone, not outcome of Texas primary But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer admitted Tuesday that the protests and rallies by the Tea Party across the country are having an impact on lawmakers' decisions about running for another term. "Do I think that negative atmosphere that's been created by the Tea Party and by others certainly goes into the thinking of members? I think it does. I think you honestly have to point out that it does," Hoyer said. Hoyer: Tea Party having an impact The Tea Party developed last year in protest to what its supporters saw as overspending in Washington -- by Republicans and Democrats -- following the stimulus bill, the bank bailouts and President Obama's budget. Fueled by anger at the government and fear of where the country was headed, it grew from dozens to hundreds of loosely linked groups. Until recently, there had been little movement toward coalescing as a formal party. Last week, a broad coalition of national and regional Tea Party groups announced the formation of the National Tea Party Federation. Tea Party movement attempts to unite? Tom De Luca, a professor of political science at Fordham University, said while Tea Party activists have affected the national agenda, the larger impact has been on the Republican Party. "It's energized the hardcore base of Republicans who tend to share a lot of Tea Party ideas, but on the other hand, it's going to bring to the floor a split that has been in the Republican Party for quite a long time," De Luca said. That split pits the more conservative elements of the party against moderate Republicans. At the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last weekend, a Tea Party member voiced a concern to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum that the moderate Republicans -- and not conservatives -- would end up on the ballot in November. "Go beat them," he told the attendee. "That's what elections are all about. I encourage candidates to run," Santorum said, adding the GOP must focus its energy on electing conservative candidates in the Republican primaries. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, said last week that the Republican Party and the Tea Party are in the process of merging. Bachmann: GOP and Tea Party movement are 'merging' If the Tea Party pushes Republicans further to the right, however, it could hurt them in November, De Luca noted. Centrist voters would likely favor a Democrat over a far-right Republican, he said. Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pleaded with conservatives at the conference to stick together as the elections near. "The Democrats' fondest hope is to see Tea Party or other conservatives split off and have a third party to split the conservative vote,"

Tea Party Express winds up tour Wednesday in Boston, Thursday in D.C. Steny Hoyer: Tea Party having effect on whether lawmakers will seek re-election . Tea Party having larger influence over GOP, professor says . 'We're in a war for the soul of this country,' activist Mark Williams says .

(CNN) -- As Toyota recalls millions of cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that an average of 25 percent of U.S. consumers who get recall notices don't follow through and fix their vehicles. The CNN Fact Check Desk wondered: Is there a way to ensure compliance with auto recalls? Most vehicle recalls involve free fixes for the consumer. • Clarence Ditlow with the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer watchdog group, says there is not a process to ensure that auto owners comply with recalls. The center says vehicle insurers have an incentive and a method to reach car owners who haven't complied fully with recalls. "Insurers have the VIN [vehicle identification numbers], and they could contact the insured drivers who have failed to comply," Ditlow says. Because states are responsible for issuing a vehicle's registration, Ditlow sees an opportunity for state governments to force compliance. He says that states could refuse to renew registration until the manufacturer's fix has been made. However, he says, no states have taken this step so far. • According to Edmunds.com, some states do require owners to make the requisite repairs before they attempt to sell the affected car. • Jeanne Salvatore, with the Insurance Information Institute, says that auto insurers will pay damage claims caused by the current Toyota defects, then go after Toyota for reimbursements. • CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis says that new car dealers are prevented from selling a defective car. • If recall communications are deemed insufficient, the NHTSA can require further efforts from the manufacturer. But there is not a mechanism at the federal level to ensure that drivers comply. • Bottom line: If the NHTSA's 25 percent noncompliance figure is any indication, there could be many affected Toyota models that do not get the requisite fix under the current recall. Although there have been suggestions for how to better enforce recalls, there is no mechanism in place to force drivers to make the change. CNN's Jen Haley and CNNMoney's Peter Valdes-Dapena contributed to this report.

Most recalls involve free fixes, but NHTSA says 25 percent of consumers don't comply . Consumer watchdog group says there's no process to ensure that auto owners comply . Insurers could use VINs to find drivers, states could refuse registration to force compliance . At federal level, there's no mechanism to ensure that drivers comply .

(CNN) -- As Walter Thomas knows, it's hard to look for a job when your stomach is rumbling. Samirah, 2, asked her mom to take this photo to show that hungry people "are like everyone else." The 52-year-old from Washington, D.C., started skipping meals in early January when his savings account was running dry and his kitchen cabinets were almost empty. Thomas at first didn't want to turn to the United States' food safety net, the food stamp program, for help. But after being laid off in July from what seemed like a steady job in sales at a furniture store, Thomas swallowed his pride and applied for the monthly food aid. "It lets me think, 'OK, well, tomorrow I'll be able to eat. If nothing else, I'll be able to eat,' " he said. With the national economy in meltdown, more Americans than ever are relying on the federal aid program to keep from going hungry. In October, more than one in 10 people -- about 31 million -- were using the food stamp program to get by, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More recent numbers are not available, but advocates for the poor say the number of those in need of aid probably has increased since then. Stereotypes associated with food stamps abound, and recipients are often seen as prone to taking handouts, sometimes when they may not be needed. But the profile of hunger in America is multifaceted, as diverse as the nation itself, especially in these times of economic hardship. To get a better idea of what it's like to live on a food stamp budget, CNN correspondent Sean Callebs has decided to eat for a month on $176 and blog about the experience on CNN.com. Watch reporter's struggle to buy food with food stamps » That's a situation many people, Thomas included, can relate to. Thomas, who said he had been working steadily since he was 13 years old, now receives $175 per month for food. That's about $5.83 per day -- less than $2 per meal. See what people on food stamps can buy » Not that Thomas is complaining. After getting his first payment, which is added to an inconspicuous debit card to reduce the stigma associated with the program, Thomas went straight to the grocery store. He was hungry and grateful. "It's definitely been a blessing to me," he said of the food stamp program, which, since October, has gone by the name Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Advocates for the poor, as well as those on federal assistance, hope President Obama's economic stimulus plan will increase food stamp payments. The average family on food stamps would receive $79 more per month if the stimulus bill passes in the U.S. Senate this week, according to The New York Times. iReport.com: How are you doing in this tough economy? There is some debate about whether giving people money to spend on groceries is a valid form of economic stimulus. Few are more hopeful the measure will pass than Crystal Sears, a 30-year-old mother in Germantown, Pennsylvania, who said she has been on food stamps for more than three years. Sears said she sometimes skips meals so her three children can eat. Even with federal assistance, she said, she sometimes has to make a meal for herself out of crackers or food scraps. She said she has been out of work for several years because all three of her children have medical conditions: Her 8-year-old son has a seizure disorder that requires frequent hospital visits and constant attention; her 2-year-old daughter was born with heart problems; and her 12-year-old daughter has scoliosis, a back condition that recently required two surgeries, she said. Without much money, she's forced to make tough choices. "If the kids needed sneakers and their sneakers are getting too small, or if my water bill is past due, I'd opt not to pay it and risk them sending

More than 1 in 10 Americans are part of the federal food assistance program . Some people say it is hard or impossible to make ends meet, even with help . President Obama's economic stimulus plan could increase food-stamp funding . CNN's Sean Callebs will live on $176 this month to learn about life on food stamps .

(CNN) -- As a concept, recycling has lived and died many times throughout its 4,000-year old history. But it always re-emerges as an idea when humans need it most, such as during the Great Depression, and later during World War II, when American companies recycled or reused around 25 percent of the waste stream. A sign in Cheshire, England signalling a recycling drop-off area. Today, the global recycling industry generates $160 billion a year, processing more than 500 million tons of materials. The industry is becoming one of the world's biggest employers. While the official amount of people employed by the industry is 1.5 million worldwide, the real figure -- when you factor in illegal recycling operations in the developing world -- is likely to be much, much higher. The United Nations believes, for example, that as many as 10 million people in China alone are now in the recycling business. What's not to like about recycling? There are some fairly persuasive arguments for recycling, and for using recycled goods. Energy savings is just one of them. By reusing existing materials you are essentially removing the process involved in sourcing the "virgin materials" in the first place. Take soda cans, made from aluminum. According to Friends of the Earth, creating a ton of these from scratch takes five times the amount of energy as it would to produce a ton of recycled cans. According to the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), the companies that manufacture recycled aluminum are using 95 percent less energy than if they were using "virgin materials." (For plastics the energy savings are almost as high -- 80 percent, BIR says, while making paper from recycled paper (as opposed to wood) can save 64 percent of energy.) Looking at it another way, according to the National Recycling Coalition, the amount of energy saved in one year by Americans recycling their soda cans, plastic containers, newspapers and packaging represented the energy equivalent of: Not surprisingly, recycling also impacts pollution levels. BIR says producing paper from recycled paper as opposed to wood can slash air pollution by as much as 74 percent and water pollution by 35 percent; while manufacturing recycled steel results in 86 percent less air pollution. There are different types of pollution savings to be made, reducing the pollution generated by manufacturing the stuff in the first place. And then there is the pollution that results in dumping the waste in landfills, instead of recycling it. A recent report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), for example, has predicted that greenhouse gas emissions from household waste will drop by more than 80 percent by 2020 -- largely because of increases in recycling levels which are diverting waste away from landfills. And the carbon savings can be huge, even when a relatively small amount of effort has been made. The UK has one of Europe's lowest recycling rates when it comes to municipal waste -- 27 percent. Yet, the impact on its carbon emissions has already become worthwhile, according to Waste & Resources Action Programme, or WRAP. WRAP says that these relatively minor efforts already mean a 10 million- to 15 million-ton reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year -- the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road. What about the costs? One of the main objections to the recycling movement has been the cost factor. Throwing something away is obviously going to be a lot cheaper than going through the hassle of recycling it. And certain materials are going to be a lot tougher to recycle than others, driving up costs and energy spent. But, as a 2004 study by research group GPI Atlantic found out, there are many different ways to measure cost. GPI looked at the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, which back in the 1990s had decided that 50 percent of its trash was going to get recycled instead of landing up in incinerators or landfills. The annual cost to the province of doing this was $18 million more than it would have cost to chuck trash away. But, when different factors were considered, the number looked very different These factors included

Recycling as a movement 4,000 years old . More than 500 million tons of material recycled every year . Recycling a boom industry in developing world . Health risks arising from poor recycling operations in China .

(CNN) -- As a hobby, Suzie Jirachareonkul, a teacher and mother of two, spends many of her nights searching for endangered toads on the country roads near her home outside Cape Town, South Africa. Volunteers in South Africa are collecting data on the Western Leopard Toad, which is endangered. She often finds them flattened on the street. "They're so beautiful and it's just really hard to live with, especially when you're living on the road right here," the 33-year-old said of the toad deaths. "So we started doing something about it. We started saving them off the road in the middle of the rain." When a scientist caught onto her efforts, Jirachareonkul and a friend assembled about 20 volunteers -- a group she calls the "Toad NUTS" -- to collect data on the endangered Western Leopard Toad. The information they collect is being used in scientific research. Each time Jirachareonkul comes upon one of the spotted, faintly iridescent creatures, she springs into action. She marks down GPS coordinates, measures the toad, makes notes on its behavior (Is a mate stuck to its back? Is it headed toward a pond?) and uploads the information so scientists can use it. Oh, and she moves the toad out of traffic's way, too. While her nighttime hobby may sound a bit strange, Jirachareonkul is far from alone in her efforts to collect amateur scientific data. At a time when climate change and urbanization are poised to set off a new wave of extinction, some members of the scientific community are turning toward backyard biologists for the data they need to monitor ecosystems and protect struggling species. This "citizen science" movement is not exactly new, but it has grown fresh legs as the Internet and social-networking sites help people with uber-specified and often bizarre interests gang up for a cause. Amateur-produced Web sites now serve as data hubs for squirrel sightings, bird photos, ant anthologies, snapshots of leaves, flowers and trees, water quality info, beetle hunts and firefly tracking, among others. Find links at CNN's SciTech blog "It's pretty random," said Cyndy Parr of the Encyclopedia of Life. "There's a lot of charismatic things that won't surprise you -- backyard birds, that sort of thing. But there are also thriving communities of people who like to take pictures of butterflies, centipedes, wildflowers, plants." Some of the sites have sweeping goals. The Encyclopedia of Life, which seeks to gather online information on all known species, has started taking public submissions through a public Flickr group. Some individual users have uploaded more than 2,000 photos. Project BudBurst, out of Boulder, Colorado, aims to collect so much amateur data about plant species that scientists will be able to tell how climate change is altering the seasons in North America. The venture, managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, gathers "data that would not otherwise be collected," said Sandra Henderson, the project's director. "We have these additional sentinel eyes on the landscape, if you will. There aren't enough ecologists to be making all of these different plant observations." National Science Foundation funding for citizen science dropped off significantly in 2002 but generally has been on the rise since, according to budget numbers compiled for CNN. Since that year, funding in the United States has increased more than 240 percent, to more than $3 million for 2008. Several of the Web projects receive government funding, but others survive on their own merits. In Spain, Josep del Hoyo founded the Internet Bird Collection, an international compilation of bird videos, sounds and photos that's funded solely by his company. He said the intense passion of birders around the world, plus some money from his publishing company, keep the site running. Amateurs have posted video of never-before-seen birds on the site, he said, and some of the work has been the foundation for scientific articles. Technology is amplifying this passion for citizen science, which

Average people help scientists collect valuable data in era of climate change . Many Web sites are hubs for citizen-collected info used in research . Researchers developing iPhone app to automatically identify plants, upload data . In South Africa, a teacher has started a network of people collecting info on toads .

(CNN) -- As a spending bill loaded with pork makes its way through Congress, President Obama is getting pushback from members of his own party who are questioning his vow to end wasteful spending. The Senate could vote on the spending bill as early as Thursday. The president on Wednesday pledged turn tide on an "era of fiscal irresponsibility," reiterating his campaign promise that the days of "pork ... as a strategy" are over. And in a prime-time address before a joint session of Congress, Obama last week praised the $787 billion stimulus package signed into law, telling the nation, "I'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities." But some in the audience found that hard to swallow. "There was just a roar of laughter -- because there were earmarks," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri. Earmarks, sometimes called "pork," are unrelated pet projects that members of Congress insert in spending bills. Watch more on the earmarks in the bill » The scoffing continues as the president hammers away at reducing wasteful spending and saving taxpayers money while lawmakers on Capitol Hill load up a spending bill with more than 8,000 earmarks totaling nearly $8 billion. The legislation in question is a $410 billion omnibus bill that would keep the federal government running through the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in September 2009. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that monitors government spending, the bill includes: About 60 percent of the earmarks are from Democrats, and about 40 percent are from Republicans, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense. Ryan Alexander, the president of the Taxpayers for Common Sense, pointed out that not all earmarks are bad. "They're not always good or bad. What's bad is the process. We don't know why certain projects get earmark funds and why other projects don't. Some of them may be good. But that could be just as well by accident as it is by design, because we have no idea why these projects are funded and why other projects aren't," he said. Earlier this week, 14 Democratic senators met to talk about their concerns with the spending. On Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold called on Obama to veto the bill. Watch Feingold talk about a 'teary-eyed' defense of earmarks » "But the bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one, least of all the government. It only exacerbates the problem and hastens the day of reckoning," Bayh wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial published Wednesday. Democrats blocked amendments by Sens. John McCain, R-Arizona, and Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, that would have narrowed the spending on earmarks. "So much for the promise of change. This may be -- in all the years I have been coming to this floor to complain about the earmark pork barrel corruption that this system has bred, this may be probably the worst, probably the worst," McCain said Tuesday. The spending bill made it through the House last week. A vote in the Senate could come as early as Thursday, but it's unclear if there are the 60 votes necessary to sent it to the floor since some Democrats aren't supporting it. Obama is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk. But Democrats speaking out against the pork could just be flexing their muscles, said CNN contributor Roland Martin. "I would love to see these same Democrats have the courage to actually stand up, look their fellow senators in the eye, Democrats and Republicans, and say, OK, let's get rid of your particular project," he said. "What often happens in Congress is, they complain in terms of the general ... What I am saying is, call them out. Put it on the table," he said. Those defending the earmarks say they make

$410 billion spending bill for FY 2009 includes 8,000 earmarks . Democratic Sens. Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold want Obama to veto bill . Senate could vote on bill as early as Thursday . Defenders of bill say earmarks make up less than 1 percent of it .

