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Five small polyps found during procedure; "none worrisome," spokesman says . President reclaims powers transferred to vice president . Bush undergoes routine colonoscopy at Camp David .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Doctors removed five small polyps from President Bush's colon on Saturday, and "none appeared worrisome," a White House spokesman said. The polyps were removed and sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for routine microscopic examination, spokesman Scott Stanzel said. Results are expected in two to three days. All were small, less than a centimeter [half an inch] in diameter, he said. Bush is in good humor, Stanzel said, and will resume his activities at Camp David. During the procedure Vice President Dick Cheney assumed presidential power. Bush reclaimed presidential power at 9:21 a.m. after about two hours. Doctors used "monitored anesthesia care," Stanzel said, so the president was asleep, but not as deeply unconscious as with a true general anesthetic. He spoke to first lady Laura Bush -- who is in Midland, Texas, celebrating her mother's birthday -- before and after the procedure, Stanzel said. Afterward, the president played with his Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, Stanzel said. He planned to have lunch at Camp David and have briefings with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, and planned to take a bicycle ride Saturday afternoon. Cheney, meanwhile, spent the morning at his home on Maryland's eastern shore, reading and playing with his dogs, Stanzel said. Nothing occurred that required him to take official action as president before Bush reclaimed presidential power. The procedure was supervised by Dr. Richard Tubb, Bush's physician, and conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the White House said. Bush's last colonoscopy was in June 2002, and no abnormalities were found, White House spokesman Tony Snow said. The president's doctor had recommended a repeat procedure in about five years. A colonoscopy is the most sensitive test for colon cancer, rectal cancer and polyps, small clumps of cells that can become cancerous, according to the Mayo Clinic. Small polyps may be removed during the procedure. Snow said on Friday that Bush had polyps removed during colonoscopies before becoming president. Snow himself is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer that began in his colon and spread to his liver. Watch Snow talk about Bush's procedure and his own colon cancer » . "The president wants to encourage everybody to use surveillance," Snow said. The American Cancer Society recommends that people without high risk factors or symptoms begin getting screened for signs of colorectal cancer at age 50. E-mail to a friend .

Tomas Medina Caracas was a fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking indictment . "El Negro Acacio" allegedly helped manage extensive cocaine network . U.S. Justice Department indicted him in 2002 . Colombian military: He was killed in an attack on a guerrilla encampment .

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BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- A key rebel commander and fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking indictment was killed over the weekend in an air attack on a guerrilla encampment, the Colombian military said Monday. Alleged cocaine trafficker and FARC rebel Tomas Medina Caracas in an Interpol photo. Tomas Medina Caracas, known popularly as "El Negro Acacio," was a member of the high command of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia and, according to Colombian and U.S. officials, helped manage the group's extensive cocaine trafficking network. He had been in the cross-hairs of the U.S. Justice Department since 2002. He was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and manufacturing and distributing cocaine within Colombia to fund the FARC's 42-year insurgency against the government. U.S. officials alleged Medina Caracas managed the rebel group's sales of cocaine to international drug traffickers, who in turn smuggled it into the United States. He was also indicted in the United States along with two other FARC commanders in November 2002 on charges of conspiring to kidnap two U.S. oil workers from neighboring Venezuela in 1997 and holding one of them for nine months until a $1 million ransom was paid. Officials said the army's Rapid Response Force, backed by elements of the Colombian Air Force, tracked Medina Caracas down at a FARC camp in the jungle in the south of the country. "After a bombardment, the troops occupied the camp, and they've found 14 dead rebels so far, along with rifles, pistols, communications equipment and ... four GPS systems," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said at a news conference. "The death of 'El Negro Acacio' was confirmed by various sources, including members of FARC itself." Medina Caracas commanded FARC's 16th Front in the southern departments of Vichada and Guainia. Established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, FARC is Colombia's oldest, largest, most capable and best-equipped Marxist rebel group, according to the U.S. Department of State. E-mail to a friend . Journalist Fernando Ramos contributed to this report.

Empty anti-tank weapon turns up in front of New Jersey home . Device handed over to Army ordnance disposal unit . Weapon not capable of being reloaded, experts say .

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(CNN) -- Police and FBI agents are investigating the discovery of an empty rocket launcher tube on the front lawn of a Jersey City, New Jersey, home, FBI spokesman Sean Quinn said. Niranjan Desai discovered the 20-year-old AT4 anti-tank rocket launcher tube, a one-time-use device, lying on her lawn Friday morning, police said. The launcher has been turned over to U.S. Army officials at the 754th Ordnance Company, an explosive ordnance disposal unit, at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, Army officials said. The launcher "is no longer operable and not considered to be a hazard to public safety," police said, adding there was no indication the launcher had been fired recently. Army officials said they could not determine if the launcher had been fired, but indicated they should know once they find out where it came from. The nearest military base, Fort Dix, is more than 70 miles from Jersey City. The Joint Terrorism Task Force division of the FBI and Jersey City police are investigating the origin of the rocket launcher and the circumstance that led to its appearance on residential property. "Al Qaeda doesn't leave a rocket launcher on the lawn of middle-aged ladies," said Paul Cruickshank of New York University Law School's Center on Law and Security. A neighbor, Joe Quinn, said the object lying on Desai's lawn looked military, was brown, had a handle and strap, and "both ends were open, like you could shoot something with it." Quinn also said the device had a picture of a soldier on it and was 3 to 4 feet long. An Army official said the device is basically a shoulder-fired, direct-fire weapon used against ground targets -- a modern-day bazooka -- and it is not wire-guided. According to the Web site Globalsecurity.org, a loaded M136 AT4 anti-tank weapon has a 40-inch-long fiberglass-wrapped tube and weighs just 4 pounds. Its 84 millimeter shaped-charge missile can penetrate 14 inches of armor from a maximum of 985 feet. It is used once and discarded. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Carol Cratty, Dugald McConnell, and Mike Mount contributed to this report.

Werder Bremen pay a club record $10.7 million for Carlos Alberto . The Brazilian midfielder won the Champions League with FC Porto in 2004 . Since January he has been on loan with his first club, Fluminense .

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BREMEN, Germany -- Carlos Alberto, who scored in FC Porto's Champions League final victory against Monaco in 2004, has joined Bundesliga club Werder Bremen for a club record fee of 7.8 million euros ($10.7 million). Carlos Alberto enjoyed success at FC Porto under Jose Mourinho. "I'm here to win titles with Werder," the 22-year-old said after his first training session with his new club. "I like Bremen and would only have wanted to come here." Carlos Alberto started his career with Fluminense, and helped them to lift the Campeonato Carioca in 2002. In January 2004 he moved on to FC Porto, who were coached by José Mourinho, and the club won the Portuguese title as well as the Champions League. Early in 2005, he moved to Corinthians, where he impressed as they won the Brasileirão,but in 2006 Corinthians had a poor season and Carlos Alberto found himself at odds with manager, Emerson Leão. Their poor relationship came to a climax at a Copa Sul-Americana game against Club Atlético Lanús, and Carlos Alberto declared that he would not play for Corinthians again while Leão remained as manager. Since January this year he has been on loan with his first club Fluminense. Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart said on Sunday that they would sign a loan agreement with Real Zaragoza on Monday for Ewerthon, the third top Brazilian player to join the German league in three days. A VfB spokesman said Ewerthon, who played in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund from 2001 to 2005, was expected to join the club for their pre-season training in Austria on Monday. On Friday, Ailton returned to Germany where he was the league's top scorer in 2004, signing a one-year deal with Duisburg on a transfer from Red Star Belgrade. E-mail to a friend .

President Bush will have a routine colonoscopy Saturday . While he's anesthetized, his powers will be transferred to the vice president . Bush had last colonoscopy in 2002, which found no problems .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Dick Cheney will serve as acting president briefly Saturday while President Bush is anesthetized for a routine colonoscopy, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday. Bush is scheduled to have the medical procedure, expected to take about 2 1/2 hours, at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, Snow said. Bush's last colonoscopy was in June 2002, and no abnormalities were found, Snow said. The president's doctor had recommended a repeat procedure in about five years. The procedure will be supervised by Dr. Richard Tubb and conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Snow said. A colonoscopy is the most sensitive test for colon cancer, rectal cancer and polyps, small clumps of cells that can become cancerous, according to the Mayo Clinic. Small polyps may be removed during the procedure. Snow said that was the case when Bush had colonoscopies before becoming president. Snow himself is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer that began in his colon and spread to his liver. Snow told reporters he had a chemo session scheduled later Friday. Watch Snow talk about Bush's procedure and his own colon cancer » . "The president wants to encourage everybody to use surveillance," Snow said. The American Cancer Society recommends that people without high-risk factors or symptoms begin getting screened for signs of colorectal cancer at age 50. E-mail to a friend .

2,000 customers without electricity, power company says . Magnitude 4.2 quake set off home alarms, says Oakland police dispatcher . "It was fairly mild," police say, no immediate reports of injuries, damage . It was centered two miles east-northeast of Oakland, about 3.6 miles deep .

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SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook the San Francisco area Friday at 4:42 a.m. PT (7:42 a.m. ET), the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake left about 2,000 customers without power, said David Eisenhower, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Light. Under the USGS classification, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake is considered "light," which it says usually causes minimal damage. "We had quite a spike in calls, mostly calls of inquiry, none of any injury, none of any damage that was reported," said Capt. Al Casciato of the San Francisco police. "It was fairly mild." Watch police describe concerned calls immediately after the quake » . The quake was centered about two miles east-northeast of Oakland, at a depth of 3.6 miles, the USGS said. Oakland is just east of San Francisco, across San Francisco Bay. An Oakland police dispatcher told CNN the quake set off alarms at people's homes. The shaking lasted about 50 seconds, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. According to the USGS, magnitude 4.2 quakes are felt indoors and may break dishes and windows and overturn unstable objects. Pendulum clocks may stop. E-mail to a friend .

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

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

Beckham has agreed to a five-year contract with Los Angeles Galaxy . New contract took effect July 1, 2007 . Former English captain to meet press, unveil new shirt number Friday . CNN to look at Beckham as footballer, fashion icon and global phenomenon .

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(CNN) -- Football superstar, celebrity, fashion icon, multimillion-dollar heartthrob. Now, David Beckham is headed for the Hollywood Hills as he takes his game to U.S. Major League Soccer. CNN looks at how Bekham fulfilled his dream of playing for Manchester United, and his time playing for England. The world's famous footballer has begun a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy team, and on Friday Beckham will meet the press and reveal his new shirt number. This week, we take an in depth look at the life and times of Beckham, as CNN's very own "Becks," Becky Anderson, sets out to examine what makes the man tick -- as footballer, fashion icon and global phenomenon. It's a long way from the streets of east London to the Hollywood Hills and Becky charts Beckham's incredible rise to football stardom, a journey that has seen his skills grace the greatest stages in world soccer. She goes in pursuit of the current hottest property on the sports/celebrity circuit in the U.S. and along the way explores exactly what's behind the man with the golden boot. CNN will look back at the life of Beckham, the wonderfully talented youngster who fulfilled his dream of playing for Manchester United, his marriage to pop star Victoria, and the trials and tribulations of playing for England. We'll look at the highs (scoring against Greece), the lows (being sent off during the World Cup), the Man. U departure for the Galacticos of Madrid -- and now the Home Depot stadium in L.A. We'll ask how Beckham and his family will adapt to life in Los Angeles -- the people, the places to see and be seen and the celebrity endorsement. Beckham is no stranger to exposure. He has teamed with Reggie Bush in an Adidas commercial, is the face of Motorola, is the face on a PlayStation game and doesn't need fashion tips as he has his own international clothing line. But what does the star couple need to do to become an accepted part of Tinseltown's glitterati? The road to major league football in the U.S.A. is a well-worn route for some of the world's greatest players. We talk to some of the former greats who came before him and examine what impact these overseas stars had on U.S. soccer and look at what is different now. We also get a rare glimpse inside the David Beckham academy in L.A, find out what drives the kids and who are their heroes. The perception that in the U.S.A. soccer is a "game for girls" after the teenage years is changing. More and more young kids are choosing the European game over the traditional U.S. sports. E-mail to a friend .

Savers at leading UK mortgage bank lined up to empty their accounts . Northern Rock was bailed out by the Bank of England a day earlier . Reassurances that banks was safe have gone unheeded by many .

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LONDON, England -- Savers at a leading UK mortgage bank lined up for a second day to empty their accounts Saturday, a day after the lender was bailed out by the Bank of England after heavily slashing profit forecasts. Fearful customers line up to withdraw cash from a Northern Rock branch in southeast London on Friday. Long lines formed before counters opened at the Northern Rock building society, one of the UK's top five lenders, as worried customers ignored reassurances from the bank and the government. Customers are believed to have already withdrawn about £1 billion ($2 billion) since the bank's woes were revealed, prompting speculation that the global credit crunch made raising funds through commercial borrowing difficult. Shares in Northern Rock dropped up to 30 percent in Friday trading, with problems spilling over the European banking sector . The British Bankers' Association has urged customers to "calm down," according to the UK Press Association. It said: "Northern Rock is a sound and safe bank and there is absolutely no reason for either mortgage customers or savers to worry." Meanwhile, finance minister Alistair Darling said the Bank of England had stepped in "to create a stable banking system". He said: "People can use their accounts in the usual way, they can carry on making their mortgage payments in the usual way. Northern Rock will be able to carry on its business." Northern Rock chief executive Adam Applegarth said yesterday that the bank had yet to draw on the emergency cash, which he called "a backdrop in case we need to use it", according to PA. E-mail to a friend .

Chelsea are still waiting on the fitness of England captain John Terry . Terry trained in a face mask ahead of the Champions League tie in Valencia . The central defender underwent surgery on a broken cheekbone on Sunday .

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LONDON, England -- Chelsea are waiting on the fitness of John Terry ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match with Valencia, but Frank Lampard has been ruled out. John Terry tries out his protective mask during training for Chelsea on Tuesday. Center-back Terry suffered a broken cheekbone during Saturday's 0-0 draw with Fulham, and Chelsea manager Avram Grant will see how he fares during training on Tuesday before making a decision on his availability. Terry trained at Valencia's Mestalla stadium with a face mask on after surgery on Sunday. "John Terry wants to play which is very good. Now we need to wait for training and then we will speak with the medical department and decide," said Grant. Grant has confirmed that Lampard will definitely sit the game out though as the midfielder continues to recover from his thigh injury. Midfielder Michael Essien, who scored a last-minute winner for Chelsea to knock Valencia out of last season's Champions League, has also been battling a leg injury but he took part in training on Tuesday and is expected to play. E-mail to a friend .

Francesco Totti threatens to quit the Italian Players' Association . The Italy and Roma striker is upset over the early start to the new season . He says: We are the principal actors, but ... are never listened to."

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ROME. Italy -- Italy and Roma striker Francesco Totti has threatened to quit the Italian Players Association, in a row over the starting date of the next Serie A season. Roma striker Totti has complained that the Italian players are never listened to. The row began last month, when the Italian Football League, which is run by the presidents of clubs in the country's top two divisions, voted to start the season on August 26. In doing so, they ignored a request by Italy coach Roberto Donadoni to play the first round of matches midway through the month, to give his players time to gain match-fitness ahead of Euro 2008 qualifiers against France and Ukraine in early September. "I'm ready to leave the Italian Players Association. We are the principal actors, but also the people who are never listened to," Totti was quoted as saying in Italian football magazine Dieci. "This is the moment in which we must make our voice heard. We wanted to start on August 19, to have an extra week's rest at Christmas and allow the national team to come into the big matches in September better prepared. "Those who decided (on August 26) didn't care at all about Donadoni's needs." Serie A is one of the last major European leagues to start next season. The opening round of English Premier League matches is scheduled to start on August 11, while the French Ligue 1 will kick off on August 4. E-mail to a friend .

Two employees bought, sold weapons on their own, company says . Company fired workers, turned them in to ATF, says source . Feds investigating claims Blackwater employees made illegal arms deals . Blackwater in spotlight after shootings last weekend that killed 20 Iraqis .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Allegations that Blackwater USA -- whose operations were suspended after 20 Iraqi civilians were shot to death last weekend -- was "in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," the company asserted Saturday. Blackwater employees patrol Baghdad by air in a February 2005 photograph. Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that employees of Blackwater illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq, according to U.S. government sources. A U.S. government official has said the U.S. attorney's office in Raleigh, North Carolina, is in the early stages of an investigation that focuses on individual company employees, and not the firm. Blackwater, which is based in Moyock, North Carolina, is a security firm hired by the State Department to guard U.S. staff in Iraq. "The company has no knowledge of any employee improperly exporting weapons," the Blackwater statement said. "When it was uncovered internally that two employees were stealing from the company, Blackwater immediately fired them and invited the ATF to conduct a thorough investigation." Watch a report on Blackwater's response to the allegations » . The first public hint that an investigation was under way came earlier this week in a statement from State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard after he was accused of blocking fraud investigations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Krongard said the State Department has been cooperating with the prosecutors in the Blackwater probe. "In particular, I made one of my best investigators available to help assistant U.S. attorneys in North Carolina in their investigation into alleged smuggling of weapons into Iraq by a contractor," Krongard's statement said. Blackwater resumed normal security operations in Iraq on Friday, the State Department said, after a brief hiatus following the lethal incident last Sunday. The Iraqi government was outraged by the shootings and disputes the U.S. and Blackwater's claim that the guards were responding to an attack. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Elise Labott and Kelli Arena contributed to this report.

