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(CNN) -- Comedian Jay Leno's plan to hold a free concert for the jobless of Detroit, Michigan, drew criticism from a politician in the city. A Detroit politician believes Jay Leno should change the location of his free show for the city's unemployed. Detroit City Councilwoman Martha Reeves likes the idea, but she said the "Tonight Show" host needs to change the location. "When I heard Jay Leno say Detroit is one of his favorite places and he's going to do a free concert for the people laid off, to people who don't have any money right now, given the economic state we're all in, I was elated," Reeves said. "Then he said Auburn Hills... and that's not Detroit." Auburn Hills is a well-to-do suburb of Detroit, but is located in Oakland County, which has had its share of economic troubles as well. The free comedy show -- called "Jay's Comedy Stimulus Plan" -- is set for April 7 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, which holds about 24,000 people. "I thought I might try to get a word to him that we have a Ford Field, we have a Cobo Hall, we have wonderful theaters here, the Fox Theater," Reeves said. "He could come and present something to Detroit as he said." Free tickets for the show will be given out beginning Monday at 10 a.m., according to Leno's Web site. Leno, host of NBC's Tonight Show for more than 15 years, has a new job himself. He will move from late night to a 10 p.m. show. | Detroit councilwoman says Jay Leno should change concert location .
Comedian plans to perform free show in Auburn Hills, a well-to-do suburb .
Martha Reeves' suggestions: Ford Field, Cobo Hall, the Fox Theater .
Free tickets for the show will be given out beginning Monday at 10 a.m. | a05cb77ab3fc43125c6b86543d1c46c57f897d6b |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A football team from southern Italy is hoping for entry into the Guinness World Records because all their players have the same surname, according to a media report. The entire squad of Team De Feo, an amateur side from the town of Serino, have "De Feo" as their surname -- as does the coach, doctor and club secretary and sponsors, British newspaper The Independent reported. The club's ground even sits on Via Raffaele De Feo. A tourism Web site for Serino shows that the mayor's name is Gaetano De Feo. According to The Independent, the team was established by former Serie A player, Maurizio De Feo, who says he founded the team in a bid for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. The name De Feo is very common in the region. A Guinness World Records spokesman told CNN there did not appear to be any active categories that the team's identical surnames would fit in to -- but that new ideas were always welcomed. If the team was to submit a claim to Guinness World Records, the idea would be considered and a new category could potentially be created, the spokesman said. | Amateur football team in southern Italy all have same surname .
"Team De Feo" founded by former Serie A player Maurizio De Feo .
Team has ambitions to get into Guinness Book of World Records . | c9b3fcee7876513b8bf122399dbcdc1e46cb89a6 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A football team from southern Italy is hoping for entry into the Guinness World Records because all their players have the same surname, according to a media report. The entire squad of Team De Feo, an amateur side from the town of Serino, have "De Feo" as their surname -- as does the coach, doctor and club secretary and sponsors, British newspaper The Independent reported. The club's ground even sits on Via Raffaele De Feo. A tourism Web site for Serino shows that the mayor's name is Gaetano De Feo. According to The Independent, the team was established by former Serie A player, Maurizio De Feo, who says he founded the team in a bid for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. The name De Feo is very common in the region. A Guinness World Records spokesman told CNN there did not appear to be any active categories that the team's identical surnames would fit in to -- but that new ideas were always welcomed. If the team was to submit a claim to Guinness World Records, the idea would be considered and a new category could potentially be created, the spokesman said. | Amateur football team in southern Italy all have same surname .
"Team De Feo" founded by former Serie A player Maurizio De Feo .
Team has ambitions to get into Guinness Book of World Records . | 82a68bd672596d342ece8907e8bdf69c90760edf |
(CNN) -- A Texas woman accused of killing her toddler daughter and dumping the body in Galveston Bay has been found guilty of murder by a jury in Galveston, Texas. Kimberly Dawn Trenor received a life sentence without possibility of parole in the murder of her daughter. Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 20, showed no emotion as the verdict was read late Monday. Trenor had pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in the case, but pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge. She received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The body of Trenor's daughter, Riley Ann Sawyers, was found in October 2007 in a large blue plastic container on an uninhabited island in Galveston Bay. Two-year-old Riley Ann's case drew national attention after a fisherman found her body. Authorities didn't know her identity, and police dubbed her "Baby Grace." After authorities distributed composite sketches of the girl nationwide, Sheryl Sawyers, the girl's paternal grandmother, contacted police from her Ohio home to say the drawing resembled her granddaughter. DNA testing confirmed the child's identity. According to an affidavit, Trenor told police Riley had been beaten and thrown across a room and that her head was held under water before she died on July 24, 2007. Another piece of evidence shown to the jury during the trial was a page of Trenor's journal where she talked of beating the child, according to CNN affiliate KTRK. "I just kept hitting her with the belt again and again. I don't know how long, but I remember her trying to get away and me knocking her back down," the journal said. Trenor's husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, 25, also faces capital murder and evidence tampering charges, but is being tried separately. A court date has not been set in that case. | Body of Kimberly Dawn Trenor's daughter found on Galveston Bay island in 2007 .
Police dubbed girl "Baby Grace" before her identity was known .
Trenor wrote in journal about beating toddler .
Trenor's husband to face murder charges in separate trial . | 5796e888d880070b1aa6fc516b9e3bcfaa3ff8d3 |
(CNN) -- A third minute goal from Gonzalo Higuain gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Valencia, coach Juande Ramos' first Primera Liga win since taking charge of the Spanish champions. Gonzalo Higuain is congratulated after scoring Real Madrid's only goal against Valencia. The win ended Madrid's run of three straight league defeats and moved them up to 29 points, nine behind leaders Barcelona -- who visit Villarreal on Sunday. With captain Raul Gonzalez only on the bench befcause of the flu, Higuain played alone in attack, and he soon made his mark with the early goal -- the Argentine collecting Arjen Robben's pass to fire home his 11th goal of the season. Valencia almost fell two goals behind in the 16th minute when Rafael van der Vaart struck the post with a curling drive. Higuain had a chance to double Madrid's tally in the second-half, but his close-range shot struck the bar. The visitors' hopes were effectively ended when captain Carlos Marchena was sent off after picking up his second yellow card, for a foul on Robben. The defeat, only Valencia's second of the season after also going down to Barcelona, leaves them on 30 points, just one above Madrid. | Gonzalo Higuain scoresd the only goal as Real Madrid defeat Valencia 1-0 .
The victory marks first success in the Primera Liga for coach Juande Ramos .
Valencia, who had Carlos Marchena sent off, were losing only second match . | ed3aa9850ef9c840e7da34a48c4519a210a763b5 |
(CNN) -- Juventus came from behind to defeat Bologna 4-1 on Saturday to put pressure on Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table. Alessandro Del Piero celebrates the first of his two goals in Juventus' 4-1 victory over Bologna. Massimo Mutarelli put Bologna ahead in the 24th minute, but a dominant second half display from the Bianconeri gave them all three points. Hasan Salihimidzic equalised in the 49th minute before Sebastian Giovinco put the home side ahead in the 71st minute. A brace from Alessandro Del Piero in the 75th and 88th minutes sealed a win which takes Juve to within four points of leaders Inter, who face a tricky home match against Fiorentina on Sunday. In Saturday's other match, Genoa boosted their hopes of playing in the Champions League next season thanks to a 1-0 win at 10-man Cagliari to move above Fiorentina into fourth place. Cagliari lost Andrea Cossu to a red card in the 39th minute but held out until five minutes from the end when Ruben Olivera grabbed the decisive goal. Meanwhile, veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi scored his 300th career goal to help Milan crush Siena 5-1 on Sunday to consolidate third place in the table. The 35-year-old scored twice, while Alexander Pato also netted a brace and Andrea Pirlo scored the opener from the penalty spot, as Milan proved too strong for their opponents -- for whom Massimo Maccarone was on target. Roma lost further ground in the race for the fourth Champions League place as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Sampdoria. Julio Baptista gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead but Giampaolo Pazzini headed home an equalizer before the same player put the home side ahead after a mistake from goalkeeper Doni. But Baptista levelled from the spot after Marco Padalino was penalized for fouling Max Tonetto -- the player who missed the decisive spot-kick in the midweek Champions League defeat by Arsenal. | Juventus recover from going a goal behind to defeat Bologna 4-1 on Saturday .
The result lifts Juventus to within four points of Inter Milan at the top of Serie A .
Filippo Inzaghi reaches 300 career goals to help AC Milan hammer Siena 5-1 . | 0646161a7ea03bfa7f256d948cfd4af64c92284f |
(CNN) -- Altovise Davis, the widow of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., has died. She was 65. Altovise Davis, in a 2008 photo, married Sammy Davis Jr. in 1970. Davis died Saturday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, said her publicist, Amy Malone. She had been admitted two days earlier after suffering a stroke. Davis, a dancer and actress from Brooklyn, New York, met Sammy Davis Jr. on the set of the musical "Golden Boy" in London in 1967. The couple married three years later. It was Sammy Davis Jr.'s third marriage. The couple remained together until he died of throat cancer in 1990. The couple had an adopted son. Funeral services will be held in Burbank, California, with the date and time to be announced later. Sammy Davis Jr., himself a musician, was famous for being part of the Rat Pack, which included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. CNN's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report. | Altovise Davis, 65, died Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital, her publicist says .
She had been admitted two days earlier after suffering a stroke .
Davis, a dancer and actress, married Sammy Davis Jr. in 1970 . | d6b3a06ff9be495841ce9d5660c9e024e6c83d89 |
(CNN) -- Two children and one adult were killed Friday after a man with a painted face launched a knife attack at a children's daycare center in Belgium. Police look at a hearse parked in front of the childcare centre in Dendermonde where the attack took place. Officials said two adults and 10 children, some of whom were in a critical condition, were being treated in hospital following the attack in Dendermonde, 25 kilometers (16 miles) northwest of Brussels. "The guy just went crazy," local official Theo Janssens said, according to Agence France-Presse news agency. He was arrested an hour and a half afterwards, according to the Interior Ministry. Reports said he was trying to make his escape on a bicycle. The attacker entered the day care center in Dendermonde, about 16 miles northwest of Brussels, around 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET) and began stabbing children and staff, the ministry said. Local journalist Bart Bekaert told CNN that the attacker's face was painted black and white. Hear Bekaert describe the attack » . "Witnesses say he looked calm. There was no security and he just walked straight in," he added. AFP reported that the man was not known to staff at the nursery. "You don't expect such acts happening in a daycare center," Dendermonde deputy prosecutor Jan Kerkhofs told CNN. "It is not like a prison so there are no bars on the doors or security systems." | 2 children, 1 adult killed in knife attack at creche, Belgian Interior Ministry says .
Three others reported seriously injured in attack in town of Dendermonde .
Attacker "had painted face," local journalist tells CNN . | 5ae1a5c43b537955fa28342096ea8c6b912ef7c3 |
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's attorney general will indict former President Moshe Katsav on charges of rape and sexual assault of a number of his employees, the country's justice ministry said Sunday. Israel's ex-President Moshe Katsav will face rape and sexual assault charges, Israel's Justice Ministry said. Katsav will also be charged with obstruction of justice, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said in a statement. Katsav had agreed in 2007 to plead guilty to lesser charges and pay a fine in order to avoid jail time, but pulled out of the deal when it came time to enter his plea. The plea bargain caused a public storm in Israel, mainly because it did not include charges of rape, contrary to what had been suggested by Mazuz in a draft indictment. Watch more on the expected indictment » . Katsav, of the center-right Likud Party, was president of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was minister of tourism before that. The charges stem from allegations made against him in both jobs. He resigned the presidency in June 2007 over the sexual assault allegations. CNN's Shira Medding contributed to this report. | Justice Ministry: Moshe Katsav will be indicted on rape, sexual assault charges .
Katsav to face obstruction of justice charge, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz says .
Katsav, of the center-right Likud Party, was president from 2000 to 2007 . | b8ad23d27af2b9fbb2f37264c651ac75bd2a11d5 |
(CNN) -- Extra-time goals by Darren O'Dea and Aiden McGeady gave Celtic a 2-0 victory over Glasgow rivals Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park. Darren O'Dea (left) peels away after scoring the opening goal in Celtic's 2-0 victory over Rangers. After 90 tense minutes had failed to produce a goal, the game moved in to extra-time and just a minute after the restart O'Dea, who had not scored since Celtic beat Livingston in February 2007, leapt to head a Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick past goalkeeper Allan McGregor. Then, In the third minute of added time at the end of the match, Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot was red-carded for denying McGeady a clear goalscoring opportunity and the Ireland international scored from the resulting penalty. There was little between the two sides in normal time but Celtic's superior fitness paid off, giving them a psychological boost in their bid for a fourth Scottish Premier League title in succession -- a race in which Celtic lead Rangers by three points. The victory was Celtic's first major final victory over their arch-enemies for 20 years -- and ensured Rangers, who are also through to the semifinals of the Scottish FA Cup -- cannot now lift the domestic treble. | Celtic defeat rivals Rangers 2-0 to win Scottish League Cup final at Hampden .
Extra-time goals by Darren O'Dea and Aiden McGeady secure cup for Celtic .
The result will give Celtic a boost as they battle with Rangers for Scottish title . | 26eefc50190e2cb4e9d5f37529791b2231906296 |
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian conservatives have said they captured most of the 82 parliamentary seats up for grabs in Friday's runoff election. An Iranian girl drops her mother's ballot for the parliamentary runoff election. Conservatives took about 80 percent of the parliamentary seats, official Mohammad Forouzandeh told the country's semi-official FARS news agency. "The final results are not in yet, but so far, the fundamentalists have 53 seats, Reformists have 12 and the rest went to Independent candidates with fundamentalist tendencies," he said. FARS also published the names of the 11 winners of the Tehran constituency. Ten were conservatives and one was a reformist. Iran's official news agency, IRNA, reported that election results from 47 out of 54 had been finalized, and that the final count would be ready Saturday night. IRNA said voter participation in the second round was 8 percent higher than the second round of the previous election. Last month's first round, in which 204 parliamentary races were settled, was a decisive victory for the hard-line conservatives. The reformists suffered a setback before the March election, when 70 percent of their candidates were disqualified. Iran's conservative Guardian Council screened candidates and disqualified about 1,700 it deemed unsuitable. They were predominantly reformists. The Guardian Council is an unelected body of six high clerics appointed by supreme religious leaders and six lawyers nominated by the head of the judiciary branch. Iran is scheduled to hold its presidential election in the spring of 2009. Ahmadinejad has not announced whether he will run for a second term. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report. | Iranian conservatives say they captured most seats in parliamentary election .
Earlier contests seen as victory for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad .
Reformists suffered setback when 70 percent of their candidates were disqualified . | 1f3a263d638b28232d7450dc4d668089cad4d21c |
(CNN) -- Anna Nicole Smith's longtime partner and attorney Howard K. Stern and two doctors were charged Thursday with conspiring to furnish drugs before her death in 2007, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend Howard K. Stern was among those charged Thursday. Smith, 39, was pronounced dead February 8 after being found unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood, Florida. The former Playboy playmate and reality TV star died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. At the time of her death several prescription medications -- both in Smith's name and that of her partner and lawyer, Stern -- were found in the room. Officials said prescription and over-the-counter drugs were found in Smith's system, including three antidepressants or antianxiety drugs. Also found in toxicology testing was human growth hormone and chloral hydrate, a sleep medication, officials said. Stern, 40, and doctors Sandeep Kapoor, 40, and Khristine Eroshevich, 61, were each charged with eight felonies, including conspiring to furnish controlled substances, unlawfully prescribing a controlled substance and obtaining fraudulent prescriptions between June 2004 and January 2007 -- only weeks before the playmate's death. Kapoor and Eroshevich were each also charged with obtaining a prescription for opiates by "fraud, deceit or misrepresentation." Each were also charged with one count of obtaining a prescription for opiates by giving a false name or address, according to the DA's office. All three were charged with one count of "prescribing, administering or dispensing a controlled substance to an addict." Smith was buried in the Bahamas March 2 next to the grave of her son, Daniel, who died in September, shortly after the birth of her daughter, Dannielynn. | Howard K. Stern, Sandeep Kapoor, Khristine Eroshevich charged with eight felonies .
The three are accused of conspiring to furnish drugs before her death .
Former Playboy playmate died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs .
All three charged with giving "a controlled substance to an addict" | 5d251418d1cc55e5b50708eca850fd47b858d0b7 |
(CNN) -- Hamburg have moved up to fourth place in the Bundesliga, only behind Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg on goal difference, after a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Energie Cottbus on Sunday. Ivica Olic celebrates his opening goal for Hamburg as they remain in touch near the top of the Bundesliga. Croatian striker headed Hamburg into a 32nd-minute lead while a free-kick from winger Piotr Trochowski seven minutes later secured the points for the home side. The result lifts Hamburg above Hoffenheim onto 45 points, with leaders Hertha Berlin remaining top of the table on 49 points following their 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. Sunday's other match saw Werder Bremen pick up their first league win of 2009 with a 4-0 victory over Stuttgart, the first defeat in 10 matches for new Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel. Sweden striker Markus Rosenberg struck twice for the home side who lie 10th in the table, while Stuttgart remain sixth, 10 points behind leaders Hertha Berlin. | Hamburg remain in Bundesliga title hunt following 2-0 win over Energie Cottbus .
The win lifts Hamburg into fourth in the table, four points behind leaders Hertha .