(CNN) -- As an 11-year-old boy, Hedi Slimane sought refuge in the school darkroom. Shortly after starting photography classes, the former Dior Homme designer had a key to the lab and would go there to develop photos whenever he could. He may be one of the most influential designers of this century, but it is the camera that continues to fascinate Slimane. Born to a an Italian mother who worked as a seamstress and a Tunisian father, Slimane is credited with transforming the male silhouette when he introduced skinny jeans with a rock 'n' roll edge at the turn of the century. In 2002, he was declared International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, previously won by Karl Lagerfeld and Jean-Paul Gaultier. In 2007, Slimane turned his back on fashion, leaving Dior, and returning to photography to take melancholic androgynous images heavily influenced by the British music scene. Today, he shoots for fashion magazines and his subjects have included Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan and Robert Pattinson. Now based in Los Angeles, he is photographing California youth culture and has an exhibition opening in November. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Slimane talks about falling in love with photography; his book, "Anthology of a Decade," which follows his journey through fashion, music and the art world; and how the attacks of 9/11 are forever imprinted on to his mind. CNN: What is your first memory of photography? Hedi Slimane: My parents offered me my first camera, a vintage Nikon F and a 50mm lens for my birthday and I developed an exclusive passion for it over the years. Since I was not the most social kid on the block, the camera helped me to express myself, invent my own language -- something like a secret garden. I decided early on I would not write in a diary but take silent photographs instead. This is, of course, what I still had in mind when, in 2007, I started to develop online this idea of a photographic "diary," which later became a format, or definition for some emerging photography blogs. CNN: How would you describe your style? HS: It has not evolved much over the decades. I started as a black-and-white teenage photographer, and I'm still there decades after. In some ways, the genre is almost gone. I am thinking of true, stubborn, lifetime black-and-white photographers, as opposed to black-and-white as a photographic commodity. I presume my work has also always been about reduction -- the subject alone -- without any distraction or after effects, outside emotions, or intimacy or complicity with the subject ... The grace of it all and the fragility of it all are the main subject. CNN: Who or what inspires you? HS: Mostly the subject of the photograph, which can be anyone really, coming down the street -- someone that has no idea. "Heroism" in photography, just like in a novel, is for everyone. Choosing it, or finding it, is the most difficult thing, really. It is mostly a mere coincidence, or some sort of luck. Besides, I like it to stay very organic, and to remember a personal story behind all my subjects. CNN: What are some of your favorite images from 'Anthology of a Decade?' HS: I'm so personally attached to all the characters I met and photographed over the years ... the anthology is like a photographic reliquary that could potentially preserve their grace, fierce joy, and restlessness. Some of them, like Amy Winehouse, are so sadly already gone. CNN: Your photography documents the European music scene, the New York art scene and global street fashion. How are music, art and fashion interconnected in your eyes? HS: Music, since the 1950s and the birth of the concept of the "youth" as a social group, has always been a laboratory for new ideas and sub-cultures. Music defines decades, and quite clearly shapes

Hedi Slimane has photographed Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty, John Lydon and more . Former Dior Homme designer-turned-photographer talks about turning his back on fashion . Recently published collection of his work, "Anthology of a Decade" Currently working on a solo exhibition, "California Song"

(CNN) -- As everyone but the citizens of Gotham City knows, Batman is Bruce Wayne. But lately, he's been Dick Grayson. And this month, he's also Damian Wayne and Terry McGinnis. Will the real Batman please stand up? This look at Batman's past, present and future has been brought about by Grant Morrison, the Scottish writer and playwright behind the award-winning "All-Star Superman." Morrison has masterminded a new direction for the character and returns to the 70-year-old "Batman" comic book series with its 700th issue Wednesday. "I started to do a bunch of research, and I realized that every story had been told," Morrison said. He decided upon a psychological deconstruction of the character that would run over many issues and over two years, beginning with the story arc "Batman & Son" in 2006. In order to bring Morrison's master plan to fruition, to "set up a whole new status quo" for Batman, as he puts it, Bruce Wayne would have to be driven to the brink of insanity and ultimately killed, as he was in the mega-crossover story "Final Crisis." For the past year, Bruce's onetime ward Dick has been Batman, and his son Damian has taken over for Robin, in a Batman and Robin series lighter in tone than what we've been used to in the past few decades. This has all led up to "Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne," currently in the middle of its six-issue run, in which Bruce -- or his consciousness at least -- travels through time on his way back to the present day. All of these plot threads culminate in the 700th issue, which tells stories of the Batman of the past (Bruce), present (Dick) and future (Damian), interpreted by three different artists. "I wanted to sum up all of the things we love about Batman over the years and kind of see that moment where the Caped Crusader becomes the Dark Knight," Morrison explained. "[All of the stories] connect in an interesting way. We also have a section looking at all the different future Batmen. It's an attempt to do every version of Batman." Indeed, Morrison is hard-pressed to choose a favorite interpretation of Batman. He has a great appreciation for all of them, from the campy 1960s TV series to Frank Miller's gritty 1980s graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns" to the current movies directed by Christopher Nolan. "Batman has been around 70 years. He's been a comedy figure. He was a sci-fi superhero in the '50s." If he had to pick one, Morrison would go with the version of Batman as the world's greatest detective, as seen in the 1970s stories written by the legendary Denny O'Neil. O'Neil is returning for a special one-shot story himself this month. "We like to revisit the people that made the character great," said Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC Comics (owned by Time Warner, which is also the parent company of CNN). "We pull him out of retirement every once in a while for Batman. It's not an anniversary party without him." If that's not enough, DC has two more Bat-related mini-series starting this month. One is "Batman Beyond," based on the fan favorite animated series with Terry McGinnis as another future version of Batman. This series officially brings the character into DC Universe canon. "The fans have been looking for this for a while," DiDio said. "This looked like the perfect opportunity to reintroduce him." Meanwhile, the secret past of another once "deceased" character, Jason Todd, the second Robin, is explored in "Red Hood: Lost Days." Is Jason more a hero or villain? Morrison said, "He's an antihero, which is really good, and people like that. He's not an evil villain; he's

Presumed-dead Bruce Wayne is returning to Batman comic books . 700th issue of "Batman" is culmination of a years-long story arc . Writer Grant Morrison wanted to pay tribute to "every version of Batman" "Batman Beyond," "Red Hood: Lost Days" among special Bat-related series .

(CNN) -- As families head home after the holidays and children return to school, New York City is on sale for travelers willing to brave the cold temperatures in exchange for lower prices. New York's first-ever Hotel Week will feature discounts for eight city hotels between January 6 and January 15. More basic hotel rooms, or those slightly off the beaten path, can be found for as little as $100 per night plus taxes, while fancier rooms can go for $200 or $250 per night -- still a deal by city standards. "Hotel occupancy dips considerably during the first week in January," said hotel publicist Nancy J. Friedman, who launched the Hotel Week concept with six of her hotel clients and two nonclients. "It's a similar model to Restaurant Week, which is so successful at filling up restaurants during quiet times." Speaking of Restaurant Week, the city's 20th anniversary promotion starts January 16 and runs through February 10 (Mondays through Fridays). For more information, click here. There isn't a central website or phone number to book Hotel Week rooms. Several hotels have created special websites for the promotions, while others require calling the reservations number. Links are at the end of this article. Always mention Hotel Week when booking and know that these specific discounts are limited. For visitors who won't be able to take advantage of limited Hotel Week discounts, more than 120 participating New York City hotels are offering discounts between January 2 and February 29, sponsored by NYC & Co., the city's tourism office. Discounts include a free night for stays of three or more nights, complimentary upgrades or complimentary breakfast. To book a room, click here. During the same period, a group of 20 luxury hotels is offering a free third night to visitors who book two consecutive nights at one of 20 participating "Signature Collection" hotels. More information can be found here. Theater-lovers can score two-for-one tickets during Broadway Week, January 17 to February 4. Off-Broadway theater week offers the same deal between January 30 and February 12. Tickets also go on sale January 4 for both theater weeks. For Broadway shows, click here. For off-Broadway shows, click here. Hotel Week discount links To receive hotel week discounts, be sure to mention Hotel Week when booking. Some rates are available only by calling the reservations line or by using the hotel's special Hotel Week website. Cheapest: $100/night plus taxes and fees The Hotel @ Times Square: To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 790-2710. For more information about the hotel, click here. nyma, the new york manhattan hotel: To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 790-2710. For more information about the hotel, click here. The Pod Hotel: To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 355-0300. For more information about the hotel, click here. Z NYC Hotel (Queens): To book for Hotel Week, call (212) 319-7000. For more information about the hotel, click here. A step up: $200/night plus taxes and fees Andaz Wall Street: To book for Hotel Week, use the hotel's special link here. Hyatt 48 Lex: To book, use the hotel's link here. Deluxe: $250/night plus taxes and fees Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC: To book, use the hotel's discount link here. Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC: To book during Hotel Week, use the hotel's discount link here.

New York's first-ever Hotel Week means lower room rates . Restaurant Week celebrates its 20th anniversary next year . Theater lovers can score two-for-one tickets during Broadway Week .

(CNN) -- As filthy floodwater continued to seep towards central Bangkok, Thailand's Prime Minister laid out a three-point plan to get the country back on its feet after the worst flooding in 50 years. Immediate aid will be issued to people whose homes and businesses have been destroyed by the deluge which has claimed more than 500 lives since July, Yingluck Shinawatra announced Tuesday. "This disaster is the biggest that we have ever met. We're trying to cope with situation and help as much as we can," she said. "We can't stop all flooding but we will try to reduce the impact." Aid packages will be offered to people to help restore homes and businesses as part of a short-term recovery plan over the coming year. Details are expected to be announced next week. Longer-term plans include the formation of two committees, one to oversee reconstruction and future development and the other to manage water resources. Yingluck acknowledged criticism of the official response to the disaster by setting herself a deadline of one year to win back public confidence. The prime minister's promises came as murky waters continued to move towards Bangkok's city center. "The situation is quite serious. The water is making ground slowly but surely towards the heart of Bangkok," flood relief co-ordinator Rungsun Munkong told CNN. He said thousands of people were refusing to leave their homes despite orders to evacuate to outer provinces. "I believe thousands of people are in their homes and are still not evacuating," Rungsun said. "(They) possibly will be stranded with little food and water as time goes by." Relief workers, distributing aid to evacuation centers in central Bangkok, said they were struggling to reach residents determined to wait out the crisis in tower blocks. "I think it will be difficult down the road to get help to these people," Rungsun said. "People need clean water, that's the first important thing. Cooked ready-to-eat food is also quite important, baby milk and so on." Thailand has been inundated with its worst flood in half a century, affecting at least 25 of the country's 77 provinces. More than 500 people had been killed in the deluge according to figures released Sunday by the country's interior ministry. A Thailand Disaster and Mitigation Department report, issued Sunday and reported by MCOT, estimated about 3.1 million people have been affected and 4 million acres of farmland have been damaged. Moreover, the department said two people are believed missing and about 75 highways have closed. In the provinces of Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya, cleanup efforts were under way. On Sunday, the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited Nonthaburi, near Bangkok. There, the government provided 100 boats to help transport people and disperse relief supplies after requests by local officials, according to MCOT. Despite public criticism of the government's overall response, Yingluck said she would not shake up her Cabinet -- in the short-term, at least. She explained that the focus first is to address the situation, with a full evaluation and possible shuffling to be done after the crisis abates, reported MCOT. Floods are an annual occurrence in the country but have been particularly acute this year, and some residents and analysts have criticized the government's response. "Now the government is sending a mixed signal that the situation is fine, but the truth is it the situation far from over," political analyst Supong Limtanakul told CNN. "It is a slow suffocating death of (the) Bangkok business area." The city's main airport and two large industrial sites are also at risk, Supong said. Supong said the government did not have enough resources to deal with floodwaters, noting that officials had recently asked the private sector for water pumps to help drain water out of Bangkok. M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Bangkok's governor, told MCOT that it may take up to two weeks to drain water out of Bangkok's main roads, and months to drain water from smaller roads. CNN's Kocha Olarn

Thai PM lays out three-point flood recovery plan . Floodwater moving closer to heart of Thai capital . Thousands refusing to leave home, risk being trapped without food . More than 500 people have died, interior ministry says .

(CNN) -- As floodwater raged around their pickup, the family of a 6-year-old Arizona boy escaped to higher ground. The boy, however, was swept away. Teams were looking for his body on Friday, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said. Meanwhile, an evacuation order for some Los Angeles, California, residents was lifted, and the mayor said those people can safely return home Authorities were classifying the Arizona operation as a recovery, presuming that a child could not survive in the raging water, the office said in a news release. The boy's name was not released. Rain has hindered attempts to find the boy after the incident Thursday night, authorities said. "This effort continued through the night without success. Because of low visibility, along with the wind and rain, DPS (Department of Public Safety) Ranger helicopter was unable to fly over the area," the sheriff's office said. Are you affected by the storms? Send your images and video The family's pickup got stuck near the northern community of Mayer, between Flagstaff and Phoenix in central Arizona. On Friday, the vehicle sat alone in a vast sea of mud, which reached nearly to the bottom of the windows and partially filled the area under the crumpled hood. The vehicle was tilted forward, as if diving into the muddy soup. According to a preliminary report, the boy was in the pickup with his 8-year-old sister and parents, who were trying to take him to a hospital when floodwater swept the pickup off the road. The mother was able to reach higher ground, and the father took the children to the bed of the vehicle for safety. By the time firefighters reached the scene, rising water had pushed the three from the bed. The father was able to reach a safe area with his daughter but the son was missing. California iReporters deal with the rain but have fun too The flooding was the result of heavy rainstorms that started pounding parts of neighboring California on Monday and continued through the week. Upper elevations got heavy snow. Conditions in the area were not likely to improve until Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters predicted continued flooding of many rivers and streams and up to an additional foot of snow in the mountains. In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Friday that the 2,000 city residents who were evacuated because of the storms could return. The permission came after teams of geologists and structural experts determined that areas threatened by mudslides were safe enough, he said at a news conference. See KABC's coverage of the storms Last year's wildfires burned trees and vegetation that normally hold soil in place and prevent hillsides from collapsing. Hundreds of residents also had been evacuated in Los Angeles County, and many of these were cleared to return home, according to the Coordinated Agency Recovery Effort's Web site. The storms stem from El Nino, a warm ocean current from the South Pacific, meteorologists said. CNN's Sean Morris contributed to this report.

Family in Arizona escapes to higher ground in flood, but 6-year-old boy didn't make it . Authorities classifying the Arizona operation as a recovery . In Los Angeles, 2,000 residents who were evacuated can return home .

(CNN) -- As horrified travelers watched, a Greyhound Canada bus passenger repeatedly stabbed and then decapitated a young man who was sitting and sleeping beside him, a witness said Thursday. Police investigate the scene near Portage la Prairie, Canada, on Thursday. "There was a bloodcurdling scream. I was just reading my book, and all of a sudden, I heard it," Garnet Caton, who was sitting in front of the two men, said of the Wednesday night incident west of Portage la Prairie in Manitoba. "It was like something between a dog howling and a baby crying, I guess you could say," Caton said. "I don't think it will leave me for a while." Passengers exited the bus, and a trucker who stopped provided wrenches and crowbars to several of them so they could keep the suspect on the bus until police came, witnesses told Canadian TV. The suspect was seized with the help of negotiators, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Steve Colwell said. Watch Colwell discuss the case » He said no formal charges had been filed, and he declined to identify either the man in custody or the victim, who were among 34 passengers. There was no immediate indication of what prompted the attack, Colwell said. He said he didn't know how many times the victim was stabbed. Witnesses described the weapon as a large butcher-type knife. Caton told The Associated Press that the victim appeared to be about 19 years old and had gotten on the bus in Edmonton. Colwell praised the "extraordinary" level-headedness and bravery of the bus driver and passengers. "What you saw and what you experienced would shake the most seasoned police officer. And yet I'm told that each of you acted swiftly, calmly and bravely," Colwell said. "As a result, no one else was injured." The police received a call reporting the attack at 8:30 p.m. By the time they arrived at the scene, everyone except the knife-wielder and his victim had left the bus, Colwell said. The incident ended about 1:30 a.m. The bus was traveling along the Trans-Canada Highway from Edmonton, Alberta, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was about 45 minutes from its destination when the attack occurred, Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said in Dallas, Texas. Caton said the victim was sleeping with his head leaning against the window when the attack happened. Caton said he shouted at the other passengers, many of whom also were sleeping, to leave. Watch Caton describe what he saw » "Everybody got off the bus. Me and a trucker that stopped and the Greyhound driver ran up to the door to maybe see if the guy was still alive or we could help or something like that," Caton said. "And when we all got up, we saw that the guy was cutting off the guy's head. ... When he saw us, he came back to the front of the bus, told the driver to shut the door. He pressed the button and the door shut, but it didn't shut in time, and the guy was able to get his knife out and take a swipe at us," Caton said. Caton told the AP that the attacker didn't sit near the victim when he first got on the bus, about an hour before the attack. "He sat in the front at first; everything was normal," Caton said. "We went to the next stop, and he got off and had a smoke with another young lady there. When he got on the bus again, he came to the back near where I was sitting. He put his bags in the overhead compartment. He didn't say a word to anybody. He seemed totally normal." Half an hour later, the attack began, Caton told the AP. "There was no rage or anything. He was like a robot, stabbing the guy." The incident occurred on the first of two Greyhound Canada buses that were traveling together, Wambaugh said.

NEW: Police say suspect is in custody, no charges have been filed . AP: Witness says attacker seemed normal before slaying, appeared to be about 19 . Man repeatedly stabbed and then decapitated sleeping seat mate, witness says . Trucker helped passengers trap knife-wielding man on bus, witnesses say .

(CNN) -- As hosts of the largest carnival in world football, the pressure is on for South Africa's national football team to ignite the imagination of local fans by performing well at the 2010 World Cup. If Bafana Bafana is to succeed in their mission, conventional wisdom would be that coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will turn to his best players to deliver results. However, despite firing in 31 goals in 77 appearances to become South Africa's all-time record goal scorer, Benni McCarthy has had question marks hanging over his participation for his country come June. The prolific striker, who plays for English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers, has only recently returned from a period of international exile, just the latest incident in a stormy history with his country's football team. He first angered Bafana Bafana fans by going into international retirement in 2002 aged just 25. The reason? Traveling to international games was hampering his ability to play European football for Celta Vigo and, later, Porto. "The whole pattern was killing my career, that's why I quit international football," he told British newspaper The Independent in 2004. "African football needs the same calendar as Europe otherwise its best players are going to suffer." He was talked into returning, only to quit again after the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations when the president of the South African FA, Mubarak Mahomad, made an uncomplimentary comment about his performance. That period of self-imposed exile lasted 20 months, until new coach Carlos Alberto Parreira flew to Great Britain to talk to McCarthy, who was now at Blackburn Rovers. But after Parreira quit to care for his sick wife, McCarthy fell out with replacement boss Joel Santana after he refused to play in two warm up matches last March. Despite pleas from South African President Jacob Zuma, Santana refused to pick him. But a run of eight defeats in nine games, which saw the team slump to 86th on the FIFA rankings, Santana was sacked. With goals being South Africa's biggest problem, it was no surprise that returning coach Parreira made persuading McCarthy to return, for a second time, his top priority. Sure enough, McCarthy returned to the fray last month against Japan. The 32-year-old told local press: "I want to start afresh and help Bafana do well in the World Cup finals. It is every player's dream to play for his country... and I have matured." "In the past I was a loose cannon and I apologize if I was wrong [but] I am still the best at what I do - and that is scoring goals," he added. Few could argue with McCarthy's record. Born in Hanover Park, an impoverished township in Cape Town known for its high unemployment, poverty and gang-related violence, McCarthy escaped to become one of Africa's most successful football exports. McCarthy started his career in 1995 aged 18 with Seven Stars of Cape Town, where 27 goals in 29 games earned him a move to Cape Town Spurs who soon merged with Ajax Cape Town, a feeder side to their famous Dutch namesake. McCarthy's potential was enough for Ajax Amsterdam to sign him. Joining in 1997 he scored nine goals to help them win the Eredivisie in his first year, which eventually attracted the attentions of Spain's Celta Vigo. Although it didn't work out in Spain, his move to Portugal's FC Porto was a roaring success. In the 2003/04 season he helped Jose Mourinho's side win the UEFA Champions League with McCarthy memorably grabbing two goals in the second round defeat of Manchester United. McCarthy moved to Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers in 2006 and scored plenty of goals - he was in the top three league scorers in his debut season - but first-team opportunities have been limited of late. Yet ever since McCarthy made his international debut in a 2-0 home defeat to Holland 1997, South Africa has been a different side with him in it. Gloom has followed South Africa's footballing exploits before this summer's World Cup. But after his most recent 'comeback', Bafana

South Africa legend Benni McCarthy is part of CNN's World Cup Draw coverage, Friday 4th December . McCarthy is Bafana Bafana's leading scorer with 32 goals, including two in their previous World Cup adventures . McCarthy currently plays for Blackburn Rovers and has had spells with Ajax, Celta Vigo and FC Porto .