Cpl. Trent D. Thomas found guilty this week of conspiracy to commit murder . Marine gets rank of private, will be discharged for role in death of Iraqi civilian . Group's leader awaits trial on murder and conspiracy charges .

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(CNN) -- A Marine convicted for his role in the death of an Iraqi civilian was sentenced Friday to a reduction in rank and will be discharged. Cpl. Trent D. Thomas was found guilty Wednesday of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit several offenses -- including murder, larceny, housebreaking, kidnapping, and making false official statements -- for his involvement in the April 2006 death in Hamdaniya, Iraq. Thomas will be demoted to the rank of entry-level private and will receive a bad-conduct discharge. The 25-year-old was among seven Marines and a Navy medic who were charged in connection with the death of Hashim Ibrahim Awad, 52. The Marines accused in the case were members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. They reported at the time that Awad planned to detonate a roadside bomb targeting their patrol. But several residents of Hamdaniya, including relatives of the victim, gave a different account, prompting a criminal investigation. Prosecutors accuse the group's squad leader, Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, of dragging Awad from his home, shooting him in the street and then making it look like he had planned to ambush American troops. Hutchins has pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and other charges in the case. He faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted. Thomas changed his plea from guilty to not guilty in February, arguing that he had merely followed orders. He told his attorneys that after reviewing the evidence against him, he realized "that what happened overseas happened as a result of obedience to orders, and he hasn't done anything wrong," defense attorney Victor Kelley said. Thomas said in January, shortly after entering his guilty plea, that he was "truly sorry" for his role in the killing. He could have been sentenced to life in prison under his original plea. E-mail to a friend .

Julia Vakulenko has reached her first final on the WTA Tour at Bell Challenge . The Ukrainian third seed will face Lindsay Davenport after beating Julie Ditty . Former world No. 1 Davenport defeated Russian second seed Vera Zvonareva .

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QUEBEC, Canada -- Third seed Julia Vakulenko will face comeback queen Lindsay Davenport in her first WTA Tour final at the Bell Challenge on Sunday. Julia Vakulenko will seek her first victory on the WTA Tour at the Bell Challenge in Quebec. The Ukrainian battled through with a 6-1 4-6 7-5 victory over American qualifier Julie Ditty in the semifinals. The 24-year-old, who reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open, had previously twice lost at the last-four stage this year in Las Vegas and Berlin. She reached a career high of 33rd in the world rankings back in May, but is now 36th. "Sometimes you play your best and win easy, but sometimes you don't play your best and really have to fight hard," said Vakulenko, who squandered points for 5-3 leads in both the second and third sets. "I'm just going to try my best -- I've never played her and I'm looking forward to it." Former world No. 1 Davenport is seeking her second win in three tournaments since returning from a one-year hiatus to have a baby. The 31-year-old, who is unseeded after accepting a wild-card to enter the Canadian tournament for the first time, also had to battle to beat Russian second seed Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 in the semifinals. The three-time Grand Slam winner has surged back up the rankings from 234th to 126th after winning her comeback tournament in Bali and then reaching the last four in Beijing. The American has now beaten Zvonareva in all six encounters between the two players. "I played well in the first set and had some chances early in the second set, but I didn't quite capitalize on them. I was able to come back but at 4-4 and 5-5 I just didn't return well enough," Davenport said. "I was happy I was able to regroup in the third set. Physically I feel good. There are lots of positives I can take from it, especially beating a really good player and now being in the final. "I want to be the one on the offensive and not the defensive, and that's what I'm going to try to do. "I was trying to watch the first semifinal and see if that helped, but I play so much differently than Julie Ditty that it was hard to get anything from it." E-mail to a friend .

South Africa lead New Zealand by 287 with 8 wickets standing in the 1st test . The Proteas reach 179-2 in their second innings after the Kiwis are 118 all out . South African paceman Dale Steyn takes a career-best 5-34.

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South African fast bowler Dale Steyn took a career-best five for 34 as the Proteas took a tight grip on the first test against New Zealand in Johannesburg. Steyn's career-best 5-34 was his fourth five-wicket haul in 14 tests. New Zealand were bowled out for 118 in reply to South Africa's 226 and the home side piled on the agony by reaching 179 for two in their second innings. Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis shared an unbeaten stand of 159 as South Africa stretched their lead to 287. South Africa's bowlers excelled to bring their side back into the game after their disappointing first innings. They snapped up five wickets in the morning session when the Kiwis could only muster 56 runs. Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming made 40 but the next best score was new cap Ross Taylor's 15. Fleming was struck on the right forearm by Steyn and did not field during the afternoon. Coach John Bracewell said he had gone for precautionary X-rays but there was only bruising. New Zealand, 41 for two overnight, lost nightwatchman Shane Bond, bowled by a Steyn yorker, before Makhaya Ntini claimed the crucial wicket of Fleming, who was well caught by AB de Villiers diving to his left at third slip. Scott Styris and Taylor scraped 19 runs in 10 overs before more wickets tumbled. Steyn's figures bettered his previous best of five for 47 against the same opponents at Centurion two seasons ago. It was his fourth five-wicket haul in 14 tests. Ntini took three for 47 and Kallis two for 11. South Africa made an uncertain start to their second innings with openers Herschelle Gibbs and captain Graeme Smith out cheaply, but Amla and Kallis blunted the attack and then took charge. They batted together for 205 minutes, Amla facing 230 balls and hitting 13 boundaries in his 85 while Kallis hit 12 fours off 122 deliveries in reaching 76. The Kiwis were left to regret Brendon McCullum's failure to hold a chance from Amla off Shane Bond, when the batsman had only scored two. "The ball was hard and new and we were trying to get momentum. It cost us a lot," said coach John Bracewell. E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Congo rebels blame Rwandan Hutus for attack, report says . Internally displaced Congolese flee as rebels attack government troops . Torrential rain makes refugee movement difficult . U.N. refugee agency: Some 375,000 have been forced from homes in past year .

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(CNN) -- Tens of thousands of Congolese refugees fled camps Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo as rebel troops attacked government forces in the area, the U.N. refugee agency said. Refugees move along a road Tuesday in Mugunga, near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A press release from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said it didn't appear rebels had targeted the camps, but it reported some were looted after camp residents, classified as internally displaced persons, fled. Roads to Goma, about 10 miles from the camps, were crowded with refugees and local residents fleeing the fighting, the UNHCR reported. Torrential rain made the movement even more difficult. "The main road toward Sake was crowded with people; we had difficulties getting through," UNHCR field safety adviser Pierre Nazroo was quoted as saying in the agency's release. "Internally displaced people are moving from site to site, direction Goma." UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said, "They have been living in extremely difficult conditions anyway. Now they have nothing but what they can carry." Redmond added, "These are people in poor health; they are soaking wet because of the torrential downpours. They need shelter, they need water, they need a lot of assistance so we're going to have to move quickly to get that help to them because a lot of them are already in a weakened state." While the Congolese government accused troops under rebel general Laurent Nkunda of staging the attack, a Nkunda spokesman denied the allegation, according to a report from the Integrated Regional Information Networks, a U.N.-affiliated news service. The spokesman, Bwambale Kakolele, said Rwandan Hutu rebels who also operate in the area were behind the attack, that report said. A spokesman for the U.N. military mission in the Congo said it was uncertain which group attacked the Congo army outpost near the village of Kishangazi, according to the U.N.-affiliated news service. "We think it could have been insurgents close to Nkunda who attacked, but we cannot rule out the [Rwandan rebels]," spokesman Col. Pierre Cherayron was quoted as saying. The UNHCR identified the affected camps as Mugunga I, Mugunga II, Lac Vert and Bulengo, saying about 28,000 had abandoned the first three camps and about 2,000 had left Bulengo. The UNHCR said 375,000 Congolese in North Kivu province have been forced from their homes in the past year. In the past two months alone, 160,000 have fled their homes amid the fighting between renegade troops and government forces, the agency said. North Kivu is in eastern Congo near the borders of Rwanda and Uganda. Congolese President Joseph Kabila has tried to gain a cease-fire with the rebels in the area under Nkunda, but fighting continues as hard-liners among the rebels and in the government have blocked reconciliation efforts, according to the International Crisis Group, an nongovernmental organization looking for solutions to conflicts. E-mail to a friend .

Authorities uncover a radical Islamic terror plot against the U.S. embassy in Baku . The United States has reduced its embassy's operations . Britain also shut its embassy in Baku to the public on Monday .

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(CNN) -- Authorities in Azerbaijan recently uncovered a radical Islamic terror plot against the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Baku, prompting the facility to close its doors to the public Monday, Azerbaijan and U.S. officials told CNN. The Bibi Heybat Mosque, just outside the capital Baku. As a precaution, Britain also shut its embassy in Baku to the public on Monday "following security concerns nearby," Britain's Foreign Office said. The terror plot was unraveled after a weekend raid outside Baku that netted several suspected members of the radical group, two U.S. officials who asked not to be identified and a spokesman for Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry told CNN. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stressed that the details "are still unfolding," and the threat "may or may not be" linked to the Saturday raid. "There were some specific and credible threat information concerning the embassy and plans by militants to in some way do harm to individuals in and around the U.S. Embassy there," McCormack said, noting that no specific individuals were targeted. Several days ago, an Azerbaijani army officer who had connections to a radical Islamic group seized four assault rifles, a machine gun and 20 hand grenades from his military unit and hid them in the outskirts of Baku, the ministry spokesman and U.S. officials said. Government security forces tracked down the group and arrested several members during a sweep on Saturday in the village of Mastaga, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Baku, the spokesman said. One suspected member of the militant group resisted arrest and was killed in the sweep, the spokesman said. Several others are still at large, he added. He said the terror plot also targeted Azerbaijani government buildings. The U.S. Embassy in Baku issued a warden message warning Americans in Azerbaijan to take precautions. "While there is no information at this time that other American or Western interests in Azerbaijan are being targeted, the U.S. Embassy encourages Americans to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to bolster their own personal security," it said. Azerbaijan is a former Soviet republic that borders the Caspian Sea, and lies just north of Iran. McCormack said U.S. authorities are working closely with their counterparts in Baku and will determine when normal embassy operations will resume. He said he expects the embassy to limit its operations on Tuesday, as well. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Igor Malakhov in Moscow, Zain Verjee in Washington and Roger Clark in London contributed to this report .

Man posted photos on the Internet of himself sexually abusing underage boys . Computer experts managed to undo digital masking to reveal the man . Man abused 12 boys in Vietnam and Cambodia .

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PARIS, France (CNN) -- Interpol on Monday took the unprecendented step of making a global appeal for help to identify a man from digitally reconstructed photos taken from the Internet that it said showed him sexually abusing underage boys. This moving image shows how police used software to unscramble the image. (Source: Interpol) The man's face was disguised by digital alteration, but the images were capable of being restored, according to a bulletin from Interpol -- the international police agency based in Lyon, France. Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the pictures have been on the the Internet for several years, but investigators have been unable to determine the man's identity or nationality. "We have tried all other means to identify and to bring him to justice, but we are now convinced that without the public's help this sexual predator could continue to rape and sexually abuse young children whose ages appear to range from six to early teens," Noble said. He said there is "very good reason to believe that he travels the world in order to sexually abuse and exploit vulnerable children." Interpol has determined the photos were taken in Vietnam and Cambodia. "The decision to make public this man's picture was not one which was taken lightly," said Kristin Kvigne, assistant director of Interpol's Trafficking in Human Beings Unit. The suspect's photo and more information can be seen online at Interpol's Web site. E-mail to a friend .

Six of seven dead in fire were University of South Carolina students . Official: Six treated at hospital and released were also USC students . Mayor Debbie Smith said one of 13 at house is related to owner of house . Victims' names not being released until families are notified .

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(CNN) -- Six of the seven college students killed in a massive house fire Sunday morning in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, attended the University of South Carolina, a university official said Sunday. "This is a very sad day for the University of South Carolina family," Dennis A. Pruitt, the vice president for student affairs, told reporters. The seventh fatality is believed to be a Clemson University student, he said. The six survivors -- who were treated and released from Brunswick Community Hospital -- are also USC students, he said. Pruitt said the bodies were being sent to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for identification. Watch home video showing the house in flames » . "It is difficult to ascertain exactly who was in the house and who was not," Pruitt said, explaining that several area houses were filled with college students visiting for the weekend. Newspaper deliveryman Tim Burns was aghast when he first saw the inferno early Sunday morning. He tried to approach the door but the flames were too intense, he told the Associated Press. "When I was going up to the entryway, you could hear the windows above me explode," Burns said. "When I knew the flames had taken over, I don't think I've ever felt as helpless in my life." The USC students were affiliated with the Delta Delta Delta sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Pruitt said, although he stressed that the weekend was not an official Greek function. "It just so happens, as on many university campuses, that certain sororities and certain fraternities hang around together," he said. One person described as "unaccounted for" was later confirmed dead, Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith told CNN. "We suffered a terrible tragedy at Ocean Isle this morning," Smith said in a news conference. "Nothing like this has ever happened at Ocean Isle Beach, and we hope it never will again." She said officials had not yet contacted all the victims' families, and that they were not yet releasing their names. The mayor said one of the 13 people in the house was related to the house's owner. Smith said the house was fully "engulfed" in flames around 7 a.m. when the fire department arrived on the scene, about five minutes after the fire department was notified. She said the house had working smoke detectors, AP reported. Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, Smith said. "We ran down the street to get away," Nick Cain told the AP. The University of North Carolina student was staying at a house about 100 feet away. Some of his friends had met several people staying at the house that burned down. "The ash and the smoke were coming down on us. We were just trying to get away," Cain told the AP. Ocean Isle Beach is a popular resort destination along the southern coast of North Carolina. The 7-mile-long island's year-round population is about 425, while the summer season population is about 25,000, according to the town's Web site. E-mail to a friend .

John Lewis Partnership began as a shop on London's Oxford street in 1864 . All 67,100 employees are partners in the organization and own shares .

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(CNN) -- The partnership started as a single shop on Oxford Street in London, opened in 1864 by John Lewis. Today the partnership is an organization with bases throughout the UK, with supermarkets and department stores, employing approximately 67,100 people. All 67,100 permanent staff are Partners who own 26 John Lewis department stores, 183 Waitrose supermarkets, an online and catalogue business, John Lewis Direct a direct services company - Greenbee, three production units and a farm. Every Partner receives the same scale of bonus, based on a fixed percentage of their annual wage. The bonus for 2006 was 18% equivalent to 9 weeks pay, which was rolled out for every employee. Chairman Sir Stuart Hampson retired at the end of March 2007, his successor is Charlie Mayfield. Hampson's salary for January 26, 2006 to January 26, 2007 was $1.66 million which included the partnership bonus of $250,000. John Lewis' consolidated revenue for the last financial year was $11.4 billion. E-mail to a friend .

The company has become a huge name in communications in just 20 years . Qualcomm has a portfolio of approximately 6,100 U.S. patents . Fortune lists the company as one of the 100 best places to work in the U.S.

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(CNN) -- The company was founded in 1985 by seven communications industry veterans -- Franklin Antonio, Adelia Coffman, Andrew Cohen, Klein Gilhousen, Irwin Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi and Harvey White. One of Qualcomm's first products was OmniTRACS, introduced in 1988, which is currently the largest satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry. Today, Qualcomm's patent portfolio includes approximately 6,100 United States patents and patent applications for CDMA and related technologies. More than 130 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide have licensed QUALCOMM's essential CDMA patents. Qualcomm is among the members of the S&P 500 Index, Fortune 500, and a winner of the U.S. Department of Labor's" Secretary of Labor's Opportunity Award." The company has been listed among Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for nine years in a row and the magazine's list of" Most Admired Companies." Qualcomm's Annual revenue for 2006 was $7.53 billion, with a net income of $2.47 billion. E-mail to a friend .

Brazilian Kaka is named European player of the year . The AC Milan player is chosen ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester Utd . Argentine Lionel Messi of Barcelona finishes third .

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PARIS, France -- AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka has been named European player of the year, lifting France Football's Ballon d'Or award. Kaka has already claimed all of the game's major prizes. His success comes two years after his fellow countryman, Barcelona's Ronaldinho, claimed the award . The 25-year-old Kaka was a major factor in AC Milan's triumphant Champions League campaign. The runner-up was Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo with Barcelona's Argentinian midfielder Lionel Messi finishing third. "This is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me," Kaka said. "It's the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like AC Milan. It's great to be part of a team that wins." At 25 years old, he has already won all the game's major prizes, individually and collectively. He was part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning squad, although he was limited to just 19 minutes as a substitute against Costa Rica. He was top scorer in last season's Champions League, helping Milan to avenge their loss to Liverpool in the 2005 final. He won the Italian domestic title in his first season at Milan having joined from Brazilians Sao Paulo for$ 8.5 million, a sum that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi then described as peanuts. E-mail to a friend .