Stuttgart suffer first defeat under Markus Babbel, losing 4-0 at Werder Bremen . | 54da453b9a3d1ac08df74b75c5f0a886d1da8985 |
(CNN) -- Inter Milan kept their seven-point lead at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win over Fiorentina in the San Siro in Sunday's late match in Italy. Ibrahimovic powers home a 30-meter free-kick in stoppage time at the San Siro. Inter showed no signs of their Champions League disappointment at Manchester United as Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck in each half. Ibrahimovic scored the opener after 11 minutes but Inter had to survive some nervous moments against a committed away side before he sealed victory in stoppage time with a thumping free-kick. Title rivals Juventus had won 4-1 at Bologna on Saturday evening to put the pressure on Jose Mourinho's men. Inter's arch-rivals AC Milan also enjoyed an important win on Sunday with a 5-1 thrashing of Siena to stay third. Veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi scored twice, including his 300th career goal in the away victory. David Beckham, who shrugged off an injury to play, set up Inzaghi for his first goal and the side's second. Andrea Pirlo scored the opener from the penalty spot, while Alexander Pato also netted twice, as Milan proved too strong for their opponents -- for whom Massimo Maccarone was on target. Roma lost further ground in the race for the fourth Champions League place as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Sampdoria. Julio Baptista gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead but Giampaolo Pazzini headed home an equalizer before the same player put the home side ahead after a mistake from goalkeeper Doni. But Baptista leveled from the spot after Marco Padalino was penalized for fouling Max Tonetto -- the player who missed the decisive spot-kick in the midweek Champions League defeat by Arsenal. | Inter Milan defeat Fiorentina 2-0 to re-open seven point lead in Serie A table .
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores twice for the leaders at the San Siro .
Filippo Inzaghi reaches 300 career goals to help AC Milan hammer Siena 5-1 . | 8939eee2f33590f7e5a817c1d3aab243ee1211e8 |
(CNN) -- The women's draw at the Indian Wells Masters event has been thrown wide open after second seed Jelena Jankovic and third-seeded Elena Dementieva were both beaten on Saturday. Pavlyuchenkova celebrates her victory over Jelena Jankovic in the Indian Wells Masters. Serb Jankovic, who ended 2008 as number one in the world but has now dropped to third in the rankings, slumped 6-4 6-4 to Russian 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Meanwhile, Russian Dementieva ran out of steam in the final set to go down 7-6 2-6 6-1 to Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska -- ensuring only 17 of the 32 seeded women failed to make it out of the second round. Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic, the defending champion defeated Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-4 6-3 and now joins top-seeded Russian Dinara Safina as the tournament favorite. Also through is seventh-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who fought back from dropping the opening set to beat Australian Samantha Stosur 3-6 6-3 7-5. | Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva both crash out of Indian Wells Masters .
Second-seeded Serb Jankovic beaten by Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova .
Russian Dementieva goes down 7-6 2-6 6-1 to Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska . | 4b23eff83089c5068d0bb9aa73fee1834a98a207 |
(CNN) -- North Korea fully reopened its border to South Koreans on Tuesday, without explaining its reversal, the South's Unification Ministry said. Cross-border gates between North and South Korea were closed on March 9. The communist nation shut its border on March 9, calling 12-day U.S.-South Korean military exercises a threat to its safety. But on Tuesday, North Korea normalized visits by South Korean workers and cargo trucks to an industrial complex jointly run with the South, Yonhap said. "The North Korean side sent us a letter of approval this morning," the news agency quoted Unification Ministry official Lee Jong-joo as saying. The letter did not explain the North's reversal, Lee told Yonhap. Two batches of workers, totaling 287 people, crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday, according to the Unification Ministry. More than 300 were scheduled to return at the end of the workday. North Korea had partly opened its border Monday, allowing nearly 300 South Koreans to return home. Many of the South Koreans work at the industrial complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. The border closing was part of a recent series of aggressive moves by North Korea, which included cutting the last remaining communications channel between North and South; saying that the North could not guarantee the safety of South Korean passenger jets in its airspace during the annual joint military exercises; and threatening to retaliate if a "satellite" launch from its northeastern coast was intercepted, saying interference would "mean a war." U.S. and South Korean officials have said that North Korea appears to be preparing to test-fire its long-range missile, the Taepodong-2, under the guise of launching a satellite into space. The missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers) that, if true, could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii. | NEW: North Korea fully reopens its border to South Koreans without explanation .
Pyongyang closed border March 9 because of U.S.-S. Korea military exercises .
Border partly opened Monday, allowing 300 South Koreans allowed to go home .
Stranded S. Koreans mostly work at joint industrial complex in border town Kaesong . | ea0a1fe86468cc4661841718fc481ec0e7b103ca |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court's only black justice was the target of a racially motivated threat by an Ohio man who has been indicted in Cleveland, Justice Department officials announced Wednesday. Racially motivated threats were made against Justice Clarence Thomas, according to a federal indictment. An eight-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury charges David Tuason of Pepper Pike, Ohio, with making multiple threats against Justice Clarence Thomas and with threatening to blow up the Supreme Court building. Tuason had made the threats in e-mails and mailed letters to the Supreme Court, as well as to Thomas personally, according to a source close to the case. Tuason "engaged in an elaborate scheme of sending racially motivated threatening communications ... intended to threaten and intimidate with bodily injury African-American males known to affiliate with white females," said U.S. Attorney Frank Filiuzzi Wednesday in Cleveland. "The indictment alleges that an associate justice of the Supreme Court, athletes, and entertainers received threatening communications," Filiuzzi said. Thomas's wife is white. "The indictment also alleges that at times, children of mixed racial parents were also targeted," the prosecutor said. The indictment says that "Tuason, at times, threatened to blow up the facility or building in which the targeted victim was located." If Tuason is found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in prison for the count targeting Thomas and five years imprisonment for each of the other counts. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Bill Mears contributed to this report. | Justice Clarence Thomas received racially motivated threats, indictment says .
David Tuason also threatened to blow up Supreme Court building, indictment says .
Indictment: Tuason threatened black males known to affiliate with white females .
Children of mixed-race parents also received threats . | 751e7220fbd5d541cbbe95921f8a77b4b29710e2 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Radio host Don Imus has prostate cancer. Radio shock jock Don Imus has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The shock jock made the announcement on his radio show Monday morning. Imus learned of the Stage 2 prostate cancer diagnosis last Wednesday, said Laurie Cantillo, program director for WABC-AM of New York. A bone scan indicated that the cancer has not spread, she said, and doctors believe it is fully treatable. Stage 2 prostate cancer means the cancer can be felt on exam but has not spread beyond the prostate gland. Imus, 68, said he's been on an organic diet for the past 10 years, avoiding meat and fish and eating mostly fruits and vegetables. "It wasn't great, but I was surprised," Imus said after learning the results of a biopsy that was performed last Monday. He added that he plans to go to San Francisco, California, for a second opinion. Imus said he's spoken with Sen. John Kerry and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani about his diagnosis. Kerry and Giuliani are both prostate cancer survivors. Imus exuded confidence while discussing his situation. "They are predicting they can treat it. They can cure it." Imus returned to the radio in December of 2007, months after his inflammatory remarks caused the cancellation of his morning radio show on the CBS radio network. His four-hour program is syndicated nationally by the Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Known for decades for his outspoken comments and off-color humor, Imus sparked a public outcry with his comments in April 2007 about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The controversy eventually led to the cancellation of his show by CBS Radio. He called the Scarlet Knights "tough girls" and "nappy-headed 'hos" during a national broadcast a day after the team lost the NCAA championship to the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers. He later apologized. | NEW: Imus says he was "surprised" by biopsy results, will seek a second opinion .
Radio shock jock announces the diagnosis on his show Monday morning .
Bone scan indicates the cancer has not spread, his program director says .
Doctors believe it is fully treatable, she says . | 8cd03202f708a2922e67d162c6ca287b7fcd8f84 |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Keri Russell, who stars in the new Adam Sandler comedy "Bedtime Stories," says her own son is a little too young to enjoy a story before bedtime. Keri Russell, here with "Bedtime Stories" co-star Adam Sandler, has a young son. "He's too squiggly and little for that right now. He's a year and a half," Russell tells CNN. She and husband Shane Deary have tried reading to their tot. "We do read [him] books, and he has his favorites, but right now it's very much like 'Read this one, read this one.' And we read the first two pages, then he's like, 'and now this one.' I'm like 'But we haven't gotten to the best part! Let me finish.' It's a lot of that." Russell and Deary named their son River, which she acknowledges is unusual. "It was a name we like, and my husband grew up on Martha's Vineyard. It was a lot of sort of unusual hippie names, so we thought we could get away with it." Other unconventional celebrity baby names include Bronx Mowgli Wentz (son of Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson), Apple Martin (daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin) and Naviyd Ely Raymond (son of singer Usher and Tameka Raymond). Russell offers a reason why some entertainers choose distinctive names for their children: It's the nature of their work. "It's an unusual life. I mean, so there tend to be creative people, and maybe people are more creative with their names, too," she says. "Or [they] feel like they don't have to be so confined to tradition because it's such an untraditional line of work." | Keri Russell stars in new Adam Sandler film "Bedtime Stories"
Russell has 1½-year-old child who's "too squiggly" for own stories .
Russell's boy is named River; she recognizes name is unusual . | 9bfd320481df92893ac652e9a8452bb653bb2478 |
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- The Mexican military has arrested the son of a top drug cartel lieutenant, the government said Thursday. Authorities present suspect Vicente Zambada Niebla to the press Thursday in Mexico City. Vicente Zambada Niebla, known as "El Vicentillo," was arrested Wednesday along with five subordinates, Mexico's defense department and attorney general's office said in a joint release. The men were acting suspiciously and had military-grade weapons, officials said. Zambada is the son of Ismael Zambada García, known as "El Mayo." The elder Zambada is a top lieutenant in the Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, officials said. Senior defense official Luis Arturo Oliver Cen and Jose Ricardo Cabrera Gutierrez, a top official with an attorney general's task force on terrorism and security, announced the arrest in Mexico City. Guzman, the alleged cartel leader who escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001, was named in this year's Forbes magazine report on the world's billionaires. He ranked 701. Authorities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border blame Sinaloa and other cartels for a surge in violence in the region. Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora expressed outrage at Forbes for listing a major drug suspect. About 6,500 people died in the drug war in Mexico last year, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said last week. Defense official Oliver said authorities confiscated three rifles, three luxury automobiles, 67,480 pesos ($4,845) and $866 in U.S. currency. A video on the Universal newspaper Web site shows a dark-haired Zambada and other men being led away in handcuffs. Zambada sports long sideburns, beard stubble, a black sports coat and a striped shirt. CNN's Melanie Whitley contributed to this report from Atlanta, Georgia. | Vicente Zambada Niebla and five subordinates arrested, government says .
Zambada is son of Ismael Zambada García, lieutenant in Sinaloa drug cartel .
Authorities blame Sinaloa and other cartels for a surge in violence in the region . | f8c1c18591bc9d2a898228cfdf9d7e72d92bcf92 |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- California corrections officials released an updated prison photograph of Charles Manson on Wednesday, showing the balding and graying 74-year-old, complete with his iconic forehead swastika. A new photo of Charles Manson shows his graying beard and his legendary swastika tattooed into his forehead. The picture was taken as part of a regular update of inmate images at the California State Prison in Corcoran, about 150 miles northwest of Los Angeles, where Manson is serving a life term. The release of the picture comes ahead of the 40th anniversary of the "Manson family" killings in August 1969. Manson and four others -- Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Charles "Tex" Watson and Leslie Van Houten -- were convicted of murder and other charges in connection with a two-night rampage that left pregnant actress Sharon Tate and seven others dead. Van Houten, who was 19 at the time of the killings, was convicted in the murders of Leno LaBianca, a wealthy grocery store owner, and his wife, Rosemary. Van Houten was accused of stabbing Rosemary LaBianca 14 to 16 times in the back. Van Houten was also convicted of conspiracy in Tate's death and four others at the actress' Beverly Hills home. Tate was 8½ months pregnant, and the baby also died in the attack. Manson, Atkins and Krenwinkel were convicted for those murders. All members of the "Manson family" have been up for parole multiple times over the past four decades, but it has never been granted. Atkins, who has been declared terminally ill, was denied a compassionate release from prison in July 2008. Atkins has told police she was one of the people who stabbed Tate and scrawled the word "pig" in blood on the door of the home the actress shared with director Roman Polanski. In May 2008, authorities dug for bodies at the Inyo County, California, ranch where Manson and his followers once lived, after police learned that testing had indicated human remains might be buried there. According to authorities, nothing was found. | Prison officials release updated photo of convicted murderer Charles Manson .
Photo shows Manson with receding hairline, gray hair and forehead swastika .
Manson, four others were convicted in series of murders over two-day period in 1969 . | 3221954fc7fcdf762ae359847ab6bfcdee4258f0 |
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- More than 1,000 people rallied Sunday in support of Israel in front of the Israeli Embassy in the Spanish capital. Spaniards protest Sunday in support of Israel's military action in Gaza. The rally came a week after a demonstration across town in support of Palestinians in Gaza and sharply critical of Israel's attacks. Sunday's pro-Israeli demonstration featured the sounding of air raid sirens -- like those heard in southern Israel to warn of incoming Hamas rockets from Gaza -- and a speech by a Madrid official from the ruling Socialist Party, observers said. Last week's pro-Gaza, anti-Israeli demonstration included two national leaders of the Socialists, prompting a rare statement from the Israeli Embassy criticizing their participation. But the Socialist government and the Israeli Embassy appeared to have mended fences during the week, issuing conciliatory statements. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos visited the Mideast last week, with stops in Syria, Egypt and Israel, where he was received by top officials. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was in Egypt Sunday, attending the meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh organized by Egypt and France. The pro-Israeli demonstration on Sunday cut traffic on a broad boulevard in front of the Israeli Embassy. Israeli and Spanish flags were waved and one protest banner charged that "Hamas equals terror." Spain has earmarked 6.5 million euros ($8.5 million) in humanitarian aid to Gaza. | Pro-Israel crowd rallies in front of Israeli Embassy in Madrid .
Demo follows pro-Palestian gathering last weekend attended by ruling lawmakers .
Spain has earmarked euros 6.5M ($8.5M) in humanitarian aid to Gaza . | 3da87cea54108b576bd3747b1cc5a3c49a0ac8f0 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Four people were killed early Saturday after a fire broke out at a state-run group home for mentally disabled residents in upstate New York, the governor's office said. A fire killed four people at a state-run group home for the mentally disabled in Wells, New York. The fire started at about 5:30 a.m. at the facility in Wells, New York, about 70 miles north of the state capital of Albany, where nine residents lived, and two staffers were on duty at the time of the fire. Two victims died at the site of the fire and two died during hospitalization, according to a statement from New York Gov. David Paterson's office. Two other residents were taken to area hospitals, including one taken from the scene by helicopter, said Marissa Shorenstein, a spokeswoman for the governor's office. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Shorenstein said. | Two died at site of fire, two died at hospital, Gov. David Paterson's office says .
Fire started around 5:30 a.m. in home for mentally disabled 70 miles from Albany .
The cause of the fire is under investigation . | 9b46d8524c55d9f5c6db59228777bf52d6469fc4 |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two coalition U.S. soldiers were killed along with three Afghans, including a police official, while trying to disable a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan Sunday, the U.S. military said. Afghan police destroy poppy fields in Helmand province. The explosion was under investigation, the military said. The soldiers were part of a convoy of coalition troops accompanying Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand province, to a village where he intended to talk to residents about alternatives to opium farming. The convoy came upon two bombs stacked on top of each other, said local journalist Abdul Tawab Qureshi. When the soldiers tried to disable the bombs, the second one went off, added Qureshi, saying the blast killed the police chief of the province's Nad Ali district, Mohammed Nader; a police officer; and a translator. Over the years, opium and heroin -- both derivatives of the poppy -- have served as a major source of revenue for the insurgency, most notably the Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan. Though southern Afghanistan still provides about two-thirds of the world's opium and heroin, poppy cultivation has dropped by 20 percent -- to the lowest level since 2006. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report. | NEW: Five people, including 2 U.S. soldiers, killed by roadside bomb .
Soldiers tried to disable bombs when one exploded, journalist says .
Soldiers were part of a convoy accompanying governor of Helmand province . | 3b793dc917efb05f1cf7c6dc1dac97d93315bdda |
PARIS, France (CNN) -- France bears responsibility for deporting Jews to their deaths in concentration camps during World War II, the country's highest court ruled Monday. Jews and foreigners are rounded up in Paris in May 1941. But, the Council of State said, "measures taken since the end of the Second World War have compensated for the damage." Northern France was directly occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II while the south of the country was ruled by the Vichy government that collaborated with Adolf Hitler. France's role in the deportation of its Jews was a taboo subject for decades after the war. The trial of Maurice Papon, a civil servant in the collaborationist Vichy government, for deporting Jews, forced the country to confront its role in the Holocaust. Papon was convicted in 1998 by a French court for complicity in crimes against humanity for his role in the deportation of 1,590 Jews from the city of Bordeaux. Most of the deportees later perished at the concentration camp at Auschwitz in modern day Poland. Papon died in February 2007, aged 96, after serving part of his term and then being freed on health grounds. There were approximately 350,000 Jews in France at the time of the country's defeat by Germany in 1940. At least half of those were refugees who had already fled Germany or countries already under Nazi occupation, according to the Web site of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. At least 77,000 Jews were deported to their deaths from French transit camps between 1942 and the end of German occupation in December 1944. Of these, around a third were French citizens and more than 8,000 were children under 13. | Court: France bears responsibility for sending Jews to WWII concentration camps .
Court rules measures taken since end of war have compensated for damage .
France's role in deportation of its Jews taboo for decades after war .