(CNN) -- As if the heavy snow, ice and high winds from a major winter storm weren't enough, temperatures plummeted in the upper Midwest and elsewhere Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. The storm brought blizzard conditions to some areas as gusty winds and blowing snow created whiteout conditions across much of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions. Winds of at least 35 mph and rain to the east caused hundreds of flights to be delayed or canceled, leaving travelers stranded. Parts of the Southeast received more than 6 inches of rain, causing flash flooding. A 28-year-old woman was killed in Omaha, Nebraska, Tuesday night when a truck plowing snow in a parking lot backed into her, police spokesman Jacob Bettin said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. In Nashville, Tennessee, early morning winds -- possibly up to 50 mph -- toppled the Christmas tree at the Tennessee State Capital, said CNN affiliate WKRN-TV. A facilities supervisor said the tree had been secured with hooks in concrete. An Arctic high pressure system or air mass began moving southward from Canada on Wednesday, bringing with it frigid temperatures. The temperature in Portland, Oregon, was 12 degrees, breaking the previous record of 15 degrees, set in 1972, said Jonathan Wolfe, meteorologist with the weather service's Portland bureau. By Wednesday afternoon the temperature in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was 9 degrees. It was minus 2 degrees in Denver, Colorado; and 11 in Kansas City, Missouri. Forecasters warned that places such as North Dakota and Minnesota could get dangerous wind chill readings of 25 to 35 degrees below zero. Madison, Wisconsin, received more than 17 inches of snow, prompting the University of Wisconsin to cancel classes for the first time since 1990. The campus police department estimated 3,000 students descended onto the school's Bascom Hill Wednesday afternoon for a snowball fight, with a few minor injuries reported, according to the university's Web site. Watch snow blow outside a hotel in Wisconsin Early Wednesday morning, students began forming a giant snowball about six blocks from the campus and rolled it to an intersection near the university, former student Chad Krueger told CNN's iReport. How is the weather where you are? Send an iReport The storm prodded Nicole Stec of Janesville, Wisconsin, to finally buy those new tires her car had been needing. "I'm a procrastinator, so I put it off for a while. But now it's time because there's snow on the ground," Stec told WISC-TV at a Janesville tire shop. "It's my Christmas present from Santa, apparently." Elsewhere, Des Moines, Iowa, received more than a foot of snow, with more to come, and Freeport, Illinois, had 11 inches. Schools were also closed across Iowa and parts of Minnesota. Passengers heading to cities in snow-bound states were left waiting. High winds in the Northeast were creating flight delays of more than an hour Wednesday night. New England also was expected to get dangerously low temperatures as snowfall was tapering off by Wednesday evening. Areas in Maine were expected to get an additional 4-8 inches of snow overnight after as much as 10 inches fell earlier in the day, the weather service said. Connecticut's Department of Transportation deployed all of its 632 trucks to clear roads of snow that prompted numerous school closings Wednesday morning, CNN affiliate WFSB-TV reported. Watch iReporters' shots of the storm Flash floods struck north-central Alabama where rescuers ended up in a tree early Wednesday when their boat overturned as they tried to help a motorist whose car was swept into a rain-swollen creek, said the administrative assistant for Morgan County's Emergency Management Agency. "The people were all right," said Rita Weeks. "They waited in the tree until people could come get them." Earlier Wednesday, in the same county, a man hung on to a bridge over a creek after his vehicle was swept away by floodwaters, Weeks said. Forecasters said the area got more than 3 inches of rain

NEW: Gusty winds and snow created whiteout conditions across upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions . NEW: About 3,000 University of Wisconsin students descend on field for snowball fight, campus police say . Schools were also closed across Iowa and parts of Minnesota .

(CNN) -- As news of the much-awaited release of Myanmar Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi reverberated throughout the world, activists and world leaders were seizing the opportunity to make a case for democracy and human rights in this besieged nation. Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- has been ruled by a Marxist military junta since 1962. The military regime has cracked down on political dissidents, forcing thousands to flee. In a statement released Saturday, President Barack Obama called Suu Kyi a personal "hero" and called for the military regime to "release all political prisoners, not just one." "The United States looks forward to the day when all of Burma's people are free from fear and persecution," Obama said in Saturday's statement. Suu Kyi: 'I'm very happy to see you again' "Following Aung San Suu Kyi's powerful example, we recommit ourselves to remaining steadfast advocates of freedom and human rights for the Burmese people and accountability for those who continue to oppress them," he said. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said while Suu Kyi's release is a "positive signal," Pillay urged the military regime to also release the remaining political prisoners still detained. "I urge the authorities of Myanmar to now release the other 2,200 political prisoners as a clear sign that the new government intends to respect human rights and forge a new future for the country," she said. British Prime Minister David Cameron also said Suu Kyi was an "inspiration" and that the military regime must uphold its decision. "Her detention was a travesty, designed only to silence the voice of the Burmese people," he said. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called for the "unconditional release" of all detained dissidents and said Suu Kyi's freedom should be unrestricted. "This is the only way to ensure that the Myanmar elections of 7 November are the start of a real transition to democracy," Barroso said Saturday. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said he was "thrilled" by news of Suu Kyi's release. "People who love freedom everywhere admire her and the long sacrifice she has made for her people," he said. "In light of recent elections, I also hope that Aung San Suu Kyi's release will lead to the rapid inclusion of her and the Burmese citizens in governance," he said. Former first lady Laura Bush and former President George Bush called for Suu Kyi's release to be unconditional. "We strongly support the aspirations of the Burmese people and their demands for basic human rights: freedom of speech, worship, and assembly," said Bush. In Asia, Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard called Suu Kyi's detention "completely unjustified" and said her government is lobbying for an opportunity to meet with her personally. "Minister for Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd said the government was seeking an early opportunity to speak with Aung San Suu Kyi, to convey Australia's support for her and her struggle for democracy in Burma," Gillard said. "We will closely monitor her situation, including any restrictions imposed on her freedom of movement or association. Australia continues to call on the Burmese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the more than 2000 political prisoners still detained in Burma," she said. China's official Xinhua news agency was less exuberant with words on Saturday. China has refrained from publicly pressuring Myanmar and has remained the Marxist regime's closest ally since the military coup 20 years ago. India has also been criticized by the United States and others for not voicing opposition to the military junta. When India accorded a red-carpet welcome in July to the top leader of Myanmar's military junta, there was little mention of human rights abuses allegedly taking place in Myanmar's prisons, critics claimed. Human rights advocates and Suu Kyi followers overseas still expressed concerns not only for repercussions of her release, but the situation of the prisoners still incarcerated. Burma Campaign UK warned that her release should not be seen as the final return of democracy in Burma

Obama: Suu Kyi is a personal "hero" Military junta should release remaining prisoners . Burma Campaign UK urges the world not to forget other prisoners .

(CNN) -- As part of an effort to share the best practices of modern business among organizations across the globe, CNN is talking to some of the world's top executives. In line with this, CNN will be hosting three events looking at modern strategies in today's business arena. The first of these master classes will be based at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai and will be aired November 10 and 11. One of the guests at the event will be Howard Schultz, chairman of the international coffee shop chain Starbucks. He will be part of a live discussion at the master class and will take questions that you, the CNN audience, put to him. As the head of a coffee empire that now boasts over 12,000 stores and recorded revenues in 2006 of $7.8 billion, Schultz is well equipped to tackle questions on the best ways to succeed in today's business world. The CNN Boardroom Master classes will take place in the homes of the world's largest stock markets -- Shanghai, New York and London. It airs on November10 at 2115 and November 11 at 0115 & 1615 HKT. E-mail to a friend

CNN will host three Boardroom Master Classes with business experts . The first event will feature Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz . Schultz will take e-mail and video questions from the CNN audience .

(CNN) -- As part of the investigation into the remains of 11 women found inside and outside the Cleveland, Ohio, home of a registered sex offender, police have turned to the self-described "bug guy." Joe Keiper, curator of invertebrate zoology from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, started consulting with law enforcement in 2001. His job is to identify the bugs found on bodies and determine their age, to help police determine the "post-mortem interval": the time between death and body discovery. It's a grisly task but a useful one, as it can help police determine a timeline for deaths. Bugs "can be the most important evidence when it comes to pinpointing a timeline," Keiper said, adding that bugs' sense of smell "puts bloodhounds to shame." And in this case, with 11 deaths -- each with their own mystery -- bugs could play a huge role in helping investigators figure out how and when each of these bodies ended up at the home of Anthony Sowell, 50. From the beginning, Keiper was involved in the case of the remains found at Sowell's home. All the remains are of African-American women, police said. All that remains of one victim is a skull, wrapped in a paper bag and stuffed into a bucket in the basement. Police conducted an additional search at Sowell's home and an adjacent property Wednesday, Cleveland police Lt. Thomas Stacho said. Although "various items" were removed, no more remains were found, he said. Police had used ground-penetrating radar to analyze the properties. Sowell, who served 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted rape, now faces five counts of aggravated murder, rape, felonious assault and kidnapping in connection with the deaths. Typically, Keiper said, he requires three weeks to a month to complete a report on one body, but in the Sowell case, he hopes to have an initial report completed "before Christmas. ... It isn't going to be a three-week process." The difference between one bug and another can be "minute," with some of them looking "very similar," he said. But the minute difference can be huge in terms of bug species, as different species can tell very different stories about the time of death. For instance, there are only a few dozen species of flies in his part of Ohio, he said, but the presence or absence of each one can tell a story, since each has a different rate of growth in varying temperatures. Temperature will be a factor in this case, he said, because some of the bodies were found inside and others outside. Keiper said he'll need to determine what effect the bodies being "hidden" will have on the bugs he finds, as well. In research done with dead pigs, he said, bugs will cover the pig's face within an hour. Keiper said his job is to be "meticulous," as any mistakes can disrupt an investigation. Preliminary information is generally not useful, he said, so he has not spoken to police or the coroner regarding any of his findings. Asked how exact his findings will be concerning time of death, he declined to answer, saying that would mean giving specifics on the conditions of the bodies when they were found. He said only that he believes he can do "better than years" in trying to pinpoint a time of death for each victim. "This is a singular situation that I hope is once in a lifetime," he said of the Sowell case. "This is something, for the sake of our society, I hope I never have to do again." CNN's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.

Consultant identifies bugs found on bodies and determines their age . He is helping police investigate remains of 11 women found in Cleveland, Ohio . His work could help authorities establish timeline in case .

(CNN) -- As recognizable as the brand itself, Donatella Versace is adamant about one thing in fashion: "Fashion is not frivolous," she told CNN. Glamour, femininity and sensuality: The three watchwords of Donatella Versace's fashion empire. It may not be frivolous, but in many respects it is a form of fantasy, something that Versace has developed as head of the Italian fashion house since taking over the reigns after the tragic death of her brother Gianni. "We sell a lifestyle, so to own one piece of Versace is like to own a whole outfit of expensive things. That's why we do many different things," she told CNN. With a range of lifestyle items from sunglasses to furniture and even hotels, the Versace brand developed since the 1980's when it was all about supermodels and a confident, almost decadent, glamour. Not that the rich and beautiful have disappeared from the world of Versace. Fans and faces of Versace read as catalogue of glossy party A-listers included Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Halle Berry, Kate Moss and Demi Moore. Gianni Versace was one of the first fashion designers to recognize the power of celebrity, and Donatella, working with her brother, had a strong hand in the advertising campaigns. With iconic photographer Richard Avedon taking the shots, his images and Donatella's direction helped create the bold image of Versace in the 1980s and early 1990's making it synonymous with toned and beautiful Hollywood stars. It was Gianni who designed "that dress" that launched Elizabeth Hurley's career and Donatella's own safety pin moment came when Jennifer Lopez had the paparazzi and fashionistas goggling when she wore a plunging green Versace at the Grammys in 2000. While she has taken the Versace company in her own direction, Gianni was a huge influence on her life, encouraging her to join him when he was setting up his burgeoning fashion business. "Gianni was a very strong personality. We were two people who loved each other dearly. We were brother and sister. Very tight family. When Gianni became a big fashion star I was the only one who told him the truth," she said. After he was shot dead outside his Miami home in 1997, Donatella had to cope with running the fashion empire and deal with her own grief. "I didn't know if I would follow exactly Gianni's steps or find my own way and I was suffering from my brother's death. But in the meantime I had to be strong because everybody around me was looking at me for direction. But then I found my way and I started to believe in myself more and more, find my confidence and here I am," she told CNN. The Versace image may be more toned down compared to 20 years ago, but for Donatella the three guiding words of Versace remain: "glamour, femininity and sensuality." "I think fashion is to make people dream. Nobody thinks they are going to look exactly like the model on the runway, nobody wants people to think that, but it is here to make people to want to have something. I try the best I can to try and make people to want and desire things," she said. China is one part of the world that Donatella is increasingly selling the dream, with the first Versace show in Beijing in early November signifying a new chapter in the Versace brand expansion. "Chinese people view fashion in a different way from other people. They buy the whole style, the whole look together. In other countries they like the accessory or they like the clothes but they like one thing of the look. [In China] it's good because you can convey they message together," she told CNN. Donatella's fashion tips: CNN: What should a woman always have in her wardrobe? Versace: A pair of black high heels. CNN: What should a man always have in his wardrobe? Versace: A pair of low-waist pants. It makes your upper body taller and your shoulders larger. CNN:

Took over brother Gianni's fashion empire after his death in 1997 . Has developed Versace to be a lifestyle brand, including furniture and hotels . Hollywood A-list, including Jennifer Lopez and Madonna, often faces of Versace .

(CNN) -- As reports of swine flu continue to rise in the United States and around the world, the average American is probably asking, "How should I protect myself?" U.S. health officials stress the importance of frequent hand washing during outbreaks of illness. Health officials' advice is to follow common-sense precautions: Wash your hands, stay home if you're sick and listen to your local health authorities. "Very frequent hand-washing is something that we talk about time and time again and that is an effective way to reduce transmission of disease," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If you're sick, it's very important that people stay at home. If your children are sick, have a fever and flu-like illness, they shouldn't go to school. And if you're ill, you shouldn't get on an airplane or another public transport to travel. Those things are part of personal responsibility in trying to reduce the impact. " So far, Mexico has been hardest hit by swine flu. Cases have been confirmed in the United States, as well as countries including Canada, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and Israel. "In areas with no disease yet, a lot of what we can do sounds simple and repetitive but helps," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director of the CDC's Science and Public Health Program. In addition to washing hands often, she recommends covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing and avoiding touching your eyes and nose in case the virus is on your hands. The World Health Organization calls the situation a "public health emergency of international concern," and the United States has declared a "public health emergency," likened by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to preparations for a potential hurricane. No authorities are calling the outbreak a pandemic. The CDC expects U.S. numbers will grow and recommendations will change depending on what happens in individual communities, said the CDC's Schuchat. The public should pay attention to what is happening nearby and heed the guidance of local health officials regarding school, work and public events. Because so much is still unknown at this point, the main risk factor is people traveling to areas where cases have already been identified. "However this virus may already be in other places in the United States," CDC spokesman Tom Skinner told CNN. "With enhanced surveillance, we will see more cases and that is why it makes good sense to be proactive, by doing things we know are effective in reducing exposure." Explainer: Swine flu facts » Schuchat noted swine flu symptoms are relatively general and nonspecific. "So many different things can cause these symptoms. it is a dilemma," she said. "It is a challenge that we are wrestling with. There is not a perfect test right now to let a person or doctor know exactly what this is." But Schuchat specifically advised anyone who feels ill after returning from Mexico to see a doctor. Unfortunately, since this is a new strain of influenza, the flu vaccine for this past flu season offers no protection. "However, we do have anti-virals that work against this swine flu," said Skinner, referring to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). "Someone who has [swine flu], if they are treated early, the anti-flu medicines work against this." According to Skinner, health officials are still trying to figure out where exactly the virus originated, how transmissible it is and why it is mild in some cases and deadlier in others. CNN's Mary Carter contributed to this report.

Take standard flu season precautions to avoid infection, CDC advises . Chief risk factor is traveling to areas where swine flu has been identified . No vaccine for new strain exists but antiviral drugs can shorten duration .