BUPA was founded in 1947 in response to plans to establish the NHS . The company's biggest base is in the UK but has customers in three continents . BUPA care homes cater for a number of conditions, including Parkinson's .

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(CNN) -- BUPA is an international health and care company with bases on three continents and more than eight million customers. BUPA began as The British United Provident Association in 1947 to preserve freedom of choice in health care. It believed that with a National Health Service being introduced a year later, there would still be a need for a complimentary service enabling people from all walks of life to afford the benefits of choice in where, when and by whom they were treated. Led by the growing public demand for health care and a lack of quality private accommodation BUPA initiated the Nuffield Homes Charitable Trust - later renamed Nuffield Hospitals. BUPA's biggest and original business is health insurance in the UK, both for individuals and corporations that want to look after the health of their employees. More than half of the UK's top companies are BUPA customers. The company's UK care homes offer specialist care to residents who include the elderly, the mentally ill, young people with physical or learning disabilities and people with conditions such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. BUPA is a leading healthcare company in the UK, Spain, Australia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malta and Saudi Arabia. BUPA International supplies health cover to expatriates in over 180 countries. Sanitas, the BUPA business in Spain, has one million insured customers who have access to a network of 18,000 medical professionals and 450 medical centres. E-mail to a friend .

UK intel chief says children as young as 15 involved in terrorist-related activity . Jonathan Evans: At least 2,000 people in Britain who pose threat to security . MI5 chief said the actual number could be double that .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The head of Britain's intelligence services has warned that children as young as 15 are becoming involved in terrorist-related activity. Jonathan Evans, the chief of MI5, also said that at least 2,000 people in Britain pose a threat to the country's security because of their support for al Qaeda-inspired terrorism. "As I speak, terrorists are methodically and intentionally targeting young people and children in this country. They are radicalising, indoctrinating and grooming young, vulnerable people to carry out acts of terrorism," he told a gathering of newspaper editors in Manchester. Evans said the figure of 2,000 -- an increase of 400 since November 2006 -- only included those the intelligence services knew about and that the actual number could be double. He said there had been 200 terrorist convictions in Britain since the September 11 attacks. The MI5 head added that over recent years much of the command and inspiration for attack planning in the UK had come from al Qaeda's remaining core leadership in the tribal areas of Pakistan. However, he said in the last 12 months terrorist plots on British soil were increasingly inspired by al Qaeda cadres in other countries, including in Iraq and East Africa. "There is no doubt now that al Qaeda in Iraq aspires to promote terrorist attacks outside Iraq. There is no doubt that there is training activity and terrorist planning in East Africa -- particularly in Somalia -- which is focused on the UK," he told the Society of Editors meeting. According to Evans, there had been "no decrease" in the number of Russian covert intelligence officers operating in Britain since the end of the Cold War. He said that resources that could be devoted to counter-terrorism were instead being used to protect Britain against spying by Russia, China and others. "A number of countries continue to devote considerable time and energy trying to steal our sensitive technology on civilian and military projects and trying to obtain political and economic intelligence at our expense," he said. E-mail to a friend .

A Mauro Camoranesi goal earns Juventus a 1-1 draw with leaders Inter Milan . Argentine striker Julio Cruz had given injury-hit Inter the lead in the first half . The result maintains Inter's unbeaten record and moves them two points clear .

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ROME, Italy -- Mauro Camoranesi scored with 13 minutes left to earn Juventus a 1-1 home draw with Serie A leaders Inter Milan on Sunday. Julio Cruz is mobbed by team-mates after giving Inter the lead in their 1-1 draw at Juventus. Camoranesi picked up a headed knock-down from substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta before seeing his shot deflect off defender Walter Samuel to leave goalkeeper Julio Cesar helpless. Inter took a first-half lead when Argentine striker Julio Cruz broke Juve's offside trap and latched onto Brazilian midfielder Cesar's through ball before firing past Gianluigi Buffon. The result means Inter retain their unbeaten record this season, despite injury problems that saw the likes of Patrick Vieira, Francesco Toldo, Marco Materazzi and Dejan Stankovic ruled out. The defending champions are now two points clear of Fiorentina at the top of the table, with Roma a point further behind and Juventus in fourth place. Earlier in the day, Roma missed out on the chance to close the gap on Inter when a late collapse saw them throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Empoli. First half goals from French winger Ludovic Giuly and Matteo Brighi had put the visiting Romans in charge and for more than an hour they looked set to cruise to victory. But with 23 minutes remaining Ighli Vannucchi reduced the deficit and Sebastian Giovinco snatched an injury time equaliser to deny Luciano Spaletti's injury-depleted team. Siena snatched a share of the spoils from Parma in a 2-2 draw as Daniele Galloppa scored in the last minute while Napoli needed an injury time goal from striker Ezequiel Lavezzi to deny rock-bottom Reggina their first win of the season, forcing them to settle for a 1-1 draw in the south. E-mail to a friend .

Taliban militants kill Australian commando in southern Afghanistan . He was shot during operation to clear Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan . This is the fourth Australian soldier to die in the conflict in Afghanistan . Several militants killed and a coalition troop injured in other fighting in southeast .

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(CNN) -- One Australian soldier, three civilians and Taliban militants were killed early Friday during heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan, according to information from Australian and NATO officials. Four Australian troops have now died in the conflict in Afghanistan. The incident occurred in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, where Taliban militants killed an Australian commando, the Australian Defence Ministry said. The 26-year-old commando -- Pvt. Luke Worsley of Sydney -- served with the Special Operations Task Group. This is the fourth Australian troop to die in the Afghan conflict. "The action in which Private Worsley died only concluded in the last few hours and was characterized by heavy, close quarter fighting. The SOTG was conducting an operation to clear an identified Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan province, when the soldier was hit by small arms fire," Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said "a significant number of Taliban insurgents were killed or captured as part of the operation. Taliban insurgents initiated the firefight which lasted several hours." Gen. Carlos Branco, ISAF spokesman, said it is not known how the civilians, two women and a child, died. "However, we do know that the insurgents fired upon ISAF soldiers from the compound in which the Afghan civilians (two women and one child) were found after the fight. ISAF makes all effort to prevent losses of innocent civilian lives." E-mail to a friend .

David Trezeguet omitted from France squad to play Morocco and the Ukraine . The Juventus striker last played for his country in the 1-0 defeat by Scotland . He was dropped for the wins against Lithuania and the Faroe Islands .

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LONDON, England -- France coach Raymond Domenech has again omitted striker David Trezeguet from his squad for this month's friendly against Morocco and the Euro 2008 qualifier against the Ukraine. Happier times: David Trezeguet celebrates after scoring for Juventus against Torino. Trezeguet has scored scored 10 goals in 11 Serie A matches for Juventus this season -- including two hat-tricks -- but has failed to win his way back into the 24-man party. The 29-year-old, who last played for France in the 1-0 home defeat by Scotland in September, was furious after being dropped for the games against Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. He played no part as Domenech's team overtook the Scots at the top of Group B with comfortable victories last month. The coach said: "David is having a great start to the season with Juventus, but he's in competition for a place. If we qualify, the Euro 2008 will be in eight months. A lot of things can happen in between. "I hope David will help Juventus win the Italian league title and that he will be at the Euro 2008 with us, and that he will find his form again for France." Domenech has again included young Lyon forward Hatem Ben Arfa, who made his debut as a substitute against the Faroes and scored the final goal in a 6-0 victory. Ben Arfa is joined in the squad by club-mate Karim Benzema, while Bolton's Nicholas Anelka is also among the forwards named despite still recovering from an injury. Captain Patrick Vieira is ruled out due to injury, but the Inter Milan midfielder will join up with the squad anyway. "A player of Patrick's dimension is going to be missed, but we just have to accept it and get on with it. Pat should be coming to see us because he's a leader, and he's the captain," Domenech added. France face the Moroccans on November 16 and then travel to the Ukraine on November 21. Domenech's team will qualify for the finals if Italy beat Scotland at Hampden on November 17. If the Glasgow game ends in a draw, France will need at least a point in Kiev to book their ticket. France squad: Goalkeepers: M Landreau (Paris St Germain), S Frey (Fiorentina), U Rame (Bordeaux). Defenders: E Abidal (Barcelona, P Evra (Manchester United), W Gallas (Arsenal), B Sagna (Arsenal), L Thuram (Barcelona), S Squillaci (Lyon), F Clerc (Lyon). Midfielders: A Diarra (Bordeaux), L Diarra (Arsenal), M Flamini (Arsenal), C Makelele (Chelsea), J Rothen (PSG), J Toulalan (Lyon), S Nasri (Marseille). Strikers: N Anelka (Bolton), H Ben Arfa (Lyon), K Benzema (Lyon), S Govou (Lyon), T Henry (Barcelona), F Malouda (Chelsea), F Ribery (Bayern Munich). E-mail to a friend .

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

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

Lionel Messi scores for the sixth game in a row as Barca defeat Atletico 3-0 . Real Madrid stay top of the Primera Liga table after defeating Recreativo 2-0 . Sevilla's crisis continues as they lose their four league match in succession .

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MADRID, Spain -- Lionel Messi scored for the sixth game in a row as Barcelona defeated big-spending Atletico Madrid 3-0 to stay in touch with Primera Liga leaders Real Madrid. Messi (left) is congratulated by Ronaldinho after scoring again in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Barcelona had thumped Atletico 6-0 on their own ground last season and the visitors were out for revenge -- but conceded twice in four minutes. After 15 minutes, Italian goalkeeper Christian Abbiati let a routine Messi cross slip out of his hands and Deco rolled home into the empty net. Four minutes later Messi played a great one-two with Ronaldinho and rifled a shot past Abbiati for his sixth goal of the season and Xavi added a third late on. "It was a deserved victory against a rival that we have had problems with in the past," explained Barca coach Frank Rijkaard. "We scored twice in quick succession and then we controlled the match using aggression and with the team attacking and defending as a unit." "Conceding two early goals inside four minutes is not easy to turn around especially against Barcelona," admitted Atletico coach Javier Aguirre. It was Barcelona's fourth straight league win but they still trail Real Madrid by two points after the champions beat Recreativo Huleva 2-0. Dutch international Ruud van Nistelrooy, the league's top-scorer last season, scored on 72 minutes before Gonzalo Higuain netted in the final minute to keep Real at the summit. Luck deserted them when Wesley Sneijder hit the post but Van Nistelrooy scored in the final quarter hour before Higuain struck to keep them two points clear at the top. Real have made their best start since 1991 but coach Bernd Schuster's rotation policy has been questioned with the German chopping and changing his team. "It was an important victory because it is the final match before we go away on international duty," said Dutch winger Arjen Robben. "We are now top for the next two weeks and can build on that when we return." Villarreal, now four points behind Real, lost for only the second time in 15 matches with a 3-2 reverse against Osasuna. Sevilla, third last season, are in a crisis after losing their fourth league game in a row with a goal from Riki handing Deportivo La Coruna a surprise 1-0 win. Sevilla have just six points from their first six matches and are 13 points behind Real. Levante's Abel Resino became the first Spanish league coach to be sacked this season, after their 3-0 home loss to Real Zaragoza. . The 47-year-old Resino, a former goalkeeper at Atletico Madrid, joined Levante in January as a replacement for Juan Ramon Lopez Caro. The Valencia-based club are bottom of the table with only a point from seven matches. E-mail to a friend .

AC Milan's Brazilian goalkeeper Dida is suspended by UEFA for two matches . Dida was banned for his over-reacting to being touched by a Celtic supporter . Celtic have been fined $50,800 for allowing the fan to run onto the field of play .

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NYON, Switzerland -- Celtic have been fined $50,800 by UEFA and AC Milan's Dida has been banned for two matches after the incident which saw a pitch-invading supporter approach the Brazilian goalkeeper in last week's Champions League match at Celtic Park. Dida's theatrical over-reaction has resulted in UEFA suspending him for two matches. The incident occurred when the Scottish side beat Milan 2-1 in Glasgow. A fan ran onto the field in the 90th minute, soon after the home side scored their winning goal, and made what appeared to be minimal contact with Dida. The Milan goalkeeper turned to chase the supporter before dropping to the ground. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and replaced. Dida's theatrical over-reaction has cost him severely -- but Celtic may choose not to complain about their own punishment, with half of their fine suspended for two years. UEFA did have the power to change the result of the match, although that was always unlikely. UEFA's control and disciplinary body found Celtic guilty of charges of "lack of organisation and improper conduct of supporters", while Dida was found to have breached UEFA's "principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship". Milan have pledged to appeal against the punishment, which as it stands means he will miss the club's Champions League games against Shakhtar Donetsk. "It's a suspension that is absolutely excessive," said Milan lawyer Leandro Cantamessa. "It seems to us a very, very unbalanced sentence. It turns Dida into the protagonist of the incident, whereas the protagonist was someone else, and that's not right from a logical point of view." Celtic acted swiftly to punish the 27-year-old supporter, who turned himself in and has since admitted a breach of the peace in court and will be sentenced next month. The club banned the fan for life from all their matches, home and away. Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: "As a club we feel this penalty is proportionate to the incident in question and a fair outcome." E-mail to a friend .

White House accuses Democrats of holding hostage funding for veterans care . Funding was attached to large health-labor-education bill . White House says it wants a clean bill that only funds veterans programs . Democrats call on White House to engage in a dialogue on spending levels .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House is blasting Congressional Democrats for not sending a bill that would fund veterans' care programs to the president's desk by Veterans Day. The White House's Dana Perino accused Democrats of holding veterans care funding hostage. "There's absolutely no reason that the veterans' bill could not have been signed by the president today, except for the political games that the Democrats decided to play with it," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Sunday in Crawford, Texas. Congressional Democrats had attached legislation funding veterans programs to a $150.7 billion bill that also funded a number of domestic priorities, including health, labor and education. Democrats also added $3.7 billion to what the president budgeted for veterans programs. The labor-health-education bill would increase funding by more than $10 billion over last year's funding for those programs. The president has threatened to veto the bill because of the added spending. The House passed a health-labor-education bill 269-142 last week with the veterans funding attached, but the Senate later voted to strip out the veterans funding and send the health-labor-education bill to the president. Perino accused the Democrats of "trying to hold hostage our veterans to extra domestic spending or increases in taxes." "The president wants clean legislation, a clean bill to fund the veterans," Perino said. On Saturday, the Democratic congressional leadership sent a letter to President Bush saying they welcomed a dialogue on spending, sayings disagreements over funding levels "have never been so great that we cannot reach agreement on a spending plan that meets the needs of the American people." "Key to this dialogue, however, is some willingness on your part to actually find common ground," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said in the letter. The leadership said last year's Congress, which was still under Republican control, had never passed a separate bill funding veterans programs. Congress also sent to the president legislation that would fund veterans care at the levels requested by the president through December 14, the leadership said. The current funding level "is still below the $3.9 billion extra that we passed," said Nadeam Elshami, spokesman Pelosi. "We are committed to getting the extra funding that the Congress already voted on the president's desk for his signature." The leadership blamed Republican members of Congress for stalling the funding for the veterans programs by blocking its inclusion in the larger spending bill. Perino, though, said the Democrats could still send a separate bill to the president funding the veterans program that passed both chambers of Congress. "The Democrats decided not to send the president this bill," Perino said. "That has to be laid at their feet." E-mail to a friend . CNN's Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

Three Austin cave explorers are safe and are out of the cave, officials said . The University of Texas students went into Airman's Cave Saturday . The 12,000 foot long cave complex has tight twists and turns . Unclear exactly how the students lost their way, but cave is complex, official said .

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(CNN) -- Muddy but unhurt, three University of Texas students emerged from a cramped cave complex in Austin, Texas, after a day-long search Sunday. A rescuer at the entrance to Airman's Cave in Austin, Texas, Sunday. Lt. Matt Cox, an Austin Fire Department spokesman, said the students -- two women and one man -- were reported missing early Sunday after a trip into Airman's Cave, about four miles south of the university's campus. They were found about halfway down the 12,000-foot-long cave, which has few spaces big enough for an adult to stand upright and is explored primarily by experienced spelunkers. The students were located shortly before 5 p.m. (6 p.m. ET), about 30 hours after they entered. Their names were not released Sunday night. A friend called 911 to report them missing at 5 a.m. The group had told friends to call 911 if they were not back by midnight Sunday, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Earlier reports that four students were in the cave were incorrect, Cox said. Authorities did not know Sunday evening why the students were in the cave for so long. But Cox said it would have been easy even for experienced cavers to get lost in Airman's, which he compared to the roots of a tree. "There are so many ways to go," he said. E-mail to a friend .

France lock Sebastien Chabal cited for a dangerous tackle on Simon Shaw . Chabal faces disciplinary hearing on Monday after incident against England . Sale forward will miss the third and fourth-place play-off is he is suspended .