At least 77,000 Jews deported from France during Nazi occupation . | 380f8451c8ac7922d972856da9523235d12bbe1d |
PARIS, France (CNN) -- A gunman holed up across the street from a French nursery school opened fire Friday on mothers and nannies entering the building to pick up children for lunch, slightly injuring eight adults, police said. French police at the Lyon nursery school Friday. Two of the injured were taken to a hospital. No children were harmed, said officials from the Ecole Maternelle, located in Lyon in southeastern France. Police said the shooter, who remained at large, used an air rifle. The school was closed and a security cordon set up around it and other schools in the district, police said. In an interview with the French radio network RTL, Lyon Mayor Thierre Philip expressed doubt that the school was the gunman's real target. "It was pedestrians, especially mothers or nannies who came to pick up the children, who were hurt," he said. CNN's Sujatha Samy contributed to this report. | Eight injured by gunman who opens fire at nursery school in Lyon, France .
Police said the shooter used an air rifle and was not captured .
Security cordon set up around area schools .
Mayor says he thinks pedestrians rather than the school were gunman's target . | 668c0cf0153c88ed478f2917967102c47883b242 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Bidding failed to meet expectations Saturday on a uniquely complete skeleton of a Jurassic-era dryosaurus -- a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur -- so it was no-sale for the centerpiece at an auction of rare skeletons, fossils and other prehistoric memorabilia. Fossils including dinosaur skeletons are on display at the I.M. Chait Gallery on Saturday. Auctioneers at the I.M. Chait Gallery had hoped the 150-million-year-old, 9-foot-long dryosaurus would sell for as much as $500,000, but the bidding did not add up. Two museums are said to still be interested in acquiring the skeleton, being sold by Western Paleontological Laboratories out of Utah. An 18,000-year-old, 7-foot-tall and 15-foot-long skeleton of a teenage woolly mammoth from Siberia took the auction's top price, fetching close to $60,000. A completely opalized green, blue, yellow and red ammonite fossil measuring 2½ feet in diameter went for close to $50,000. Both were bought by private collections. "The woolly is so special because it wasn't fully grown and can therefore fit in someone's living room," says Josh Chait, director of operations at the gallery. "A collector's dream." Watch collectors stroll among fossils » . The ammonite, an extinct marine animal, turned to opal as part of the fossilizing process. Ammonite fossils have been found in ancient seabeds in Alberta, Canada. | Auctioneers had hoped remains of dryosaurus would fetch half a million dollars .
Bids didn't measure up, so 9-foot skeleton from Jurassic Period remains unsold .
Fossil of a teenage woolly mammoth sold for close to $60,000 at auction .
Huge opalized fossil of an extinct sea creature went for almost $50,000 . | 467e47ca46fdc890de461ede05f589a21a452099 |
(CNN) -- A British man convicted of having sex on a Dubai beach was re-arrested as he prepared to board a flight back to the UK, according to media reports. File image of one of the co-accused -- Vince Acors -- arriving at court in Dubai in September. Vince Acors, 34, from London, was due to fly to Heathrow Monday following his deportation from the Gulf state. But he was detained at Dubai Airport and returned to jail as his flight confirmation was allegedly "not in order," the British Press Association said. Acors and fellow Briton Michelle Palmer, 36, were initially given three-month jail terms for unmarried sex and public indecency, but these were suspended on appeal. Acors had been due to return last Friday but a hold-up in the deportation process meant he was unable to board a UK-bound plane and spent the weekend in jail, PA said. His lawyer Andrew Crossley said: "The return of Vince Acors has been delayed yet again and he will not be returning to the UK. The situation is close to becoming farcical and Vince is severely disappointed. "After having booked and confirmed his return flight on three separate occasions through the course of the day Vince was re-arrested at Dubai Airport, as his flight confirmation was allegedly not in order. He has been returned to jail, his precise return is now unknown." Palmer and Acors were arrested on a public beach shortly after midnight on July 5. Police charged them with illicit relations, public indecency, and public intoxication. A court found them guilty in October and fined them 1,000 dirhams ($367) for the charge of public indecency. Both denied they had intercourse. And during the trial, Mattar argued that the public prosecutor failed to produce corroborative evidence against his clients on the first two charges, though he said both tested positive for liquor. The United Arab Emirates, where Dubai is located, is home to thousands of expatriates and is among the most moderate Gulf states. Still, the oil-rich kingdom adheres to certain Islamic rules. | Michelle Palmer and Vincent Acors, faced three-month sentence .
The pair were arrested at a Dubai beach shortly after midnight on July 5 .
They were charged with with illicit relations, public indecency, public intoxication .
Although a relatively moderate Gulf state, Dubai adheres to certain Islamic rules . | 80e18188c11c2f86e79288288bd3f06d782087cb |
PARIS, France (CNN) -- France bears responsibility for deporting Jews to their deaths in concentration camps during World War II, the country's highest court ruled Monday. Jews and foreigners are rounded up in Paris in May 1941. But, the Council of State said, "measures taken since the end of the Second World War have compensated for the damage." Northern France was directly occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II while the south of the country was ruled by the Vichy government that collaborated with Adolf Hitler. France's role in the deportation of its Jews was a taboo subject for decades after the war. The trial of Maurice Papon, a civil servant in the collaborationist Vichy government, for deporting Jews, forced the country to confront its role in the Holocaust. Papon was convicted in 1998 by a French court for complicity in crimes against humanity for his role in the deportation of 1,590 Jews from the city of Bordeaux. Most of the deportees later perished at the concentration camp at Auschwitz in modern day Poland. Papon died in February 2007, aged 96, after serving part of his term and then being freed on health grounds. There were approximately 350,000 Jews in France at the time of the country's defeat by Germany in 1940. At least half of those were refugees who had already fled Germany or countries already under Nazi occupation, according to the Web site of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. At least 77,000 Jews were deported to their deaths from French transit camps between 1942 and the end of German occupation in December 1944. Of these, around a third were French citizens and more than 8,000 were children under 13. | Court: France bears responsibility for sending Jews to WWII concentration camps .
Court rules measures taken since end of war have compensated for damage .
France's role in deportation of its Jews taboo for decades after war .
At least 77,000 Jews deported from France during Nazi occupation . | 3eaf3c907993e091859a61a02163dc0d1edd664d |
(CNN) -- The pilot and co-pilot aboard a FedEx cargo plane were killed when the plane burst into flames Monday while landing at Tokyo's Narita airport in Japan, airport and hospital officials said. Smoke rises from a FedEx cargo plane that crash landed on the tarmac of the Narita International Airport, Tokyo. Both crew members were American men, an official at Narita Red Cross Hospital told CNN. Video from the landing showed the plane bouncing at least twice on the runway and veering left as it turned on its side before bursting into flames. The fire destroyed the aircraft, which was identified by FedEx as a McDonnell Douglas MD-11. Japan's Ministry of Transport said it was the first fatal crash at Narita, which opened in 1978. Strong winds may have played a role in the crash, said Masaru Fujisaki, an airport official. FedEx Express Flight 80 took off from Guangzhou, China, and crashed at Narita about 7 a.m. Monday (6 p.m. Sunday ET), said FedEx spokesman Matt Ceniceros. Watch more about the cargo plane accident » . According to observations at the airport, wind gusts were reported to be between 30 to 50 mph around the time if the crash. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that Narita firefighters had worked through the flaming wreckage to try to rescue two people believed to be the crew. The news agency said the cargo plane was landing on Runway A, the longer of the two runways at Narita, a major international airport. The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington said Sunday night it was sending a team to Japan to assist in the investigation of the crash. CNN's Kyung Lah in Tokyo contributed to this report. | FedEx cargo plane crashes and bursts into flames at Tokyo's Narita airport in Japan .
Pilot and co-pilot, both Americans, aboard plane from Guangzhou, China, are killed .
Strong winds may have played a role in the crash, says airport official .
Video shows plane bouncing on the runway and veering left as it turns on its side . | cf4e28fd1f7e8205d3bcc2121fa521d7db56c1fd |
(CNN) -- Rescue workers have pulled a body from underneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Cologne, Germany, police spokeswoman Astrid Gelss told CNN. The remains of Cologne's archive building following the collapse on Tuesday afternoon. The apartment building collapsed together with two other buildings on March 3. Initially as many as nine people were reported missing, but after seven of them reported to the authorities that they were safe, search and rescue efforts focused on finding the two remaining missing men. Rescue workers found the body at about 2 a.m. Sunday morning (8 p.m. ET Saturday). It has not been identified. The search for the second missing person is still ongoing, Gelss said. It is still not clear what caused the collapse of the building which contained the city's historical archives, bringing down parts of the two nearby structures. CNN's Per Nyberg contributed to this report. | Rescue workers pull body from rubble of collapsed building .
One person still missing after building collapsed in Cologne .
Authorities haven't yet determined what brought down the structure . | 5786f889045fe69f5acc89049bd897b415ba0100 |
(CNN) -- Some 5,000 residents in eastern Pennsylvania were allowed to return to their homes Saturday afternoon, some 12 hours after they were evacuated when a tractor-trailer carrying 33,000 pounds of toxic hydrofluoric acid overturned after the driver tried to avoid a deer, authorities said. Traffic is backed up Saturday after a truck spilled hydrofluoric acid in eastern Pennsylvania. State police identified the driver as Raymond Leblanc, 54, of Harrow, Ontario, Canada. Leblanc, who initially was trapped in the truck, was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released. Police said a passenger in the truck was unhurt. No other injuries were reported. The truck flipped over on its side and slid along northbound State Road 33, which was closed in both directions from Belfast to Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, from the time of the early-morning accident until about 6 p.m. Saturday. Most of the acid in the tank was in the form of pressurized gas, but there also was some water, said Northampton County spokesman John Conklin. State and federal hazardous materials experts stopped the leak by noon. The wreck occurred at 3:30 a.m. near Wind Gap. Conklin said many evacuees -- those living within a mile of the accident site in Plainfield Township -- went to a shelter set up at nearby Pen Argyl High School in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. A dispatcher with the Northhampton County Division of Emergency Management said residents were allowed to begin returning to their homes about 3:45 p.m. Saturday. Hydrogen fluoride is a hazardous chemical compound used mainly for industrial purposes such as etching glass, and is extremely corrosive. It also is an ingredient in high-octane gasoline, refrigerants, aluminum and light bulbs. Contact with concentrated solutions can cause severe burns, according to medical authorities. Inhaling the gas causes respiratory irritation, severe eye damage and pulmonary edema. | 5,000 evacuees able to go home 12 hours after evacuated because of acid spill .
Canadian driver tried to avoid hitting a deer, flipped tractor-trailer .
Leak of highly corrosive hydrofluoric acid stopped . | f0f7a51b1939743a3c6539fe3be903777c7610e5 |
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- Ten people in the disputed territory of Kashmir have been killed in ongoing gunfights between militants and Indian troops, an Indian defense spokesman said Sunday. Indian soldiers stand guard in Srinagar. "So far we have lost an army officer and three troopers, while six militants have been gunned down by the army in past three days," Indian defense spokesman, Lt. Col. J.S. Brar told CNN on Sunday. The fighting started after troops were tipped off about the presence of heavily armed militants in the region. Security forces encircled a forested region to close in on the militants. Militants opened fire at the troops and both sides traded fire. "The operations are being conducted in a densely forested and highly foliaged mountain range," Brar said. The gun battle is the second-longest of the year in Kashmir after the nearly seven-day-long encounter in the mountainous Poonch district of Jammu region in Indian-administered Kashmir in January. The onset of summer and melting of snows in mountain passes often leads to increased influx of militants from across the Line of Control, police said. The Line of Control is the border in Kashmir between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled region of the disputed province. The other day, India said, Pakistani troops had opened indiscriminate and unprovoked fire at its positions in northern Kashmir along the Line of Control. One trooper was injured. Kashmir has endured a violent separatist campaign for nearly 20 years, and authorities say 43,000 people have been killed. However, various non-governmental organizations and rights groups put the number of dead at twice the official count. | 10 dead in Kashmir gunfights between Indian troops, separatist militants .
Incident comes after India accuses Pakistani troops of firing on Indian troops .
Kashmir has been in throes of separatist campaign for 20 years . | c032a561967275e82291987dd67335b3e2cf3b7d |
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- He's a TV salesman offering an unbelievable deal -- and police say you don't want to do business with him. Police in Largo, Florida, say "Plasma Pat" is really 60-year-old Joseph Wesley Torma. Dubbing himself "Plasma Pat, the TV Discount Guy," he allegedly took cash from Wal-Mart shoppers, promising to use his employee discount to get them a good deal on a TV set, police said. Then, he called the police to taunt them. Police in Largo, Florida, a city near Tampa on the state's gulf coast, circulated security pictures of "Plasma Pat," and now can put a name to the alliterative nickname. Investigators say their suspect is 60-year-old Joseph Wesley Torma, and they've just released a mug shot from a recent arrest in Polk County, Florida. "He made at least two or three phone calls, and he even talked about surrendering, but he never showed up, obviously," said Lt. Michael Loux of the Largo Police department. Police believe "Plasma Pat" has conned victims in about a dozen different places in Florida. He allegedly befriended people outside Wal-Mart stores, telling his victims that he worked at the store, and that he could use his employee discount to get them a good deal on a major purchase. Then, police said, he took their cash, walked into the store through one door -- and out another, leaving his victims in the parking lot. One victim found himself out $300 while waiting outside for a television. Largo Police say that Torma also called them several times. asking to speak with Det. Brendan Arlington. Each time he called, police say, Torma identified himself as "Plasma Pat," and bragged that he had cheated about 30,000 people who will never file a police report. "Because the victims feel embarrassed, he feels that nobody is going to report the crime," said Lt. Michael Loux. "And I think he's probably right." Police say they believe that Torma has left the area, and may be headed to Texas, but they have not explained why. | Police identify 'Plasma Pat' as Joseph Wesley Torma, age 60 .
Man offered to use employee discount for strangers, pocketed their cash, police say .
'Plasma Pat' taunted police, saying he had 30,000 victims . | 444884c42c9a83ebcd7f9098c41846127da3cae9 |
(CNN) -- A U.S. Navy submarine and a Navy amphibious ship that collided Friday in the Strait of Hormuz south of Iran have arrived in Bahrain to be assessed for damage, the Navy said. The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans are shown in Navy photos. The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans arrived Saturday in Mina Salman pier to "to further assess and evaluate the damage that resulted from their collision at sea," the service said in a written statement. Fifteen sailors were slightly hurt aboard the Hartford in the collision, which occurred early Friday morning. On Friday, Navy officials in Washington told CNN that there was significant damage to the sail, or tower-like structure on the topside of the submarine. On Saturday, the Navy said there was no damage to the submarine's propulsion unit. No injuries were reported aboard the New Orleans. The ship's fuel tank ruptured, spilling 25,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy said in the Saturday statement. "Aerial searches of the area where the fuel spill occurred were conducted yesterday, and revealed no indication of any remaining fuel on the ocean's surface," the Navy said. "The quick dissipation of the fuel is likely due to the type of fuel, and various environmental factors to include air and water temperatures, winds and seas." When the collision occurred, both vessels were headed to ports in the Persian Gulf to stock up on provisions and allow for some recreation, Navy spokesman Lt. Nate Christensen said Friday. Christensen said there were about 200 sailors in the sub and 1,000 sailors and Marines aboard the ship. The Strait of Hormuz is located between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, linking the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It is heavily used by oil tankers. Both vessels are on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility, and conduct Maritime Security Operations. | Vessels in Bahrain "to further assess and evaluate the damage," says Navy .
USS Hartford, USS New Orleans collided near Arabian Peninsula .
15 sailors on Hartford slightly injured .
Fuel tank on New Orleans ruptured, spilling 25,000 gallons of fuel . | 3e31c7cf60506eb659f8e9e175c6f4579b7f8249 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Air Force F-22A fighter jet crashed Wednesday near Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing the test pilot, the Air Force said. An F-22A fighter jet similar to this one crashed Wednesday during a test mission in California. The single-seater crashed about 10:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) for unknown reasons, Air Force officials said. Lockheed Martin said the test pilot, David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, California, joined the company in 2003 and was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. The fighter was on a test mission when it crashed about 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB, where it was stationed, the Air Force said in a news release. At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter. In 2004, an F-22 Raptor crashed on a training mission in the Nevada desert. The pilot ejected and was not hurt, though the jet was destroyed. The plane was designed in the 1980s to provide a stealthy method to enter Soviet air space and strike Soviet bombers if the USSR attempted a nuclear strike. Once the Cold War ended, the Air Force found a new mission for the F-22 as a long-range fighter with a sophisticated stealth design and state-of-the-art equipment that no other plane could rival. However, the rising cost of the plane and numerous design and software problems threatened the program, which was almost eliminated by Congress. In the end, the aircraft survived, and most of the problems were fixed -- except for the price tag, which forced the Air Force to buy fewer aircraft. | NEW: Test pilot David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, California, dies in crash .
F-22A fighter jet crashes 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB around 10:30 a.m.
The one-seater jet was on a test mission when it crashed .
At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter . | cd76fdc5cc9db3d1ed8cba6c2c95718cf496d4f2 |
(CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, the Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets in January, has fired a nonprofit group of nurses charged with helping care for her children, CNN affiliate KTLA has reported. Nadya Suleman, mother of octuplets and six other children, fired a free nursing team, says a CNN affiliate. Suleman accused the nurses, from a group called Angels in Waiting, of spying on her to report her to child-welfare authorities, the affiliate reported Monday. The group was working for free, the affiliate said. Suleman instead will rely on nurses whom she is paying, Suleman's attorney said. She now has four of the octuplets at home, along with her six other children. The other octuplets remain in a hospital, which is discharging them two at a time to ease the adjustment. Suleman -- already a single mother with six young children -- gave birth to the octuplets through in-vitro fertilization, fueling controversy. News of her collecting public assistance for some of her children also outraged many taxpayers. She has not identified the father of the children, but spoke about him in a new video released on RadarOnline.com. Watch Suleman describe donor » . He is a foreign-born man who lives in California and is the father of all 14 of her children, Suleman said. The man was angry when she told him that she was having eight more children, she said. "He was angry at the doctor, like everyone else," Suleman said. "He is a good friend -- a platonic friend. We would not be very compatible. As far as I am concerned, I would never disclose who he is." At one point in the video, a child's voice can be heard asking Suleman the man's name. She did not answer. | Nadya Suleman: Nurses spying on her to report her to child-welfare authorities .