(CNN) -- As tens of thousands of people cheered Barack Obama's presidential victory at his home base in Chicago, Illinois, others were celebrating near his future house. People celebrate the victory of President-Elect Barack Obama outside the White House early Wednesday. At least 1,000 people gathered on Washington's Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House late Tuesday night, shouting "Obama! Obama!" and "Yes we can!" Uniformed Secret Service officers were overheard, saying they'd never seen anything like it. In Boston, Massachusetts, thousands of people -- many of them college students -- hit the streets to celebrate the election of the country's 44th president. The sound of car horns could be heard across the city, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. iReport.com: See, share your reaction Boston police said the celebrations were peaceful, but they closed some streets to control the crowds, WCVB reported. In Chicago's Grant Park, where police estimated at least 200,000 had gathered to hear Obama claim victory, the crowd erupted in cheers and screams after news organizations projected him the winner. Watch Obama address the crowd » One of them, Brian Braddy of Chicago, said he is a Republican-turned-Democrat. "I believe in [Obama] because he's younger, so he sees things differently, I hope," Braddy said. Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey was also among the thousands in attendance at the Chicago celebration. "It feels like hope won," Winfrey said. "It feels like it's not just victory for ... Barack Obama. It feels like America did the right thing. "It feels like there's a shift in consciousness. It feels like something really big and bold has happened here -- like nothing ever in our lifetimes did we expect this to happen. It feels like anything is now possible." In Harlem, New York, hundreds had gathered to watch election returns on a large screen in a plaza near the Apollo Theater. Many cheered or started making calls to relatives and friends when Obama's victory was announced. Many there said they couldn't believe an African-American had been elected president in their lifetimes. People were celebrating in the streets into the night in other cities, including San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington. iReport.com: Obama win celebrated in Antarctica In Atlanta, the Rev. Bernice King, youngest daughter of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., hailed the first African-American president-elect. When asked what Obama's victory meant to her, she said it meant "that the work that my mother and father sacrificed for was not in vain." "I was very touched tonight and moved to tears when I heard the announcement, and I know that this is something that my father would be proud of America for," King said. "He would be proud of the many young people who turned out at the polls to make this possible, and it's a new dawning ... in America." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's main rival for the Democratic nomination for president, said Obama's win is a "historic victory for the American people." See what people are saying about Obama's victory » "In quiet, solitary acts of citizenship, American voters gave voice to their hopes and their values, voted for change, and refused to be invisible any longer," she said. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, said "Americans spoke loud and clear and demanded change by electing Barack Obama as our next president." "They understood his vision of a fairer and more just America and embraced it," Kennedy said. "They heard his call for a new generation of Americans to participate in government and were inspired. They believed that change is possible and voted to be part of America's future. "Barack Obama is my friend and tonight, I'm very proud to call him my president. I look forward to working with him and Joe Biden on the many challenges facing our country here at home and

Hundreds gather outside White House to celebrate Obama's victory . Oprah Winfrey in Chicago: "It feels like America did the right thing." More than 200,000 gather in Chicago to hear Obama claim victory . Hillary Rodham Clinton hails "historic victory for the American people"

(CNN) -- As the April 15 income tax filing deadline approaches, the top tax expert at the National Association for the Self-Employed offers his best advice for business people who work for themselves. Keith Hall, a national tax adviser at the association, answers the tax question he is asked most often and talks about changes in tax rules for small-business owners. He also offers advice about how the self-employed can best avoid being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. CNN: What should self-employed taxpayers keep at the top of their minds this year? Keith Hall: I think the most important thing to remember is that you have resources. The IRS is always changing information -- from automobile deductions, to alternative minimum tax limits, to net operating loss carry-forwards. It's tough to keep up with, but you don't have to remember it, because it's all out there on the IRS Web site for you. Don't forget, you've got resources to go out and look for. CNN: What's different this year for self-employed taxpayers? Hall: Perhaps the most important thing unique to this year is there are so many businesses which were affected by the downturn in the economy, that the IRS has expanded opportunities for loss carrybacks. The definition of a loss carryback is if you had losses from your business in 2009, then you may have the opportunity to then take those losses and offset income from previous years. That's certainly something to look into if you had a tough year for 2009, because it may give you the ability to recover taxes in more years -- namely five -- than you used to be able to, which is just two. So if that's the situation that you find yourself in, certainly look into options for those loss carrybacks. It certainly can help you with the tax impact. More particularly, for those new to being self-employed or maybe even their first year filing a Schedule C, make sure you look for deductions that don't appear in your business checkbook. It's very easy to overlook deductions like the deduction for the home office that you use, deduction for the business use of your automobile -- those typically don't show up in your business checkbook, so if you don't know to look for them, they're very easily overlooked, and that's basically just leaving money on the table. CNN: What can self-employed workers do to avoid an IRS audit? Hall: The No. 1 reason a small business gets audited or asked for additional information by the IRS is simple math errors -- the numbers simply don't add up correctly on the form. Whether you use TurboTax or TaxCut or the IRS online filing, it's a great idea -- particularly for the new small business -- to make sure you use that software package -- if nothing else -- just to make sure those math errors are eliminated. Don't be too afraid of an IRS audit. Obviously, when people think in terms of the IRS, they get a little bit antsy. Nobody likes to get that letter in the mailbox on Saturday morning that's got an IRS return address in the upper left-hand corner. But if you do, the best thing to keep in mind is pay attention to your tax return. Do the due diligence that you need to to avoid the little shortcuts of filling in numbers that you don't have support for. If you just take the time to pay attention to the business and do the tax return the way you should, there's nothing to be afraid of with that audit. So at a very minimum -- just to ease the stress of that potential letter you're going to get form the IRS -- just make sure you take the extra time to use resources like nase.org, like the IRS Web site at irs.gov, and just make sure you dot your I's and cross your Ts. And then, if you do get a request from the IRS, it won't be stressful. CNN: What are some

Use IRS.gov to avoid mistakes, says top tax expert at advocacy group for self-employed . How to save tax money right now? Consider retirement contributions . Look for deductions that don't appear in your business checkbook . Automobile mileage: The new deduction rate is 55 cents/mile .

(CNN) -- As the country was sinking into its worst financial crisis in more than 70 years, Security and Exchange Commission employees and contractors cruised porn sites and viewed sexually explicit pictures using government computers, an SEC investigation obtained by CNN showed. "During the past five years, the SEC OIG (Office of Inspector General) substantiated that 33 SEC employees and or contractors violated Commission rules and policies, as well as the government-wide Standards of Ethical Conduct, by viewing pornographic, sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images using government computer resources and official time," said a summary of the investigation by the inspector general's office. More than half of the workers made between $99,000 and $223,000. All the cases took place over the past five years. "It is nothing short of disturbing that high-ranking officials within the SEC were spending more time looking at pornography than taking action to help stave off the events that brought our nation's economy to the brink of collapse," said Rep. Darrell Issa. The Republican is a ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. "This stunning report should make everyone question the wisdom of moving forward with plans to give regulators like the SEC even more widespread authority," he said. "Inexplicably, rather than exercise its existing regulatory enforcement authority, SEC officials were preoccupied with other distractions."

SEC investigation: Dozens of employees, contractors surfed porn sites on work computers . Staffers violated government-wide ethics rules, report finds . Report: All cases occurred while country was teetering on verge of financial collapse .

(CNN) -- As the dust settled after the latest agreement was struck to solve the Eurozone debt crisis, French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted it had been a "mistake" to admit the stricken Greeks into the monetary union. "Let's be clear; it was a mistake," Sarkozy told French television. "Greece came into the Euro with numbers that were false and its economy was not prepared to assume an integration into the Eurozone. It was a decision that was taken in, I believe, 2001, for which we now are paying the consequence." Wednesday's agreement, reached in Brussels, will slash Greek debt, recapitalize European banks and more than double the European Union bailout fund's resources to handle future sovereign defaults. "It's great news that we've got an agreement," said Deutsche Bank economist Gilles Moec. "When Europe puts its heads together, they do actually begin to cooperate." However speculation is rife about China's role in the success of the plan, with suggestions they will provide capital to bolster the euro -- a scenario Sarkozy has no qualms about. "If the Chinese, who have 60% of global reserves, decide to invest in the euro instead of the dollar, why refuse?" he asked. China has welcomed the EU Summit consensus, whose main elements include a 50% reduction in the value of Greek government bonds, steps recapitalize European banks and plans to attract capital for the already overburdened European Financial Stability Facility rescue fund, in order to reduce Greek debt from the current astronomical 160% of its current economy to 120% of total economic output over the next 10 years. China indicated that it may be in its best interest to contribute to a solution, although made no mention of specific plans to do so. "We believe that, as the largest economy in the world, the steady, sound, and healthy growth of the EU economy and the Eurozone is vital to the world economy's recovery," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular press briefing on Thursday. "We are also ready to work with the EU to overcome the difficulty." But Chinese support would depend on Europe's ability to guarantee the safety of any investment, Li Daokui, a member of China's Central Bank Monetary Policy Committee, told the Financial Times. "It is in China's long-term and intrinsic interest to help Europe because they are our biggest trading partner but the chief concern of the Chinese government is how to explain this decision to our own people," Li said. Li added that China could use fiscal support as leverage to deter Europe from criticizing China's currency policy, which is often criticized for being undervalued and unfairly benefiting Chinese exports. Europe hopes to attract capital from sovereign wealth funds, particularly from developing nations like China and Russia, to supplement the €440 billion rescue fund, but analysts note that the structure of these investments remains unknown. In a phone conversation with Sarkozy on Thursday, Chinese President Hu Jintao made no mention of specific plans to invest in the scheme, but lauded Europe's progress in solving the debt crisis. The leaders discussed plans for the upcoming G20 Summit, with Hu saying the annual meeting had become a platform for cleaning up the global economy and that he hopes it can continue to adhere to the spirit of cooperation and common success, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. "It is not in China's interest to fund this scheme," Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics told CNN Money. "It is better advised to sit this out and buy assets at liquidation than to invest in a sinking ship." Meanwhile the EU's bailout fund chief Klaus Regling will meet with officials in Beijing and Tokyo Friday, though no reason has been given for his visit.

"Let's be clear; it was a mistake," Sarkozy, on the Euro for Greece . Europe hopes to attract private capital to supplement the €440 billion rescue fund . China welcomed the deal, but has made no mentions of contributing capital . The EU's bailout fund chief will meet with officials in Beijing and Tokyo Friday .

(CNN) -- As the first president-elect with a Facebook page and a YouTube channel, Barack Obama is poised to use the Internet to communicate directly with Americans in a way unknown to previous presidents. Since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has posted weekly video addresses on YouTube. Judging by Obama's savvy use of social-networking sites during his campaign and the interactive nature of his transition team's Web site, Americans can expect a president who bypasses the traditional media's filters while reaching out to citizens for input, observers say. "The rebooting of our democracy has begun," said Andrew Rasiej, founder of Personal Democracy Forum and the techPresident blog. "[Obama] has the potential to transform the relationship between the American public and their democracy." During the presidential race, Obama's campaign won praise for its innovative use of social-networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace and MyBarackObama.com, to announce events, rally volunteers and raise money. Facebook has more than 150 million active users, and the average user has 100 friends on the site, according to the company. iReport.com: Your chance to ask President-elect Obama a question Obama has more than 1 million MySpace "friends" and more than 3.7 million "supporters" on his official Facebook page -- some 700,000 more than when he was elected in November. His campaign also has a database of almost 13 million supporters and their e-mail addresses. Transition officials hope to transform Obama's vast Web operation and electronic list of supporters into a 21st-century tool to help accomplish his goals as president. They even have a name for this ambitious effort: Obama 2.0. "Obama has invented an alternative media model," said CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider. "In the old model, the president talks to the people on television [and] the people talk back in polls. In the new model, communication is online, and two-way." Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter didn't exist when George W. Bush took office eight years ago. But since last November's election, Obama has wasted no time embracing these online communication portals. In recent weeks he has taped weekly video addresses and posted them to YouTube, where most have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Obama's staffers also have stopped posting information to social-networking sites since the election, preferring to reach out to constituents through YouTube and Change.gov, the official site of the president-elect's transition team. Visitors to Change.gov can read a frequently updated blog, post their ideas on issues facing the country, and rate others' ideas. Top-rated ideas will be gathered into a briefing book and given to Obama after he takes office. "They want information going not just from them to the voters, but from the voters back to them," Democratic strategist Steve McMahon said Wednesday on CNN's "The Situation Room." "Thirteen million people pushing a button, sending an e-mail to their elected representatives, making a phone call, taking action, is a powerful, powerful lobbying tool." "It's a very smart use of the Internet, to get people to offer ideas," said David All, a Republican Internet strategist. All hopes that Obama and his staff take a similar approach to WhiteHouse.gov, the president's official Web site. The current WhiteHouse.gov site, operated by the Bush administration, contains few interactive features. A statement on the president-elect's transition site says that Obama hopes to "use cutting-edge technologies to create a new level of transparency, accountability, and participation for America's citizens." It's fitting, then, that Obama's inauguration next week could be one of the most watched video events in Internet history. Rasiej expects that hordes of users will be watching online when Obama takes the oath of office, visiting WhiteHouse.gov and refreshing their browsers to capture the moment the site switches to proclaim Obama, not George W. Bush, as president. As president, Obama will likely not just rely on WhiteHouse.gov but use multiple Internet sites and

As president, Barack Obama will use the Web to communicate directly with citizens . Obama can bypass traditional media filters while reaching out to Americans . Political-tech expert: "The rebooting of our democracy has begun" Transition officials have a name for this online communications effort: Obama 2.0 .

(CNN) -- As the leader of Malaysia's reform -- or reformasi -- movement, Anwar Ibrahim has spent much of the past decade in court defending himself against sodomy charges. Once one of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad's closest political allies -- and viewed by many as his heir apparent -- the 64-year old grew up in the politically-charged environment of post-independence Malaysia. He made his name as a student activist in various Muslim youth groups in Kuala Lumpur in the late-1960s, as the country reeled from the protracted Communist insurgency of the Malayan Emergency. Arrested in 1974 in student protests against rural poverty, Anwar was sentenced to 20 months in jail. Despite his firebrand reputation, he later confounded liberal supporters in 1982 by joining the conservative United Malays National Organization (UMNO) led by Mahathir. At the time, Mahathir's ability to bring Anwar on board was seen as a master political stroke, effectively neutralizing a potentially powerful political opponent who risked joining the opposition Parti Islam or PAS. Anwar found not guilty of sodomy He moved quickly through the political ranks throughout the 1980s, heading several ministries until he became deputy prime minister and the favored lieutenant of Mahathir in 1993. But by the end of the 1990s, the relationship had begun to sour as Anwar became increasingly vocal about what he saw as widespread nepotism and cronyism within the Malaysian government. Protectionist policies set up by Mahathir also came under fire from Anwar, who supported the International Monetary Fund's recovery plan for Malaysia following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Anwar instituted an austerity package that cut government spending by 18%, cut ministerial salaries and put major infrastructure projects on hold. These mega-projects had been the cornerstone of Mahathir's development strategy and his opposition further strained the relationship. Mahathir, as prime minister, reversed several Anwar decisions. Nevertheless, the tough medicine of the IMF package meant Malaysia emerged from the crisis sooner than its neighbors. It is currently moving away from manufacturing as a base for its economy, and is now a world center of Islamic banking and knowledge-based industries. In 1998, Anwar was fired from the cabinet amid police reports he was under investigation on charges of sodomy -- an illegal act in predominantly Muslim Malaysia. Anwar denied the allegations. Appearing in court with a black eye from a beating while in police custody- an injury that then Inspector General of Police Rahim Noor later admitted in a royal commission he had personally administered -- Anwar pleaded not guilty. After a two-year trial, which also involved corruption charges, Anwar was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in jail for sodomy and six years, served concurrently, for corruption. In December 2004, Anwar was cleared of the sodomy charges, and in 2006 he announced his bid to run for parliament in the 2008 elections after the expiration of a ban from public office related to his earlier conviction. In the 2008 elections, the opposition seriously dented the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition's majority, handing it one of its worst election results since independence in 1957. In what the Malaysian media had dubbed "Sodomy 2.0," the opposition leader -- just months after the 2008 elections -- was again charged with sodomy on the basis of allegations from his aide Modh Saiful Bukhari Azlan who claimed Anwar had repeatedly sexually assaulted him. Anwar dismissed the charges as a sham, saying they were concocted by the ruling coalition in an effort to discredit him. Anwar has consistently claimed that the charges were trumped up and the last desperate act of a government fighting for its political survival. The government, for its part, has denied any involvement in the case against Anwar. "The fact that the same plot that was hatched in 1998 is being repeated reflects a certain bankruptcy and lack of creativity on their part," Anwar told CNN in 2010. "They must still believe some segment of the Malay-Muslim electorate, who will likely determine the outcome of the next General Election, will be alienated by these charges. I doubt that is the case." After a nearly three-year trial, a Malaysian court Monday found Anwar not guilty

Anwar has spent more than a decade fighting sodomy charges . The one-time student activist was once Mahathir's right-hand man . The opposition leader dented the ruling party's majority at elections in 2008 . Anwar has led a reform movement that has targeted social and political reform .

(CNN) -- As the powerhouses of the rugby world continue to battle over the Web Ellis trophy in the knockout stages of the World Cup, some of the sport's less-fancied teams are making their way home after a valiant, if unsuccessful, fight in the group stages. Since the tournament began in 1987, only four nations have walked away as world champions: New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and England. Canada's Canucks, Georgia's Lelos or the U.S. Eagles were never the bookmakers' favorites to win the Cup and for obvious reasons. These emerging nations do not compete anywhere near as regularly as the elite sides and, along with tactical and experience deficiencies, face a daunting challenge to emerge from the bruising challenge of the pool matches in the world's most prestigious event. But these teams do have heart and motivation and -- perhaps most of all -- they have the joy and passion of national pride. Whether or not they walk away with wins, it's being there, representing their nations and improving the standard of rugby within their countries, that matters most for them. "When that flag is waving and the anthem plays before the game, if that doesn't get you going, you need to see a cardiologist," former Eagles player and coach Jack Clark told CNN. "It's just one of those moments where you feel not only a lot of responsibility, but you feel really privileged to have that responsibility." Lelos making strides Georgia did not make an appearance in the Rugby World Cup until 2003, but the they became an overnight sensation during that year's tournament with their passionate play, despite not actually winning a match. The Lelos, named after an indigenous Georgian sport similar to rugby, also qualified for the 2007 finals and nearly caused a sensation by coming within a whisker of beating established nation Ireland. Just 11 days later, they beat Namibia 30-0 to record their first World Cup success. For a nation that considers rugby to be a minority sport, Georgia are supported by an intensely loyal fan base and host a number of players who regularly compete in France, adding to their level of conditioning. "The strength of our team is in our physicality," media manager Lasha Khurtsidze told CNN. "We always have very good forwards and our scrum is considered to be in the top five in the world. Our players have a very strong sense of pride and courage. They play like they are on a battlefield protecting their country." Georgia qualified for this year's tournament after defeating Russia 36-8 and winning the European Nations Cup in 2010. "We are determined to show the world that we are not underdogs," Khurtsidze added. "We want to prove that we deserve a place among the elite teams. We aim more at playing with dignity rather than winning, however, to win one or two matches is very important because expectations are very high here in Georgia." In this year's tournament, Georgia narrowly lost to Scotland, England and Argentina, but beat Romania 25-7. "I think Georgia surpassed expectations in this year's World Cup," Alex Payne, a Sky Sports broadcaster who regularly covers rugby, told CNN. "I would have expected them to have lost more heavily to Scotland, England and Argentina, given those teams would have been very aware of what Georgia are capable of. Georgia were not taken lightly by any of those teams, and yet still, the margins of victory were more than respectable for a side that doesn't get that much competitive play. "Georgia have come a long way in a short state of time," Payne added. "If they can add a bit more creativity and flair behind what they've got up front, then they will push forward." Eye on the Eagles The U.S. Eagles have participated in each World Cup since 1987 (except 1995, when they did not qualify), but going into this year's Cup, they had only ever won only two matches, both against Japan. Although they are

Canada, Georgia and the U.S. are emerging as leading contenders in world rugby . Georgia are building on their reputation for being competitive and physical . The U.S. Eagles are a tight cohesive outfit that display deep national pride .