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PARIS, France -- France lock Sebastien Chabal has been cited for a dangerous tackle on England's Simon Shaw during Saturday's World Cup semifinal in Paris. Simon Shaw offloads despite being tackled by Raphael Ibanez, left, and Sebastien Chabal. The Sale Sharks forward will face a disciplinary hearing on Monday after his tackle on opposite second-rower Shaw was noted by citing commissioner Dennis Wheelahan. Chabal started the match on the substitutes' bench, but was brought on in the 26th minute to replace the injured Fabien Pelous during hosts France's 14-9 defeat. If he is suspended, then Chabal will miss Friday's third and fourth-place play-off match at the Parc des Princes. Meanwhile, France coach Bernard Laporte said that the defeat was tougher to take than England's 24-7 win in the 2003 semifinals. "In 2003, they were better then us. In fact they were better than everyone," said Laporte, who is leaving his role to take up the post of junior sports minister in the French government. "They were like the New Zealand of this tournament - the favorite, except they went all the way. This time it's harder because yesterday it was 50-50." Meanwhile, England -- seeking to become the first nation to defend the World Cup title -- revealed that star kicker Jonny Wilkinson again had problems with the match balls during the semifinal. The fly-half, who voiced his concerns after struggling with the boot against Australia, rejected a ball before kicking a vital three-pointer against France. "We didn't say it last week but a non-match ball got onto the field in Marseille which Jonny kicked," director of rugby Rob Andrew said. "He didn't think about it while he was kicking it. "The match balls are marked, numbered one to six. Last night they had 'World Cup semi-final England vs France' written on them. On match night, Jonny was vigilant when kicking for goal that they were actually match balls he was kicking. "The practice balls lose pressure and shape. The whole issue last week, the organizers accepted all six match balls should be used by both sides on the Thursday before game." E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Fire Department spokesman: 14 have been taken to area hospitals . Firefighters still fighting hot spots Wednesday afternoon, official says . "It's a hellish inferno," he tells reporters .

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JACKSONVILLE, Florida (CNN) -- Four people were killed and several injured after an explosion Wednesday at a chemical plant sent a thick plume of smoke over a section of Jacksonville, authorities said. A thick plume of smoke rises Wednesday at a chemical plant in Jacksonville, Florida. "Literally, it's a hellish inferno. There is no other way to describe it," said Fire Department spokesman Tom Francis. Fourteen people were hospitalized after the blast at the T2 Lab on Faye Road, in an industrial area on the waterfront in north Jacksonville, Francis said. Officials initially ordered an evacuation of nearby businesses, but by 4 p.m. the order had been lifted after tests of the air found no toxicity, Francis said. Firefighters were still battling hot spots, and the effort will be going on for "quite some time," he said. See an I-Report account about the blast » . Six of those injured were transported to Shands Hospital in Jacksonville, hospital spokeswoman Kelly Brockmeier said. A Shands official said the hospital incident command system had been activated -- something done to put the staff in high alert in anticipation of trauma patients. A woman who answered the T2 Lab's 24-hour facility emergency phone said the plant manufactures ecotane, a gasoline additive that reduces tailpipe emissions, according to the laboratory's Web site. See a map of the site of the explosion » . The billowing black smoke could be seen from the city's downtown, said Florida Times-Union reporter Bridget Murphy. Murphy said she talked to several workers as they walked out of the area, and they were "shaken to the core." "They described a hissing noise and then a sound wave," she said. Antonio Padrigan was trying to get in touch with his son, who works in a plant in the area, but was having no luck reaching him on his cell phone. "He was shook up when he called me, but I can't get through to him anymore," Padrigan said. "I don't know if he's in the hospital or what." CNN I-Reporters Jonathan Payne and his son Calvin, 16, shot pictures of the explosion. They felt the blast shake their home, about 15 minutes away, and went to see what was going on. Carlton Higginbotham, 63, was working at home on Townsend Boulevard in Jacksonville when a loud boom shook his house, he said. "It was a gunshot-type explosion; it wasn't a rumble," he said. Higginbotham, an insurance salesman, and his neighbor ran outside and noticed thick smoke billowing from the other side of the St. Johns River, which separates his neighborhood from the site of the blast. "The cloud that came out of it was white, some would say mushroom-shaped," Higginbotham said. "It was followed by dark, dark smoke." E-mail to a friend .

Zenit Saint Petersburg clinch the Russian Premier League title on Sunday . They secure the title ahead of Spartak Moscow after a 1-0 win at Ramenskoye . The title success is Zenit's first since 1984 and the first in the post-Soviet era .

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MOSCOW, Russia -- Zenit Saint Petersburg have clinched their first Russian title in the post-Soviet Union era with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Ramenskoye on Sunday. Zenit captain Anatoly Timoshuk kisses the Russian Premier League trophy after their victory at Ramenskoye. The win means Zenit finish top of the table with 61 points, two points ahead of second-placed Spartak Moscow, who beat city rivals Dynamo 2-1. CKSA Moscow finished third on 53 points. Zenit went ahead in the 15th minute when Radek Sirl's shot from the edge of the box deflected off a Ramenskoye defender and beat goalkeeper Antonin Kinski. After the interval, the hosts poured forward seeking an equalizer and created several chances -- but Zenit held firm to secure their first championship since 1984 and make a hero out of Dutch coach Dick Advocaat. Nine-times champions Spartak took the lead midway through the first-half. Russian international striker Roman Pavyuchenko netted the opening goal in the 24th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the six-yard box after a mix- up in the Dynamo defence. Brazilian striker Soares Welliton made it 2-0 seven minutes after halftime, heading home Pavlyuchenko's precise cross. Dynamo reduced the arrears in the 71st minute, when Spartak midfielder Radoslav Kovac scored an own goal. Meanwhile, Rostov and Krasnodar were relegated fronm the Premier League. E-mail to a friend .

Some see connection between the Bible and Interstate 35 . Believers pray by the side of the highway, which runs through six states . I-35 runs from southern Texas to northern Minnesota .

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DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- If you turn to the Bible -- Isaiah Chapter 35, Verse 8 -- you will see a passage that in part says, "A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness." Churchgoers in six states have held prayer sessions along the side of Interstate 35. Now, is it possible that this "highway" mentioned in Chapter 35 is actually Interstate 35 that runs through six U.S. states, from southern Texas to northern Minnesota? Some Christians have faith that is indeed the case. It was with that interesting belief in mind that we decided to head to Texas, the southernmost state in the I-35 corridor, to do a story about a prayer campaign called "Light the Highway." Churchgoers in all six states recently finished 35 days of praying alongside Interstate 35, but the prayers are still continuing. Some of the faithful believe that in order to fulfill the prophecy of I-35 being the "holy" highway, it needs some intensive prayer first. So we watched as about 25 fervent and enthusiastic Christians prayed on the the interstate's shoulder in Dallas. They chanted loudly and vibrantly, making many people in the neighborhood wonder what was going on. They prayed that adult businesses along the corridor would "see the light" and perhaps close down. They prayed for safety and freedom from crime for people who lived along the interstate. They prayed that all Americans would accept Jesus into their lives. Watch believers offer prayers » . The woman who came up with the concept of "Light the Highway" is a Texas minister named Cindy Jacobs. She says she can't be sure Interstate 35 really is what is mentioned in the Bible but says she received a revelation to start this campaign after "once again reading Isaiah, Chapter 35." Jacobs also points out that perhaps there is a link between the area near this highway and tragedies that have happened in history, such as the bridge collapse on I-35 in Minneapolis last August and the assassination of JFK 44 years ago near I-35 in Dallas. That's why prayer certainly can't hurt, she adds. Now, it's only fair to say most people, the religious and the non-religious alike, don't buy any of this, but none more than the owners of some of the adult businesses along I-35. At an adult go-go club, the owner tells us he resents people trying to impose their will on others. And he says his club holds fundraisers, food drives and toy drives to help the community. But on the side of the road, the prayerful aren't going to change their minds. Holy highways and nude clubs, they believe, are not a combination God has in mind. E-mail to a friend .

One dead as hundreds of thousands flee rising floodwaters . About 80 percent of the city of Villahermosa is under water . Tabasco and Chiapas states hardest hit . Authorities say 700,000 affected and 300,000 still trapped by flooding .

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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Heavy rains and flooding have forced hundreds of thousands of people from homes in southern Mexico's state of Tabasco over the past four days, with nearly as many trapped by the rising waters, state officials said Thursday. Officials say about 300,000 people are still trapped by the worst flooding in the region for 50 years. The Grijalva River pushed over its banks through the state capital of Villahermosa on Thursday, forcing government workers to evacuate and leaving up to 80 percent of the city flooded, Gov. Andres Granier's office told CNN. About 700,000 people have seen their homes flooded, with about 300,000 of those still trapped there, Granier's office reported. One death had been blamed on the floods, which followed weeks of heavy rain in the largely swampy state. Tabasco borders Guatemala to the south and the Gulf of Mexico to the north. The Associated Press reported that thousands of people clung to rooftops, huddled inside waterlogged homes or hunkered down in shelters in an attempt to survive the worst flooding the region has seen in 50 years. Weather forecasters predicted more rain in the coming days. The flooding was not related to Tropical Storm Noel, which was pounding the Caribbean. The Grijalva River, one of two large waterways ringing Villahermosa, has risen 6.5 feet (2 meters) above its "critical" level and gushed into the city's center, according to AP. Authorities said some of the rivers were continuing to rise. President Felipe Calderon visited the area on Wednesday and promised the federal government's full support. Non-governmental organizations throughout the country asked people to donate non-perishable goods or cash, AP said. E-mail to a friend . Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

David Nalbandian won Madrid Masters after beating top seed Roger Federer . The Argentine triumphed 1-6 6-3 6-3 against the Swiss defending champion . He became third man to beat world's three top players en route to a title .

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MADRID, Spain -- David Nalbandian battled back to stun world No. 1 Roger Federer with a 1-6 6-3 6-3 victory in the final of the Madrid Masters on Sunday. David Nalbandian celebrates after upsetting Roger Federer in the Madrid Masters final. The Argentine, ranked 25th in the world, repeated his 2005 upset win over the Swiss star in that year's season-ending Masters Cup -- also an indoor event. Defending champion Federer, playing in his first tournament since winning the U.S. Open six weeks ago, made 38 unforced errors. Nalbandian became only the third player -- and the second this year after Novak Djokovic in Montreal in August -- to beat the world's top-three players en route to winning a title. German legend Boris Becker was the first to perform the feat 13 years ago. Nalbandian ousted second-ranked Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and then Serbian Djokovic in Saturday's semis. The 25-year-old, who lost in the Madrid final in 2004, claimed his first triumph on the ATP Tour since May, 2006, on clay in Portugal. He spent a year without a coach, but has revived his career since teaming up with Hernan Gumy. "I'm extremely contented to beat the world number one," Nalbandian said. "Roger and I have a long history and I think that influenced the match. "It was an extremely hard first set. But I tightened the teeth and I began to play more strongly. Things came out fine, I played incredible, and that of course that helps." Federer added: "He served well, I was quite surprised with how well he served. "He came back strong and played well in the end. "He was a better player all in all. I was struggling after the first set to play aggressively, for some reason. He played tough and didn't miss any more. I couldn't play way I wanted to. It was a pity, he played a great tournament." E-mail to a friend .

Argentina beat Bolivia 3-0 in South American qualifier for 2010 World Cup . Juan Roman Riquelme nets twice as Argentina win third successive match . Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez quits after 5-1 loss against Paraguay .

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Juan Roman Riquelme scored twice as Argentina beat Bolivia 3-0 to notch a third successive victory in the South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup on Saturday. Juan Roman Riquelme celebrates after scoring his first goal in Argentina's win against Bolivia. The midfielder followed up his brace of spectacular free-kicks in the opening 2-0 victory against Chile to help put his country five points clear of second-placed Brazil, who play Peru in Lima on Sunday. Riquelme again shrugged off his lack of club action with Villarreal, where he has fallen out with the Spanish side's management, to net twice in the second spell after Sergio Aguero gave the home side a first-half lead. The 19-year-old scored his first goal at international level five minutes before the interval after starting in a three-man attack with Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi. He headed home after Martin Demichelis nodded a cross from Manchester United striker Tevez back across goal. Riquelme added the second 11 minutes after the break with a dipping free-kick which beat Carlos Arias from 25 yards, having been superbly denied by the keeper's one-handed effort shortly beforehand. And he finished off the scoring in the 73rd minute with a cool sidefoot finish after being set up by Messi to cap off a match in which captain Javier Zanetti made a record-breaking 116th appearance for Argentina. Argentina next travel to Colombia on Tuesday, when winless Bolivia have an away clash with Venezuela. In other South American qualifiers, Colombia beat Venezuela 1-0, and Paraguay routed Ecuador 5-1. Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez, a Colombian, quit after his team's loss saying: "I have taken the irrevocable decision to resign." E-mail to a friend .

Nemanja Vidic plays in Man United's Champions League tie at Dynamo Kiev . Serbian defender sat out 4-1 win at Aston Villa with after-effects of concussion . United started group campaign with wins against Sporting Lisbon and Roma .

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KIEV, Ukraine -- Serbian central defender Nemanja Vidic has convinced Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson that he should play in Tuesday's Champions League clash away to Dynamo Kiev. Vidic clashes with Roma goalkeeper Gianluca Curci during the UEFA Champions League Group F match. The former Spartak Moscow player sat out Saturday's 4-1 victory at Aston Villa after suffering concussion during the Premier League win over Wigan immediately before the international break. However, he has made a good recovery and will now partner Rio Ferdinand in the heart of the United defense. Injury-plagued French striker Louis Saha definitely misses the tie with a long-term knee problem and fellow casualties Gary Neville and Owen Hargreaves also stayed behind. England striker Wayne Rooney, who scored twice against Villa and was also on target in England's Euro 2008 defeat against Russia in Moscow last week, will partner Carlos Tevez in attack. A third successive victory after 1-0 wins against Sporting Lisbon and Roma would virtually guarantee United a place in the knock-out stage. United flew to Kiev a day earlier than normal, taking their own chefs and dieticians with them. "The travel is always the biggest worry in these situations," said Ferguson. "Ukraine is further away than most other journeys around Europe." Senegal defender Pape Diakhate, Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura and Ukraine midfielder Taras Mykhalyk are expected to return for Dynamo, but former Tottenham forward Serhiy Rebrov is an absentee. Dynamo warmed up for Tuesday night with a 1-0 win over strugglers Zakarpattia on Saturday in the Ukrainian Championship. But Kiev are bottom of Group F after losing their first two games -- 2-0 at Roma and 2-1 at home to Sporting. Glasgow Rangers are without Jean-Claude Darcheville and Brahim Hemdani for their formidable home clash against Barcelona on Tuesday. Darcheville is still struggling with a hamstring problem while Hemdani misses the Group E tie in Glasgow with a groin problem that kept him out of the weekend's 3-0 win against Celtic. UEFA Cup favorites Bayern Munich will probably have to do without midfielder Franck Ribery for their group game against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday. The French international hurt his thigh in Saturday's 2-1 win at Bochum that saw Bayern extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga. E-mail to a friend .

Milan goalkeeper Dida is partially successful against two-match UEFA ban . Dida misses Wednesday's home Champions League tie against Shakhtar . Second game of ban suspended for one year freeing him for return in Ukraine .

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LONDON, England -- Milan goalkeeper Dida has been cleared to play in next month's Champions League match at Shakhtar Donetsk after partially winning his appeal to UEFA against a two-match ban. Dida has had one game of his two-match ban suspended for a year following an appeal to UEFA. Brazilian Dida was also fined 60,000 Swiss francs by European football's ruling body following an incident involving a supporter during the Champions clash against Celtic in Scotland on October 3. The 34-year-old Brazilian was initially banned for two games for his theatrics following a Celtic fan's encroachment onto the pitch during the 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park. "Following Monday's appeals hearing, Dida is suspended for two matches, but one of the matches will now be deferred for a probationary period of one year," said a stement on UEFA's Web site. Dida sits out the home tie against Shakhtar on Wednesday after an inquiry based on Article 5, paragraph 1 of the UEFA disciplinary regulations (Principles of conduct), under which "member associations, clubs, as well as their players, officials and members, shall conduct themselves according to the principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship". However, Dida will only serve the second match of his ban if he commits a similar offense -- a theatrical over-reaction --during the next 12 months, freeing him for the trip to Ukraine. UEFA said that their Appeals Body "took note that Dida expressed his sincere regrets as regards his conduct during the match." AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani was satisfied with UEFA's decision. "I believe it is fair -- I was against the two-game suspension but one seems OK. "Dida has made a mistake but his error did not hinder anyone, not Celtic, nor any player," said Galliani. E-mail to a friend .

South African reggae legend Lucky Dube killed in attempted hijacking . Dube, 43, killed Thursday in Johannesburg after hijacker tried to steal his car . Death casts shadow over South Africa's preparations for rugby World Cup final .