She now has four of the octuplets at home, along with her six other children .
Suleman instead will rely on nurses whom she is paying . | 24cfb82696e61a8c029486e1b4ef4899bac4cd7e |
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Melting glaciers in the Alps may prompt Italy and Switzerland to redraw their borders near the Matterhorn, according to parliamentary draft legislation being readied in Rome. Glaciers in the Alps near the Matterhorn are receding, forcing the border to be redrawn. Franco Narducci of Italy's opposition Democratic Party is preparing a bill to redefine the frontier with neighboring Switzerland, his office said Wednesday. Narducci is a member of the foreign affairs panel in Italy's lower Chamber of Deputies. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini has authorized the bill. Switzerland also has cooperated with Italy on the matter. The Italian Military Geographic Institute says climate change is responsible for the Alpine glaciers melting. "This draft law is born out the necessity to revise and verify the frontiers given the changes in climate and atmosphere," Narducci said. "The 1941 convention between Italy and Switzerland established as criteria [for border revisions] the ridge [crest] of the glaciers. Following the withdrawal of the glaciers in the Alps, a new criterion has been proposed so that the new border coincides with the rock." The border change only affects uninhabited mountaintop terrain. The deputy excludes the possibility of any family having to change citizenship. The border between Italy and Switzerland was fixed 1861, when Italy became a nation, but it has been occasionally modified, the Military Geographic Institute said. The border was last modified in the 1970s when the Switzerland-Italy highway was built at the Brogeda crossing. The bill is expected to become law by the end of April, Narducci said. Unlike Switzerland, Italy can change its border only with new laws approved by parliament. Narducci said the same negotiation will be proposed to France and Austria . "Once upon a time, the border line demarcation between two nations was synonymous to war and bloodshed," he said. "Instead , today we proceed with photograms." | Melting glaciers in Alps forcing Italy and Switzerland to redraw their borders .
Italian Military Geographic Institute blames climate change for melting .
Switzerland cooperating with Italians on potential changes . | 40a798e654eca15889381caef7a3780ee8bf7956 |
(CNN) -- A firefighter in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, was arrested Monday in connection with two recent arson incidents, authorities said. Coatesville has recorded more than 20 arson cases in 2009. Robert Tracey is held in two of the fires. Robert Tracey, 37, was taken into custody Monday afternoon for allegedly setting two fires Friday night, Chester County District Attorney Joe Carroll said. Coatesville has been hit by a string of arsons in recent months and although the arson task force investigating those cases made Monday's arrest, officials did not link the arrest to any other arson cases. The criminal complaint against Tracey lists nine charges stemming from a fire set to a homeowner's porch swing and a fire set in another homeowner's trash can. The fires, both Friday night, were extinguished before any serious damage was done, authorities said. No injuries were reported. Carroll said eyewitness accounts, including descriptions of the suspect's clothes, helped lead to the arrest. Carroll said the arrest of a firefighter was "extremely troubling." He said the arson task force is working diligently to solve the arson cases and that "there is no more important investigation" to his office. On January 23, Tracey, who was then an assistant chief of volunteer firefighters in Coatesville, told CNN affiliate WPVI that fighting multiple fires was "really taxing the fire department." Tracey recently became a paid firefighter with the department, according to Carroll. Tracey was jailed with bond set at $2 million, Carroll said. He is expected to be arraigned March 30, according to Carroll. Tracey is the third person arrested this year in connection with arsons in Coatesville, which has recorded more than 20 arson cases so far in 2009. | Robert Tracey, 37, arrested for allegedly setting two fires Friday night .
String of arsons investigated in Coatesville; Tracey not linked to others .
Tracey recently became a paid firefighter with Coatesville department . | 1c6880a268805ccad0cedf1dcd6d5f0d412a2fc7 |
(CNN) -- Brazil legend Pele has been threatened with court action unless he retracts a reported allegation that compatriot Robinho, the Manchester City striker, has taken drugs. Robinho is "upset and disappointed" at comments attributed to Pele regarding the use of drugs. Pele had claimed Robinho and Brazil's former world footballer of the year Ronaldo used recreational drugs at a private party in Sao Paolo. Robinho's official Web site says the player is "upset and disappointed" at Pele whose alleged comments came during a court case involving his son, Edinho, was has admitted cocaine addiction. The story hit the headlines in Brazil and Robinho´s Web site says "that a formal retraction from Pele will be requested, if what he said was not misinterpreted by the media that published it. And if Pele does not come forward, he will have to deal with his very unfortunate comment in court. The statement by the player's representatives, added: "Robinho is upset and disappointed at Pele, who seems to have forgotten the great idol he was and that it appears Pele must be reading sensationlist medias, to come up with such wrongful statement." Brazilian radio station, Jovem Pan, had quoted Pele as saying that: "It is unfair to talk about drugs in football just because of one or two cases, like Robinho and (former Brazil striker) Ronaldo, who had that problem." | Pele threatened with court action unless he retracts reported drug accusations .
He reportedly alleged fellow Brazilians Robinho and Ronaldo had taken drugs .
Robinho's representatives say a formal retraction will be requested from Pele . | 31fb5ca210d456eace45d752517b3241560c4091 |
(CNN) -- Five days of gunbattles between the Indian army and separatist militants in Indian-administered Kashmir have left at least 25 dead -- eight Indian army troopers, including one officer, and 17 militants, the Indian military said Tuesday. An Indian army soldier lays a wreath during the funeral of a slain soldier, northeast of Srinagar on Tuesday. Defense Minister A.K. Antony, meeting with India's military chiefs in Delhi, reviewed the situation in the Himalayan region and told the Army to deal with the situation in the Himalayan region with "utmost firmness." Kashmir has been in the throes of a violent separatist campaign for nearly two decades during which authorities say 43,000 people have been killed. However, various NGOs and rights groups put the number of dead at twice the official count. In Srinigar, Kashmir, Army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar told CNN the Army was moving against the militants "based on sound intelligence inputs as well as human intelligence provided by our own sources." The battles in the Shamsbhari forests of north Kashmir Kupwara district have caused "minimum collateral damage to property," Brar said. The spokesman denied media reports that helicopter gunships and heavy weapons had been used by the army during these operations against the militants. This month's encounter between the Indian Army and the militants is the second longest in Kashmir this year. In January, a fierce encounter raged for seven days in the Poonch district of Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir. Two soldiers, a policeman and four militants were killed in that encounter. Kashmir has been the source of bitter dispute and two wars between India and neighboring Pakistan. Both control parts of the region which is predominantly Muslim. | NEW: 25 dead in Kashmir gunfights between Indian troops, separatist militants .
Incident comes after India accuses Pakistani troops of firing on Indian troops .
Kashmir has been in throes of separatist campaign for 20 years . | 0ac087a38e319cdaf67876cb39bd0062ff1fa598 |
(CNN) -- A 75th minute strike by striker Graziano Pelle gave AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 home win over NEC Nijmegen on Sunday to leave his side top of the Dutch standings. Italian star Pelle scored the winner to keep AZ on top heading into the Dutch break. The Italian's decisive goal means Louis van Gaal's men will head into 2009 with a three-point lead over Ajax Amsterdam after 17 rounds. The Eredivisie is set to resume on January 16 after a three-week break. Earlier, Dario Cvitanich scored a hat-trick as Ajax beat ADO Den Haag 3-0 to temporarily draw level on points with the leaders. But AZ, who are unbeaten in 15 games, then saw off Nijmegen, who had also been on a fine 14-game unbeaten run. AZ have 41 points, with Ajax on 38. Steve McClaren's FC Twente are in third place, seven points adrift of AZ, after holding defending champions PSV Eindhoven to a goalless draw on Saturday. PSV are fourth with 30 points and looking set to relinquish their league title. On Friday, Feyenoord snapped a run of three successive losses by beating NAC Breda 3-1, but the struggling Rotterdam giants are in 12th spot. | AZ Alkmaar beat NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in Dutch league game on Sunday .
Alkmaar on top by three points from Ajax heading into midwinter break .
Former Lecce striker Graziano Pelle scores crucial winner for AZ . | e66474367f034d570570f1c554a8ee620ddf65fd |
(CNN) -- Researchers have raised the alert status at Mount Redoubt, a volcano in southern Alaska, after another increase in seismic activity. Seismic activity at Alaska's Mount Redoubt again has scientists watching for an eruption. "Shallow earthquake activity under the volcano has been as high as 26 events per 10-minute period," officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Sunday in a statement announcing that the alert level was raised to "watch" status. Although no eruption has occurred, the scientists said the increase in seismic activity "likely represents either the upward movement of magma or pressurization of the system." "It is possible for unrest at the volcano to change rapidly, and seismic activity or other signs of unrest could escalate culminating in an eruption within days to weeks," the statement concluded. An increase in seismic activity at the same volcano prompted a "watch" level last Monday. In the U.S. Geological Survey's color-coded alert levels, the orange "watch" level means the volcano "is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption" or that "eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions." The next level is red, meaning an eruption is imminent or underway. Bill Burton, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said since January there have been increases in seismic activity at Mount Redoubt followed by periods of quiet. The 10,197-foot peak is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, the most populous city in Alaska. Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago, in December 1989. That eruption lasted until April 1990. | Increase in seismic activity noted at Mount Redoubt in southern Alaska .
Alert level raised; "eruption within days to weeks" is possible, officials say .
Volcano last erupted in December 1989 and last for months .
Mount Redoubt is about 100 southwest of Anchorage, Alaska . | 88238d58224511964c9a61d2b529b5d003d6cc25 |
(CNN) -- Conjoined Egyptian twin boys Hassan and Mahmoud, who were successfully separated in Saudi Arabia Saturday, are recovering and are expected to lead normal lives, officials said. Conjoined twins Hassan, left, and Mahmud rest the day before separation surgery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "The twins' vital signs are good; they're doing excellent," said Sami Al-Shalan, spokesman for the King Abdulaziz Medical City facility in Riyadh where the surgery took place. "The twins still have about 24 hours before a progress report can be issued. The anesthesia consultants are happy with the progress of the children." The boys are less than a year old and were brought to the kingdom on February 10. The delicate surgery took a little more than 15 hours. "The twins' parents have visited them in the [pediatric intensive care unit], but they can't stay there long. They come and go," Al-Shalan said. Separating the boys' urinary system was a major challenge, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the Saudi minister of health, told CNN. So was separating the siblings' local veins and arteries, he said. "We had to identify the arteries and the blood veins between each baby," Al-Rabeeah said. Watch Al-Rabeeah explain the operation » . The procedure was the 21st of its kind to be performed in the kingdom. The surgeries are performed free as part of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's philanthropic initiative. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report. | Egyptian twin boys are less than a year old .
21st procedure of this type to be performed in the kingdom .
15-hour delicate surgery declared successful, surgeon says .
Surgery free as part of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's philanthropic initiative . | 7528ce25dfbca6d6d32186a24530cbcdae9891ac |
(CNN) -- Manchester United went five points clear at the top of the Premier League as goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar set a new English record for minutes in not conceding a goal in the 1-0 victory over Everton. Van der Sar was left to celebrate a United win and a new goalkeeping record. Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed the winning goal with a 44th minute penalty but once again it was United's rock-solid defense and keeper that made sure of the vital three points. Everton's failure to score by the 73rd minute at Old Trafford left van der Sar unbeaten for 1,104 minutes. The Dutch international was breaking the previous record set by Reading's Steve Death 30 years ago. He had taken Petr Cech's Premier League record in the 5-0 win at West Bromwich Albion last week and has now had 12 straight clean sheets. With title rivals Chelsea and Liverpool playing each other on Sunday and Aston Villa being held 0-0 at home by Wigan, the record was the icing on the cake for Alex Ferguson's defending champions. World footballer of the year Ronaldo had hit the post in the first half before converting from the spot after Michael Carrick was tripped by Mikel Arteta. In truth, Everton, missing three strikers through injury, rarely troubled van der Sar with most of the action at the other end. Carrick had appeals for a second penalty turned down after appearing to be brought down by Joleon Lescott, but referee Mark Halsey ignored his pleas. Carlos Tevez shot wide from Park ji-Sung's right wing cross and Tim Howard later had to save smartly from a deflected free kick from the Argentine star. United manager Alex Ferguson was delighted with yet another clean sheet and the three points. "It's a fantastic performance from the boys. I couldn't believe it when I read that the last goal we conceded was against Arsenal in October," he told Setanta Sports. "Van der Sar brings calmness and assurance. Over the last 12 games we have changed the back four I don't know how many times so you have to give great credit to them." | Record breaker Edwin van der Sar has now kept 12 clean sheets for United .
1-0 win over sixth-placed Everton sees United go five points clear in Premier League .
Closest rivals Chelsea and Liverpool play each other in title showdown on Sunday . | 85246595f881711f549945cad2a1f35e9b47f075 |
(CNN) -- Five days of gunbattles between the Indian army and separatist militants in Indian-administered Kashmir have left at least 25 dead -- eight Indian army troopers, including one officer, and 17 militants, the Indian military said Tuesday. An Indian army soldier lays a wreath during the funeral of a slain soldier, northeast of Srinagar on Tuesday. Defense Minister A.K. Antony, meeting with India's military chiefs in Delhi, reviewed the situation in the Himalayan region and told the Army to deal with the situation in the Himalayan region with "utmost firmness." Kashmir has been in the throes of a violent separatist campaign for nearly two decades during which authorities say 43,000 people have been killed. However, various NGOs and rights groups put the number of dead at twice the official count. In Srinigar, Kashmir, Army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar told CNN the Army was moving against the militants "based on sound intelligence inputs as well as human intelligence provided by our own sources." The battles in the Shamsbhari forests of north Kashmir Kupwara district have caused "minimum collateral damage to property," Brar said. The spokesman denied media reports that helicopter gunships and heavy weapons had been used by the army during these operations against the militants. This month's encounter between the Indian Army and the militants is the second longest in Kashmir this year. In January, a fierce encounter raged for seven days in the Poonch district of Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir. Two soldiers, a policeman and four militants were killed in that encounter. Kashmir has been the source of bitter dispute and two wars between India and neighboring Pakistan. Both control parts of the region which is predominantly Muslim. | NEW: 25 dead in Kashmir gunfights between Indian troops, separatist militants .
Incident comes after India accuses Pakistani troops of firing on Indian troops .
Kashmir has been in throes of separatist campaign for 20 years . | 758c6cca523bf61ac5d36407fae830676e9c6378 |
(CNN) -- A roadside bomb attack Thursday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, injured the nation's interior minister and killed one of his secretaries, according to a source close to the minister. The Bakaraha market in Somalia's capital is one of the most dangerous areas of the city. The mid-day attack on Abdukadir Ali Omar, a member of the transitional government, left him with shrapnel wounds to his leg. The extent of his injuries was unclear, said the source, who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media. The explosion occurred about noon at the Bakaraha market, in one of the most dangerous areas of the city. The interior minister is a popular moderate who led assaults against Ethiopian forces during their invasion of Somalia. Ethiopian troops invaded the country at its request in December 2006. The Ethiopian invasion ousted the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamic movement that had claimed control of Mogadishu earlier that year. Thursday's attack on Ali Omar fueled concerns that moderate Islamists would strike out against the hardline Al-Shabab, which is suspected in the explosion. Al-Shabab -- which the United States has designated a terror organization -- warmly welcomed a recent call for the overthrow of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's new president. The call, delivered via an audio recording, purportedly came from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. -- Journalist Mohamed Amin Adow contributed to this report. | Attack on Abdukadir Ali Omar left him with shrapnel wounds to his leg .
Explosion occurred about noon at the Bakaraha market in Mogadishu .
Interior minister is a popular moderate in Somalia .
Fueled concerns moderate Islamists would strike against hardline Al-Shabab . | 5cc061d518fdf50dc9bed09ab24ff8a86a41b544 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Air Force F-22A fighter jet crashed Wednesday near Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing the test pilot, the Air Force said. An F-22A fighter jet similar to this one crashed Wednesday during a test mission in California. The single-seater crashed about 10:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) for unknown reasons, Air Force officials said. Lockheed Martin said the test pilot, David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, California, joined the company in 2003 and was a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. The fighter was on a test mission when it crashed about 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB, where it was stationed, the Air Force said in a news release. At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter. In 2004, an F-22 Raptor crashed on a training mission in the Nevada desert. The pilot ejected and was not hurt, though the jet was destroyed. The plane was designed in the 1980s to provide a stealthy method to enter Soviet air space and strike Soviet bombers if the USSR attempted a nuclear strike. Once the Cold War ended, the Air Force found a new mission for the F-22 as a long-range fighter with a sophisticated stealth design and state-of-the-art equipment that no other plane could rival. However, the rising cost of the plane and numerous design and software problems threatened the program, which was almost eliminated by Congress. In the end, the aircraft survived, and most of the problems were fixed -- except for the price tag, which forced the Air Force to buy fewer aircraft. | NEW: Test pilot David Cooley, 49, of Palmdale, California, dies in crash .
F-22A fighter jet crashes 35 miles northeast of Edwards AFB around 10:30 a.m.
The one-seater jet was on a test mission when it crashed .