(CNN) -- As the swine flu outbreak escalates across the globe, U.S. travelers returning from Mexico are wondering what to do when they come home. Travelers leaving a Mexican airport fill out questionnaires about their health. On Wednesday, Christine Kovar of San Francisco, California, returned from a vacation to Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. She said she wasn't sure whether she should attend work or stay home. "I feel fine," said Kovar. "It will be the discretion of my boss whether I go back to work." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, is advising U.S. travelers back from Mexico with at least two of the swine flu symptoms to stay at home and avoid public places upon return. Symptoms of swine flu, also known as 2009 N1H1, can include a fever, sore throat, cough, chills, headaches and runny nose. People with symptoms should report to a health care provider or local health department and provide itinerary details and symptoms, according to the CDC. If infected, the swine flu is contagious for up to seven days. People who aren't sick should continue to work and use normal precautions like washing hands, according to the CDC. They should monitor their health for seven days. "As long as they aren't presenting any flu-like symptoms, there is no reason why they can't continue to do things that they normally would," said Llelwyn Grant, a spokesman for the CDC. Meanwhile, the death toll from swine flu continues to climb. On Thursday, the World Health Organization reported 236 cases of swine flu worldwide. In the United States, the CDC said it confirmed 109 cases of swine flu, or 2009 H1N1, in 11 states, an increase of 18 from its previous total. On Wednesday, the WHO raised the pandemic threat level to 5 on a six-step scale These numbers are causing alarm among the public, as schools and businesses try to contain the disease and protect the health of others. Some companies are erring on the side of safety, telling employees who returned from Mexico to stay at home for a few days. One university in Pennsylvania barred nearly two dozen students back from Mexico from attending graduation. More than 100 schools across the country have shut down. Greenville County School District in South Carolina shut down on Thursday to clean the buildings and busses when 18 students reported flu-like symptoms after a band trip to Disney World in Florida. School officials are awaiting the test results of the children. "We are being proactive and trying to take [the] right precautions," said Oby Lyles, spokesman for the Greenville County School District. Several state health departments such as the New York, where there are 50 confirmed cases, and Kansas, where there are two confirmed cases, said they haven't made state-level advisories yet on whether travelers from Mexico who feel healthy should attend work or not. If travelers are feeling sick, the state departments said travelers should follow CDC guidelines and stay at home. "If you aren't sick, make sure you are practicing the common sense precautions," said a spokesman at the New York State Department of Health. "Wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you sneeze." In addition to advising ill U.S. travelers returning from Mexico to stay confined, government officials are turning to the travel industry for help, particularly air travel. The CDC is advising airline crew members who have arrived from domestic and international areas affected by the swine flu to be on the lookout for ill passengers. Airlines have been advised to stock the planes with gloves and face masks in case of an emergency. The CDC said airline crew members need to ask passengers who appear sick to be quarantined at one of the CDC's 20 locations across the country. It's been smooth sailing at U.S. airports, several passengers say. There have been no nationwide questionnaires being issued at the airports, according to a spokeswoman at U.S. Customs and Border Protection yet. In contrast, at some Mexican airports, travelers are asked to fill out

Travelers with flu-like symptoms coming back from Mexico should stay at home . Healthy travelers coming from Mexico can continue to go to work and school . There are more than 230 confirmed cases of swine flu worldwide, according to WHO . Companies and schools are erring on the side of safety asking people not to come .

(CNN) -- As the war in Iraq reaches its five-year anniversary this week, two of the world's leading humanitarian groups issued extensive reports Monday describing a crisis of huge proportions with little reason for hope. Iraqi women mourn the death of their relative outside the morgue in the restive city of Baquba, Iraq, on March 12. "Despite claims that the security situation has improved in recent months, the human rights situation is disastrous," Amnesty International says in its report, titled "Carnage and Despair: Iraq Five Years On." In a summary of the report, Amnesty writes that "a climate of impunity has prevailed, the economy is in tatters and the refugee crisis" keeps escalating. The International Committee of the Red Cross, in a report titled "Iraq: No Let-up in the Humanitarian Crisis," writes, "Despite limited improvements in security in some areas, armed violence is still having a disastrous impact. Civilians continue to be killed in the hostilities. "The injured often do not receive adequate medical care. Millions of people have been forced to rely on insufficient supplies of poor-quality water as water and sewage systems suffer from a lack of maintenance and a shortage of engineers." The Bush administration and many Republican lawmakers, including presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, have frequently praised successes in Iraq in recent months, noting improvements in security in key areas. They attribute that in part to the buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq ordered by President Bush last year. Vice President Dick Cheney described the five year U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in a news conference Monday during a visit to Baghdad. "This week marks the fifth anniversary," said Cheney. "It has been a difficult, challenging, but none the less successful endeavor." Democrats, including presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, have said the government failed to use the downturn in violence to achieve the steps it was supposed to make possible. Sen. John McCain met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday where he stressed the United States' commitment to Iraq. "We recognize that al Qaeda is on the run, but they are not defeated. Al Qaeda continues to pose a great threat to the security and very existence of Iraq as a democracy. So we know there's still a lot more work that needs to be done," he said. Amnesty writes, "Key political benchmarks have yet to be realized." Both Amnesty and the Red Cross slam the Iraqi government for failing to grapple with the critical needs of their populations. Amnesty also says the Iraqi government and the U.S.-led Multi-National Forces are responsible for some nightmarish circumstances. "Civilians are also at risk from Multi-National Forces and Iraqi security forces, with many killed by excessive force and tens of thousands detained without charge or trial," Amnesty writes in its summary. "The death penalty was reintroduced in 2004 and hundreds of people have been sentenced to death. At least 33 people were executed in 2007, many after unfair trials." In its report, Amnesty says the Iraqi government "has failed to introduce practical measures to deal with the gross and serious human rights violations perpetrated by its security forces. There appears to be no serious willingness to investigate properly the many incidents of abuses, including killings of civilians, torture and rape, and to bring those responsible to justice. "The government has also been unable to reign in Shiite militia groups, such as the Mehdi Army, or to rid the Interior Ministry of death squads. The fact that the government is divided along sectarian lines has serious repercussions on its effectiveness and bodes ill for the future." The two reports cite a litany of concerns, including severe widespread poverty, a lack of food and water, and broken families left to scrounge for whatever they can find to get by. Both reports describe a situation that shows no sign of clear improvement. Amnesty also says conditions for women have worsened with the rise of fundamentalist religious groups. Many women "have been forced to wear Islamic dress or

Amnesty International and The Red Cross released reports Monday . Amnesty report: "A climate of impunity has prevailed; the economy is in tatters" Amnesty says conditions for women have worsened with rise of religious groups . Vice President Dick Cheney describes war as success with challenges .

(CNN) -- Asashoryu stands at the pinnacle of sumo wrestling like a colossus. Asashoryu is one of sumo's most successful, and most controversial, wrestlers. But the 330-lbs Mongolian, sumo's most successful ever grand champion, has not been able to rise above the scandals and tragedies that have beset Japan's national sport in recent years. Asashoryu, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, grew up in Mongolia, where both his elder brothers and father were successful wrestlers. Moving to Japan as a student he was spotted and trained by the Takesago stable and made his professional debut at the age of 18 in 1999. Winning his first tournament, or basho, in 2002, his rise up the rankings culminated in him attaining the highest position of Grand Champion, or yokozuna, in January 2003, becoming only the 68th yokozuna in the sport's 2,000-year-old history. Two years later, he set a new record by being the only man to win all six official tournaments in one year. While Asashoryu's meteoric rise to the top was seen by many as reinvigorating a sport that had seen a decline in homegrown wrestlers and popularity, his success in the dohyo has not pleased everyone. Some have complained that his wins are too routine, and purists grouse that he does not poses the quality of "hinkaku," the dignity and calm expected in a yokozuna, or give the sport's traditions the necessary respect. In 2003 he was disqualified from a bout for pulling on the top-knot of an opponent, and has gained a reputation as the enfant-terrible of sumo. Regardless of the criticisms of Asashoryu's wrestling style, sumo's reputation as a noble sport of tradition has suffered from a number of scandals in recent years and exposed it as just as susceptible to the problems faced by other sports. With deep links to Japanese culture going back to when sumo was part of the Shinto religious rituals, the sport's troubles have almost represented a national identity crisis. Following the banning of three non-Japanese wrestlers for using recreational drugs in September, the sport's chairman and former-wrestler Kitanoumi resigned. It came after a period of years in which a number of match-fixing allegations were made, some directly implicating Asashoryu, and plunging the sport into yet another crisis. In January 2007 he was accused of bribing other wrestlers to lose bouts, compounding the view that corruption was prevalent in the sport. Problems for Asashoryu continued in 2007 when he was suspended by the sumo wrestling federation for allegedly faking a doctor's note and was restricted from leaving his house in Tokyo, leading to reports of a nervous breakdown. Mental as well as physical strength are necessary to reach the top of the sport, but while the punishing physical routine and "hazing" in the training stables has been known and accepted, tragedy struck earlier this year. Takashi Saito, a 17-year-old sumo trainee, died in brutal circumstances, allegedly beaten to death by his stable-master and three fellow sumo wrestlers. Continuing to make his mark in the dohyo will be Asashoryu's aim for the rest of the year, while sumo hopes it can recover its own poise.

Mongolian grand champion wrestler one of the sumo's most successful ever . Reinvigorated the sport, but also has detractors critical of his style and attitude . Accused of match fixing and feigning illness, banned as a consequence .

(CNN) -- Ash from an Icelandic volcano is continuing to affect European flights on Monday, delaying transatlantic aircraft and threatening flights over parts of Ireland and Portugal. Eurocontrol, the agency that manages European air travel, said: "During the afternoon, areas of higher ash concentration could move in a north-easterly direction from the Atlantic into the Iberian Peninsula." Ryanair, the budget airline, canceled 18 flights on Monday as it expected the airspace surrounding Kerry airport in the southwest of Ireland and Faro airport in Portugal to be affected by the ash cloud. Ryanair said in a statement on its Web site: "Passengers are strongly recommended to check their flight status before they go to the airport." Eurocontrol said much of the high-concentration ash cloud over continental Europe had dispersed and that despite the delays, all European airports were open on Monday afternoon. The UK Civil Aviation Authority said that transatlantic flights were still rerouting around ash that was lying between 20,000 to 35,000 feet in the atmosphere. A CAA spokesman told CNN: "The ash cloud is slowly disappearing, it's descending and dispersing, there isn't one big cloud... it's ash in the air over a very large area. Transatlantic flights are rerouting around it, causing delays." Eurocontrol said it expected approximately 28,500 flights within the European area, which is about 500 below average for a Monday at this time of year. Italian airports in Milan, Pisa and Florence as well as six airports in Scotland were closed over the weekend because of the ash cloud. Volcanic ash can be a serious hazard to aircraft, reducing visibility, damaging flight controls and ultimately causing jet engines to fail. The problems began in mid-April, when the volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland erupted and sent a cloud of ash into the atmosphere, closing most of Europe's airspace for six days.

Eurocontrol: Ash from Icelandic volcano could affect Irish and Portuguese airspace . UK airport authority: Transatlantic flights facing rerouting and delays . Volcanic ash reduces visibility, can lead to engine failure .

(CNN) -- Asia's economic growth will tumble to the slowest pace since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a report released Tuesday. Customers buy vegetables at a market in Quezon City in suburban Manila, Philippines, on September 16. "The short term outlook for the region is bleak as the full impact of the severe recession in industrialized economies is transmitted to emerging markets," said Jong-Wha Lee, acting chief economist for the ADB. The Asian Development Outlook 2009 forecasts that economic growth in developing Asia will slip to 3.4 percent in 2009, down from 6.3 percent last year and 9.5 percent in 2007. Growth could improve to 6 percent in 2010, if the global economy experiences a mild recovery next year, the report says. "The concern for the region, and especially for the region's poor, is that it is not yet clear that the [United States], European Union and Japan will recover as soon as next year," Lee said. The slowdown should prompt Asian countries to expand their economic base and not be as dependent on exports, according to the report. Despite the downturn, the report says Asia is in a much better position to cope with the current crisis than it was in the late 1990s. "Large foreign currency reserves and steadily declining inflation rates will provide policymakers with the necessary tools to nurse their economies through the hard times ahead," the report said. A number of Asian governments, including China, Japan and South Korea, have already responded quickly to the global financial crisis with stimulus packages and changes in monetary policy, helping to stem some of the downturn. In November, China announced plans to inject $586 billion (4 trillion yuan) into its economy to offset declines in industrial and export growth. That economic stimulus plan included the loosening of credit restrictions, tax cuts and massive infrastructure spending.

Economic growth in developing Asia forecast to slip to 3.4 percent in 2009 . Growth could improve to 6 percent in 2010, report says . Report: Slowdown could prompt Asian nations to not be as dependent on exports .

(CNN) -- Asian champions Al Sadd have qualified for the semifinals of the Club World Cup after beating African champions Esperance of Tunisia 2-1 in Toyota, Japan, in a match marred by crowd trouble. Esperance fans repeatedly clashed with police and stewards, with one supporter also running onto the pitch before being dragged to the ground, after their side had two goals disallowed for offside, and penalty appeals rejected, in an enthraling match. Al Sadd's victory, the fifth successive time the Asian champions have beaten their African equivalent in the tournament, means the Qatari side have secured a dream last four clash with European champions Barcelona on Thursday. Al Sadd went ahead in the 33rd minute when Khalfan Al Khalfan headed home a rebound after goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifia failed to deal properly with Abdul Kader Keita's long-range drive. And they doubeld their advantage four minutes after the break when Lee Jung-Soo headed a free-kick across goal for captain Abdullah Koni to knock in from close range. Both teams were making their debut in the competition, and Esperance gave themselves hope on the hour mark when Ousama Darragi headed home a set-piece. But, helped by a couple of contentious decisions, Al Sadd held on and will now pit their wits against tournament favorites Barcelona. Meanwhile, in the other fixture played on Sunday, Japanese champions Kashiwa Reysol beat CONCACAF champions Monterrey of Mexico on penalties, after their match had ended 1-1. Ryohei Hayashi netted the winning spot-kick to see Kashiwa through 4-3 on penalties and seal a date with South American champions Santos of Brazil in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

Asian champions Al Sadd beat African champions Esperance 2-1 in Club World Cup . The Qatari side now face European champions Barcelona in semifinals of competition . Crowd trouble mars the match with Esperance fans clashing with police and stewards . Kashiwa Reysol, representing hosts Japan, defeat Monterrey of Mexico on penalties .

(CNN) -- Asked about part of the entertainment business he particularly enjoys, Greg Behrendt -- stand-up comedian, author, TV writer and producer -- had an unusual answer. Greg Behrendt co-wrote "He's Just Not That Into You," based on a popular episode of "Sex and the City." "My instrumental punk and ska band called the Reigning Monarchs," he said with a laugh. "There's seven guys in the band. ... We play shows around Los Angeles." But the co-author of "He's Just Not That Into You," now a film starring Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson and Ben Affleck, admits that stand-up comedy remains a longtime passion. In fact, it led -- in a roundabout way -- to "He's Just Not That Into You." "I was a stand-up who had an HBO special called 'Mantastic,' and it was directed by Michael Patrick King, who became an executive producer of 'Sex and the City,' " Behrendt said. One thing led to another, and Behrendt soon joined a mostly female writing team on "Sex and the City." He observed that he was the only straight male writer for the show and offered the group valuable and realistic insight into the world of men. "Sure, I felt a little bit like a token," he said. "It's not like those women needed my help, but I think there are days when you can't write in a perspective you don't live." That perspective, along with colleague Liz Tuccillo's female point of view, gave way to "He's Just Not That Into You." The book is based on a popular episode of "Sex and the City," in which Carrie's boyfriend (played by Ron Livingston) offers the line to Miranda as she puzzles over a date. The book is a wake-up call for women who obsess and worry about relationships, with an overarching message that if women find themselves doing the chasing, it's likely the guy simply isn't interested. "We were raised to pursue women. ... Most of the guys I know enjoy the pursuit," he said. "But that doesn't mean women should be wallflowers." As a comedian-turned-relationship expert -- one who is, by the way, now happily married and writing a book with his wife -- Behrendt said he hoped women would realize their worth when they read the book or watch the film. "[Women] deserve great things, and they get to decide what their relationships are, and not other people," he said. "You often hear women say, 'I don't know if he's ready to get married.' Why are you waiting for his decision? We always put our fates in other people's hands."

Greg Behrendt is the co-author of "He's Just Not That Into You," now a film . Behrendt joined a mostly female writing team on "Sex and the City" "He's Just Not That Into You" is a book for women who worry about relationships . "We were raised to pursue women," Behrendt says .

(CNN) -- At 44 meters long (145 ft), Hemisphere is the largest sailing catamaran in the world. The makers of Hemisphere believe this is first catamaran superyacht to hit the water and could revolutionize the way people think about sailing. But you'll need deep pockets to afford this kind of luxury -- the "supercat" costs more than $250,000 a week to lease. It took more than three years for the first sketch of the vessel to become a reality. Hemisphere made her debut on the world stage last week with Monaco as the appropriately lavish backdrop. While it has taken longer than anticipated to build, those behind the project insist she is worth the wait. "The level of finishing and luxury of Hemisphere brings her to the category of a superyacht," says chief naval architect Marc Van Peteghem. Peteghem believes those in the superyacht market are increasingly conscious of their environmental image and are turning to sailing vessels as a greener solution to luxury travel. He says the catamaran is far greener than motor boats, making the most of nature, rather than fuel, to move. Hemisphere's interior has been tailored specifically to the luxury market; 17 different types of granite have been used inside and 16 leather finishes have been applied, according to Burgess, the yacht's charterers. There are also five spacious ensuite cabins to accommodate passengers with the main cabin featuring complete 360-degree views. Hemisphere is decked out with a host of toys for the discerning seafarer to play with -- smaller speed boats to go water skiing and wake boarding, water scooters and diving gear, as well as a jacuzzi on the fly bridge. It also comes fully equipped with the latest in diving gear to make the most of the boat's shallow waters capabilities. The catamaran only has a draft of 3.1 meters, meaning it can explore areas previously out of bounds for superyachts.

At 44 meters long (145 ft), Hemisphere is largest sailing catamaran in the world . Hemisphere's interior has been tailored specifically to the luxury market . 17 different types of granite used inside and 16 leather finishes applied .