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Reggae legend Lucky Dube, one of South Africa's most famous musicians, was killed in an attempted car-jacking as he dropped his children off at a relative's house, his record label said Friday. Reggae star Lucky Dube was much loved by his fellow South Africans. Dube, 43, was killed in Johannesburg around 8 p.m. local time Thursday after someone tried to steal his car, Gallo Record Company said in a statement. Police said he was shot. The statement said Dube attempted to escape but died almost instantly from his wounds. Dube was much loved by his fellow South Africans, and his death cast a shadow over festivities ahead of South Africa's highly-anticipated appearance in the rugby World Cup final with England this weekend. News of his death was the headline in many Friday newspapers, knocking the World Cup off the front pages for the first time in days. Callers to talk radio stations suggested the Springboks wear black armbands in remembrance of Dube when they take to the field Saturday in Paris. Gallo Records called the death "senseless and random," and it was not clear whether Dube's attackers knew who he was. South Africa is one of the most dangerous societies in the world. Figures from the South African Police Service show that from April 2006 to March 2007, more than 19,000 South Africans were murdered, more than 52,600 people were raped, and nearly 13,600 people were carjacked. "It's very sad," said Mark Sutherland, London bureau chief for Billboard Magazine. "He's a big loss to the South African music business. (He was) one of their most successful artists and certainly one of their leading reggae artists." Sutherland said Dube was an extremely respected musician who toured extensively around the world. Dube had just returned from a tour of the United States that stretched from California to New York. His record company said Dube leaves "a great void" in the music industry after a 25-year career. Dube recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans. Born outside Johannesburg in 1964, Dube was named "Lucky" by his mother because he was the first child to be born after several failed pregnancies. Dube started singing in 1982, joining a band playing Mbaqanga, or traditional Zulu music. It was only later that he began recording reggae tracks as a solo singer, but the genre was to dominate and define the remainder of his career. Ivor Haarburger, the chief exectutive of Gallo Music Group, said he was deeply saddened by the loss. "Lucky was not just an extraordinary artist, he was a personal friend," Haarburger said. "It's so sad to lose such a great friend and so tragically." Dube is survived by his wife, Zanele, and his seven children: Bongi, Nonkululeko, Thokozani, Laura, Siyanda, Philani and three-month old Melokuhle. E-mail to a friend . CNN correspondent Robin Curnow contributed to this report.

Nationwide Airlines pilot dumped fuel until he landed plane Wednesday . An object was sucked into the engine as the nose wheel lifted from the ground . 100, including crew, were on the plane; no one was injured . Plane passenger: "Everyone started panicking"

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(CNN) -- Brendon Pelser said he saw pure terror in the faces of his fellow passengers after an engine fell from a wing as it took off from Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday. Men were sweating profusely, women were crying. "There was fear on their faces," Pelser said. "Everyone started panicking." But the pilot of Nationwide Airlines' Boeing 737 Flight CE723 was able to fly long enough to dump fuel and make an emergency landing at Cape Town International Airport. Including crew, 100 hundred people were on the plane that departed at 3:50 p.m. on an hourlong flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. No one was injured. The jet had only been in the air about 10 minutes before the engine fell. "We heard something crash and bang, the plane veering left and right. A person on the right side said the engine was missing -- had broken clean off," said Pelser. Watch Pelser describe how the flight crew told passengers to "prepare for the worst" » . "They flew us in very slowly. We were all prepared for the worst. We went into the fetal position, head between the legs," he said. "Then we hit the runway." "I did kind of pray. I didn't want to die. I'm not really ready to die," the 33-year-old said. An object had been sucked into the engine as the nose wheel lifted from the ground and officials are trying to identify it. The engine-to-wing supporting structure is designed to release an engine "when extreme forces are applied," to prevent structural damage to the wing, Nationwide said on its Web site. The airline described the incident as a "catastrophic engine failure." As the nose wheel lifted from the ground, "the captain heard a loud noise immediately followed by a yaw of the aircraft (sideways slippage) to the right," the airline said in a news release. The flight instruments showed the No. 2 engine on the right side had failed, it said. Pelser said he spent the night in Cape Town, then flew back to Johannesburg where he lives, on the same airline. Nationwide said the engine had undergone a major overhaul in March 2005 at "an approved Federal Aviation Authority facility in the U.S.A." and had flown only 3,806 hours since then. "These engines typically achieve 10,000 hours between major overhauls," Nationwide Airlines' press release stated. E-mail to a friend .

FIFA President Sepp Blatter among guests marking Sheffield FC's 150 years . English side Sheffield FC recognized as the oldest football club in the world . Club is one of two to win FIFA's Order of Merit -- the other is Real Madrid .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Football dignitaries gathered in Sheffield, northern England, on Wednesday to kick off the 150th birthday celebrations of Sheffield FC -- the sport's oldest club. FIFA chief Blatter was among those in Sheffield to kick off the 150th birthday celebrations of football's oldest club. Guests of honor at a service at Sheffield Cathedral included Sepp Blatter, president of football world governing body FIFA, and Massimo Moratti, president of Italian giants Inter Milan who are scheduled to play a friendly against Sheffield FC next month. Other guests attending a dinner in the club's honor included Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon and England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton. Pele -- widely recognized as the greatest footballer ever to play the game -- is also due in town next month to attend Sheffield FC's clash with Inter. Blatter was unveiling a bust of the club's co-founder William Prest -- one of two cricket fans who founded Sheffield FC, then known simply as Sheffield Club, on October 24, 1857 after deciding they needed a new sport to keep them active during the winter. Many more football clubs soon sprung up and by 1862 there were said to be 15 in and around the Sheffield area. The Football Association -- which codified the basic rules of the modern game -- was established in London the following year. Sheffield FC was instrumental in developing set rules for the game. The club studied existing rules and laid down a code of laws, which formed the foundation of the first commonly-accepted set of rules for the sport, according to the Sheffield FC Web site. The team was also responsible for several innovations in the game -- including heading, which was unheard of until 1875, when Sheffield traveled to London for a game. According to the team's Web site, the sight of the Sheffield players using their foreheads in addition to their feet reduced the London crowd to hysterics. Other innovations attributed to the team include the solid crossbar on the goal, corner kicks, free kicks for fouls, and playing a match under floodlights. Despite its celebrated place in the history of the world's most popular sport, Sheffield FC has never played at a professional level. The club currently competes in the Unibond League's First Division South, seven divisions beneath the English Premier League. The city of Sheffield has two professional clubs -- United and Wednesday -- who both currently play in English football's second tier, the Coca-Cola Championship. Sheffield FC's proudest achievement on the pitch came in 1904 when the team beat Ealing 3-1 to win the FA Amateur Cup in front of 6,000 people. But 100 years later in 2004, Blatter presented Sheffield FC with FIFA's "Order of Merit" -- an honor previously awarded only to the nine-time European champions Real Madrid. E-mail to a friend .

Ronaldinho is recalled to Barca squad to face Rangers in Champions League . The Brazilian was dropped from the squad that lost to Villarreal on Saturday . Midfielder Deco will be out of action for five weeks after suffering a thigh injury .

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BARCELONA, England -- Ronaldinho has been recalled to the Barcelona squad for Tuesday's Champions League match against Rangers in Glasgow. Ronaldinho was dropped from the Barcelona squad on Saturday for returning late from international duty. The Brazilian was omitted from the squad that lost 3-1 to Villarreal on Saturday after returning late from international duty, but he has been named in an 18-man party for the trip to Scotland. Barca will be without Deco for that match though, after the Portuguese suffered a thigh injury against Villarreal that will keep him sidelined for around five weeks. Also missing are Samuel Eto'o, Yaya Toure, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmilson and Rafael Marquez as the Catalans travel to Scotland in a battle between the two sides with 100 per cent records in Group E. Barcelona squad: Valdes, Jorquera; Puyol, Thuram, Sylvinho, Oleguer, Abidal, Milito; Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Messi, Xavi, Giovani, Crosas; Henry, Ezquerro, Gudjohnsen, Bojan. E-mail to a friend .

Navy says it has lost confidence in officer's ability to command . Crew members on sub disciplined for faking inspection records, Navy says . Ten people have been relieved of duty; six received "nonjudicial punishment"

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(CNN) -- The commander of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Hampton has been relieved of his command amid an inquiry into misconduct by crew members, the U.S. Navy said Friday. The USS Hampton appears in an undated photograph. Cmdr. Michael B. Portland lost his post "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," the Navy said in a statement. Cmdr. William J. Houston will replace Portland. The crew neither maintained inspection records nor conducted the required inspection of chemical levels associated with the cooling system of the ship's nuclear reactor, Navy officials said. The crew then went back and falsified existing records to make it appear the work had been done. "There is not, and never was, any danger to the crew or the public," the Navy said. Portland's demotion brings to 10 the number of people relieved of duty on the submarine in the wake of the misconduct probe. Six personnel have been punished for forging inspection records for the cooling system, the Navy officials said Monday. Those six -- one officer and five enlisted personnel -- received a "nonjudicial punishment" after other Navy personnel discovered their actions, the officials said. The Navy said Friday that one officer and two enlisted crew members have been temporarily reassigned to Submarine Squadron 11. Portland also will be temporarily reassigned to that squadron. The misconduct was discovered September 17 but not made public until after completion of an initial inquiry. A fact-finding investigation is under way, and further action against Navy crew members is possible, a Navy official said. The Hampton remains in port in San Diego, California. In all, the $900 million vessel's crew includes 13 officers and 116 enlisted personnel. E-mail to a friend .

Bus driver, tractor-trailer trucker injured in 3-vehicle crash, AP reports . Bus crossed median, hit pickup truck, then 18-wheeler, killing 3 . All lanes of I-40 closed for 13 miles east of Forrest City, Arkansas . Driver of the pickup truck and two bus passengers killed, police say .

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(CNN) -- A bus hopped a highway median and crashed into a pickup truck before being broadsided by an 18-wheeler, Arkansas police said, killing the pickup driver and two bus riders. Two passengers were found dead inside the bus, said Arkansas State Police. Forty people were hurt in Sunday night's crash, which shut down a 13-mile stretch of Interstate-40 east of Forrest City, Arkansas, said state police spokesman Bill Sadler. The bus was westbound en route from Chicago, Illinois, to Dallas, Texas. The driver of the pickup truck -- identified as 30-year-old Danny Okurily of Hot Springs, Arkansas -- died at the scene of the accident, Sadler said. Bus driver Felix Tapia, 28, of Brownsville, Texas, and tractor-trailer driver David Rice, 45, of Mars Hill, North Carolina, suffered minor injuries, according to The Associated Press. Two passengers were also found dead inside the bus, he said. Their names were not released because authorities have not yet notified relatives, Sadler said. Several dozen injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Forrest City, Memphis and West Memphis, said police. The bus, which listed 44 passengers on its manifest, was owned and operated by the Tornado Bus Line, which is based in Dallas, Texas, Sadler said. The crash happened just after 10 p.m. CT about 10 miles east of Forrest City and about 40 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee, Sadler said. E-mail to a friend . Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Illegal exports to Iran, China an increasing problem, Justice Department says . Pittsburgh company cited for export of products with nuclear applications . Utah men charged with attempting to illegally export jet fighter parts .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The illegal export of U.S. military technology to Iran and China poses a growing threat, the Justice Department said Thursday as it announced plans to combat the practice. Iran is the only country still flying the F-14 Tomcat. The department said the United States will tighten monitoring of export licenses and increase export restrictions on technologies that could have both civilian and military applications and could pose a danger to U.S. national security in the hands of terrorists or potential enemies. "China and Iran pose particular U.S. export control concerns," the Justice Department said in a statement issued Thursday. "Recent prosecutions have highlighted illegal exports of stealth missile technology, military aircraft components, naval warship data, night vision equipment, and other restricted technology destined for China or Iran." Representatives of more than a half dozen federal agencies will jointly announce their plans at a Justice Department news conference Thursday. Officials plan to highlight two recent cases. In the past week a Pittsburgh company, SparesGlobal Inc., was sentenced for lying about an illegal export of products that can be used in nuclear reactions and in the nose cones of ballistic missiles. The products ended up in Pakistan after being routed from the United Arab Emirates. In Utah, two men were charged last week with attempting to illegally export restricted components for F-4 and F-14 fighter jets. F-14 components are widely sought by Iran, which is the only military in the world that still flies the jet. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Terry Frieden contributed to this report.

Death toll rises to nine as tour bus runs off highway, rolls over . Bus was carrying at least 50 people when it crashed in southeastern Utah . Bus was en route from Telluride, Colorado, to Phoenix, Arizona, after weekend ski trip .

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(CNN) -- Nine people were killed and 19 injured after a tour bus carrying people on a ski trip left a highway and rolled over Sunday night in southeastern Utah, a highway patrol spokesman said. The seats of the bus that rolled over are exposed to the snow at the crash site in southeastern Utah on Monday. At least 50 people were on the Arrow Stage Lines bus when it crashed on state Highway 163, about five miles north of Mexican Hat, at 7:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m. ET), said Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Cameron Roden. Troopers reported the road was wet but not icy, he said. The bus was traveling south from Telluride, Colorado, to Phoenix, Arizona, when it left the right side of the highway and rolled over, Roden said. See where the crash occurred » . Police said the bus lost control on a curve, ran off the road and rolled over several times, tumbling 41 feet down an embankment, according to The Associated Press. "When the vehicle was overturning, the roof of the bus split open and multiple occupants of the vehicle were ejected," Roden told the AP. Watch how the crash left the bus a mangled hulk » . Rescue crews took the injured people to hospitals in Utah, Colorado and Arizona, he said. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that ambulances from Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico responded to the accident, and a helicopter from Colorado could not fly to the crash site because of winter storms. Four of the dead were male and five were female, the Utah Highway Patrol said. Most of the passengers were returning home from a weekend ski trip to Telluride, he said. E-mail to a friend . CNN Radio's Barbara Hall contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW: Judge finds former teacher in violation of probation in student sex case . But judge spares Debra Lafave from jail, warns her "don't come back" Lafave's probation forbids her to have contact with anyone under 18 .

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(CNN) -- Debra Lafave, the former Florida middle school teacher convicted of having sex with a student, violated her probation by hugging a young co-worker, a Florida judge found Thursday. Debra Lafave was arrested after talking with a teenager. She is not allowed to have contact with anyone under 18. But the judge did not send Lafave to jail, saying the violation was "not willful and substantial." "Please don't come back," he scolded. Dressed in a tailored, black pantsuit, Lafave said she had "innocent" physical contact with a female co-worker she knew as under age 18. Watch Lafave in the courtroom » . At the time, she and the 17-year-old hostess worked at Danny Boy's, a small restaurant in the Tampa, Florida, area. Lafave, 27, pleaded guilty in November 2005 to having sex with a 14-year-old boy and was sentenced to three years under house arrest and seven years of probation. Lafave was required to register as a sex offender and ordered not to have any contact with minors. A tracking device she carries as part of her probation went off in court, prompting the prosecutor to observe, "I think she's accounted for." Lafave acknowledged she was aware that hugs and other forms of physical contact -- as well as conversations about sex -- with minors violated terms of her probation. She referred to the sexually explicit conversations at work as just "girl talk." Lafave denied talking about her sex life with co-workers. "I don't speak that way about my personal life," she said. But she added that her co-workers spoke freely about sex in a "small group setting." While other co-workers socialized outside work, Lafave said, the 17-year-old was not included in those outings. Asked why she hugged the young co-worker, Lafave explained it was a small restaurant with a casual atmosphere where co-workers felt like family. The contact came, she said, "out of my good nature, that's the way it worked." The contacts that led to Thursday's probation violation hearing first surfaced during two polygraph tests administered as part of Lafave's court-ordered supervision. She received a verbal reprimand a year ago, according to testimony. When the behavior continued, her probation officer asked a judge to find her in violation. She was ordered to quit the restaurant job and now works as a receptionist in her mother's beauty shop. In the past, Lafave has said she suffers from bipolar disorder and is receiving treatment. E-mail to a friend .

Tip leads police to John Lewis at homeless shelter in Miami . Lewis is suspected in fatal shooting of Philadelphia Ofc. Charles Cassidy . Cassidy walked in on doughnut shop robbery last week and was shot, police say . Philadelphia police alerted Miami counterparts that Lewis was headed that way .

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(CNN) -- A man named as a suspect in the fatal shooting of a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, police officer last week was captured at a shelter in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said at a news conference. Miami Police Chief John Timoney said he had been alerted by Philadelphia police that the suspect, John Lewis, had taken a Miami-bound bus from Philadelphia. Acting on information from Miami Rescue Mission, officers went to a homeless shelter where they found Lewis, "who was pretty easy to spot as he's 6 feet, 270 pounds," Timoney said. He was apprehended "unarmed and without incident," the Miami chief said. Timoney said it didn't appear that anyone in Miami was helping Lewis, according to CNN affiliate WPVI. Miami Police Officer Gil Gonzalez said Lewis "had a Bible and was praying when we went to get him. He had a look of guilt, a look of shock." Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street said people at the shelter recognized Lewis from televised photos of the suspect. Lewis is suspected in the October 31 shooting of Philadelphia Police Officer Chuck Cassidy. Cassidy was shot in the head when he inadvertently walked into a robbery in progress at a Dunkin' Donuts. He died the next day. Investigators told WPVI that Lewis was spotted on security video boarding a bus to Miami on Saturday night. Cassidy was one of three Philadelphia police officers shot in a four-day period last week. Mariano Santiago was shot in the shoulder late last Tuesday as he approached a vehicle. He is in fair condition. Officer Sandra VanHinkle was shot early last Sunday and is out of the hospital and doing well, police say. Former co-workers of Lewis who spoke to WPVI said they were surprised by the allegations against him. "He was so nice," Kiani Clark told the station. "He was really nice. He didn't seem like the type that would hurt a fly." The Associated Press reported that Lewis had been arrested in 2005 on drug charges, which were withdrawn after he completed a treatment program. He was arrested again in June on drug charges, and that case is still pending, the AP reported. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Aurore Ankarcrona contributed to this report. Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Striker Cristiano Lucarelli keeps his place in Italy's squad to face Scotland . Lucarelli impressed by scoring twice in the recent victory over South Africa . Juventus striker Raffaele Palladino earns his first call-up to the senior squad .