At $150 million apiece, the F-22A is the most expensive Air Force fighter . | 9a617a50983bd43c02d7471ff009b71f4fcb49c6 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Smoking cessation programs make up $75 million of the economic stimulus bill making its way through the Senate, according to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who sponsored the funding. Sen. Tom Harkin's office says smoking causes $110 billion in health costs each year. Harkin said the programs were an attempt to bolster the economy by lowering the soaring health-care costs smoking causes each year. The money will be used to bolster existing anti-smoking campaigns run by the Department of Health and Human Services and to buy new equipment at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tests the contents of cigarettes. Harkin's office cited figures that smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths and causes $110 billion in heath costs every year. Harkin believes prevention will go a long way to boosting the health of Americans while boosting health of the American economy. Watch Harkin describe how anti-smoking programs help economy » . The U.S. House on Wednesday evening passed the $819 billion economic stimulus package on a party-line vote, despite President Barack Obama's efforts to achieve bipartisan support for the bill, CNNMoney.com reports. The final vote was 244 to 188. No Republicans voted for the bill, while 11 Democrats voted against it. The Senate is likely to take up the bill next week. | $75 million would go toward smoking cessation programs, says Sen. Tom Harkin .
Programs are effort to bolster economy by lowering soaring health-care costs .
U.S. House passes $819 billion economic stimulus package . | 4ff8cc408643c840049195df35f578294f85e4d3 |
(CNN) -- Raul Gonzalez became the leading scorer in Real Madrid history after scoring twice in the 4-0 Primera Liga victory at Sporting Gijon on Sunday. Raul celebrates in familiar style after breaking Di Stefano's Real Madrid record against Sporting Gijon. The 31-year-old moved two goals ahead of the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano with his 308th and 309th strikes in the famous white shirt. Raul is also the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League and has helped the capital club claim six Primera Liga crowns during almost 15 years' service at the Bernabeu. His first goal, in the 15th minute, came when Sergio Ramos found space down the right before crossing for Raul to volley home. Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had not scored for Real since his 20 million euro move from Ajax, but finally broke his duck with a neat finish on 37 minutes to double Real's advantage. Brazilian Marcelo skilfully slotted home the third goal to wrap the game up early in the second half before Raul netted again to complete a comfortable victory. The win was Real's eighth consecutive Premier Liga success and ensured the defending champions closed the gap to runaway leaders Barcelona to 10 points. On Saturday, Barca had to come from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Real Betis with Samuel Eto'o scoring both goals to take his tally to 23 goals for the season. | Raul Gonzalez scores two as Real Madrid beat Sporting Gijon 4-0 on Sunday .
The goals ensure the 31-year-old breaks Aldfredo Di Stefano's scoring record .
Real's eighth consecutive win closes gap on leaders Barcelona to 10 points . | c2023b07e982472a0abdaa7992488f3a5ddab961 |
(CNN) -- The United Nations is urging countries to invest in green jobs working with "sustainable forest management" to address the growing problem of unemployment worldwide. A deforested area appears in a rain forest in Brazil's Para state in October. At least 10 million such jobs could be created, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization will say in a report to be released this week. The report does not mention any countries but is aimed at "mainly regions with substantial rural unemployment and degraded land areas," said C.T.S. Nair, chief economist in the U.N. Forestry Department and one of the authors of the report. While all countries could benefit from investing in these green jobs, Nair said, Asia and Africa -- and to some extent Latin America -- could benefit the most. India, China and almost all countries in Africa stand to benefit, he added. The United Nations said it already is seeing indications that some countries -- such as the United States, India and South Korea -- are interested and taking action to invest in sustainable forest management by making it part of their economic stimulus plans. Sustainable forestry aims to prevent depletion of forests by managing them and making sure their use does not interfere with natural benefits or the local environment. For example, in forests where wood is being removed, the United Nations is suggesting that people be hired to monitor and manage how much wood is taken out to ensure the forest does not become depleted and can grow back fully. Managers also would make sure the wood harvest wouldn't affect biodiversity and the water supply. The report will be discussed and analyzed next week at the U.N. Committee on Forestry meeting in Rome, Italy. The Food and Agriculture Organization has designated next week as World Forest Week. | U.N. says countries should invest in green jobs for "sustainable forest management"
Sustainable forestry aims to prevent depletion of forests .
Asia and Africa could benefit the most from such jobs, report co-author says .
Report will be discussed next week at meeting in Italy . | 18888fef1ff1e94fddf5666333dcc8d728846255 |
(CNN) -- This month, Just Imagine focused on the future of nature and the ways in which it can inspire solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. A digital representation of the human genome. Yet as scientists gain a greater understanding of biological processes, they're also learning how to manipulate them, including the very essence of what makes us human -- our DNA. Biotechnology advances are already helping scientists find groundbreaking ways to create personalized medicine, detect illnesses and eradicate disease. And this, according to futurist Ray Kurzweil, is only the beginning. In the future, humans will be able to reverse the aging process, replace dying organs with younger ones grown from an individual's own DNA and even genetically engineer unborn children, he said. But some, like the UK-based group Human Genetics Alert, worry the ability to reprogram our biochemistry could lead mankind into unknown territory with dangerous ramifications for the future, including genetic discrimination and even a redefinition of what it means to be human. We want to hear your views. To what extent should we be able to alter our genetic makeup? Should there be a limit? And how should it be determined exactly what that limit is? Post your comments in the Sound Off box below. We'll publish the best. | We ask, to what extent should we be able to alter our own DNA?
Ray Kurzweil: Reprogramming DNA could expand human potential .
Human Genetics Alert says could lead to genetic discrimination, social issues .
What do you think? Post your views in the Sound Off box below. | 32bfc3cee2ad055c0b5250cdd5c1273daa558656 |
(CNN) -- Mount Redoubt volcano in southern Alaska erupted four times on Friday, shooting ash as high as 51,000 feet, scientists said. A series of eruptions has been rattling Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano since Sunday. The latest eruption took place at 8:30 p.m. (12:30 a.m. Saturday ET), according to the National Weather Service. That eruption followed three other ones earlier Friday. The eruptions are the latest in a series that began Sunday. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said the alert level remains at its highest possible designation -- red -- indicating that an eruption is under way or imminent and that the eruption will produce a "significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere." The weather service said the ash is drifting north and northeast. However, only "very light" amounts are expected to fall Friday in the Anchorage area, about 100 miles east-northeast of the volcano. Alaska Airlines limited flights to and from Anchorage on Friday, according to the airline's Web site. It canceled all its Thursday flights to and from Anchorage after an eruption earlier in the day sent an ash cloud 65,000 feet high. | NEW: Four eruptions jolt Alaska's Mount Redoubt on Friday .
Alert level remains at highest possible designation .
Mount Redoubt has been erupting since Sunday .
Alaska Airlines limits Friday flights to and from Anchorage . | c15231a64b8de48ee45653b6554703c3dcef2880 |
(CNN) -- A fishing boat carrying two NFL players and two other men capsized last month because it was improperly anchored, a Florida agency reported Friday. Nick Schuyler clings to an overturned boat in this Coast Guard photo. One man survived; the other three are still missing. Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, NFL free agent Corey Smith and former University of South Florida players William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler went overboard February 28 during a fishing trip. Schuyler survived the accident, which happened 35 miles west of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the men were unable to pull up the anchor of their boat to head back to port. Cooper tried to rev the boat forward to free the anchor, but the 21-foot single engine craft then capsized. The report said that the "improper anchoring" to a portside bracket, the attempt to throttle the boat forward to release the anchor,and the "failure to leave enough slack anchor line to compensate for top-water Gulf conditions" caused the accident. Schuyler told his rescuers that the boat was anchored in the evening when it was overturned by waves during a storm. He told them that all four men were clinging to the boat for a time, but became separated. The four men embarked in a 21-foot single-engine boat from the Seminole Boat Ramp near Clearwater Pass about 6:30 a.m. February 28, the Coast Guard said. | Florida agency rules bad anchoring, revving engine made boat capsize .
Raiders' Marquis Cooper, NFL free agent Corey Smith, William Bleakley missing .
Nick Schuyler survived the February 28 accident in Gulf of Mexico . | 7fd6d5bf3dd9afb2816b0eb7891b2ece01132d42 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Twenty-six year old Brazilian footballer Kaka is at the subject of negotiations about a salary that could see him earn nearly 95 times more than what Barack Obama will be paid when he enters the White House. Pay rise: Kaka could soon be earning $726,000 per week . Reports circulated Wednesday that the AC Milan midfielder is being offered a £500,000 ($726,000) per WEEK salary by English Premier League club Manchester City. A statement on Italy's Mediaset Web site appeared to suggest he will turn down the offer, however Manchester City officials insist the talks are ongoing. Even if he declines the move, the offer is far beyond the pay for many other high-profile jobs. For example, the U.S. President receives about $7690 per week, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown receives around $5233. What do you think of these salaries? Should footballers be paid more than world leaders? Tell us in the Sound Off box below. A comparison of a variety of salaries shows just how highly footballers, and professional sportsmen and women are paid in relation to other jobs. Even current football salaries dwarf the pay for most executive positions and public offices. WEEKLY INCOME (approximate) U.S. President: $7690 . British PM Gordon Brown: $5233 . Band 5 nurse in Britain: $567 . Director-General of BBC: $22,800 . Average U.S. teacher: $915 . Cristiano Ronaldo: $177,345 . Lewis Hamilton: $391,593 . Kaka's reported offer: $726,881 . If Kaka's deal does proceed, he will earn more than triple the Premier League's current highest-paid player, Robinho. The Brazilian, also with Manchester City, earns approximately $232,580 per week. Manchester City is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, a man believed to be worth about $22 billion -- so funding the salary shouldn't be a problem. Kaka's current salary at AC Milan was believed to be about $208,000 per week. | European media reports suggest Kaka is being offered a $726,000 weekly pay .
The U.S. President earns about $7690 per week (plus other benefits)
World Footballer of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo is paid $177,000 a week . | ee3b71da1cf9ff9516460eca5d5d997bb560c4fa |
(CNN) -- Faith Hill will sing "America the Beautiful" during the pregame show at the Super Bowl next month, according to the National Football League. Faith Hill is a Grammy Award-winning artist and the voice of "Sunday Night Football's" theme song. The NFL announced Wednesday that singer-actress Jennifer Hudson will deliver the national anthem before the start of Super Bowl XLIII on February 1. The NFL already had announced that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band would perform at halftime at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Hill, a Grammy Award-winning artist and the voice of the theme song for NBC's "Sunday Night Football," delivered the national anthem before Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2000. The only other artists who have sung "America the Beautiful" before a Super Bowl are Vikki Carr (Super Bowl XI), Ray Charles (Super Bowl XXXV) and Alicia Keys (Super Bowl XXXIX). The 2009 Super Bowl will be broadcast in 230 countries and territories, the NFL said. More than 148 million American viewers watched the 2008 game, it said. | Faith Hill is the voice of theme song of NBC's "Sunday Night Football"
Jennifer Hudson will deliver national anthem before the start of Super Bowl .
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band also will perform at halftime .
The Super Bowl will be broadcast February 1 . | b29cc3ceee57628db7273c4055c1f8bcaeed5181 |
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A bomb inside a van exploded in northeastern Madrid Monday, after a warning call by the Basque separatist group ETA. The blast caused damage but there were no immediate reports of injury. Policemen inspect the area after a van loaded with a bomb exploded in northeast Madrid. The Red Cross received a call at 7:37 a.m. (1:37 a.m. ET), in the name of ETA, warning of the bomb. The Red Cross immediately contacted police, who cordoned off the area, a Red Cross spokeswoman told CNN. The blast occurred shortly after 9 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) outside the building of a construction company, CNN partner network CNN+ reported. The company, Ferrovial Agroman, is involved in building a high-speed train line in the Basque region, which ETA opposes. The attack came just hours after Spain's Supreme Court declined to allow two new leftist Basque parties to compete in the March 1 Basque regional elections in northern Spain. Authorities allege the new parties are simply new names for other leftist Basque parties already outlawed for their links to ETA. "What ETA did this morning ratifies the Supreme Court decision last night," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told reporters, at the scene of the explosion. At least 30 vehicles parked in the street were damaged, as well as the construction company offices, the Spanish police said in a statement. The bomb, it added, was placed in a van stolen last night in the Madrid area. Exactly four years ago, on Feb. 9, 2005, ETA placed a bomb in the same Madrid neighborhood that was hit on Monday. That attack caused dozens of injuries, and damaged a different glass-façade office building. ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for Basque independence. It is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States. | Bomb inside van explodes in northeastern Madrid after ETA warning .
Blast occurs outside HQ of company building high-speed Basque rail link .
30 vehicles damaged; attack comes 4 years after blast in same neighborhood .
Earlier, court bars new leftist Basque parties from competing in regional elections . | 03845538a7d5fede428186d9956cdf510125626f |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Fifteen crew members of a South African Airways flight spent the night in jail after customs officials found marijuana and cocaine worth nearly half a million dollars hidden aboard a long-distance flight to London, British customs officials said Wednesday. South African Airways said it has a zero-tolerance approach towards any criminal activity. The 10 women and five men -- who include three pilots -- were detained on arrival from Johannesburg, South Africa, after customs officials found 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of marijuana and 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of cocaine in three pieces of baggage, HM Revenue and Customs said. The drugs are estimated to be worth a total of £310,000 ($428,000), customs officials added. Border agents arrested the crew at London's Heathrow Airport on suspicion of involvement in smuggling prohibited drugs into the United Kingdom, customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said. He said he was not able to disclose what led investigators to believe the suitcases belonged to the crew members. Customs officials interviewed the crew members overnight, and all were released on bail Wednesday pending further inquiries, Gaiger said. They were not charged, according to the airline. South African Airways said it launched its own investigation involving the airline's security and the South African Police Service. "SAA has a zero-tolerance approach towards the use of the airline's services for any criminal activity," airline spokeswoman Robyn Chalmers said. | 10 women and 5 men were detained on arrival from Johannesburg .
London customs officials found marijuana and cocaine in baggage .
Officials: The drugs are estimated to be worth $428,000 .
South African Airways said it launched its own investigation . | ce1e3ff6000d75fed66a2e07681cd8ac01c37f5f |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A Scottish fish and chip shop visited by Prince William, Robert De Niro and Tom Hanks has been crowned the best place in Britain to eat the national dish. Robert and Alison Smith, the owners of the Anstrhuther Fishbar in Fife, celebrate their success. The UK is in recession, but the nation's traditional takeaway dish is showing no sign of a downturn. Sales rose at 9,500 chippies in Britain by 1.7 percent last year, according to Seafish, a seafood industry group. The Anstrhuther Fishbar in Fife, Scotland was crowned the best chippy of 2008 following a rigorous selection procedure that included a customer vote, taste tests and two intense rounds of shop inspections. "Fish and chip shops are well-placed to prosper in the current economic climate as they offer value for money and a quality product with a feel-good factor," competition judge Andy Gray said. "Despite the credit crunch, people still want to enjoy small luxuries. Fish and chips are a national institution which have survived the test of time and will be around for many years to come." Fishbar owner Robert Smith said that the start of 2009 had been the busiest January since the harbor front shop opened in 2003. Smith, who also owns a fish processing business, said dedication was the key to the shop's success. "We are passionate about our business and we just do it right," he said. Fish and chips is the most popular hot takeaway in Britain, with 276 million meals eaten every year, according to Seafish figures. | Scottish fish and chip shop visited by Prince William named best in UK .
Sales of UK's national dish up despite country slipping into recession .
276 million meals eaten every year in UK, according to industry figures . | 30766f1fd783efd182929b3a76b92588322cabea |
(CNN) -- German billionaire Adolf Merckle, one of the richest men in the world, committed suicide Monday after his business empire got into trouble in the wake of the international financial crisis, Merckle's family said Tuesday in a statement. Merckle, 74, was hit by a train in the southwestern town of Ulm, police said. His family said the economic crisis had "broken" Merckle. He was number 94 on the Forbes list of the world's richest people. He had fallen from number 44 on the Forbes 2007 rich list as his fortune declined from $12.8 billion to $9.2 billion in 2008. Merckle's business empire included interests as diverse as cement-maker HeidelbergCement and generic drug-maker Ratiopharm. But he lost hundreds of millions of dollars, including company capital, betting against Volkswagen stock last year. The state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg rejected his petition for financial assistance, and he entered bailout talks with several German banks. "The financial troubles of his companies, induced by the international financial crisis and the uncertainty and powerlessness to act independently which the financial problems brought about, broke the passionate family business man, and he took his own life," his family wrote in the news release. An employee of Germany's railroad company found the body on the tracks at about 7 p.m. Monday and notified authorities. Merckle's family had already reported him missing earlier in the day after he walked out of the house and did not return. Authorities are currently conducting DNA tests to confirm his identity. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Germany and Alysen Miller in London, England, contributed to this report. | Adolf Merckle was No. 94 on Forbes list of world's richest people .
Merckle's net worth estimated to be $9.2 billion .
Billionaire was killed by a train in German town of Ulm .
Family says financial woes "broke the passionate family business man" | e4a4d45be7fb19f04943ab42afdb203c976069b4 |
(CNN) -- Two children and one adult were killed Friday after a man with a painted face launched a knife attack at a children's daycare center in Belgium. Police look at a hearse parked in front of the childcare centre in Dendermonde where the attack took place. Officials said two adults and 10 children, some of whom were in a critical condition, were being treated in hospital following the attack in Dendermonde, 25 kilometers (16 miles) northwest of Brussels. "The guy just went crazy," local official Theo Janssens said, according to Agence France-Presse news agency. He was arrested an hour and a half afterwards, according to the Interior Ministry. Reports said he was trying to make his escape on a bicycle. The attacker entered the day care center in Dendermonde, about 16 miles northwest of Brussels, around 10 a.m. (4 a.m. ET) and began stabbing children and staff, the ministry said. Local journalist Bart Bekaert told CNN that the attacker's face was painted black and white. Hear Bekaert describe the attack » . "Witnesses say he looked calm. There was no security and he just walked straight in," he added. AFP reported that the man was not known to staff at the nursery. "You don't expect such acts happening in a daycare center," Dendermonde deputy prosecutor Jan Kerkhofs told CNN. "It is not like a prison so there are no bars on the doors or security systems." | 2 children, 1 adult killed in knife attack at creche, Belgian Interior Ministry says .