(CNN) -- At 51 years of age, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has come a long way. As part of the Kashubian minority living in the Gdansk Region, he was born to working-class parents -- his father a carpenter and his mother a nurse. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was elected in November 2007. As a student of History at the University of Gdansk in the late 1970s, a period of growing discontent with the Communist regime in Poland, he became actively involved in the creation of the opposition Students' Solidarity Committee, founded in reaction to the murder of student activist Stanislaw Pyjas by the State Security Service. Despite his anti-communist activities, he successfully finished his studies in 1980 and joined the Independent Solidarity Trade Union movement. When the Communists imposed martial law in 1981 he continued with his underground activities, writing pamphlets about the ideas of liberal economist Friedrich Hayek and the concept of private property. His heroes became former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. With the fall of Communism in 1989, the Solidarity Movement splintered. Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity Leader was elected President, while Tusk went on to co-found the KLD (Liberal and Democratic Congress Party) with other well-known figures. The Party stood for among other things: free market economy, privatization, individual freedom of Polish citizens and Polish accession to the EU. The following year, during the 1991 Parliamentary elections, the KLD won 37 seats in the lower house of the Polish Parliament. Not being able to follow up on their success in the 1993 elections, the KLD merged with the larger Democratic Union Party (UD) to form a new party called Freedom Union (UW). Tusk soon became Deputy Chairman and in the 1997 elections, he was voted into the Senate. In 2001, Tusk formed the Civic Platform Party (PO), winning seats in that year's parliamentary elections and becoming Deputy Speaker in parliament. But the Civic Platform was not able to sustain its success in the 2005 elections. Tusk and his party lost both the presidential and parliamentary elections to Lech Kacczynski's PiS (Law and Justice Party). This setback was not to last as Tusk triumphed over Jaroslaw Kaczynsky's PiS in the October 2007 elections and became prime minister of Poland. Tusk's economic policies are pro-business: less bureaucratic hurdles and state interference making it easier for entrepreneurs to start businesses. He is also trying to woo back more than a million Poles who left the country to work in other European Union countries after it joined the EU in 2004. Tusk is a keen footballer, viewed in his youth as a promising striker. He is married to historian Malgorzata and has two children, Kasia and Michal.

Involved in anti-communist activities as a student in Gdansk . In 1989 Tusk co-founded the KLD (Liberal and Democratic Congress Party) In 1997 he was voted into the Polish Senate . Became prime minister of Poland after 1997 parliamentary election .

(CNN) -- At 51 years of age, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has come a long way. As part of the Kashubian minority living in the Gdansk Region, he was born to working-class parents -- his father a carpenter and his mother a nurse. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was elected in November 2007. As a student of History at the University of Gdansk in the late 1970s, a period of growing discontent with the Communist regime in Poland, he became actively involved in the creation of the opposition Students' Solidarity Committee. This was founded in reaction to the murder of student activist Stanislaw Pyjas by the State Security Service. Despite his anti-communist activities, he successfully finished his studies in 1980 and joined the Independent Solidarity Trade Union movement. When the Communists imposed martial law in 1981 he continued with his underground activities, writing pamphlets about the ideas of liberal economist Friedrich Hayek and the concept of private property. His heroes became former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. With the fall of Communism in 1989, the Solidarity Movement splintered. Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity Leader was elected President, while Tusk went on to co-found the KLD (Liberal and Democratic Congress Party) with other well-known figures. The Party stood for among other things: free market economy, privatization, individual freedom of Polish citizens and Polish accession to the EU. The following year, during the 1991 Parliamentary elections, the KLD won 37 seats in the lower house of the Polish Parliament. Not being able to follow up on their success in the 1993 elections, the KLD merged with the larger Democratic Union Party (UD) to form a new party called Freedom Union (UW). Tusk soon became Deputy Chairman and in the 1997 elections, he was voted into the Senate. In 2001, Tusk formed the Civic Platform Party (PO), winning seats in that year's parliamentary elections and becoming Deputy Speaker in parliament. But the Civic Platform was not able to sustain its success in the 2005 elections. Tusk and his party lost both the presidential and parliamentary elections to Lech Kacczynski's PiS (Law and Justice Party). This setback was not to last as Tusk triumphed over Jaroslaw Kaczynsky's PiS in the October 2007 elections and became prime minister of Poland. Tusk's economic policies are pro-business: less bureaucratic hurdles and state interference making it easier for entrepreneurs to start businesses. He is also trying to woo back more than a million Poles who left the country to work in other European Union countries after it joined the EU in 2004. Tusk is a keen footballer, viewed in his youth as a promising striker. He is married to historian Malgorzata and has two children, Kasia and Michal.

Involved in anti-communist activities as a student in Gdansk . In 1989 Tusk co-founded the KLD (Liberal and Democratic Congress Party) In 1997 he was voted into the Polish Senate . Became prime minister of Poland after 1997 parliamentary election .

(CNN) -- At a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, federal officials said a bailout is needed immediately for the health of the U.S. economy. Sen. Christopher Dodd is chairing Tuesday's hearing on President Bush's proposed $700 billion bailout plan. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are urging the passage of a $700 billion bailout proposed by President Bush following the failure of financial institutions and frozen credit markets. The proposal, if adopted, would amount to the most sweeping economic intervention by the government since the Great Depression. Before the hearing, Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who is the Banking Committee chairman, spoke Tuesday with "American Morning's" Kiran Chetry about whether the bailout is the right option and what may have contributed to the tumultuous economic environment. Kiran Chetry: You know talk about waking a sleeping giant -- we have almost 2,000 blog posts on CNNMoney.com about this bailout alone. Many people are outraged about it. They feel the government is spending $700 billion or more to reward bad behavior. What can you do to assure people that this is the right thing? Sen. Christopher Dodd: Well, I'm not sure it is at this point. That's why we're having this hearing this morning. We'll have Secretary Paulson and Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, before the banking committee to explain this plan, why it's necessary and where we go from here. They basically have asked for a blank check of $700 billion for the next several years here to buy a lot of bad instruments out there in these institutions. See what power Paulson would have if the bailout is approved » I have a lot of reservations. We're trying to put some safeguards in it. I'm angry as well. This didn't have to happen. It was not a natural disaster. It was a preventable, avoidable situation. We are where we are. Our economy is teetering. We've been warned we're very fragile. There could be a complete collapse. It needs to be straightened out or it could get worse. Pension funds, 401(k)s, jobs could be in worse shape. Chetry: You have a revised version yourself. We'll get into what you're talking about. Do you believe that in general a bailout needs to happen? Dodd: Something needs to be done here. I don't know if it's at this magnitude or if ... the specifics of this [bailout plan] make the most sense. But clearly something needs to be done. We can't lurch from one weekend to another with one failed institution after another watching our economy decline, stock market collapse and the price of oil rise. It's not just our own country; this has global implications. Chetry: Let's look at some of the things you want added or in some cases taken out. Under your [revised version of the bill], you feel there should be some foreclosure assistance -- if Wall Street is getting some help, Main Street should be getting help, too, especially for those struggling homeowners. You want limits on executive compensation. You don't want CEOs to get millions of dollars in packages for a failed company. You talk about an oversight board over the Treasury. Why are these so important to include, and what if they end up costing more? Dodd: Well, let me tell you why. First of all, we have almost 10,000 foreclosures occurring every day. For the last 18 months on a daily basis, I've had 65 hearings since July of 2007 begging the administration to do something about the foreclosure problem. They admitted today if you don't deal with 10,000 foreclosures a day -- that's the bulk of these bad debts that are out there -- so you need to do something about that to stop the hemorrhaging. That's No. 1. No. 2, I won't give a check for $700 billion, for 41 days, to this secretary or any secretary without safeguards built in -- accountability, transparency, oversight. That's just not

Sen. Christopher Dodd: "We're trying to put some safeguards" in plan . Senator says he isn't sure bailout plan of this magnitude is right . Dodd: Situation is a result of lax enforcement of rules, documentation in past . Senator says lawmakers will act quickly but won't be irresponsible .

(CNN) -- At an auction at a gallery in New York recently, a piece of artwork sold for a higher price than had been anticipated by the auctioneers: $4,080. It wasn't a very big piece of art -- just 8-by-10 inches. Technically, it wasn't even art. It was a glossy black-and-white photograph. It had a slight imperfection: there were staple holes in the upper left-hand corner. Someone had written all over the front of the photograph. The person who had scrawled on it was, in fact, the subject of the photograph. He had written: "To Patricia Keating, with very best wishes, John Kennedy" That is what made the photo so valuable to someone: Kennedy had held it in his hands, had run his pen over it. The owners of Swann Galleries, where the signed photo was auctioned, believe that Kennedy had autographed the picture in 1956, when he was a United States senator. The picture itself wasn't worth much; but his signature, personalized to Patricia Keating. ... "As far as we know, she wasn't anyone famous," Rebecca Weiss, a Swann Galleries employee, told me on the day after the auction. "There's no particular significance to her name." Then why would someone pay more than $4,000 for the photo? Weiss told me that the identities of the buyers and sellers at Swann auctions are kept confidential, so she could not disclose who had consigned the photo for sale, or who had purchased it. But she said there is a pretty safe rule of thumb about the sale of autographs of renowned men and women: "What people are buying is the mystique. They are taking home the autograph knowing that this person once actually touched this item, this person once actually left this imprint, this signature." She clearly knows what she is talking about; just this weekend, it was announced that another auctioneer had sold what is purported to be perhaps the last autograph Kennedy ever signed: a copy of the Dallas Morning News that he reportedly signed for a woman upon his arrival in that city on November 22, 1963. A man in California purchased it for $39,000. In our digital age, in which images and data are transferred from person to person with the tap of a key, it would seem to be an anachronism: the idea of placing enormous monetary value on pieces of paper upon which prominent individuals once wrote their names. But that personal touch seems to have remained precious; Weiss said that many, if not most, purchasers of autographed items display them as if they were rare paintings: framed and mounted in places of honor. She didn't have to convince me. I have only two pieces of art hanging in my home, and neither would qualify as art in the conventional sense. But I wouldn't trade them for Picassos or Van Goghs. The first is an original theater lobby poster for the greatest movie about newspapers ever made: 1952's "Deadline -- U.S.A.", starring Humphrey Bogart. The other piece of art is an autograph -- actually, an entire (if brief) handwritten letter. It is a thank-you note. A thank-you note written to a laundry. At the top of the piece of paper, embossed in the italics/script font style of 1950s suburban-housewife stationery, are the words: "From the home of ... Elvis Presley" And beneath it, in blue ballpoint pen: "I should like to commend your Laundry for doing a fantastic job on my clothes, you show esceptional care. Sincerely E.P." That's just how, while living in a house on Audubon Drive in Memphis, Tennessee, in the years before he moved to Graceland, he wrote it. "Laundry" capitalized in the middle of the sentence; a comma instead of a period after "clothes"; "esceptional" instead of "exceptional." I can't imagine a more wonderful or telling artifact from Presley's life. Who writes

Photo signed by JFK recently sold for $4,080, Greene notes . In the digital age, the idea of valuing names on paper seems odd, he says . But autographs allow an admirer to make a connection to a hero, he says . That makes some autographs more precious than fine art, he says .

(CNN) -- At least 12 Chinese sailors have been killed after their cargo ships were attacked on the Mekong River in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai, the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Yunnan Province has said. The ministry's website stated that two Chinese cargo ships -- the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8 -- were attacked with gunfire on October 5. According to the initial investigation, all six sailors from Hua Ping and six of the seven sailors from Yu Xing 8 were found dead, while one remained missing. Though still in the early stages of their investigation, Thai police say they cannot rule out the involvement of drug gangs in the killings. Chiang Rai police colonel Popkorn Khuncharoensuk told CNN that the two ships were raided by a joint task force of army, marine police, local police and paramilitary following the attack, and found almost one million amphetamines on the vessels. "This is the most gruesome incident I have ever seen," Popkorn said. According to Popkorn, one of the bodies was found aboard the Hua Ping, while the rest were found in the Mekong River near Chiangsaen port. Three of the bodies remained unidentified, and some were found with their hands cuffed or tied. "I can't rule out all possibilities, but initially there appears to be drugs involved," Popkorn said. "But we can't just quickly jump to the conclusion that it was carried out by drug gangs. The case is complicated, and we have to be very thorough." The violent incident has unnerved many of those who ply their trade on the river. "There are no cargo ships leaving or coming to Chiangsaen port," said Surachart Janthawatcharakorn, Chief of Chiangsaen Customs Office. "They have all halted their traveling because they are still frightened by the incident, and are still very concerned about their safety." The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and its consulate general in Chiang Mai were investigating the murders and were working closely with Thai authorities and other relevant countries to hunt down the criminals. CNN's Kocha Olarn and Haolan Hong contributed to this report.

Two Chinese ships were attacked on the Mekong River on October 5 . China's Foreign Ministry says at least 12 sailors were killed in the attack . China says it's working with Thai authorities to hunt down the criminals .

(CNN) -- At least 12 airplanes shared the trans-Atlantic sky with doomed Air France Flight 447, but none reported any problems, deepening the mystery surrounding the cause of the plane's disappearance. Image released by the Brazilian Air Force shows oil slicks in the water near a debris site. Airlines confirmed that at least a dozen aircraft departed roughly at the same time and traversed approximately the same route, but did not report problematic weather conditions. This has led some aviation experts to suggest that technical problems on the airplane might be the main cause of the crash, though they may have combined with weather conditions to create serious problems. The new information raises more questions than answers about Air France 447, believed to have plunged into the Atlantic Ocean somewhere between the coasts of Brazil and West Africa on May 31, presumably killing all 228 aboard. The plane's computer system reported a series of technical problems about four hours after takeoff and immediately after entering a large storm system a few hundred miles from the far eastern coast of Brazil. Severe winds, updrafts and even lightning have been mentioned as possible causes of the crash, potentially triggering a failure of the plane's technical systems. But aviation experts cautioned that weather alone would not normally cause a crash. Planes routinely fly through large storms, using the sensitive radar on board to navigate through specific storm cells. When conditions are severe enough, planes can easily deviate around or above storms, experts say. In addition to Flight 447, Air France had four other Paris-bound flights that left in the same broad time frame from that part of the world, according to an airline spokesman. One flight left Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at 4:20 p.m. At that same moment, another Air France flight left nearby Sao Paulo. A third Air France flight left Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 5:50 p.m., also heading for Paris. A final Air France flight left Sao Paulo at 7:10 p.m., almost exactly when the doomed flight took off from Rio. All of these flights took a similar route toward Paris, heading first toward Recife on the east coast of Brazil and then continuing northeast over the Atlantic. None of the other flights experienced anything unusual, the spokesman said. All arrived in Paris the next day, with no significant delays of any kind. That same evening two Air Iberia flights bound for Madrid, Spain, left Brazil at about the same time as Flight 447; one departed from Rio de Janeiro and another from Sao Paulo, according to officials at Iberia. Those flights also reported no problems. It was the same story for one British Airways flight and three Air TAM Brazil flights, all of which flew routes similar to the missing plane. Although none of the other flights are known to have reported weather problems en route, aviation experts said weather can change suddenly and vary over short distances, so one plane might experience conditions far worse than another.

At least 12 flights traveled from Brazil to Europe around same time as 447 . None of the other flights reported bad weather or other problems . Aviation experts say weather alone would not normally cause a crash . They also say weather can change quickly and vary over short distances .

(CNN) -- At least 130 people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered flooding and mudslides that buried communities Sunday and left a swath of destruction in El Salvador, officials said Monday. The death toll was "preliminary," said Raul Murillo, subdirector of the Department of Civil Protection in San Salvador. Another 13,680 people were staying in emergency shelters, he said. Laura Mata, communications manager for World Vision in El Salvador, said 40 percent of the dead were children. About 60 people were still missing Monday afternoon, said Carlos Alvarado, communications director for the government's rescue efforts. The most affected departments are San Salvador, La Paz, Cuscatlan, Usulatan and San Vicente. He described the latter as the most heavily affected. The government's Web site said there were 108 landslides, 209 destroyed buildings and another 1,835 damaged ones. In all, 18 bridges were affected, it said. Private, government and U.N. donations have all been promised, but the needs exceeded supplies, with high demand for food, construction materials, plastic sheeting, medications and -- with a cold front expected to sweep into the area Tuesday -- clothes, Alvarado said. Fumigation efforts were slated to begin Tuesday to reduce the chances of disease. "There's a lot of work to do," he said. Guatemala, Spain and other countries were helping, Mata said. At the 139-bed Hospital Santa Gertrudis in San Vicente, 33 patients sought help overnight in the emergency room, mostly for trauma, broken bones and abrasions, said Dr. Ana Luisa Velazquez, the hospital director. Patients had to be removed from the pediatric unit and women's surgery unit, both of which were built on low-lying ground and were inundated, she said. Though the hospital had fresh water from its own well, fresh water was in scarce supply in San Vicente, she said. Mata visited the town Sunday. "All three access roads were completely wiped off," she told CNN's Jonathan Mann. "You could only get there by one lane. Everywhere -- mud, huge rocks." Electricity was largely out, she said. In addition to losing their homes, many people have lost their crops, she said. President Mauricio Funes declared a national emergency and described the loss as incalculable. About 7,000 people lost homes in the disaster Sunday, officials said. Authorities said the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers scramble to reach regions where roads have been washed away. In some of the hardest-hit areas, such as the capital, San Salvador, roads are completely gone, Mata said. "You would never imagine there were road systems there. ... Huge rocks, mud, water everywhere," she said. "People have lost complete families." Landslides on the side of a volcano swallowed up a village in Verapaz, Mata said. iReport: Neighborhood slammed with mud and debris Residents in affected areas climbed over boulders as rescue crews waded through muddy water, some carrying young children. Homes, trees and electricity poles, and mountains of mud, covered streets. The heavy rains in the impoverished Central American nation were unrelated to Hurricane Ida, said Saul Ezgardo de la Reyes, a government meteorologist in the Center of Prognostics. "The rains in Salvador are due to the low pressure system," he said, adding that it was dissipating Monday. "We're waiting for the arrival of fresh air and higher pressure." On Sunday, 355 millimeters (14 inches) of rain fell near the Saint Vincent Volcano, southeast of the capital, and 196 mm (7.7 inches) fell on the capital itself, he said. Sunday's inundations were unprecedented, he said. Hurricane Mitch dropped similar quantities in 1998, but those values were tallied in three or four days, he said. "This was in practically four hours." A low-pressure system out of the Pacific triggered the disaster, said Robbie Berg of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

40 percent of dead are children, aid group spokeswoman says . Aid is promised, but more is needed as cold front is due Tuesday . At least 130 people killed, dozens missing after heavy rains cause flooding, mudslides . Mudslides unrelated to Hurricane Ida, officials say .