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ROME, Italy -- Italy national coach Roberto Donadoni has left Cristiano Lucarelli in his squad for next Saturday's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier in Scotland. Lucarelli keeps his place in the Italian squad after scoring twice against South Africa. The Shakhtar Donetsk striker is in fine form and has been rewarded for his inspiring performance in last month's friendly against South Africa, when he scored twice in the world champions' victory. While Donadoni has again left out veteran forwards Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero, he has handed Juventus striker and Italy under-21 international Raffaele Palladino his first call-up to the senior squad. Donadoni's squad is also boosted by the return from suspension of captain Fabio Cannavaro, . Italy go into the clash in Glasgow third in Group B, two points behind leaders France and one point below Scotland. Italy end their qualifying campaign by taking on bottom side the Faroe Islands in Modena on November 21. Italy squad: . Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluca Curci (Roma) Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Daniele Bonera (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Massimo Oddo (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona) Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan) Strikers: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Cristiano Lucarelli (Shakhtar Donetsk), Raffaele Palladino (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich) E-mail to a friend .

Four killed in crash; two people die later of injuries . Copter took off from Aviano Air Base, news agency reports . Black Hawk helicopter had 11 people aboard .

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ROME, Italy (CNN) -- A sixth U.S. service member died Friday from injuries sustained when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in northeastern Italy on Thursday, the U.S. military in Europe said. The helicopter, carrying 11 U.S. military personnel, crashed Thursday afternoon about 22 miles from Aviano, Italy. Four people were killed and seven were injured in the crash, and two of the injured later died, the U.S. military said. Treviso fire officials said one of the dead was a woman, and said no one on the ground was hurt. The U.S. military said the helicopter was an Army H-60 Black Hawk attached to the 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment. The military was not releasing the names of those killed, pending notification of the victims' families. Police and fire officials said the craft crashed in an open area near the Piave River north of Treviso, between the towns of Maserata Sul Piave and Santa Lucia Di Piave. Watch scenes of the crash site in northern Italy » . The helicopter appeared crumpled and charred in photos from the crash. Italy's ANSA news agency said the helicopter crashed near the bridge of a major highway and the road was closed as a precaution. ANSA said the helicopter had taken off from Aviano Air Base, but fire authorities could not confirm whether it was leaving or returning to the base. The Black Hawk is considered the workhorse of the military's helicopter fleet. It is used in missions in Iraq and Afghanistan to carry troops and equipment. The military has employed Black Hawks for about three decades. The helicopter's first combat mission was about 25 years ago. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Hada Messia and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

University of Memphis athlete Taylor Bradford, 21, was shot September 30 . Three charged with murder in perpetration of attempted aggravated robbery . After player was shot, he got in his car, drove off and then crashed into a tree . The killing spurred school officials to temporarily lock down the campus .

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MEMPHIS, Tennessee (CNN) -- Three men have been arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death last week of a University of Memphis football player, Memphis police announced Monday. Police investigating a car crash on September 30 found Taylor Bradford, 21, fatally wounded near the campus residence hall area. He had apparently gotten into his car after being shot, and drove a short distance before crashing into a tree. Bradford -- a 5-foot-11, 300-pound defensive lineman from Nashville -- was pronounced dead at Regional Medical Center. Memphis Police Department Director Larry Godwin said DeeShawn Tate, 21, Victor Trezevant, 21, and Courtney Washington, 22, had been charged with murder in perpetration of attempted aggravated robbery. Homicide investigators developed the case against the three men with the help of a citizen's tip and Crimestoppers, he said. Godwin said the investigation continues, and "we do expect additional arrests in this case." "It was an attempted robbery, aggravated robbery," he said. Bradford "was targeted because of some information that was out there and the fact that they believed he had some cash, or he had something that they wanted." Godwin said none of the three arrested suspects were students at the university, but he would not rule out that other suspects could be students. Shelby County District Attorney General William L. Gibbons said the three suspects would make an initial court appearance as early as Tuesday. He said prosecutors were considering seeking the death penalty in the case, but no decision had been made. "Whether or not it will be would be premature for me to say," Gibbons said. "There are a lot of factors that go into it. We'll make a determination at the appropriate time." Officials at the 21,000-student school said Bradford, a marketing major who lived on campus, was popular with the football team and on the campus as a whole. He had transferred from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and was 36 credit hours short of graduation. E-mail to a friend .

Kevin Federline to take custody of children effective Wednesday noon . Federline and Britney Spears have two children, ages 2 and 1 . Pair were divorced in July .

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A court has ordered pop singer Britney Spears to give up custody of her children effective Wednesday at noon. Kevin Federline and Britney Spears, here during happier times, have two children. Spears' former husband, Kevin Federline, is to retain custody of their two sons "until further order of the court," according to a ruling by Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon. It was not clear what led to Monday's decision awarding Federline full custody. A transcript of the court proceedings was ordered sealed. Last month, a judge ordered Spears, 25, to submit to random drug tests after finding she engaged in "habitual, frequent, and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol." That order, also by Gordon, provided no details and did not name any drugs. The former couple has been embroiled in a bitter custody fight over their sons, Sean Preston and Jayden. The parents had split custody 50-50, but Federline then asked for the arrangements to be shifted to 70-30 in his favor. Watch how Spears became user of -- and prisoner to -- fame » . In addition to ordering the twice-weekly drug tests, Gordon ordered Spears to spend eight hours per week working with a "parenting coach," who was to observe her interactions with her children. Gordon also told both parents to avoid alcohol or "other non-prescription controlled substances" 12 hours before taking custody of the children. He also barred the exes from making "derogatory remarks about the other party and the other party's family or significant other" during the case. And he ordered the parents to go through "joint co-parenting counseling" and barred them from using corporal punishment on the boys. Spears and Federline were married for two years before their divorce became final in July. Monday's order comes amid a career freefall for Spears, whose new album is due to be released November 13. After her September 9 "comeback" performance on the MTV Video Music Awards, critics derided her singing and dancing as lackluster and said she appeared overweight in her sequined two-piece costume. Her former divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, resigned last month as her legal representative after telling reporters the singer "just wants to be a mom." Spears' management company, the Firm, recently quit after representing the singer for little over a month. E-mail to a friend .

Charges against Bryant Purvis reduced to second degree aggravated battery . Purvis had faced attempted murder, conspiracy charges . Charges reduced against at least five of six blacks charged in beating . Case of "Jena 6" drew national spotlight during September protest .

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JENA, Louisiana (CNN) -- Charges against Bryant Purvis, one of the six black students accused of being involved in beating a white student, were reduced to second degree aggravated battery during his arraignment Wednesday morning. Bryant Purvis says he is focusing on his studies and practicing basketball. Purvis, who was facing charges of second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy, entered a not guilty plea to the reduced charges in the LaSalle Parish Courthouse in Jena. Charges have now been reduced against at least five of the students in the racially charged "Jena 6" case. Charges against Jesse Ray Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he's a juvenile. Civil rights leaders Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton led more than 15,000 marchers to Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- in September to protest how authorities handled the cases against Purvis and five other teens accused of the December 2006 beating of fellow student Justin Barker. After the arraignment, Purvis said he has moved to another town to complete high school. He said he is focusing on his studies and practicing basketball, which he hopes to play in college. Mychal Bell, 17, is the only one of the "Jena 6" teens still in jail. Although he was released in September after his adult criminal conviction for the beating was overturned, he was ordered two weeks later to spend 18 months in a juvenile facility for a probation violation relating to an earlier juvenile conviction. A district judge tossed out Bell's conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, saying the matter should have been handled in juvenile court. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles, Louisiana, did the same with Bell's battery conviction in mid-September. Prosecutors originally charged all six black students accused of being involved in beating Barker with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy. E-mail to a friend .

Human rights campaigners demonstrate in front of No. 10 Downing Street . Protests urged UK government to demand full democracy restored in Pakistan . Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan's ex wife Jemima among protesters .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Up to 1,000 human rights campaigners demonstrated Saturday in front of No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling on the British government to demand that full democracy be restored in Pakistan. Jemima Khan, center, ex-wife for former Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan, joins protesters in London. Protesters waved placards and chanted in support of the resignation of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a week after he imposed a state of emergency in the country. The crowd of demonstrators massed behind barriers and included Jemima Khan, the ex-wife of former Pakistani cricket star turned politician Imran Khan. The demonstrators carried placards saying "Free the innocent" and "End Musharraf's Regime" and waved Pakistani flags. Imran Khan, who heads the the Movement for Justice Party, has been under house arrest since the emergency declaration. His ex-wife delivered a petition to a doorman at Downing Street, calling on Britain to use its influence to ensure that all institutions are in place well in advance of Pakistani elections originally scheduled for early next year. The petition also demands that Pakistan restore democracy and the judiciary and calls on Musharraf to release all political prisoners, including lawyers, journalists and opposition politicians. E-mail to a friend .

Authorities call it one of the largest counterfeit operations ever discovered . Official: Scheme profited "off the backs of legitimate companies" Counterfeit operation allegedly involved 300,000 high-end bags and wallets . The alleged leaders are three Chinese citizens living in New York .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Three Chinese nationals accused of importing thousands of counterfeit luxury handbags in the United States have been arrested in the past two days, federal authorities announced Thursday. Shoppers sort through counterfeit brand name luxury bags and wallets on a Hong Kong street. "This was a sophisticated criminal conspiracy that trafficked millions of dollars of counterfeit goods from China, profiting off the backs of legitimate companies and their hard-working employees," said Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher. Authorities call it one of the largest counterfeit operations ever discovered, involving about 300,000 bags and wallets with names like Burberry, Gucci and Coach. For customers who bought the knockoffs, it seemed like a deal. They paid a total of about $16 million for what would have been more than $100 million in handbags, purses and wallets in legitimate retail sales. The alleged leaders of the counterfeit operations are three Chinese citizens living in New York. Chong Lam, 49, and Joyce Chan, 39, were arrested there Wednesday. Eric Yuen, 39, was arrested Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who made the arrests began investigating the alleged scheme five years ago, after raids turned up counterfeit goods. The indictment was secretly returned in Richmond, Virginia, in October. The charges were unsealed when the alleged conspirators were taken into custody. Authorities seized and froze 29 bank accounts and three New York properties. The Chinese defendants will be taken to Richmond, where they will be arraigned at a later date, officials said. E-mail to a friend .

National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza has left his position . Nearly half of the NHC signed a petition calling for him to step down . Proenza came under fire for comments he made about the QuikSCAT satellite . Staff unhappy with environment of closed doors, public bickering .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza left his position Monday, just days after nearly half of the NHC staff signed a petition calling for his ouster. Hurricane Center Bill Proenza left his job as director Monday. Proenza is still employed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- a parent organization of the NHC -- but he is currently on leave, said NOAA spokesman Anson Franklin. Deputy Director Ed Rappaport has been temporarily placed in charge. Proenza, 62, became the director in January after the retirement of Max Mayfield. Proenza caused an uproar last month with comments about a key hurricane satellite called QuikSCAT. The satellite is five years beyond its life expectancy and operating on a backup transmitter. Proenza said if it were to fail, forecast tracks could be thrown off by as much as 16 percent. He said Washington reprimanded him for the remarks: "They wanted me to be quiet about it." But one of the center's longtime forecasters said Proenza's comments were misguided. "QuikSCAT is another tool that we use to forecast," Lixion Avila said. "The forecast will not be degraded if we don't have the QuikSCAT." Last week, the Commerce Department launched an unscheduled review of the hurricane center after word of the staff's dissatisfaction started to become public. His staffers on Thursday issued a petition calling for him to step down. Watch how Proenza lost the confidence of his staff » . The petition said the center's "effective functioning" is at stake as the Atlantic hurricane season heads toward its peak. "The undersigned staff ... has concluded that the center needs a new director, and with the heart of the hurricane season fast approaching, urges the Department of Commerce to make this happen as quickly as possible," said the petition, which was signed by twenty-three people, including four of five senior hurricane specialists. Hurricane center staffers told CNN's John Zarella they were unhappy not only about his comments about the QuikSCAT, but also about the environment at the center -- one characterized by closed doors and the public airing of dirty laundry. Proenza on Friday told CNN he had contacted his superiors in Washington about "ways to move forward," but added, "I am not going to resign." Proenza told CNN he did not think the staff should dictate the leadership through "signing petitions." Proenza graduated from Florida State University with a degree in meteorology. He began his career in tropical meteorology in the mid-1960s at NHC and as a meteorologist on the "hurricane hunter" aircraft, according to his biography posted on the agency's Web site. He continued within the National Weather Service for more than 35 years, "receiving numerous performance commendations and awards, including recognition from the NWS Employees' Organization as the NWS manager of the year for his collaborative leadership," the bio said. E-mail to a friend .

Louisiana resident, 18, faces federal hate-crime, conspiracy charges . Driver allegedly taunted civil rights marchers with nooses on pickup truck . Marchers were protesting handling of several racially charged incidents .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A man has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly displaying hangman's nooses from the back of a pickup truck during a civil rights march last year in Jena, Louisiana. A photo taken by I-Reporter Casanova Love shows a noose hanging from a pickup in Alexandria, Louisiana. Jeremiah Munsen, 18, of Grant Parish, repeatedly drove slowly past a group of marchers gathered at a bus depot in Alexandria, which is near Jena, as they awaited buses to return them to Tennessee, federal authorities said Thursday. As many as 20,000 marchers had taken part in the huge protests in Jena. Authorities there had been accused of injustice in the handling of racially charged cases, including the hanging of nooses in a tree after a group of black high school students sat in an area where traditionally only white students sat. The noose incident at Jena was the beginning of months of racial tension that included the beating of a white student, allegedly by six black classmates. The black students were prosecuted, but the three white students responsible for the nooses in the tree were not. Munsen and an unnamed conspirator had attached nooses to their pickup on September 20 and driven to Alexandria specifically to threaten and intimidate the marchers, the authorities said. View a series of photos of the truck » . A juvenile passenger was apprehended with Munsen, according to the arresting officer's report. The juvenile told police he and his family are in the Ku Klux Klan and that he had "KKK" tattooed on his chest, the police report said. He also said that he tied the nooses and that brass knuckles found in the truck belonged to him, the report said. "This indictment accuses the defendant [Munsen] of conduct that constitutes a federal civil rights conspiracy violation and a federal hate crime," said U.S. Attorney Donald Washington. Washington and Grace Chung Becker, acting head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, announced the indictment, issued by a grand jury in Shreveport, Louisiana. A photograph of the truck was sent to CNN by I-Reporter Casanova Love, 26, who said he is in the U.S. military. He was visiting his family in Louisiana and said he witnessed the event. Love added, "If the police had not stepped in, I fear what might have happened." E-mail to a friend .

R.E.M. song "Until the Day Is Done" debuts on CNN . Song also to be used in documentary "Planet in Peril" Song will be on R.E.M.'s upcoming album . Band releasing live CD/DVD next week .

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(CNN) -- Rock group R.E.M. debuted a song from its upcoming album Wednesday on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360°" program. R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe says the band was honored to be involved with the "Planet in Peril" project. The song "Until the Day Is Done" also will appear later this month in "Planet in Peril," a four-hour CNN documentary that looks at environmental crises around the world. "With 'Planet in Peril,' Anderson Cooper and his team have done an amazing job capturing global eco-devastation," said R.E.M singer Michael Stipe in a news release. "The images in the film are beautiful, while at the same time heartbreaking and frightening. We are honored to have our song included in this monumental project." This isn't the first time R.E.M. has worked with Cooper. The band premiered its video "Bad Day" on the show in 2002. "Planet in Peril" executive producer Charlie Moore said the group's longstanding commitment to environmental causes made them a natural choice for the project. Watch a trailer for "Planet in Peril" and hear "Until the Day Is Done" » . Moore said they contacted R.E.M. earlier this year to see if the group would be willing to write a song to go with the documentary, and the band happened to be in the studio working on their upcoming album. "We were able to hear some of the stuff they were doing and this particular song fits perfectly for the project," Moore said. He said the group, their management and their record label were eager to be involved. "It's sort of serendipitous that we were able to work something out with them," Moore said. "All the stars were lined up for this to happen, they were in the studio, they were working on a song that fit with the feeling that the pictures portray and they really match up very well. And we like their music, we like their work and are just thrilled that they wanted to be a part of it." "Planet in Peril" features CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "Animal Planet" host and wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin. The two-part documentary was filmed in 13 countries and focuses on the issues of climate change, deforestation, species loss and overpopulation. CNN will air "Planet in Peril" on October 23 and 24 at 9 p.m. ET. It also will be broadcast on CNN International. In a message on the R.E.M.'s Web site, the group said it had finished recording songs for the new album, which is scheduled to be released next year. The band also is releasing a live CD/DVD on Tuesday with 22-tracks recorded at a 2005 concert in Dublin, Ireland. E-mail to a friend .