Three others reported seriously injured in attack in town of Dendermonde .
Attacker "had painted face," local journalist tells CNN . | ef17c99e9346c01558465fe84518ad5cc0a93e42 |
(CNN) -- Former Italian international striker Christian Vieri has left Serie A side Atalanta by mutual consent, blaming constant jeering from the club's fans for his decision to leave. Veteran striker Vieri scored twice in nine appearances for Atalanta this season . The 35-year-old, back at his third stint with the Bergamo-based side, has failed to make an impression this season, and has become the focus of fans' frustrations after scoring just two goals in nine appearances. "I want to thank Atalanta for the way they have dealt with me throughout the season and throughout my previous experiences wearing the black and blue shirt," said Vieri in a statement on the club's official Web site. Atalanta president Alessandro Ruggeri revealed the club had wanted the former Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan striker to stay but that his mind was made up. "I'm disappointed as I'm sure everyone who loves football is. I don't know what he will do now, whether or not he will continue to play after this experience with Atalanta," said Ruggeri. "I haven't spoken to him yet but my colleagues have and he was adamant, I don't think there was any way to make him stay." Vieri has changed clubs 13 times since beconing a professional in 1991, playing for Italy's three biggest teams as well as Atletico Madrid in Spain and Monaco in France. His best season was in 2002-03, when he scored 24 goals in 23 league appearances for Inter. | Former Italian international Christian Vieri leaves Atalanta will immediate effect .
The 35-year-old striker blames fans' jeering for decision to cancel his contract .
Vieri changed clubs a remarkable 13 times after his professional debut in 1991 . | 4977044f0dbd3b051200827793381948d112740a |
(CNN) -- Altovise Davis, the widow of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., has died. She was 65. Altovise Davis, in a 2008 photo, married Sammy Davis Jr. in 1970. Davis died Saturday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, said her publicist, Amy Malone. She had been admitted two days earlier after suffering a stroke. Davis, a dancer and actress from Brooklyn, New York, met Sammy Davis Jr. on the set of the musical "Golden Boy" in London in 1967. The couple married three years later. It was Sammy Davis Jr.'s third marriage. The couple remained together until he died of throat cancer in 1990. The couple had an adopted son. Funeral services will be held in Burbank, California, with the date and time to be announced later. Sammy Davis Jr., himself a musician, was famous for being part of the Rat Pack, which included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. CNN's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report. | Altovise Davis, 65, died Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital, her publicist says .
She had been admitted two days earlier after suffering a stroke .
Davis, a dancer and actress, married Sammy Davis Jr. in 1970 . | 6bc8f13e6b81a2f2a6c13c3c95cf5c4ece56cfc3 |
KUALA LAMPUR, Malaysia (CNN) -- Malaysia will swear in a new prime minister Friday -- one tasked with reuniting a multi-racial nation and shoring up an economy in dire straits. Outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, facing, hugs his successor, Najib Razak last week. Until now, Najib Razak had served as the Southeast Asian country's deputy prime minister. He succeeds Abdullah Badawi who turned in his resignation after five years as leader. Both are part of Malaysia's ruling party, the National Front Coalition, which has ruled the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1957. But last year, a loose coalition of opposition parties won 82 of 222 parliamentary seats in elections. It was only the second time in the country's history that the ruling party failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution. The election upset led to calls for Abdullah to step down. Various challenges await Najib: . In recent months, the country has seen riots with the country's ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who accuse the government of passing laws that favor the Malay majority. Najib has said he will do more to address their concerns. The country, like other nations around the world, has been severely affected by the global economic downturn. Critics are demanding Malaysia diversify its technology-heavy economy. Last month, Najib unveiled a multi-billion dollar stimulus plan for new spending, according to published reports. Najib also brings with him a whiff of controversy. Two former bodyguards are facing charges in connection the murder of a Mongolian model. He has denied all links to the killing. | Najib Razak to become new prime minister for Malaysia on Friday .
Abdullah Badawi to step down from PM post .
Ruling party has failed to secure majority needed to amend constitution . | 9c5ec1acd8ff349677175aebd606f1bdc701d9c6 |
(CNN) -- Conjoined Egyptian twin boys Hassan and Mahmoud, who were successfully separated in Saudi Arabia Saturday, are recovering and are expected to lead normal lives, officials said. Conjoined twins Hassan, left, and Mahmud rest the day before separation surgery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. "The twins' vital signs are good; they're doing excellent," said Sami Al-Shalan, spokesman for the King Abdulaziz Medical City facility in Riyadh where the surgery took place. "The twins still have about 24 hours before a progress report can be issued. The anesthesia consultants are happy with the progress of the children." The boys are less than a year old and were brought to the kingdom on February 10. The delicate surgery took a little more than 15 hours. "The twins' parents have visited them in the [pediatric intensive care unit], but they can't stay there long. They come and go," Al-Shalan said. Separating the boys' urinary system was a major challenge, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the Saudi minister of health, told CNN. So was separating the siblings' local veins and arteries, he said. "We had to identify the arteries and the blood veins between each baby," Al-Rabeeah said. Watch Al-Rabeeah explain the operation » . The procedure was the 21st of its kind to be performed in the kingdom. The surgeries are performed free as part of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's philanthropic initiative. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report. | Egyptian twin boys are less than a year old .
21st procedure of this type to be performed in the kingdom .
15-hour delicate surgery declared successful, surgeon says .
Surgery free as part of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz's philanthropic initiative . | 1981ada0021e5184d3c7457dae6ca99c3c959324 |
(CNN) -- Malaysia swore in a new prime minister on Friday, the country's state news agency reported. Malaysia's former PM Abdullah Badawi waves from a vehicle in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak became Malaysia's sixth prime minister after taking over for from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who stepped down after leading the country for more than five years, according to the Bernama news agency. The new prime minister will immediately be tasked with reuniting a multi-racial nation and shoring up an economy in dire straits. Until now, Najib Razak had served as the Southeast Asian country's deputy prime minister. He is part of Malaysia's ruling party, the National Front Coalition, which has ruled the country since it gained independence from Britain in 1957. But last year, a loose coalition of opposition parties won 82 of 222 parliamentary seats in elections. It was only the second time in the country's history that the ruling party failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution. The election upset led to calls for Abdullah to step down. In recent months, the country has seen riots with the country's ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who accuse the government of passing laws that favor the Malay majority. Najib has said he will do more to address their concerns. Malaysia has been severely affected by the global economic downturn. Critics are demanding Malaysia diversify its technology-heavy economy. Last month, Najib unveiled a multi-billion dollar stimulus plan for new spending, according to published reports. Watch what can be expected from the new Malaysian leader » . Najib also brings with him a whiff of controversy. Two former bodyguards are facing charges in connection the murder of a Mongolian model. He has denied all links to the killing. | Najib Razak sworn in as Asian nation's sixth prime minister .
Outgoing PM Abdullah Badawi was in office for more than five years .
Ruling party has failed to secure majority needed to amend constitution .
New PM faces economic downturn, ethnic discord . | 74f60eb09724ad952f6fddcc0aac1ddedcfcf229 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department called the expulsion of the second U.S. diplomat from Ecuador in just over a week "unjustified," rejecting charges the diplomats meddled in Ecuador's internal affairs. First Secretary Mark Sullivan has been given 48 hours to leave the U.S. embassy in Quito, Ecuador. On Wednesday, the Ecuadorian government expelled First Secretary Mark Sullivan, whom it accused of meddling in the government's internal police policies, giving him 48 hours to leave the country. On February 7, the government expelled Armando Astorga, an attaché with the Department of Homeland Security working in the U.S. Embassy. Acting Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid said the expulsions stem from the fact that certain Ecuadorian police were banned from taking part in U.S. counternarcotics training programs, but rejected "any suggestion of wrongdoing by embassy staff." "Despite the government of Ecuador's unjustified actions, we remain committed to working collaboratively with Ecuador to confront narcotics trafficking," Duguid said. Asked whether the State Department would reciprocate the expulsions by kicking out Ecuadorian diplomats from the United States, Duguid would say only, "We will respond as appropriate." A senior State Department official suggested the police in Ecuador police did not meet the criteria to take part in the training, noting, "The United States does have procedures that require it to vet candidates for U.S.-funded training." The official added, "In some countries this is seen as onerous. However, it is part of the legal accountability measures we must follow." | Government gives First Secretary Mark Sullivan 48 hours to leave the country .
Sullivan is accused of meddling in internal police policies .
The State Department calls the action 'unjustified'
He's the second U.S. diplomat Ecuador has expelled in just over a week . | cdc3bec9fa6dab9ed88a0d2d44dc347b9a22b1cb |
(CNN) -- Pop star Madonna and her adopted son met with the young boy's biological father in Malawi as the singer awaited a court decision on whether she could adopt a girl from the same country, her publicist said Tuesday. Madonna holds her adopted Malawian son, David Banda, in 2007. Liz Rosenberg said in a statement that Madonna and her son David met Monday with David's birth father, Yohanne Banda, for the first time since the young boy was adopted in 2006. "Madonna is committed to maintaining an ongoing relationship with David's Malawian roots," Rosenberg said. The publicist also confirmed, in the first public acknowledgment of what has been reported for weeks, that Madonna has filed an application "to adopt Mercy James, a 3-year-old girl Madonna met two years ago in an orphanage that she visited." A spokeswoman for Malawi's attorney general told CNN that the singer appeared Monday in court in that country, one of the poorest nations in the world, for a hearing on whether she would be allowed to adopt the girl. Madonna is to return to court Friday to hear the judge's decision in the matter, spokeswoman Zione Ntaba said. The child's family will have to give their permission for the adoption to proceed, according to Martin Geissler, a reporter for the ITN television network who is in Malawi. Madonna has been involved with Malawi for several years. She made a documentary, "I Am Because We Are," which highlighted poverty, AIDS and other diseases devastating that country's children. She also helps run a nonprofit, Raising Malawi, which implements initiatives to help the needy in the southeastern African nation. | David Banda reunited with dad for first time since his adoption .
Publicist confirms singer's application to adopt Mercy James .
Judge will rule on whether adoption can go forward Friday . | 2085bcdd7b72e560784ac7e0e7461fde3f71b349 |
(CNN) -- Fifteen employees were fired for improperly accessing medical records of Nadya Suleman, the mother of octuplets, a Kaiser Permanente spokesman said Monday. Nadya Suleman has been the subject of much curiosity since she gave birth to octuplets. "We always provide training on the importance of patient privacy and confidentiality," said Jim Anderson, the hospital spokesman. "We knew from the time she (Nadya Suleman) was admitted to the hospital in December, this case would attract attention. "Numerous training sessions were held to remind people of the need to keep the information confidential." Eight other employees of the Bellflower, California hospital were disciplined for accessing Suleman's files, Anderson said. Anderson said there's no indication that any of the information was distributed outside the hospital to the media. Suleman, a resident La Habra, California, and already a single mother with six young children, gave birth to the octuplets through in-vitro fertilization, fueling controversy. News of her collecting public assistance for some of her children also outraged many taxpayers. | Eight other employees disciplined for accessing Nadya Suleman's files .
Kaiser Permanente says training was given emphasizing privacy issues .
Spokesman: There's no indication any information was distributed outside hospital .
Suleman was mother of six when she gave birth to octuplets . | df5a008fee39accc4614a50a0e0db21894035b08 |
(CNN) -- A mass grave unearthed Tuesday in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, is believed to contain bodies from an epidemic of yellow fever that swept the city in the 1870s, police said. Two buildings from the 1940s were torn down at the site, and maintenance workers grading the land in preparation for the construction of a new building uncovered the remains, said Montgomery police spokesman Maj. Huey Thornton. The site is adjacent to a cemetery, he said, and "based on the information we have from historical documents kept by the actual cemetery ... it does appear that it may be remains from a yellow fever epidemic in the 1870s." Officials from the Alabama Archaeological Society and the Alabama Historical Association were at the site and are expected to be able to confirm that, he said. It was not immediately known how many bodies might be buried at the site, Thornton said, but authorities are reassuring the public there is no cause for concern. The remains are clearly too old to suggest any recent activity, he said. According to an article posted online by the Mississippi Project of the American Local History Network, an extensive outbreak of yellow fever occurred in 1878, spreading across eight states but particularly affecting Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Some 16,000 people died from the disease that year alone, according to the article. | The mass grave was unearthed Tuesday in downtown Montgomery, Alabama .
Workers preparing land for construction of a new building uncovered the remains .
Historical records indicate bodies could be from yellow fever outbreak .
It was not immediately known how many bodies might be buried at the site . | 103d35ecb3e3a16547688b12dde5e74023c5d5be |
(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI refused Wednesday to soften the Vatican's ban on condom use as he arrived in Africa for his first visit to the continent as pope. Cameroonian President Paul Biya, left, walks with Pope Benedict XVI at the airport in Yaounde, Tuesday. He landed in Cameroon, the first stop on a trip that will also take him to Angola. Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit harder by AIDS and HIV than any other region of the world, according to the United Nations and World Health Organization. There has been fierce debate between those who advocate the use of condoms to help stop the spread of the epidemic and those who oppose it. The pontiff reiterated the Vatican's policy on condom use as he flew from Rome to Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, CNN Vatican analyst John Allen said. Pope Benedict has always made it clear he intends to uphold the traditional Catholic teaching on artificial contraception -- a "clear moral prohibition" -- Allen said. But his remarks Tuesday were among the first times he stated the policy explicitly since he became pope nearly four years ago. He has, however, assembled a panel of scientists and theologians to consider the narrow question of whether to allow condoms for married couples, one of whom has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It is still not clear how the pope will rule on the matter, said Allen, who is also a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. The Catholic Church has long been on the front line of HIV care, he said, adding that it is probably the largest private provider of HIV care in the world. More than 22 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV, according to a 2008 UNAIDS/WHO report. Nine out of 10 children with HIV in the world live in the region, which has 11.4 million orphans because of AIDS, the report said, and 1.5 million people there died of the disease in 2007. | Pope Benedict XVI refuses to soften the Vatican's ban on condom use .
He made comments as he arrived in Africa for his first visit to the continent as pope .
He is visiting Cameroon, the first stop on a trip that will also take him to Angola .
Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit harder by AIDS and HIV than any other region . | eebde0126c7eea0fadf568ebda153eed1e836406 |
(CNN) -- A baby ape born in the UK is settling into a new life in a German zoo after flying from Birmingham to Frankfurt -- monkey business class. Bili the bonobo is to be fostered by an ape at Frankfurt Zoo. The three-month old male bonobo -- who is to be fostered by a family of German apes after being rejected by his natural mother -- was considered too young and too fragile to travel cargo class, a spokeswoman for the UK's Twycross Zoo told CNN. Instead, the tiny ape named Bili checked in for the Lufthansa flight with special travel documents -- including a fake passport in the name of "Bili the Bonobo" -- before taking a seat in the cabin alongside a handler from Frankfurt Zoo, who had flown over to accompany him on his unusual journey. "He was with his keeper all the way to make him feel more comfortable and relaxed, rather than being in a crate," said spokeswoman Kim Riley. "I just wish I'd been there to see the other passengers' faces." Bonobos, which originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo, are considered particularly intelligent primates. They are the human species' closest relation in the animal world, sharing 99.6 percent of our DNA. Bili was rejected by his mother after falling ill shortly after his birth and has required extensive nursing and medical care. Zookeepers in Frankfurt hope he can bond with an adult female bonobo which has been trained to assist with hand rearing babies. The zoo's bonobo community will also play and interact with Bili, helping him to acquire social skills. Bili will spend 30 days in quarantine at the zoo before being introduced to his new family, Riley said. | Baby bonobo ape takes flight from UK to Germany to start new life in Frankfurt .
Three-month-old was rejected by natural mother after falling ill following birth .
Frankfurt Zoo has an adult female bonobo trained to assist with rearing babies .
Bili will spend 30 days in quarantine before meeting new family . | bc6520bc566a58d84f594698783059bbbbbf4fac |
(CNN) -- Venice has suffered its worst flooding in 22 years, leaving some parts of the historic Italian city neck-deep in water, reports said Monday. A woman wades through high waters in Venice's Piazza San Marco. Water burst the banks of the coastal city's famed canals, leaving the landmark Piazza San Marco -- St Mark's Square -- under almost a meter of water at one point, news agency ANSA reported. Strong winds pushed waters to a high of 1.56 meters (5 feet 2 inches) at 10:45 a.m. local time, prompting the city government to issue warnings to the public, the agency said. The flood level began to drop soon afterwards, prompted by a change in the direction of the wind. Previous highs include 1.58 meters in 1986 and 1.66 meters in 1979, the news agency said. Watch more about the flooding » . Photographs showed people wading through inundated piazzas and waves lapping over waterside cafe tables. Venice, built around a network of canals and small islands, has for years been trying to tackle the problem of floods that have regularly blighted the city. In 2007, the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO warned Venice -- a designated World Heritage Site -- is under threat from rising sea levels caused by climate change. See pictures of Venetians wading through flood waters. » . It said that unless the problem is tackled, Venice could be flooded daily and water levels would permanently rise by 54 centimeters in the city by the year 2100. | Venice reportedly suffering one of its worst floods in 22 years .
Landmark Piazza San Marco under almost a meter of water at one point .