(CNN) -- At least 14 people were killed and 60 others wounded Thursday when a bomb ripped through a crowd waiting to see Algeria's president in Batna, east of the capital of Algiers, the Algerie Presse Service reported. A wounded person gets first aid shortly after Thursday's attack in Batna, Algeria. The explosion occurred at 5 p.m. about 20 meters (65 feet) from a mosque in Batna, a town about 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Algiers, security officials in Batna told the state-run news agency. The bomb went off 15 minutes before the expected arrival of President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika. It wasn't clear if the bomb was caused by a suicide bomber or if it was planted, the officials said. Later Thursday, Algeria's Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni said "a suspect person who was among the crowd attempted to go beyond the security cordon," but the person escaped "immediately after the bomb exploded," the press service reported. Bouteflika made his visit to Batna as planned, adding a stop at a hospital to visit the wounded before he returned to the capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. Algeria faces a continuing Islamic insurgency, according to the CIA. In July, 33 people were killed in apparent suicide bombings in Algiers that were claimed by an al Qaeda-affiliated group. Bouteflika said terrorist acts have nothing in common with the noble values of Islam, the press service reported. E-mail to a friend CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

Bomb victims waiting for presidential visit . Blast went off 15 minutes before president's arrival . Algeria faces Islamic insurgency . Al Qaeda-affiliated group claimed July attacks .

(CNN) -- At least 15 people have been killed and more wounded after a weekend of heavy fighting in Somalia's capital, journalists and a hospital spokeswoman said Monday. Artillery shelling from an area controlled by the government into an insurgent stronghold killed at least 15 and wounded 60 others Sunday in northeastern Mogadishu, journalists said after surveying the aftermath. More than 120 people have been admitted to a hospital with wounds related to fighting since Friday, said Duniyo Ali Mohamed, head of the medical department at Medina Hospital. The fighting comes after a militant Islamist group associated with al Qaeda attacked areas controlled by government troops and peacekeepers Friday, leaving 12 dead and at least 30 injured, witnesses said. Two of the 12 were members of al-Shabaab, according to Sheik Ali Mohamud Raghe, a spokesman for the militants. Al-Shabaab is an extremist group that the United States considers to be a terrorist organization. Somali government officials downplayed the offensive, calling it "small and careless." Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991 when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and sparked brutal clan infighting. The transitional government has struggled to establish authority amid challenges by militants.

Sixty others wounded after heavy fighting in Somalia's capital, journalists say . Fighting comes after miliants tied to al Qaeda attacked areas held by Somali troops, peacekeepers . Somali officials downplay offensive, calling it "small and careless"

(CNN) -- At least 20 people were killed and 200 more were injured Friday in the northern Mediterranean city of Benghazi, Libya's second-largest, said a medical source in Benghazi who was not identified for security reasons. The casualties occurred as thousands of Libyans took to the streets to voice their discontent over leader Moammar Gadhafi, witnesses said. Friday's killings brought to 50 the number of people killed since Tuesday, when the protests began, the medical source said. Amnesty International said security forces had killed at least 46 during the past three days, with sources at al-Jala Hospital in Benghazi saying that the most common injuries were bullet wounds to the head, chest and neck. "The alarming rise in the death toll, and the reported nature of victims' injuries, strongly suggests that security forces are permitted to use lethal force against unarmed protesters calling for political change," said Malcolm Smart, the Amnesty's director for the Middle East and North Africa. CNN was unable to independently verify the information. In front of the main courthouse in a square in Benghazi, thousands of demonstrators filled the streets demanding a change of government, a protester said. He said people were chanting for Gadhafi and his children to get out of Libya. He called Gadhafi's authoritarian rule "the biggest dictatorship in history." Late Friday, a witness said more people were still streaming into the already crowded plaza, with some erecting tents, apparently planning to spend the night. There was no sign in the square of police or military forces except for the presence of three tanks, which were not moving, he said. Another source said that he saw three Libyan army tanks in the square and that young demonstrators were engaging the tank crews in conversation. He said government forces were not visible in or around Benghazi. He added that he visited Al-Jala hospital and that it was "full of dead and wounded." Electricity was lost in parts of the city but had been restored by late Friday, when the city was quiet, he said. Farther east, in al-Baida, thousands of people showed up to bury 13 protesters killed in clashes in recent days, said Mohamed Abdallah of the opposition National Front for the Salvation of Libya, who has been receiving information about Libya from sources there. Plainclothes members of the Revolutionary Committee had reportedly fired at the protesters, Abdallah said. Demonstrations unfolded Friday in other cities as well, he said. CNN has not been permitted to report from Libya and cannot confirm information about the demonstrations. The government maintains tight control of the news media and telephone services, and many people expressed fear of talking openly amid what they described as a climate of fear. CNN has been relying on information from protesters, human rights groups and foreign-based Libyan organizations assessing the situation through their sources on the ground. Libyan state-run television was airing taped images of Gadhafi surrounded by adoring crowds. The demonstrations erupted Tuesday after the detention of a human rights lawyer and spread across the country. U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the government crackdowns in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen, which are all embroiled in unrest. "Wherever they are, people have certain universal rights, including the right to peaceful assembly," Obama said. "The United States urges the governments of Bahrain, Libya and Yemen to show restraint in responding to peaceful protests, and to respect the rights of their people." "The security forces' vicious attacks on peaceful demonstrators lay bare the reality of Moammar Gadhafi's brutal rule when faced with any internal dissent," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch. Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, also condemned the crackdown in Libya and other countries "as illegal and excessively heavy-handed." Abdallah, the spokesman for the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, reported that protesters in Benghazi had freed people who had been detained during the first two days of the unrest. He said protesters also set afire a police station and

Witness says square in Benghazi is full of protesters, but there is little sign of police or military . Tanks surrounded demonstrators in Benghazi, a protester says . 50 reportedly killed since Tuesday, 20 of them Friday . U.S. president condemns the government crackdowns in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen .

(CNN) -- At least 200 people were evacuated from their homes, including 84 residents of an apartment building for the elderly, after a tanker truck carrying 9,000 gallons of gasoline erupted early Wednesday in a northern Boston suburb. Firefighters battle a blaze Wednesday north of Boston after a tanker overturned carrying 9,000 gallons of gas. No serious injuries were reported in the Everett, Massachusetts, blast, but witnesses recounted close calls to a local television station. One man said he narrowly escaped from his car before it exploded. "In consideration of everything that firefighters had to deal with, I think it's a miracle that we haven't seen some serious injuries," Everett Fire Chief David Butler said. The tanker overturned and caught fire at a traffic circle in the town of about 37,000 outside Boston. Officials are investigating whether the driver was speeding, Butler said. "Our major concerns right now are we still have an ongoing fire operation in the family dwellings, and we are still heavily engaged in those operations, and we have some concerns environmentally," Butler said. Watch residents of an elderly housing complex describe their shock » Flames from the truck engulfed at least 40 cars and three buildings, two of them houses, fire officials said. The truck was destroyed, but the driver was not seriously injured, the officials said. WCVB-TV in Boston identified the driver as Chad LaFrance of Dover, New Hampshire. Seven hours after the truck caught fire, firefighters were still battling a blaze in one of the homes, according to the television station. Evacuees were taken to an armory converted into a shelter, Red Cross official Amelia Aubourg told CNN. Local streets were closed temporarily, and a nearby school was shut down for the day, WCVB reported. One evacuee who fled a high-rise building told the television station he saw at least 15 cars burning. "And popping, they were popping. I don't know if it was tires that were blowing, but they were completely gone, the cars," Dan Savage told WCVB. Nearby resident Chris Barrow awoke to the sound of a "big bang," he told WCVB. At first, he thought it was a car accident, but when he went outside to investigate the noise, he saw fire "just coming down the hill toward the houses as fast as you could think." Barrow tried to escape in his car, but fire quickly surrounded the vehicle, he told the TV station. "I rode over the fire and my car caught fire," he told WCVB. "I got out just in time, and I ran a couple feet just before it blew up." E-mail to a friend CNN's Michelle Cumbo and Saundra Booker contributed to this report.

Fire chief: "I think it's a miracle that we haven't seen some serious injuries" Officials are investigating whether truck's speed a factor in the accident, chief says . Evacuees taken to an armory converted into a shelter, Red Cross says . Man tells WCVB-TV his car caught fire, exploded as he fled; "I got out just in time"

(CNN) -- At least 24 people have been killed and hundreds rendered homeless in the worst floods to hit land-locked Mongolia in 40 years, emergency officials said Tuesday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was working with local authorities to distribute emergency goods to the flood-ravaged victims. Workers fear that without adequate food and shelter, the situation would worsen when winter arrives in three months, said Francis Markus of the Red Cross. The floods struck last week in the Asian nation's capital, Ulaanbaatar, and a province in the west. It was the worst to hit the country since 1966, Markus said. See images of flood victims » The government issued televised broadcasts ahead of the rainstorms but many children and elderly could not be evacuated in time, Markus said.

Red Cross working with local authorities to distribute aid to flood victims . Relief workers say winter poses major threat unless food and shelter in place . Government warned of floods but many people could not be evacuated in time .

(CNN) -- At least 24 people were killed in cities across Syria during a government crackdown Saturday against those in opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, according to a U.K.-based human rights group. Gunfire and explosions could be heard in the western Syrian city of Homs, as residents contended with fuel shortages and power outages throughout the day, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. CNN cannot independently confirm accounts from the ground in Syria because the government has not provided access to Western media. Also Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that al-Assad had passed the "point of no return -- no way that he will resume his authority or legitimacy over his people." "I think that the world response ... these are real signals that there is acceleration toward the end of this regime," he said, citing the responses of the Arab League and Jordan. The clashes come the same day as a deadline set by the 22-member Arab League to put forth a peace plan meant to stem violence against protesters which has resulted in months of bloodshed. Earlier this week, Syria accepted "in principle" the alliance's plan to permit observers into the country to verify whether the regime has taken measures to protect civilians, a senior Arab diplomat said Friday. Originally, 500 observers were believed to be destined for Syria. But on Friday, Arab Doctors Association Head Ibrahim Zafarani said he received an email from Arab League officials that indicated only 40 names would be submitted. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Friday afternoon that the proposed number had been reduced to 40. Last week, the league's 22 nations voted to suspend Syria's membership, but later gave Damascus three days to implement a protocol to allow observers to enter the nation. International pressure has since been mounting against al-Assad over his regime's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, amid concerns that violence in Syria is escalating. CNN's Yasmin Amer contributed to this report.

NEW: President Bashar al-Assad has passed the "point of no return," says an Israeli minister . 24 people are killed during clashes in Syria, a rights groups says . The violence coincides with an Arab League deadline . International pressure has been mounting against al-Assad .

(CNN) -- At least 26 people were killed Monday in the Syrian government's ongoing crackdown on dissidents, the pro-democracy group Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. Among the dead was a 12-year-old boy shot to death when Syrian security forces fired on a funeral procession, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.. The funeral procession was for a protester killed Sunday, the observatory said. In addition, 17 people were killed during operations by the military and security forces in Hama as authorities searched for wanted activists and demonstrators, the organization said. Meanwhile, an adviser to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said parliamentary elections could be held in the country by the end of the year, Russian media reported earlier Monday. Bouthaina Shaaban, the political and media adviser to al-Assad, was in Moscow on Monday to speak to journalists on the situation in Syria. "I can tentatively say that such elections may be held either at the end of this year or the beginning of next," Shaaban said, according to the RIA-Novosti news agency. The number of people killed in unrest in Syria since mid-March has reached at least 2,600, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Monday. The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, is condemning the killing of a key Syrian opposition organizer who it says died while in the custody of Syria's security forces. Ghiyath Mattar, described as a key organizer of protests against al-Assad's regime, was killed after being arrested last Tuesday in the Damascus suburb of Darya, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement released Sunday. "His brave commitment to confronting the regime's despicable violence with peaceful protest serves as an example for the Syrian people and for all those who suffer under the yoke of oppression," the statement said Mattar was arrested along with leading opposition activist Yahya Sharbaji and a number of other activists, Nuland said. Mattar was "a symbol of what the Syrian revolution should be -- peaceful and nonviolent," said one of Mattar's friends. "His death is an attack by the regime on peace. His attack is saying, 'We want to destroy the messengers of peace in Syria and the ideals and values they hold." "His personality was perfectly built to take the role of a leader," said another man, a colleague of Mattar's. "Everyone loved him and he had so many close friends and relatives." Both men asked not to be named for fear of retribution. On September 6, Mattar was with Sharbaji when he received a call from Sharbaji's brother saying he was injured and needed help, according to the friend. In reality, security forces had forced the brother to call Sharbaji. The operation led to the arrests, the friend said. Unrest has plagued Syria for more than six months, as protesters demanding more freedom, democratic elections and an end to al-Assad's regime have been met by brute force. The government has maintained a consistent narrative: It is going after armed terrorists. But opposition activists say the regime is behind a systematic, sustained slaughter. Mattar, 26, was on the run for three months before being taken into custody, according to the Syrian Observatory. The group, citing reports from Mattar's fellow opposition members, said he was tortured to death. Syria's crackdown on protesters has been roundly condemned by many world leaders and the United Nations. The Arab League has publicly called for al-Assad's regime to show restraint and end the violence. The United States has imposed sanctions on Syria, freezing assets of specific regime members and banning Americans from doing business with the country. The European Union banned the import of Syrian oil and imposed a travel ban. Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, put the number killed in the unrest at 2,600, citing "reliable sources on the ground," in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday during the commission's session. The Syrian Observatory has said more than 2,000 people -- mostly

NEW: At least 26 people were killed Monday, an opposition rights group says . Report: A Syrian adviser says parliamentary elections could be held this year or early next . The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights puts the death toll at 2,600 . A 12-year-old child is shot and killed by security forces, an opposition rights group says .

(CNN) -- At least 30 people died and 70 were wounded in shelling on a marketplace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Thursday, according to journalists and emergency services. Members of Islamist militia Al-Shaabab patrol Bakara Market in Mogadishu, Somalia, earlier this month. A local journalist called the rocket fire on Bakara market "unprecedented." "This was the most brutal shelling," according to an ambulance service representative who said they had picked up 61 wounded, but expect the number to climb. Other victims were being brought to hospitals by family and friends. The source of the shelling could not immediately be determined. Journalists saw shell fire coming from AMISOM -- the African Union Mission in Somalia -- strongholds in a fortified district of the capital and from near the airport. AMISOM is the only force in the area believed to have the firepower capable of such an intense attack. However, AMISOM denied any involvement in the incident. The African Union has a 3,400-member peacekeeping force in Somalia, made up of troops from Burundi and Uganda. It operates under a U.N. mandate to support Somalia's transitional federal government. The peacekeeping force is charged with protecting key government and strategic installations in Mogadishu, including the port, airport and presidential palace. It is the de facto military force of the weak, transitional Somali government. African Union forces have been battling an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia in Somalia called Al-Shaabab. The United States is supporting the Somali government's fight against the insurgents, including providing weapons to government forces. Al-Shaabab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The United States is concerned that Somalia's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency, as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power in early 2007. Ethiopia invaded Somalia with the support of Somalia's weak transitional government. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

30 people killed after shelling in Somali capital Mogadishu according to reports . Journalists report shell fire coming from African Union Mission in Somalia stronghold . Military force AMISOM has denied any involvement in the incident .

(CNN) -- At least 361 people have died and 600,000 were living in refugee camps because of flooding in Pakistan, the country's national disaster authority said Tuesday. The flooding in Sindh and Balochistan provinces has destroyed 1.5 million homes in 41,000 villages, the government said. The United Nations World Food Program has been distributing food, starting in the hard-hit city of Badin. As of Friday, more than 15,000 people have received assistance, the agency said. The agency estimated that 73% of food crops in the flood zone and 36% of livestock were lost or destroyed. The United Nations said Monday that it is seeking donors to build a $357 million fund to help the Pakistani government's flood response efforts. It is meant to provide food, water, sanitation, health care and shelter for some flood victims for up to six months. "More than five million people are struggling to survive massive flooding across southern Pakistan, and the rains continue to fall," said Valerie Amos, the U.N. under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Last year, Pakistan was also the site of massive and deadly flooding. In August 2010, weeks of flooding caused $9.7 billion in damages to homes, roads and farms in southwest Pakistan. More than 1,700 people died in the 2010 flooding, and more than 20 million were displaced. CNN's Nasir Habib contributed to this report.

More deaths are reported from the flooding, officials say . About 600,000 people are living in refugee camps . The United Nations wants donations for flood relief efforts .

(CNN) -- At least 38 people have died in mudslides on the Portuguese island of Madeira, which was hit by heavy downpours overnight, an official told CNN on Saturday. Pedro Barbosa, the vice president of the Civil Protection Agency in Madeira, told CNN that an unknown number of people were missing -- perhaps dozens, he said. The mudslides and flooding caused substantial damage to roads and homes in the capital, Funchal, and in Ribeira Brava, which are both on the southern portion of the Atlantic island, which lies about 600 miles southwest of Portugal, Barbosa said. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates and Interior Minister Rui Pereira arrived on the island on Saturday, according to CNN affiliate Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP). Socrates told RTP that "the situation is under control" and the government is offering all its support to regional authorities. The country's president, Cavaco Silva, expressed his condolences to the people of Madeira in a televised statement and promised to do everything to help "during this difficult time." Pedro Ramos of Dr. Nelio Mendonca Hospital in Funchal, told CNN that 68 wounded people were hospitalized from the mudslides and flooding. Three were critical, he said. The vice president of Madeira's regional government had tallied 68 victims with injuries, according to the official Lusa news agency. The floodwaters overturned cars and knocked down trees, Barbosa said. Authorities have evacuated hundreds of people to military and civil protection facilities in Funchal, he said. Search and rescue teams have been reinforced, but haven't been able to reach every area, according to the Civil Protection Agency. The Portuguese military has dispatched five teams to help with search and rescue efforts, it announced on its Web site. The military is also ready to shelter up to 130 people where 50 people are already staying, it said. Barbosa said weather conditions have substantially improved, with the rains winding down. Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is a popular resort destination. There have been no reports of any dead or missing tourists. CNN's Umaro Djau contributed to this report.