Vick's September 13 drug test shows marijuana use . Pretrial release conditions tightened; must stay home from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Virginia grand jury indicts Vick and the three co-defendants on state charges . Vick already faces up to 18 months in prison after federal plea deal .

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SUSSEX, Virginia (CNN) -- Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick must adhere to tightened restrictions after he tested positive for marijuana use, a federal judge said Wednesday. Suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick tested positive for marijuana in a September 13 drug test. Vick tested positive for the drug on September 13, a court document from the Eastern District of Virginia shows. As a result, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson ordered Vick to "submit to any method of testing required by the pretrial services officer or the supervising officer for determining whether the defendant is using a prohibited substance." Those methods could include random drug testing, a remote alcohol testing system "and/or any form of prohibited substance screening or testing," the order said. Vick, 27, must participate in substance abuse therapy and mental health counseling "if deemed advisable by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer" at his own expense, the order said. Vick was also ordered to stay home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., "or as directed by the pretrial services officer or supervising officer," the order said. He is to be electronically monitored during that time. The conditions are to apply until Vick's sentencing, which is set for December 10. Read about the federal case against Vick » . "This is a very difficult time for Mr. Vick," said Billy Martin, Vick's lead defense counsel, in a written statement. "He will comply with the court's new conditions regarding release." Vick faces a possible prison term of 12 to 18 months after his August guilty plea to federal conspiracy charges related to dogfighting on his property in Surry County, Virginia. The original terms of the pretrial release, set in July by U.S. Magistrate Dennis W. Dohnal, required that Vick not use narcotic drugs or other controlled substances unless prescribed by a doctor. Vick's guilty plea in the federal case came after three associates -- Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Virginia -- admitted their roles in the operation and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. On Tuesday, a Virginia grand jury indicted Vick and the three co-defendants on state charges of running a dogfighting ring at the home. See a timeline of the case against Vick » . The Surry County grand jury brought two charges against Vick: one count of unlawfully torturing and killing dogs and one of promoting dogfights. Each is a felony charge that could result in a five-year prison term. Vick will be arraigned October 3 in state court in Virginia. Vick's attorneys say they are fighting the state charges on the grounds that he can't be convicted twice of the same crime. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Eric Fiegel contributed to this report.

U.N. agency appeals for medical resettlement of Palestinians in Iraq camps . About 2,000 Palestinians in camps along Iraq-Syria border . 30 to 40 refugees arrive at border camp each week, UNHCR says .

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(CNN) -- Three Palestinians, including two sick children, have died recently while waiting for resettlement from Iraq, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday. UNHCR goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie visits the Al Waleed refugee camp in August. About 2,000 Palestinian refugees are stranded in camps along the Syrian border and face difficult living conditions, including limited medical care, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. The agency has appealed for the resettlement of "vulnerable and sick" children in Al Waleed refugee camp at the Iraqi-Syrian border. One of those who died in the camp was a 3-year-old Palestinian boy who was suffering from rickets and pneumonia. He died a few days ago in a Ramadi hospital and then was buried in Al Waleed. The other was a 14-year-old suffering from Hodgkin's disease who died in Baghdad last week. A 50-year-old man who was waiting to be resettled died earlier this month in Al Waleed. The agency says seven people, including three children, have died at the camp since refugees fleeing attackers began arriving at the border in March 2006. About 30 to 40 people arrive at the Al Waleed camp each week, the UNHCR reports. The agency has been pursuing medical resettlement. "UNHCR has helped resettle one family of eight with several sick children from this camp to Norway last August. Another 11 medical cases submitted for resettlement are awaiting approval," the agency said, which is working to identify other medical cases. And it is urging the resettlement of the entire group. "UNHCR has sought solutions for the whole group since last year and has only received positive indications from Sudan and Chile," the agency said. Thousands of Palestinians have lived in Iraq, with some going there when Israel was formed and others born there. The UNHCR notes that some got "preferential treatment" under the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But they have been the targets of violence since he was toppled. E-mail to a friend .

Balloonist Michio Kanda missing on flight from Japan to U.S. U.S. Coast Guard searching area around his last known position . Kanda holds the world record for the longest-duration balloon flight .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Coast Guard planes and ships were searching Friday for a Japanese balloonist who disappeared off the Alaska coast while flying from Japan to the west coast United States. Missing Japanese balloonist Michio Kanda (R) with Naoki Ishikawa. Friends of balloonist Michio Kanda, who was on a solo flight, last heard from him via satellite phone at 9 a.m. Alaska time (6 p.m. GMT) Thursday, said USCG Petty Officer Levi Read. When he missed three subsequent scheduled calls over the next six hours, they called the Coast Guard, Read said. Read said two Coast Guard C130 Hercules planes conducted searches Thursday 435 miles south of Adak, Alaska, the balloonist's last known position. The searches continued Friday and are ongoing, Read said. Two Coast Guard cutters are also headed for the area, but both are at least a day away, he said. Read said the balloonist, who was heading for Portland, Oregon, is equipped with provisions and a survival suit. Kanda holds the world record for the longest-duration balloon flight, with a time of 50 hours and 38 minutes, according to the World Air Sports Federation. In that January 1997 flight, he and Hirosuke Takezawa flew from the Canadian provionce of Alberta to the U.S. state of Montana, according to the federation. E-mail to a friend .

Mother seeks to have womb of severely disabled daughter, 15, removed . Briton wants to prevent cerebral palsy sufferer feeling pain of menstruation . UK doctors seek legal advice to see if they can perform hysterectomy . Charity for disabled says move could infringe human rights .

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LONDON, England -- A mother is seeking to have the womb of her severely disabled daughter removed to prevent the 15-year-old from feeling the pain and discomfort of menstruation. Doctors in Britain are now taking legal advice to see if they are permitted to carry out the hysterectomy on Katie Thorpe, who suffers from cerebral palsy. But a charity campaigning for the disabled said on Monday the move could infringe human rights and would set a "disturbing precedent." Andy Rickell, executive director of disability charity Scope, told the Press Association: "It is very difficult to see how this kind of invasive surgery, which is not medically necessary and which will be very painful and traumatic, can be in Katie's best interests. "This case raises fundamental ethical issues about the way our society treats disabled people and the respect we have for disabled people's human and reproductive rights. Watch why the surgery is so controversial » . "If this enforced sterilization is approved, it will have disturbing implications for young disabled girls across Britain." Katie's mother Alison Thorpe, who lives in Billericay, southern England, said the operation was in her daughter's best interests. "First of all, this is not about me. If it was about me, I would have given up caring for Katie a long, long while ago," she told GMTV. "It is about quality of life and for Katie to not have the associated problems of menstruation adds to her quality of life. It means she can continue with the quality of life we can give her now. "Katie wouldn't understand menstruation at all. She has no comprehension about what will be happening to her body. All she would feel is the discomfort, the stomach cramps and the headaches, the mood swings, the tears, and wonder what is going on." Thorpe said an operation would be best for Katie, despite the initial pain it would cause. She added: "The short-term pain and discomfort we can manage with painkillers. We will be able to manage that pain much better than menstruation once a month, when Katie cannot tell us 'I'm in pain.'" E-mail to a friend .

China braces for rush of weddings on opening day of Olympics . Opening day of Beijing Olympics is August 8, 2008 . The number "8" is considered by many Chinese to carry good fortune .

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(CNN) -- The Chinese government is bracing itself for a rush of people wishing to marry when the summer Olympics kick off on August 8 -- because the number carries a special significance in Chinese culture, the state news agency said Sunday. A traditional Ming-style wedding is held in Nanjing, China, last December. The number "eight" (ba) is considered auspicious by many in China because it sounds like the word for "wealth" and "fortune," the news agency Xinhua said. "We've long been prepared for a stampede of newly-wed couples this year," Guo Xusheng, spokesman with the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, told Xinhua. Every year, many couples choose the 8th of August -- the eighth month of the year -- hoping "eighth of the eighth" luck will rub off on them, the news agency said. Nearly 3,400 couples got hitched on the day last year, some waiting all night outside the marriage registration office in Beijing. This year, the civil affairs bureau is accepting online reservations for marriage registrations for the day. The significance that numbers carry in Chinese culture often dictate various aspects of the people's lives there. And of all the numbers, eight is considered one of the luckiest. Beijing, itself, opted to kick off the Olympic Games at 8 p.m. on 8/8/08. E-mail to a friend .

Nihat Kahveci put Turkey into Euro 2008 with 1-0 win over Bosnia/Herzegovina . Nihat struck at the end of a first half as Turkey joined holders Greece in finals . Portugal joined Poland in qualifying from Group A with 0-0 draw with Finland .

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LONDON, England -- Nihat Kahveci sent Turkey into the Euro 2008 finals behind defending champions and Group C winners Greece with the only goal in a narrow 1-0 victory over battling Bosnia-Herzegovina. Goalscorer Nihat gets a kiss from team-mate Altintop after Turkey sealed their place with a 1-0 win over Bosnia. The result ended Norway's hopes of snatching qualification despite their 4-1 victory away to Malta with Steffen Iversen scoring a first half hat-trick. Nihat struck at the end of a first half that Fatih Terim's Turkey dominated, yet the hosts were unable to build on that lead and had to endure some tense moments. Just a point had separated the third-placed Scandinavians from Terim's men -- and Turkey needed to win to progress. Nihat led the charge forcing early saves from goalkeeper Adnan Guso and finally making the breakthrough two minutes before half-time. Hamit Altintop found space down the left and crossed for the Villarreal forward who finished from 12 meters. Iversen broke the deadlock in Malta after 25 minutes and fired a second from the penalty spot three minutes later -- completing his treble on the stroke of half-time. Michael Mifsud hit back for Malta after the re-start, but Andre Schembri was red-carded after 67-minutes before Morten Gamst Pedersen's strike wrapped it up all to no avail. Portugal went through from Group A after a goalless home draw against qualification rivals Finland while group winners Poland completed their program with a 2-2 draw away to Serbia E-mail to a friend .

"I love ORU with all my heart," Richard Roberts writes in his resignation letter . Three professors allege they were fired for revealing misspending . Roberts and wife deny spending university funds improperly . Roberts announced last month he was stepping aside temporarily as president .

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(CNN) -- Richard Roberts, the embattled president of Oral Roberts University and the son of its namesake evangelist founder, stepped down Friday, according to the school's Board of Regents. Richard Roberts and wife Lindsay appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" in October. "I love ORU with all my heart. I love the students, faculty, staff and administration, and I want to see God's best for them," Roberts wrote in his resignation letter. Roberts' decision was effective immediately and came as the school fought a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by three professors who accused him and his wife of misconduct. John Swails, Tim Brooker and Paulita Brooker said they lost their jobs after reporting information indicating that Roberts and his family lavishly spent school money for personal expenses. Roberts and his wife, Lindsay, have denied the allegations. The suit also claimed Oral Roberts University gave a "convicted sexual deviant unrestricted access to students" and evidence in the case had been shredded -- charges the university has denied. In addition, the suit alleged Lindsay Roberts repeatedly spent time with an "underage male" in various situations. She denied any improper behavior, insisting in a statement that she had "never, ever engaged in any sexual behavior with any man outside of my marriage." The Board of Regents, which voted to hire an auditor to look into the claims, will meet early next week to discuss a search process for a new president, according to Friday's statement from Chairman George Pearsons. Roberts announced last month he would step aside temporarily as president, saying he and his family had suffered "heavy damage." The controversy has drawn international attention to the private Christian university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. E-mail to a friend .

Police say 20 suspected of involvement in the recruiting suicide bombers held . Arrests were in Italy and across other European countries, police say . Those held are accused of recruiting bombers to go to Iraq and Afghanistan . 11 people were held in Italy and nine others across Europe .

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ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Police made a string of arrests across Europe Tuesday, detaining 20 people suspected of involvement in the recruitment of suicide bombers, Italian police said. Eleven of the arrests were in Italy, in the northern cities of Milan, Reggio Emilia, Bergamo, and San Remo, said. Lt. Col. Sandro Sandulli, the head of the Carabinieri special forces. One was already in custody, so authorities served him with a new arrest warrant which included new charges against him, Sandulli said. Three arrests were in Britain, one in France, and one in Portugal, Sandulli said. The remaining arrests happened in European countries but Sandulli did not specify which ones. Those arrested are suspected of forming Salafi Jihad terrorist cells which were recruiting suicide bombers and sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan, said Col. Mario Parente, deputy commander of the Carabinieri special forces unit. Parente said that during the arrests, police found al Qaeda manuals for the production of explosives, detonation devices, and various poisons. He said the manuals also included details of guerrilla-style war operations. Salafi is an extreme school of Islamic thought which developed in Egypt and began to have prominence with militant groups there in the late 1960s and has since been adopted by terrorist groups in North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, said Sajjan Gohel, director of international security at the Asia Pacific Foundation in London. "It's become the ideology of choice for transnational terrorism, including al Qaeda," Gohel said. "It's emerging as a very dangerous ideology." The Madrid train bombers and various terrorist cells in Italy were part of the Salafi school of thought, he added. Italian police said Tuesday's arrests were the result of an investigation, started in 2003, into some Salafi cells which were organized by Tunisians and Algerians. The main suspect in the operation is a Tunisian who was arrested in 2002 during a separate antiterrorism operation, police said. The main terrorist cell was based in the northern Italian region of Lombardy and involved what investigators called a "long-term" jihadist program which provided military and ideological training. Another cell, based in Reggio Emilia, had the goal of creating a grand Islamic "empire" stretching from Morocco to China, police said. Parente said those arrested are also accused of producing false documents, facilitating illegal immigration, and covering up other individuals wanted for terrorism-related crimes. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Flavia Taggiasco in Rome contributed to this report .

NEW: The 17-year-old suspect allegedly fired the fatal shot . NEW: Eric Rivera Jr. will be moved to a Miami-Dade facility Wednesday, attorney says . Three adult suspects in Sean Taylor slaying on suicide watch . Taylor died after being shot in home invasion last week .

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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A grand jury Tuesday indicted four suspects on charges of first degree felony murder and armed burglary in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor. A grand jury identified Eric Rivera Jr. as the shooter in the death of NFL star Sean Taylor. Court documents say the youngest is alleged to have fired the fatal shot. The three adult suspects -- Venjah K. Hunte, 20, Jason Scott Mitchell, 19, and Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18 -- appeared in court Tuesday via videoconference wearing thick green vests, which defense attorneys said were suicide safety smocks. They were ordered held without bail at the Pre-Trial Detention Center in Miami, Florida, where Corrections Officer Janelle Hall said they are under suicide watch. The fourth suspect -- Eric Rivera Jr., 17 -- remained in custody in Fort Myers, Florida. His attorney, Wilbur Smith, told CNN he expected his client to be moved to a Miami-Dade juvenile detention facility Wednesday. Watch CNN's Rick Sanchez speak to attorneys for two of the suspects » . Rivera was armed during the alleged burglary, and "during the course of the commission of the offense ... discharged a firearm and as a result of the discharge, death or great bodily harm was inflicted upon Sean Maurice Taylor, a human being," the indictment says. The four men were arrested Friday, officials said. Taylor, 24, died a day after he was shot during an apparent burglary at his home. Miami-Dade police investigators said they believe the burglars thought the house was empty. Thousands of mourners attended Taylor's funeral Monday at Florida International University's arena. See photos from the funeral » . Police said Taylor and his girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened by noise coming from the living room early November 26. Taylor got up and locked the bedroom door, but the door was kicked in and two shots were fired, police said. One struck Taylor in the leg. Garcia and the couple's 18-month-old daughter were not hurt. Authorities have said Garcia told police she was hiding under the bedding during the attack, did not see what happened and could not provide a suspect description. A break-in had been reported at Taylor's residence eight days earlier. A police report from that incident said someone forced a window open and left a kitchen knife on a bed. Several drawers and a bedroom safe were searched during the break-in, according to the report. Taylor spent four years with the Redskins, earning his first Pro Bowl selection in 2006. He suffered a sprained right knee in a November 11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and had not played since. The 2004 first-round draft pick played at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American in 2003. He was regarded as one of the hardest-hitting players in the NFL. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Kim Segal and John Couwels contributed to this report.

Former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel loses by a few hundred votes . Candidates will replace legislator Pierre Gemayel and lawmaker Walid Eido . Both were allies of U.S.-backed Lebanese government and opponents of Syria .