UNESCO has warned Venice at risk of high waters caused by climate change . | 170561a1619cffbb8d62b5183c1fffd45b072372 |
BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) -- Cell phone makers Tuesday pledged to end one of modern life's chief frustrations --- and introduce a universal charger for handsets by 2012. An estimated 1.2 billion cell phones were sold in 2008, at least half of which were replacement handsets. The GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association), which represents more than 750 of the world's cell phone operators, made the announcement at its annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Tuesday. Under the scheme, phone makers have pledged that a majority of new handset models will include the universal charger by January 1 2012. The planned device will use a micro USB plug. Aside from bringing relief to drawers stuffed full of redundant chargers, the GSMA stressed that the new device would reduce raw materials. "The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this programme is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers," said Rob Conway, CEO and member of the board of the GSMA in a statement. Last year an estimated 1.2 billion cell phones were sold, according to University of Southern Queensland data reported by the GSMA, of which handsets accounted for between 50 and 80 per cent. That equates to between 51,000 and 82,000 tonnes of chargers. The GSMA hopes the initiative will slash the greenhouse gases that result from the manufacture and transport of chargers by 13.6 and 21.8 million tonnes each year. "There is enormous potential in mobile to help people live and work in an eco-friendly way and with the backing of some or the biggest names in the industry, this initiative will lead the way," Conway added. The GSMA says that companies which have signed up to the plan include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone. | The GSMA represents more than 750 of the world's cell-phone operators .
Plan is that majority of new models will have micro-USB charger by January 2012 .
An estimated 1.2 billion cell phones sold in 2008, at least half replacement handsets . | 50e82dc0c2e8b81fa6a36d1eca91c48048d58e06 |
(CNN) -- Police in Allendale, South Carolina, are investigating whether a funeral home fit a 6-foot, 5-inch man into his coffin by severing his legs. The wife of James Hines reportedly said the funeral home told her that her husband's coffin was long enough. A former Cave Funeral Services employee has alleged since James Hines' death from skin cancer in 2004 that Hines was too tall for his coffin and that the funeral home took extreme measures to make him fit, Allendale County Coroner Hayzen Black told CNN. Officials exhumed Hines' body Tuesday, Black said, and a fair amount of "undesirable evidence" was found, although he could not comment further. The coroner's office handed the case over to law enforcement officials for a criminal investigation, he said. Allendale Police Detective Donnie Hutto told CNN affiliate WJBF-TV that he could not comment on the condition of the body. A Cave Funeral Services employee had no comment when asked about the matter. But Ruth Hines, widow of the dead man, told WJBF that the allegations and exhumation of Hines' body are difficult for her. "I'm just going through quite a bit," she said. "It's like starting all over again, and it's left me with hurt and numbness." "According to the measurements on the casket, and the funeral director, we asked him, 'Was this suitable for his length?' and he said, 'Yes that will be perfect,'" Ruth Hines said. Hines told WJBF that her family has used Cave Funeral Services for a number of years, and she isn't sure what the family will do in the future if the allegations are true. | At 6'5'', former employee says James Hines was too tall for coffin after death in 2004 .
Employee told authorities that funeral home took extreme measures to make him fit .
Officials exhume body Tuesday, find "undesirable evidence," county coroner says .
Cave Funeral Services employee would not comment . | 783c2db85e095a0048b48331cb027bd2aaad2c58 |
(CNN) -- A Virginia Military Institute cadet has been charged with rape and sodomy after a female cadet reported she was the victim of sexual assault. Stephen J. Lloyd, 21, is being held in the Rockbridge Regional Jail in Lexington, Virginia, according to a spokesman for the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Office. The alleged assault took place over the weekend, VMI superintendent retired Gen. J.H. Binford Peay said in a statement, and Lloyd was arrested by VMI police on Tuesday. "After the female cadet made her report, the systems and procedures that are in place to address the safety of all cadets and to provide support were immediately placed into operation," Peay said in the statement. The case has been referred to the Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney and the state's criminal justice system, Peay said. Of VMI's 1,428 cadets, 111 are women, school spokesman Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnis told CNN affiliate WSLS-TV. | Accused cadet is being held in the Rockbridge Regional Jail in Lexington, Virginia .
The alleged assault took place over the weekend .
Case has been referred to the Virginia Commonwealth's Attorney . | c54e12817ddc45894ab8f8ade37132d6fc36d8a5 |
(CNN) -- Guitarist Carlos Santana signed on as the first rock 'n' roll resident artist at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's new concert hall, The Joint. Santana will not play any other shows west of the Mississippi River over the next two years. The two-year deal calls for Santana to play 36 shows a year, starting May 27, the hotel said. The Joint, which holds 4,000, opens next month with Paul McCartney in a show that sold out earlier this month in just seven seconds. Santana said his show -- "Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits" -- will "mix up a little practical spirituality with a rebel-from-the-street vibe, and with lots of incredible music." "My wish is for it to be a night that will move you to dance, to cry, to laugh and to feel the totality and fullness of being alive," Santana said. Santana, who has sold 90 million records over the past 40 years, is credited with blending American rock with Latin jazz. Santana's deal is exclusive, meaning he will play no other shows west of the Mississippi River over the next two years, according to the news release announcing it. Santana's residency is produced by AEG Live, the same company that brought Celine Dion, Elton John, Bette Midler and Cher to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. "Now we are setting the standard for rock 'n' roll residencies with this new deal," said John Meglen, AEG Live president. | Guitar player Santana to play 36 shows a year, starting May 27 .
Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's new concert hall holds 4,000 seats .
AEG Live president: "Now we are setting the standard for rock 'n' roll residencies" | 182a90328cea3d382f90a2e5e1b4083d3eab538e |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The venerable CBS soap opera "Guiding Light" will go dark in September after 72 years and 16,000 episodes, the network announced Wednesday. Gina Tognoni is one of many performers who have appeared on "Guiding Light" over the years. The daytime drama's declining viewership led to the decision, according to a CBS spokeswoman. The show, which the Guinness Book of World Records lists as the longest-running television drama, first aired on NBC radio in 1937 as a 15-minute serial, the spokeswoman said. It moved to television on the CBS network in 1952 as 15-minute drama. It later went to 30 minutes, and on November 7, 1977, it expanded to one hour and introduced the wealthy Spaulding family as foils to the show's middle-class Bauers, who were a mainstay of the show for much of its run. In 1979, the show did a groundbreaking storyline when the character of Roger Thorpe (played by the late Michael Zaslow) raped his wife, Holly (Maureen Garrett). The marital-rape story line reflected a significant real-life case in 1978 -- the state of Oregon v. John J. Rideout. It was the first time in modern U.S. history that a man was charged with raping his wife and then put on trial. It prompted national debate about whether a man had absolute sexual rights with his spouse. Rideout was acquitted. Among the actors who went on to greater fame after roles on the show: Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones and Taye Diggs. The last episode is set to air on September 18, the spokeswoman said. The show is produced in New York. | "Guiding Light" originally was radio serial on NBC, debuted in 1937 .
Show moved to CBS, which put it on TV in 1952 .
Last episode of show to air September 18 .
Kevin Bacon among the stars who got their start on show . | 126f00ba494daa2ab04c0bb023f9e0321e52456c |
(CNN) -- Diego Maradona's Argentina side have suffered their worst-ever World Cup defeat -- and heaviest loss in over 60 years -- going down 6-1 to Bolivia at La Paz's high-altitude Hernando Siles' stadium. Bolivia players celebrate another goal as they humiliated Argentina 6-1 in La Paz. Marcelo Martins opened the scoring for the hosts in the 12th minute but Argentina levelled 13 minutes later when a long-range shot from Luiz Gonzalez bounced in after deceiving goalkeeper Carlos Arias. Joaquin Botero, who helped himself to a hat-trick, netted his first in the 34th minute from the penalty spot and Alex Da Rosa added a third just before the interval. Botero headed home the fourth five minutes into the second-half, before Argentina's night got even worse when they had substitute Angel Di Maria sent off. Botero celebrated his treble soon after Di Maria's dismissal and Didi Torrico completed the rout from long range with three minutes remaining. The last time Argentina have lost by a five-goal margin was 5-0 to Colombia in 1993 and the home media made their feelings about the result perfectly clear. "A historic humiliation," said sports newspaper Ole on its Web site, adding: "This is our worst defeat in the qualifiers. What now.?" The result leaves Argentina in the fourth and final South American World Cup qualification place, five points behind leaders Paraguay, who scored an injury-time equalizer to draw 1-1 in Ecuador. Meanwhile, Brazil are up to second in the table, two points behind Paraguay, after a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Peru at Porto Alegre. Luis Fabiano scored twice with Felipe Melo adding the other goal. Chile are third in the table after a 0-0 home draw with Uruguay, who lie in the play-off fifth position. | Argentina crushed 6-1 by Bolivia in their heaviest defeat for more than 60 years .
Joaquin Botero scores a hat-trick for the hosts in match played at high altitude .
Brazil up to second place in South American qualifying after 3-0 win over Peru . | ee653fe427240dd112b55acdceb1b40461b5702f |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PES) has a tough task on its hands. Not only does FIFA look good, it plays well too -- and gameplay was always the area where PES had the edge. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is the cover star of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009. If you've played a PES game before you'll know what to expect, which is both a plus and a minus, depending on your point of view. The ball pings around nicely, the weight of pass remains just about right and long passes are much improved. It mostly feels like a game of computer football should. The game plays fast and given shots from distance almost never fly in, scoring is still a challenge and goals still get you punching the air. For a series that's always short on official team and league licenses -- leading to silly-sounding approximations of players' names (Ryan Gills anyone?) and daft team titles -- PES gains the UEFA Champions League, which is a small coup. Read our FIFA 09 review here. Game modes are much the same as before, including the venerable Master League, but the new addition of Be A Legend, where you try to take one player to the top, does not feel finished. The graphics are serviceable, with some player likenesses uncanny and others way off. The sound is no better than average and the commentary remains hit and miss. And it's not unfair to say the game menus and their annoying and repetitive music are badly in need of a revamp. Online play is not great and given the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are built for broadband multiplayer, PES is lagging -- literally. You might say the game needs revolution rather than evolution and for next season's release publishers Konami must up their game. Nevertheless, PES' reputation is built on a fun offline two-player experience and nothing has changed there. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 might not be cutting-edge in its presentation and options, but you still can't beat a 10-minute match with a mate beside on you on the sofa. | CNN Football Fanzone reviews Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 .
PES 2009 is little changed from previous incarnations in the series .
Reviewer: While flawed, PES 2009 is still good fun in offline two-player mode . | ef93833d1d00370b274649f43770ac3f3859a725 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Actress Keira Knightley released a violent commercial Thursday highlighting the problem of domestic violence. In the two-minute film, Knightley is beaten by an abusive boyfriend after she arrives home from a day of filming. Actress Keira Knightley's public service spot was directed by Joe Wright of "Atonement." The commercial, made for the charity Women's Aid, was launched online. It will be shown on television and in movie theaters, the group said. The film, called "CUT," was directed by Joe Wright, who directed Knightley in "Atonement." At the end, the words "Isn't it time someone called cut?" appear on screen. According to the Web site for Women's Aid, two women are killed by a current or former partner in the United Kingdom in an average week. In a statement on the charity's Web site, Knightley said, "I wanted to take part in this advert for Women's Aid because while domestic violence exists in every section of society, we rarely hear about it." "We may not think we know someone who has experienced domestic violence, but this does not mean that it is not happening," she said. | Two-minute ad shown in U.K. depicts actress being beaten by boyfriend .
Charity's spot will be on television and in movie theaters .
Women's Aid says two women in U.K. killed by current or ex-partner each week . | 089fedd06609cf3aaa5204a0cf2895e35dcdcf92 |
(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 . | c5c20ea7f6ed5487ae34d8f724107db1ccb2fbd8 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A 100 meter boat with a full tropical garden is not something you're likely to see very often. In fact, before now, you've probably never seen it. Wally Island: The vessel that has all the comforts of home . However, the giant mega-yacht 'Wally Island' offers exactly that. Designed by super-yacht designers Wally is still in the design stage as the company has not yet managed to sell the concept to a buyer. The vessel boasts over 1000 square meters in forward deck space, allowing for such features as a full garden and pool, a tennis court, or several heli-pads. View photos of Wally Island » . The designers intended to offer the owner the opportunity to live completely independently on the vessel. The boat, the designers said, could make life just like at home on a personal estate for its owner. Although the interior spaces are pushed towards the aft of the vessel, there is still room for an owners suite and six further double-king sized suites. In addition to this there are numerous rooms for entertaining guests. What do you think of Wally Island? Have you seen a better super-yacht? Share your thoughts in the Sound Off box below. | The 99-meter vessel Wally was designed by super-yacht designers Wally .
Wally Island is still in the design stage awaiting a buyer .
The deck contains a tropical garden, or can be converted to a tennis court . | 84dba55ef449b9ab0383a9759154bafd681672ca |
(CNN) -- A car bomb exploded Saturday in Somalia's capital, killing 15 people and wounding 24, a government spokesman said. Gunfighting has plagued the streets of Somalia's capital in recent months, stalling efforts to restore order. The car was heading toward headquarters of the African Union Mission in Somalia in late morning when a bomb went off before it reached the building, which is guarded by police, Abdi Gobdon said. The attack also threatened a group of nearby African Union peacekeepers. African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping condemned the "cowardly and terrorist" suicide attack in Mogadishu, which he said comes during a time of "renewed efforts to further peace and reconciliation" to the troubled nation. Somalia has been wracked by violence and lawlessness since the government was overthrown in 1991. A drought and high food and fuel prices also have increased the need for humanitarian assistance. iReport.com: Are you there? Share your story . On Saturday, various officials met in Djibouti with the aim of expanding the Somalian parliament and electing a president for the Transitional Federal Government, Ping said. The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution January 16 expressing its intent to send U.N. peacekeeping forces back to the unstable nation, and the AU plans to send additional troops to Somalia in coming weeks, Ping said. The United Nations' World Food Programme considered suspending delivery of food to Somalia after the killings of two aid workers in early January but then decided that would hurt the very people the program is trying to help. | African Union official condemns attack that also wounded 24 .
Bomb went off before car reached African Union mission headquarters .
U.N. Security Council recently adopted resolution aimed at bringing in peacekeepers .
Violence, lawlessness have plagued Somalia since government overthrown in 1991 . | 1f4b0fc74030dc7176b71951f08b3a1f0920f612 |
(CNN) -- Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Saturday he will give in to a rebel demand that he impose Islamic law, or sharia, in an effort to halt fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents. President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed says sharia law in Somalia will not be strict. However, Ahmed told a news conference he won't agree to a strict interpretation of the law, which forbids girls from attending school, requires veils for women and beards for men, and bans music and television. The president, speaking at his palace in the capital, Mogadishu, said local elders and religious leaders, acting as liaisons with the militants, brought him a message saying the rebels wanted a truce in the two-year-old fighting. He also asked African peacekeepers to stand down. Ahmed, who was elected January 31, said he would ask the AU contingent to leave once there is a solid political solution to the conflict. More than 40,000 Somalis have returned to abandoned neighborhoods in Mogadishu over the past six weeks, despite some of the heaviest fighting in months, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Friday. They are part of the more than a million residents who have been displaced by fighting in Somalia, including 100,000 who fled to neighboring countries last year alone, according to the United Nations. Ethiopian troops entered the country at its request in December 2006. The Ethiopians ousted the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamic movement that had claimed control of Mogadishu earlier that year. Ethiopia's action had the blessing of the United States, which accused the Islamic Courts Union of harboring fugitives from al Qaeda. But various Islamist groups -- including al-Shabab, which the United States has designated a terror organization -- rejected the presence of Ethiopian forces and mounted an insurgent campaign against the Ethiopians and the transitional government. From Mohamed Amiin Adow for CNN . | Concession is attempt to halt fighting between Somali forces, Islamic insurgents .
President Ahmed says he won't agree to a strict interpretation of Islamic law .
President also has asked African peacekeepers to stand down . | 6b54ba62fa3a976b3839df3e8a73b454bfbc52bd |
Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's "Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull" at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the "Cutting through the Bull" segment of Wednesday night's broadcast. CNN's Campbell Brown says Flynt and Francis have brought some absurdity to the financial news. (CNN) -- I have to mention tonight the headline that caught my eye on the CNN Ticker earlier today: "Porn Industry Seeks Federal Bailout." Yeah, you heard me. The porn industry wants a bailout. Leave it to Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and "Girls Gone Wild" CEO Joe Francis to take the absurdity of what is going on now with our federal bailout program to a whole new level. According to their press release, the adult entertainment industry needs $5 billion of your tax money because it, too, has been hit by the economic downturn. They concede the $13 billion industry is in no fear of collapse, but say in this environment, why take chances? I don't really think this requires commentary or condemnation, just thought you would enjoy it. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Campbell Brown. | Hustler, "Girls Gone Wild" owners seek $5 billion bailout .
Larry Flynt and Joe Francis say porn industry isn't suffering, but why take chances?
Brown says this doesn't require commentary or condemnation . | bc3f96a46b6c8441d04547b6acd79689122724b5 |
(CNN) -- Google's ambitious plan to offer a 3-D street level view of communities across three continents hit a snag when angry residents of a UK village blocked the search engine's camera car from photographing their homes. Broughton, can be seen from the air on Google Earth, but not from the ground. Fearing the appearance of their well appointed properties on the Web site would attract criminals scouting for burglary targets, villagers in Broughton, north of London, summoned the police after spotting the car. "I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car driving down the lane," resident Paul Jacobs told The Times of London. "My immediate reaction was anger: How dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent? I ran outside to flag the car down and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also facilitating crime. "This is an affluent area. We've already had three burglaries locally in the past six weeks. If our houses are plastered all over Google it's an invitation for more criminals to strike. I was determined to make a stand, so I called the police." Google's Street View project to map 360-degree images of roads and homes across the world has generated numerous complaints over privacy, despite automated software that blurs faces and car licence plates. A Google spokesman, quoted by the UK Press Association, said: "Embarking on new projects, we sometimes encounter unexpected challenges, and Street View has been no exception. "We know that some people are uncomfortable with images of their houses or cars being included in the product, which is why we provide an easy way to request removal of imagery. Most imagery requests are processed within hours." The spokesman added: "We take privacy very seriously, and we were careful to ensure that all images in our Street View service abide by UK law." | Villagers in Broughton summoned police after Google car arrived .