NEW: Portuguese military has dispatched five teams to help with search and rescue efforts . NEW: Weather has substantially improved, civil protection official says . Madeira hit by heavy downpours overnight, triggering mudslide that killed at least 38 . Unknown number of people, perhaps dozens, are missing, official tells CNN .

(CNN) -- At least 40 bodies -- all of them wearing uniforms identifying them as army officers -- have been found in a mass grave inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles paramilitary in the capital, Dhaka, authorities said Friday. Bangladeshi army soldiers gather near the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Dhaka Thursday. The discovery brings to at least 62 the number of army officers who have been found dead after mutinous paramilitary forces took dozens of superiors hostages at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters on Wednesday. The Rifles laid down their arms after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed to grant them amnesty. The bodies were found in a grave behind the mortuary building inside the BDR compound in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka, said Cmdr. Abdul Kalam Azad with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite internal security team that is helping with the recovery effort. "It's a bad scene," Azad said. "You can only see their legs. We're carrying away only as many as we can fit in ambulances. Then we're going to go look for more." Earlier, 22 bodies had been recovered from the Buriganga River after the rebelling troops dumped them down a sewer during the standoff, authorities said. The Rifles took their superiors -- all military men -- hostage Wednesday morning after a rebellion they said was spurred by years of their grievances not being addressed. Discontent had been bubbling for years among the ranks of the BDR troops, a 65,000-strong paramilitary outfit primarily responsible for guarding the country's borders. Watch how the paramilitary revolt spread » The recruits complained their army superiors dismissed their appeals for more pay, subsidized food and opportunities to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations. Bangladesh and its South Asian neighbors contribute the most troops to such U.N. operations. And the pay is far greater than the meager salary the jawans -- as the BDR troops are called -- make.

Mass grave found with bodies of at least 40 Bangladesh army officers . At least 62 officers found dead since mutiny by paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles . Rifles laid down arms Thursday after PM agreed to offer them amnesty .

(CNN) -- At least 40 people died and 20 were injured early Thursday morning when a bus plunged into a ravine in a mountainous region near Cuzco, Peru, authorities said. The bus crashed about 5:30 a.m. near the town of Espinar, Peru, Lt. Edilberto Tunquipa of the Espinar fire department said. Interviews with survivors pointed to driver fatigue as one of the possible causes of the crash, Tunquipa said. The bus had left the city of Arequipa about seven hours earlier, heading to the town of Santo Tomas in the mountains, he said. The poor conditions of the road were another possible factor, he added. No international tourists were believed to be on the bus, though authorities could not confirm that, Tunquipa said. The 20 people injured were in hospitals, their injuries ranging from severe head and back injuries to minor scrapes, he said. Most of the victims were believed to be locals who work in Arequipa and were returning home to their small towns for Christmas, he said. The exact number of people on the bus remained unknown. The bus holds 52 people, Tunquipa said, but it was overcrowded, with people standing in the aisle. CNN's Mariano Castillo and Esprit Smith contributed to this report.

NEW: Driver fatigue, poor road conditions may have been factors . The bus had left the city of Arequipa about seven hours earlier . Injuries range from severe head and back injuries to minor scrapes . The tour bus plunged into a ravine in a mountainous region near Cuzco .

(CNN) -- At least 40 people were killed and numerous others injured in a reported grenade attack at a casino in Monterrey, Mexico, the capital of Nuevo Leon, according to attorney general in that northern state. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET) at the Casino Royale when two people aboard a vehicle arrived, and one threw three grenades into the building. There were conflicting unconfirmed reports from local media that the assailants poured gasoline on the building before setting it on fire. Between 20 and 30 people were trapped in the casino because of debris from the explosions, said Cmdr. Angel Flores with the Green Cross. Video from the scene showed a burned-out building as firefighters made rescue attempts to break the wall of the facade of the casino to release the smoke inside the building. Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent the following statement from his official Twitter account (translated from Spanish): "With deep consternation, I express my solidarity with Nuevo Leon and the victims of this abhorrent act of terror and barbarism." He added more: "These reprehensible acts require us all to persevere in the fight against gangs of unscrupulous criminals. All the support to NL (Nuevo Leon)." About five families were outside the casino waiting for information from authorities, local journalist Javier Estrada reported. Gustavo Madrazo was one of those waiting outside the casino. He said his wife, Martha, and her sister, Miriam Gonzalez, were inside. Authorities have not identified any of the victims. So far, no representative for the company that manages the casino had arrived outside. The Mexican Army and state and municipal police forces were also on the scene. Alejandro Poire, Mexico's top national security spokesman, said the federal government has made contact with local officials and that Calderon has spoken to the governor of Nuevo Leon to offer support. Poire said those who carried out the attacks will be held responsible. "They will pay for their crimes. ... We will do absolutely everything ... to restore tranquility." The National Commission on Human Rights in Mexico sent a news release saying it has opened an investigation regarding the response to the events at the casino. "The priority is to help safeguard the human rights enshrined in the Constitution of the United Mexican States and international treaties. The commission again makes clear that the insecurity in the country requires public officials responsible for implementing and enforcing the law, carry out preventive actions to protect society and away from any violence." "The National Commission will monitor the actions taken by the competent authorities to respond adequately to the aggrieved persons." The NHRC says it has also sent personnel to the scene including physicians, psychologists and lawyers to work jointly with authorities. Nuevo Leon, in northeastern Mexico, has seen several grenade attacks so far this year. On August 13, four civilians were wounded when an armed group fired two grenades at a jail in the municipality of Apodaca. In July, gunmen entered a downtown bar in Monterrey and shot 20 people dead. A public safety spokesman told CNN the attack was likely sparked by a dispute between organized crime groups for control of the El Sabino Gordo nightclub, where drugs were allegedly sold. Nuevo Leon and the neighboring states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas have been the scene of a series of clashes between organized crime groups. The Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas are vying for control of trafficking routes into the United States. In November 2010, the federal government launched the Coordinated Operation Northeast, which involves sending more security forces to the area to tackle crime. CNN's Nick Valencia contributed to this report

NEW: Officials say the death toll in grenade attack is up to 40 . President Felipe Calderon responds to attack via his Twitter account . Grenade attack reported at a casino in Monterrey, in northeastern Mexico . Up to 30 people thought trapped in the casino because of debris .

(CNN) -- At least 42 people were killed and 120 injured by flash flooding and mudslides on the Portuguese island of Madeira, the local civil protection agency said Sunday. An unknown number of people are still missing, the authorities told CNN. About 250 people were evacuated to military bases and other safe locations, said Pedro Barbosa of the civil protection agency. "We have some parts where we can't go because the bridges are down," Barbosa told CNN earlier in the day, saying the numbers of victims may rise as more information comes in. He said all the damage occurred in just a few hours Saturday morning due to "very concentrated, very intense" rains that sparked flooding and mudslides. The mudslides and flooding damaged roads and homes in the capital, Funchal, and in Ribeira Brava, which are both on the southern portion of the Atlantic island. Floodwaters overturned cars and knocked down trees. Search-and-rescue teams have been reinforced, according to the Civil Protection Agency. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said "the situation is under control" and the government is offering its support to regional authorities. President Cavaco Silva expressed his condolences in a televised statement and promised to do everything to help. Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is a popular resort destination. There have been no reports of any dead or missing tourists. Barbosa said Saturday's heavy rains were the worst in Madeira since 1993, when a storm killed eight people. Madeira is one of the Madeira Islands, an archipelago about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of the Portuguese mainland. CNN's Al Goodman, Per Nyberg and Umaro Djau contributed to this report.

NEW: Death toll rises to 42 after mudslides, flooding strike Madeira; 120 injured . Washed-out bridges keep rescuers from reaching some parts of island . Hundreds of residents were evacuated to military bases and other safe locations .

(CNN) -- At least 44 people, including 23 Filipino soldiers, died Wednesday in fighting between the Philippine military and Islamic militants, the country's armed services said on Thursday. A wounded Philippine Marine receives a medal from Major Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino in Zamboanga Thursday. The fighting was sparked by military raids on Abu Sayyaf militant training camps in the villages of Silangkum and Baguindan on the southern island province of Basilan, said Steffani Cacho, public information officer for the Philippine Armed Services. Thirty to 40 militants were killed, but only 21 bodies had been recovered, the military said. Twenty-three members of the military were killed and 22 suffered injuries. The militants used the training camps to temporarily house kidnapping victims and make explosives, Cacho said, adding that high-power firearms, explosives and documents were seized in the raids. Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to the al Qaeda terrorist network, is one of several Islamic militant groups fighting the Philippine government. The group operates largely in Basilan, according to the U.S. State Department, and wants to establish a separate state for the country's minority Muslim population. The government has been fighting to contain the group, which is blamed for several terrorist attacks in the Philippines, including the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that left about 130 people dead. This year Abu Sayyaf has been implicated in the kidnappings of several Red Cross workers and journalists.

Thirty to 40 militants were killed, but only 21 bodies recovered, military says . Clashes take place on the southern island province of Basilan, military says . Abu Sayyaf has been linked to al Qaeda .

(CNN) -- At least 50 officers and civilians were feared dead after Bangladeshi paramilitary troops staged a mutiny, taking dozens of high-ranking officers and military brass hostage, the country's law minister said Thursday. Bangladeshi soldiers take position armed with automatic weapons in Dhaka on Wednesday. As dawn broke, the rebelling troops with the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) allowed government officials entry into the headquarters in the capital city of Dhaka -- the scene of a day-long standoff Wednesday. The troops agreed to lay down their arms after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed to offer them amnesty. Ministers went door to door within the compound's officers' quarters to assure frightened women and children it was safe to come out. "Nearly 50 people have been killed in sporadic fighting in the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR)," Mohammad Quamrul Islam, state minister for law and parliamentary affairs told reporters. In addition to military officials and BDR brass, the dead and wounded included passersby, including a rickshaw puller, struck by stray bullets during the gun battle, the Dhaka Medical College Hospital said. CNN was not immediately able to confirm the exact casualty count, with medical officials saying a final number will come after they had a chance to comb through the premises looking for bodies. At around 4:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. GMT) Thursday, Bangladeshi TV channels broadcast video of Home Minister Sahara Kahtun telling rebelling paramilitary officers in the room that she could assure them the government would listen to their grievances. As she spoke, officers deposited weapons and ammunition onto a table in front of her and into piles on the floor. The video was initially broadcast on state run TV station BTV. Various private networks picked it up soon after. The Rifles is a paramilitary force responsible primarily for guarding the country's borders. The force, more than 65,000-strong, also takes part in operations such as monitoring polls. The troops staged their rebellion on the second day of BDR Week when officers and troop members from various BDR outposts along the border were in the capital for celebrations. At least 5,000 -- maybe more -- BDR personnel were inside the compound in the Pilkhana area of the capital when the mutiny occurred about 7:45 a.m. local time Wednesday, said Mohammed Sajjad Haider, spokesman for the information ministry. Their mobile phones were turned off, making it difficult for the government to get a handle on the situation, he said. The rebelling troops were low-ranking members of the BDR, akin to infantrymen, who were angry at the way they were treated by their superiors, Haider said. "They have several demands," Haider said. "They want pay parity with the army, they want job security, they want better food rations." The mutiny is the most serious crisis for Bangladesh's newly elected government, which came into power in December after two years of army-backed rule. Throughout the day and into the night, curious onlookers gathered outside the compound -- only to scramble for cover as sounds of gunfire periodically pierced the air. Plumes of black smoke coming from inside the compound could be seen for miles throughout the capital. Occasionally, the rebelling troops -- red bandannas covering their faces and guns slung over their shoulders -- walked past the closed gates of the compound, chanting, "We have been deprived for a long time, we have deep grievances." "I've been hearing gunfire all morning," said Zunaid Kazi, a San Diego, California, resident who is staying at a house a few blocks from the headquarters. Watch as Kazi describes what he saw and heard » "There will be a little lull and then the sustained gunfire will pick up again," he said. "I can hear military helicopters in the sky. It's very rattling."

NEW: Home minister shown assuring rebel officers their grievances would be heard . NEW: Ministers go door to door to assure frightened women and children of safety . NEW: Dead and wounded include military officials, BDR brass and passersby . NEW: Rebelling troops were low-ranking members of BDR, information ministry says .

(CNN) -- At least 51 people have died and at least 21 others are missing after torrential rains and subsequent flooding pummeled the Philippines on Saturday, the government said. Filipino pedestrians in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, brave Tropical Storm Ketsana's floodwaters. Tropical Storm Ketsana spawned the flooding, which caused at least six of the deaths in Manila, the nation's capital. Manila and the nearby province of Rizal bore the brunt of the downpour, said Gilberto Teodoro, secretary of national defense and chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council. Two of the dead in the capital city were victims of a wall that collapsed, he said. Five thousand people were rescued without boats, and another 3,688 were rescued with boats, he said. Another governmental official reported four injuries. "My neighborhood rarely gets a bad flooding and I guess this is the worst," said CNN iReporter Jv Abellar from Quezon City, Philippines. "Traversing through the flood is like walking through rapids." In all, 41,205 people had sought refuge in 92 evacuation centers, Teodoro said. By 8:30 a.m. Sunday (8:30 p.m. Saturday ET), the torrential rains ended and slight rainfall was reported. Some roads in the capital metropolitan area had reopened, but "we do not encourage people to travel these roads," Teodoro told CNN in a telephone interview. "They can be a hindrance to efficient relief and rescue operations." The federal government began massive relief efforts to aid the local governments, and set up aid centers addressing pressing problems such as sanitation and water purification. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered pay parking lots at malls in Manila to be opened so motorists can leave their cars there without charge, Teodoro said. iReport.com: Share images of Philippines flooding Manila's Nino Aquino International Airport and nearly all of the country's other international airports had reopened, he said. Though the Philippines is no stranger to floods, Saturday's downpours approached a record, with 341 mm (13.4 inches) falling between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., he said. The average rainfall for the entire month of September is 391 mm (15.4 inches), he said.

NEW: . More than 50 are dead in Philippines in flooding from Tropical Storm Ketsana . 5,000 rescued without boats, another 3,688 rescued with boats, official says . In all, 41,205 people sought refuge in 92 evacuation centers, official says .

(CNN) -- At least five homes were destroyed after a tornado touched down in western Oklahoma Monday evening, authorities said. There were no reports of injuries. Other homes were damaged, and power was out to about 900 residences in and around the city of Hammon in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, Michelann Ooten of the Department of Emergency Management said. Roger Mills officials continued to assess the damage, but all residents appear to be accounted for, Ooten said. The tornado hit about 5:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. ET), said Ken Gallant, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. The thunderstorms that produced the conditions for the tornado weakened shortly afterward and a tornado warning was canceled, Gallant said. Jerry Dean, county commissioner of Roger Mills, said the county barn was among the structures destroyed. Area residents had time to prepare before the tornado hit, Dean said. He could see the tornado coming before going into a cellar to wait it out, he said.

At least five homes were destroyed after the tornado touched down . Other homes were damaged, and power was out in Hammon, Oklahoma . County barn in Roger Mills County was among the structures destroyed .

(CNN) -- At least five people were killed in Oklahoma on Monday after a severe storm system spawned multiple tornadoes across the state, the state emergency management department said. Three people died in Cleveland County, just west of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, said Albert Ashwood, director of the state emergency management department, and another was reported dead near Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The location in Oklahoma of the fifth person who died was unknown late Monday night. Brenda Finkle, director of corporate communications for Norman Regional Health System, said the company's hospital in Norman admitted eight patients Monday night in critical condition with crush injuries and head trauma. At least 25 other people filled the waiting room of Norman Regional Hospital with lacerations and head wounds, Finkle said, adding hospital staff expected more patients to continue to seek treatment. Another 20 people were either getting medical care or awaiting treatment at Moore Medical Center, just north of Norman, according to Finkle. OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, received two patients with broken bones, according to spokesman Allen Poston. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reported seven injuries. Video out of Norman showed overturned cars, snapped utility poles, downed trees and severely damaged homes. Several mobile homes were blown to pieces in one neighborhood where debris littered yards and streets alongside large trees ripped straight from the ground. A truck stop east of Oklahoma City was demolished, taking a direct hit from one of the tornadoes, according to a spokeswoman for Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores. Motorists pulled off Interstate 40 and sought shelter in the truck stop's large coolers and restrooms before the tornado tore the roof off the building, blew out car windows and overturned tractor-trailers, spokeswoman Christina Dukeman said. Video showed people outside the truck stop receiving treatment for minor injuries. Laura O'Leary, a spokeswoman for the Emergency Medical Services Authority, said seven people were transported from around the immediate area to local hospitals in good and fair condition, "a miraculously low number ... considering the volume of area the tornado covered." Love's employee Charlescie Greenway said she and two other women made it to one cooler before the twister tore through the building. "The three of us were kind of trapped in there, holding the door shut, praying to God that we don't die and that everybody else was safe," Greenway told CNN affiliate KWTV, adding, "it was really scary -- the wind was like trying to pull the door off the latch." Sammy Ward and his partner rode the twister out in their truck in the parking lot. "It started hailing and then it quit hailing and then all of a sudden the wind hit and it just went dark and here went everything," Ward told KWTV. "Trucks went to rocking ... and next thing we know the whole roof and everything was gone." Ward, who said he felt "very lucky," said the event lasted two to three minutes. Ashwood said crews were working to assess the damages in at least 13 counties, adding "numerous" homes had been affected. Are you there? Send photos, video The American Red Cross opened at least two shelters in McCloud, Oklahoma, and Tecumseh, Oklahoma, and continued to assess needs across the state. More than 31,000 homes were without power in the metro Oklahoma City area -- nearly 15,000 in Norman alone, according to Oklahoma Gas & Electric. Ashwood said preliminary reports out of Norman indicate the damages are "similar to what you would see with an EF3" tornado, referring to the Enhanced Fujita Scale for measuring the strength of tornadoes. An EF3 is capable of producing winds up to 165 mph. CNN iReporter Rebecca Barbato said tornado sirens were going off in her neighborhood in Moore, just north of Norman, when tennis-ball-sized hail began raining down on her roof. Other tornadoes were reported in Yukon, Medford and Shawnee in Oklahoma, and in Wichita, Kansas. The storms struck around 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET). Meteorologists warned throughout

NEW: At least five killed in Oklahoma . American Red Cross opens up at least two shelters . Truck stop on Interstate 40 east of Oklahoma City destroyed by twister . Storms damaged homes, overturned cars, downed trees in Norman, Oklahoma .