Residents say the Street View service will help burglars scout targets .
Google says it isn't breaking any laws . | cc9722663f76c0e2c449c3587a656c1790c1946b |
(CNN) -- Parts of the Texas town of Wheeler were evacuated Saturday as strong, shifting winds fanned wildfires that had already destroyed three buildings, law enforcement officials said. Wildfires in the Texas panhandle are being fed by sustained winds of about 40 mph. Two homes and one business had been burned down by a fire that had grown to engulf about 8,000 acres by Saturday night, said Lewis Kearney, a spokesman for Texas emergency services. Another 12 homes had been damaged, and 300 homes and 60 business were threatened, according to a report from state emergency officials. The heavy winds -- sustained at about 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph -- were making it hard for helicopters and other firefighting vehicles to battle the blaze, Kearney said. Further complicating matters were three other smaller fires, about 100 acres each, elsewhere in the state that had already stretched emergency resources. There were no immediate reports of injuries in the Wheeler fire. About 200 residents of the town of about 1,400 people on the eastern edge of the Texas panhandle were evacuated Saturday, state officials reported. The fire was believed to have started at about 4 p.m. ET Saturday, according to the state report. | NEW: Wind-driven fire had grown to 8,000 acres Saturday night .
Two homes and one business destroyed, hundreds threatened in Wheeler .
Wind gusts up to 60 mph hampered helicopters and other firefighting vehicles . | 9fa3b932140bb7d4275c5093a24242fc6ee69e21 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pro-Tibet activists jumped security barriers and scuffled with police outside the Chinese embassy in London Sunday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered to protest a visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. A pro-Tibet protester runs past a police cordon outside the Chinese Embassy in London. Protesters carrying Tibetan flags chanted "China Murderers," and "China Out of Tibet," as Wen, on a three day trip to Britain, arrived at the embassy. China has long been criticized by the international community for its human rights record in Tibet. Tibetans are pushing for autonomy from China and greater religious freedom. Wen was greeted at the embassy by a firecracker display in honor of the Chinese New Year before being escorted inside by security personnel. A group of protesters attempted to jump over security blockades when Wen's motorcade arrived at the embassy. Several were wrestled to the ground by police and arrested. Police said five people were detained, according to the UK's Press Association. Approximately 150 Chinese counter-protesters were also at the demonstration chanting pro-Chinese slogans. Watch demonstrations outside the Chinese embassay in London » . Wen is due to meet British opposition party leaders on Sunday before sitting down with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday. Brown was among a number of international leaders who skipped the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, amid an intense campaign from human rights groups opposed to China's international policies and human rights record. | Protesters carrying Tibetan flags chanted "China Murderers"
Police say five activists arrested .
Wen Jiabao on three day visit to UK . | 920f852c08f4fad73ac66079c5d61d2d2026e7a9 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time since media coverage was banned in 1991, the return of the body of a fallen member of the U.S. armed forces was opened to news outlets late Sunday. A transport plane carries caskets of U.S. servicemen in this photo the Pentagon released in 2005. The U.S. Air Force informed media on Sunday that the family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consented to allowing coverage of his casket being returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Myers, 30, of Hopewell, Virginia, was a member of an engineering unit based in Britain. He died Saturday in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military reported. In February, President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned a policy that dated back to the first Persian Gulf war. They agreed to allow reporters to observe the remains of American troops being returned to the U.S. military mortuary at Dover, as long as families agreed. The policy was supposed to take effect on Monday, and no reason was given why reporters were allowed to view the proceedings on Sunday. Watch report on lifting of the ban » . | Family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consents to coverage of his casket's return .
Body of Myers brought to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday night .
This is first time that media coverage has been allowed since ban in 1991 .
In February, President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned policy . | 246fee6f3582fbd73b3abd3ea1b4af76e7d8cfba |
(CNN) -- A Connecticut woman attacked Monday by her friend's pet chimpanzee was taken Thursday from a Connecticut hospital to the famed Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, a hospital spokeswoman said. She would not divulge the victim's condition nor the reason for the move. Travis, seen here as a younger chimp, was fatally shot by police after attacking Nash, authorities say. Charla Nash, 55, was transferred by airplane and ambulance to the clinic, where doctors in December performed the first facial transplant in the United States. The attack has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals citizens are not allowed to own. Nash initially was taken to Stamford Hospital, where she underwent seven hours of surgery after she was attacked by the 14-year-old chimp, named Travis. Nash's friend, Sandra Herold, 70, had called Nash for help in getting the animal back inside her house after he used a key to escape. When Nash arrived at Herold's Stamford home, the chimp, who has been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, police said. Doctors said Wednesday that Nash had received extensive injuries to her face and hands. A Stamford police officer fatally shot the nearly 200-pound chimp after the primate turned on him inside a police cruiser, police said. Herold told reporters at her home that she and the chimp slept together and that she considered him like a son. | Charla Nash, 55, transferred from Connecticut by airplane .
Friend's chimp mauled and bit her on Monday .
Woman received extensive injuries to face, hands, doctors have said .
Connecticut's attorney general wants primates banned as pets in that state . | 27616d370c21befb5334174c2417a160e016317d |
(CNN) -- Norwegian Tony Andre Hansen has been stripped of his Olympic showjumping bronze medal -- and banned for our-and-a-half months by the International Equestrian Federation -- after his horse tested positive for a banned substance at the Beijing Games. Hansen was Norway's highest-scoring rider as the nation finished third in the Olympic team showjumping. The 29-year-old Hansen was the best performer in a four-rider Norway team which won bronze under a scoring system where the top three count. Without his scores, his teammates -- Morten Djupvik, Stein Endresen, and Geir Gulliksen -- drop out of medal contention. The fourth-placed Switzerland team of Steve Guerdat, Christina Liebherr, Niklaus Schurtenberger and Pius Schwizer will now be awarded the bronze medals by the International Olympic Committee. The United States won gold, beating Canada in a jumpoff in Hong Kong, where the equestrian events were staged last August. Hansen's horse, Camiro, tested positive for capsaicin, a banned pain relieving medication. He was provisionally suspended and did not complete the individual jumping competition. However, he is free to return to competition on January 3 as his suspension was backdated. "It is each person's duty to ensure that no prohibited substance is present in his or her horse's body during an event," said the FEI. Although the drug can be used out-of-competition as a legal medication, it is also classed as a doping substance if used to inflame a horse's legs. This is done to encourage horses to jump higher because striking an obstacle becomes more painful. Hansen is the fourth rider disqualified and suspended in cases involving capsaicin: Germany's Christian Ahlmann was suspended for four months, Brazil's Bernardo Alves for three-and-a-half months, and Irish rider Denis Lynch got a three-month ban. | Norwegian Tony Andre Hansen is stripped of his Olympic showjumping gold .
Hansen's horse horse tested positive for banned substance at Beijing Games .
The fourth-placed Switzerland team have now been promoted to third position . | dd445f03d1e413cd1e9417c857fef4c2553d8010 |
(CNN) -- In anticipation of more flooding next week, residents of Fargo, North Dakota, began stacking sandbags Wednesday for the second time in just over two weeks along the banks of the Red River. A trucker relaxes April 1 on sandbag pallets in Fargo, North Dakota, which is preparing for more flooding. They hoped to fill 1 million, said Fargo spokeswoman Karena Lunday. "If we get a million, that will be a total of 4 million we've made since the flood started," she said. The first sandbag effort began about March 23. The Red River crested at nearly 41 feet at Fargo on March 28, breaking a record that had held since 1897, when the Red River reached 40.1 feet. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Tuesday, predicting that melting snow -- and possibly rain -- will start to raise river levels on the Red River south of Oslo, Minnesota, this week. Lunday said forecasters expected the river to crest there between April 16-18, possibly reaching 35 feet on April 14. "I don't think people are as worried as they were the last time, but the possibility of getting up to 40 feet is a concern," Lunday told CNN. The Red River meanders along the border between North Dakota and Minnesota, so many other cities also were bracing for flooding. | Fargo spokeswoman says city has goal of filling 1 million more sandbags .
"I don't think people are as worried" as they were in late March, she says .
National Weather Service issued flood warning due to precipitation forecast . | 021ea5c8d96f0466c810ec304059095437886dab |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The global economy is in the doldrums but the market for merchandise featuring the world's new mega-star shows no sign of tailing off. Obama T-shirts and merchandise are flying off the shelves at the moment. At the inauguration ceremony for U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday, thousands wore T-shirts, caps and watches featuring his image and even popping bottles of Barack bubbly. Pens, pin badges and $5 cookies emblazoned with Obama's image are hugely popular in the U.S. while the Internet is helping to satisfy demand for other items around the world. Here are some pieces of merchandise available online: . Barack Obama action figure: 15-centimeter (6-inch) tall, electroplated statue in a gold suit could be yours for $39. However, the seller says that due to high demand the action figure is sold out. Barack Obama thimble: If you're curious, then these are made out of porcelain so would be unsuitable for conventional sewing. Obama face masks: These flew off the shelves when they first hit the markets in Japan in December and could be a hit at a fancy dress party. Barack Obama earrings: To symbolize Barack Obama's African heritage, these earrings have a photograph of the president on a tiny map of the continent made from wood. Replica inauguration tickets: The government printed 250,000 tickets for the inauguration in Washington, but some were reportedly sold online for $40,000. Pick up a framed replica then for just a few dollars. Have you purchased any Obama merchandise? Share your stories with us . Obama campaign poster: A set of six Obama campaign posters are on sale for $3,000. New York Times inauguration newspaper could be yours for $10.50, plus $12.80 to post it from the U.S. of course. "RUN DC" T-shirt: Was Obama in the 1980s hip-hop band? He certainly looks like it when dressed in geeky glasses, trilby hat and chain. | Barack Obama merchandise is a big hit among new president's supporters .
T-shirts, earrings, champagne and cookies are popular items .
Obama face masks and Spiderman comic featuring Obama fly off shelves . | 3a8a6d9b9cfa2e53e3916d723488226d7dc8b28c |
(CNN) -- Los Angeles police have launched an internal investigation to determine who leaked a picture that appears to show a bruised and battered Rihanna. Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, before the Grammys on February 8. The close-up photo -- showing a woman with contusions on her forehead and below her eyes, and cuts on her lip -- was published on the entertainment Web site TMZ Thursday. TMZ said it was a photo of Rihanna. Twenty-one-year-old Rihanna was allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, on a Los Angeles street before the two were to perform at the Grammys on February 8. "The unauthorized release of a domestic violence photograph immediately generated an internal investigation," an L.A. police spokesman said in a statement. "The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence. A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct, with penalties up to and including termination." A spokeswoman for Rihanna declined to comment. The chief investigator in the case had told CNN earlier that authorities had tried to guard against leaks. Detective Deshon Andrews said he had kept the case file closely guarded and that no copies had been made of the original photos and documents. Brown was arrested on February 8 in connection with the case and and booked on suspicion of making criminal threats. Authorities are trying to determine whether Brown should face domestic violence-related charges. Brown apologized for the incident this week. "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," the 19-year-old said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person." CNN's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report. | Los Angeles police investigating leak of photo of a battered woman .
TMZ Web site says photo is of R&B singer Rihanna .
Rihanna allegedly attacked by her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, on February 8 .
The two were scheduled to perform at the Grammys . | 095847ff43bfc2c06e4bac2e12f0336d3628b110 |
(Entertainment Weekly) -- If there were any justice, the divas who've been trading off the No. 1 slot -- Mariah, Madonna, and newcomer Leona Lewis -- would also be slugging it out with a platinum-blond dark horse from Scandinavia. Swedish singer Robyn performs in London on April 19. Enter Sweden's Robyn, who arrives Stateside with "Robyn," an album that's a veritable parade of Songs of the Summer. After landing a few mediocre teen-pop hits in the '90s (namely "Show Me Love"), she's forsaken her white-soul dullness for hooky dance-pop greatness with help from electro-favoring fellow Swedes like the Teddybears and the Knife. From the girly hip-hop of ''Konichiwa Bitches'' to the Eurodisco defiance of ''With Every Heartbeat,'' she's developed a real backbone to go with that asymmetrical 'do. Not since Pink's "M!ssundaztood" has an easily dismissed young thrush made so unexpected a leap to career artist. That comparison starts with Robyn's first single, ''Handle Me'' -- a less nasty but even hookier version of Pink's lounge-lizard-repelling "U + Ur Hand." But she hardly sticks to playing a tough cookie: The next song, "Bum Like You," offers an amusing, knowing lesson in How to Fall for a Jerk 101. Meanwhile, in the pensive, timbales-'n'-synths-driven "Who's That Girl," Robyn decries her guy's impossible standards. "Good girls are pretty, like, all the time," she sings. "I'm just pretty some of the time." Her album, however? Fantastic all of the time. EW Grade: A E-mail to a friend . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | EW: Singer achieves hooky dance-pop greatness .
Robyn had early success in the 1990s with hits such as "Show Me Love"
Her look and style has been compared to singer Pink . | bc928cf8714e0a3f2d0d3774e76dae64ef84c203 |
Editor's Note: For more than two decades, world-renowned photojournalist Peter Turnley has covered nearly every significant news event and world conflict in Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya, Haiti, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Iraq. His photographs have graced the covers of Newsweek, National Geographic, Le Monde, Le Figaro and The London Sunday Times. Peter Turnley took this photo of an Obama supporter on Inauguration Day. NEW YORK (CNN) -- On Sunday morning, I boarded a bus in Brooklyn with a group of approximately 40 citizens from New York, all African-American, each of whom would not have missed for almost anything the inauguration of President Barack Obama. I have been a photojournalist for the past 25 years and have had the incredible opportunity to witness many of modern history's defining moments: the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, the end of apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela walking out of prison in 1991, and most of the world's conflicts of the past three decades. This moment means 'everything is possible' » . When our bus pulled into Maryland on the eve of the inauguration, I knew after hearing the words of my fellow passengers, in some sense fellow pilgrims, that I was in the midst of a moment of history like maybe no other I had ever witnessed -- certainly in terms of its historic magnitude, and certainly not in America. It is the words of these passengers, and those of many others that I have met in the past two days, that are representative to some degree of what this moment means. Read more on the AC360 blog. | Photographer Peter Turnley covered President Barack Obama's inauguration .
He traveled by bus with 40 African-Americans from Brooklyn, New York .
Moment was like no other "in terms of its historic magnitude," Turnley says . | 6374622dc8d44ade1b2d395288d6b587eba595d4 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time since media coverage was banned in 1991, the return of the body of a fallen member of the U.S. armed forces was opened to news outlets late Sunday. A transport plane carries caskets of U.S. servicemen in this photo the Pentagon released in 2005. The U.S. Air Force informed media on Sunday that the family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consented to allowing coverage of his casket being returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Myers, 30, of Hopewell, Virginia, was a member of an engineering unit based in Britain. He died Saturday in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military reported. In February, President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned a policy that dated back to the first Persian Gulf war. They agreed to allow reporters to observe the remains of American troops being returned to the U.S. military mortuary at Dover, as long as families agreed. The policy was supposed to take effect on Monday, and no reason was given why reporters were allowed to view the proceedings on Sunday. Watch report on lifting of the ban » . | Family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consents to coverage of his casket's return .
Body of Myers brought to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday night .
This is first time that media coverage has been allowed since ban in 1991 .
In February, President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned policy . | c3be141cb44a6e8eba17aa24ce8447f36e32619f |
(CNN) -- Researchers with a Malaysian university said they have uncovered evidence of an iron industry that dates to the 3rd Century, A.D., and proves that ancient civilizations in Southeast Asia were more advanced than once thought. The archaeologists from the Universiti Sains Malaysia found the remains of an iron smelting site, tools to pump oxygen into the iron smelting process, rooftops of buildings, beads and pots, said Mokhtar Saidan, a professor and leader of the team. The discovery was made after a month of excavation at Lembah Bujang, a historical site in Malaysia. "This is the first discovery of the earliest iron industry in Lembah Bujang and has been dated conclusively. This date also adds on to the facts and data on the early history of Southeast Asia," he said. He said coal from the site was sent to a laboratory in Florida that said elements in the coal dated to the 3rd Century. The professor said the discovery confirms that human civilization in the area was more advanced than thought and the site probably was a place for exporting iron in the 3rd Century. | Researchers uncover evidence of Malaysian iron industry dating to 3rd Century .
Proves ancient civilizations in Southeast Asia more advanced than thought .
Discovery was made after a month of excavation at Lembah Bujang . | b569afa19f98e60543ffdbe6b6e47f65565844d1 |
(CNN) -- Two people were killed and two were severely wounded Tuesday in a shooting at a courthouse in Landshut, Germany, police said. A police car sits outside the courthouse in the German city of Landshut. The gunman, a 60-year-old man, was among the dead, Bavarian Police said in a statement. It happened around 10:15 a.m. (4:15 a.m. ET) during a break in a court proceeding about inheritance, Landshut police spokesman Leonard Mayer told CNN. The man began shooting once he stepped outside the courtroom, police said. He wounded three people before turning the gun on himself, Mayer said. One of the victims, a woman, died about 2 1/2 hours later, Bavarian Police said. Watch more about the shooting » . The lives of the two wounded victims are not in danger, he told CNN. The courthouse has no metal detectors or security checks that would have turned up the shooter's weapon, Mayer said. This latest shooting in Germany took place less than a month after a school massacre in the southwestern town of Winnenden, in which a total of 16 people were killed. | German TV: Two people killed in a shooting at a courthouse .
Report: Gunmen believed to have killed himself .
Court spokesman: Reported that there was "no more danger"
Landshut is about 55 kilometers northeast of Munich . | 2d1f4554e1ed330f58ad407ff092639db803a044 |