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BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Supporters and opponents of Lebanon's pro-Western government appeared to split seats on Sunday as Lebanese voters went to the polls to replace two ruling-party lawmakers assassinated in recent months. Lebanese women wait in line to cast their votes in Beirut. Voters in Beirut sent pro-government candidate Mohammed al-Amin Itani to parliament to replace Walid Eido, who was killed in a June bombing. Both Eido, a Sunni Muslim, and Itani are members of the bloc led by Saad Hariri -- the son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, whose 2005 killing triggered Lebanon's current wave of political upheaval. But in Metn, a Maronite Christian suburb east of the capital, anti-government candidate Camille Khouri upset former President Amin Gemayel by a few hundred votes, Lebanese television network LBC reported. Khouri is a member of the Free Patriotic Movement, the anti-government party led by former Lebanese Army Gen. Michel Aoun. Aoun has said he will run for president of Lebanon -- and since the post is chosen by members of parliament, Sunday's results were closely watched. Gemayel was seeking the seat held by his son Pierre, who served as industry minister in the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora before being gunned down in his car in November 2006. He served as president from 1982 to 1988, during the civil war in Lebanon. His brother, Bashir Gemayel, was elected president in 1982 but was assassinated before he could take office. Eido and Gemayel were among several Lebanese political figures killed since the February 2005 killing of the elder Hariri. All were critical of Syria's influence in Lebanon, and their supporters blamed Damascus for their deaths -- allegations the Syrians and their allies in Lebanon denied. Hariri's killing triggered a wave of protests against Syria known as the "Cedar Revolution," which brought Siniora's government to power and forced Syria to withdraw the garrison it kept in Lebanon for three decades. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Nada Husseini contributed to this report.

Justice Department must decide whether to pursue investigation . Former agent John Kiriakou talked about interrogation technique on TV . Kiriakou attorney says probe could cause CIA more problems . Administration summoned for court hearing on destroyed tapes .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The CIA asked the Justice Department to investigate whether former operative John Kiriakou illegally disclosed classified information when he talked about the waterboarding of a terrorism suspect, government officials say. Ex-CIA agent John Kiriakou says he underwent waterboarding in training and cracked in a few seconds. Kiriakou spoke last week with several news organizations, including CNN, after the CIA disclosed that videotapes of certain interrogations were destroyed in 2005. That revelation has prompted new calls for investigations on Capitol Hill. The Bush administration appeared in U.S. District Court on Friday to answer a judge's questions about the tapes' destruction. Speaking to CNN last week, Kiriakou said that U.S. interrogators drew valuable information from al Qaeda captive Abu Zubayda by "waterboarding" him. But Kiriakou said the procedure amounts to torture and should be stopped. Waterboarding involves pouring a stream of water onto the cellophane-covered face of a suspect to induce the sensation of drowning, Kiriakou said. Watch how a suspect is waterboarded » . Kiriakou told CNN he was unaware that CIA interrogations were being taped, but that the tapes should have been kept "as a matter of historical record." Kiriakou's attorney Mark Zaid told CNN that the referral of the case to the Justice Department is standard procedure. "A criminal referral from the CIA would be both expected and normal under the circumstances," Zaid said in a written statement. "It is a routine act that the CIA undertakes even when they know no violation has occurred." Zaid added that the question is whether the Justice Department will proceed, and that such a decision "must be measured carefully." "Doing so will unlock a Pandora's box that will place a spotlight on the information in question as to the lawfulness of the alleged conduct and the activities of those involved." he said. "There would also exist a challenge regarding whether Mr. Kiriakou was being targeted for exercising his First Amendment rights." CIA officers who leave the agency are required to sign documents promising never to divulge classified information. Written comments are cleared by an agency review board before publication, and unscripted oral comments -- such as television interviews -- are referred to the Justice Department after the fact. About one case a week is referred to the Justice Department, and an investigation could take months to complete, a source in the intelligence community said. For private citizens found to be in violation of the secrecy standard, penalties can range from loss of security clearances to criminal prosecution leading to jail time. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said the department has no comment on the Kiriakou matter, and routinely refuses comment on whether another agency has referred a case. Kiriakou said he was not present when other agents used the waterboarding technique on Abu Zubayda, but that he was told the al Qaeda suspect lasted 30 or 35 seconds. Kiriakou said he himself was subjected to the treatment during his training, and lasted about five seconds before having to stop. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Kelli Arena contributed to this report.

Four-week-old polar bear separated from mother amid fears she would eat it . Nuremberg City Zoo's other polar bear ate its own two offspring earlier this week . Mother was showing signs of being upset and confused, zookeepers said .

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(CNN) -- German zookeepers in Nuremberg will bottle-feed a four-week-old polar bear and rear it away from its mother after concerns the mother would eat her cub, officials said Thursday. Zookeepers fear the unnamed polar bear cub could be at risk of being eaten. The cub, which doesn't yet have a name, was being cared for at Nuremberg City Zoo, where it was resting under heat lamps and is drinking formula. "It's gaining weight, it's very hungry, it drinks a lot of milk," said Alexandra Foghammar, a spokeswoman for the city. The zoo announced Thursday that the cub is female. Wednesday, the zoo said keepers decided to take the cub away from its mother, Vera, because the mother was showing signs of being upset and confused, taking her baby in and out of the animals' enclosure. "We were 100 percent sure that the baby was going to die if we didn't take it away from her," Nuremberg zoo director Dag Encke told Time magazine. "This would have been a death verdict for the cub." The zoo confirmed earlier this week that its other female polar bear, Vilma, had eaten her two offspring. The zoo said it feared Vera would do the same, so it took her cub away as a precaution. Since then, the cub is thriving in the care of humans, but Vera seems to miss her cub, Foghammar said. Watch how zoo has faced criticism over polar bears. » . "The mother is a little bit nervous," she said. "She walks around and is searching for the baby, but the responsible persons for the zoo say this is normal. It will continue for three or four days. It's a normal situation." The zookeepers are pondering whether to bring another adult bear, possibly the cub's father, Felix, to the zoo to help Vera overcome her loss, and are seeking another small bear to serve as a companion for the rescued cub, Time reported. The zoo said a keeper entered Vilma's enclosure Monday and noticed that her two cubs were nowhere to be found. The zoo said it assumes Vilma ate her young because she believed the cubs were sick, though zookeepers say the cubs were last seen on Sunday and appeared in good health. But Foghammar told Time that the separation of the bears was bad for the "principle of wildlife conservation" at the zoo: "Now the cub will not grow up to act in a natural way, just as the mother lacked the experience to bring up a cub." The plight of the cub follows the case last year of Knut, a cub rejected by its mother at Berlin Zoo who became the focus of a media frenzy after animal rights campaigners called for it to be killed, claiming it had become too dependent on humans. E-mail to a friend .

Glasgow derby between Celtic and Rangers on Wednesday is postponed . Decision made as a mark of respect after death of ex-player Phil O'Donnell . Motherwell's home game against Celtic next Sunday was already called off .

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GLASGOW, Scotland -- Wednesday's Glasgow derby between Celtic and Rangers has been postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, the Scottish Premier League announced. O'Donnell, left, celebrates Motherwell's Scottish Cup final win against Dundee in May 1991. "These are never easy decisions. But we recognise that as a former player, Phil was part of Celtic's extended football family," said SPL secretary Iain Blair. "After consultation with Rangers we agreed to postpone the Old Firm fixture on the second of January." Motherwell's game against Hibernian on the same day was called off on Saturday night in the hours after O'Donnell, 35, died following his on-field collapse. Gretna's match against St Mirren was also postponed as it was scheduled to take place at Fir Park which has become a shrine to the memory of O'Donnell, but the SPL confirmed that the other three fixtures scheduled for Wednesday will go ahead. Celtic skipper Stephen McManus spoke out in favor of the postponement after he and his team-mates met on Monday morning for the first time since O'Donnell's death. "A number of our squad have very close connections to Phil's family and feel it would be inappropriate to proceed with this match at such a time, following such a tragic event," he said. Rangers manager Walter Smith agreed that the game should not be played. "You cannot think of playing at a time like this," he said. "Obviously it is a very difficult time for everybody, especially Phil O'Donnell's family." Motherwell's home game against Celtic next Sunday had already been postponed by the SPL. E-mail to a friend .

Indian judges bus mobile courts to rural villages to ease backlog . Judges say the mobile courts make justice more convenient . India has an estimated 300 million unresolved court cases .

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HARYANA, India (CNN) -- In a nation of more than a billion people and millions of unresolved court cases, how do you take care of the backlog? Long distances over questionable roads stop many Indians from making it into courtrooms. Solution: You take the courts to the people. A bell rings. A bailiff yells out the name of the accused. It's another day in the mobile courtroom of Judge Sandeep Singh. His courtroom is a desk plopped down in the middle of a dusty schoolyard in the northern Indian village of Haryana. "It works like any other regular court," Singh said. "The only difference is that instead of people going to the court, the court comes to the village." The mobile court is bused into rural areas to hear both criminal and civil complaints as part of an effort to dig the nation's court system out from under an enormous backlog of cases. With an estimated 300 million unresolved cases languishing in Indian courts, one consultant believes, it could take more than 300 years to clear the docket at the current pace. There's one main reason for the backlog: inconvenience. People often have to travel long distances over questionable roads, using slow modes of transportation. "The witnesses -- definitely, they don't show up -- and even the parties -- they don't show up -- and they send their advocate," Singh said. "But here, people are closer by, so definitely it makes a difference." With distance no longer a problem, more villagers and their attorneys are coming to hearings. Compared to the traditional legal system, the mobile court claims to be both fast and efficient. Singh said he has been able to clear 1,100 cases in just six months time compared to 500 under the traditional court system. E-mail to a friend .

Fran Townsend says she'll look for opportunities in the private sector . Townsend has worked in government and law enforcement for 25 years . Townsend will be on a panel searching for a replacement .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's top adviser on homeland security is stepping down after 4½ years on the job, the White House said Monday. Fran Townsend served more than four years as homeland security adviser. Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend turned in her letter of resignation to President Bush on November 6 and will be looking for new opportunities outside government. "I'm going to just take another job doing 20-hour days, but this time in the private sector," said Townsend, who has spent 25 years working in law enforcement and government. Bush praised Townsend's work Monday. "Fran has always provided wise counsel on how to best protect the American people from the threat of terrorism," Bush said in a statement. "We are safer today because of her leadership." Townsend's job, as the president's top adviser on fighting terrorism, involved identifying terrorist groups around the globe and assessing their threat, and finding ways to track and cut off their funding. She said that experience should will be useful in the private sector as well. Townsend -- the mother of two, ages 6 and 12 -- said she first will look into public speaking, writing and board work before pursuing opportunities in global risk management for a large multinational corporation or financial institution. Watch how Townsend is planning to use her skills » . She said she's been talking with the president about her planned departure for eight months. Townsend's name had come up during the president's recent search for a new attorney general, but she was not considered. She said not getting the job "had absolutely nothing to do with her decision to leave." She said Bush had wanted her to stay on in his administration. "It was a hard decision as I have loved and will cherish my every minute of service," she said in an e-mail. "My family actually advocated that I remain and has always been supportive of my service so this was entirely my decision." Townsend is part of the search committee to find a replacement by the beginning of next year. The president appoints the senior staff position, and it needs no Senate confirmation. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Suzanne Malveaux contributed to this report.

Attorney: Clients allege terrorism, war crimes, wrongful death, seek $7.86 billion . Plaintiffs want $20 million in damages for each of 393 victims named in suit . Chiquita admits paying a group that the U.S. labeled a terrorist organization . Company "categorically denies" attorneys' allegations, says it will fight them .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Chiquita Brands International faces a $7.86 billion lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of nearly 400 Colombian families who say the company should be held responsible for the "torture and murder" of their loved ones. With a map of alleged victims, Jonathan Reiter makes his case Wednesday at a New York news conference. Attorney Jonathan Reiter said his clients are seeking "damages for terrorism, war crimes ... and wrongful death." The plaintiffs are asking for $10 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages for each of the 393 victims named in the suit. Earlier this year, Chiquita, as part of a plea agreement, admitted that what it called protection payments had been given to Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC. AUC was named a terrorist organization by the United States in 2002, making it a crime to give them money. The lawsuit alleges Chiquita's interaction with the paramilitary group went further than the payments -- it accuses the company of facilitating shipments of arms to the group. "They conspired with the AUC, aided and abetted them in a far-reaching conspiracy and plan to control every aspect of banana growing, distribution and sale," Reiter said. The attorney said one couple refused to sell their banana farm "for pennies" and were killed by AUC in 2001, and other murder victims had been directed to "sell their bananas only to Chiquita." The families filing the suit will remain anonymous because of fear of reprisals in their home country, he said. "The principle upon which this lawsuit is brought is that when you put money into the hands of terrorists, when you put guns into the hands of terrorists, then you are legally responsible for the atrocities, the murders and the tortures that those terrorists commit," Reiter said. Responding to the allegations Wednesday afternoon, the company said, "Chiquita Brands International categorically denies the allegations made by these attorneys. We reiterate that Chiquita and its employees were victims and that the actions taken by the company were always motivated to protect the lives of our employees and their families." Chiquita's director of communications, Michael Mitchell, went on to say, "Our company had been forced to make protection payments to safeguard our workforce. It is absolutely untrue for anyone to suggest that these payments were made for any other purpose." Mitchell said the company will fight the allegations. "Chiquita has already been the victim of extortion in Colombia. We will not allow ourselves to become extortion victims in the United States." In the March plea agreement, Chiquita Brands International agreed to pay a $25 million fine for the payments made by the company's former banana-producing subsidiary in Colombia. During a government investigation, the company admitted to making payments to AUC even after outside counsel told the company those payments were illegal and should stop immediately. E-mail to a friend .

Topps Meat Co. hamburger patties may contain E. coli bacteria . New Jersey plant's grinding operation shut down . As many as 25 cases of illness recorded in eight states .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Topps Meat Co. on Saturday expanded a recall of ground beef from about 300,000 pounds to 21.7 million pounds, one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history. The recalled products are all ground beef patties with various brand names. In a statement, the Elizabeth, New Jersey, company said the hamburger patties may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium that can cause severe diarrhea and cramps, as well as other complications. A statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said 25 illnesses are under investigation in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The ground beef products being recalled have a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between September 25, 2007, and September 25, 2008, Topps' statement said. Watch the latest on the beef recall » . The packages also have the marking "Est. 9748" inside the USDA mark of inspection. Tuesday, the company announced a recall of about 331,000 pounds of hamburger meat, according to the USDA. "Because the health and safety of our consumers is our top priority, we are taking these expansive measures," said Vice President of Operations Geoffrey Livermore in the statement. "Topps is continuing to work with the USDA, state departments of health, retailers and distributors to ensure the safety of our consumers. Additionally, we have augmented our internal quality control procedures with microbiologists and food safety experts. We sincerely regret any inconvenience and concerns this may cause our consumers," Livermore said. This is the company's first recall in its 65 years of business, the statement said. Consumers who find the products at home are asked to cut off the UPC code and return it to Topps for a full refund, then dispose of the product immediately, Topps spokeswoman Michelle Williams said. The company said to avoid E. coli, consumers should wash hands thoroughly after handling the beef. Topps set up a toll-free recall help line at (888) 734-0451. Williams said because the products may have been produced up to a year ago, many of them have already been safely consumed. Production in the ground beef area of the company's plant in Elizabeth has been shut down until all the investigations are complete, Williams said in a phone interview. "We're working with the USDA and the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and conducting our own investigation," she added. The products, all ground beef patties and hamburgers with various brand names, were distributed mainly in the northeastern United States, but went to retailers in many other areas of the country as well, Williams said. While the sheer size of the recall is large, two other companies have been involved in larger recalls. In 2002, Pilgrim's Pride recalled more than 27 million pounds of poultry, and Hudson Foods recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef in 1997. E-mail to a friend .

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

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

Of 100,000 items, library systems are able to locate about 20,000 . Inspector general: This does not mean the remaining items are missing . Inspector general: Items may "be safely located within the library's storage" Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation expresses "serious concerns"

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Up to 80,000 items at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library are unaccounted for, probably because of haphazard record-keeping and inventory procedures, officials said Thursday. An audit found "significant breakdown in internal controls" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. An audit completed last month by the National Archives and Records Administration's inspector general looked at the management of presidential artifacts at six presidential libraries. It "cites particular issues at the Ronald Reagan Library. ... We acknowledge that problems exist in inventory control at the Reagan library," said a statement from Allen Weinstein, national archivist. Inspector General Paul Brachfield was more blunt. A "significant breakdown in internal controls" was found at the Reagan library, in Simi Valley, California, he said in a statement Thursday. The audit results prompted the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation to urge the National Archives -- which is responsible for maintaining the artifacts -- to move quickly to fix the problems. The chairman of the board of trustees has contacted Weinstein "to express the serious concerns and disappointment on behalf of the Reagan Foundation and Mrs. Reagan," the foundation said. Library officials told auditors that "the collection contained approximately 100,000 items, yet the library systems only had information to locate and account for approximately 20,000 items," Brachfield said. "This does not automatically mean the approximately 80,000 remaining items are missing. The vast majority may very well be safely located within the library's storage facilities. ... Some of these items may be missing or stolen, or none of these items may be missing or stolen." Control deficiencies at the library created an environment that could potentially have been exploited, Brachfield said. Although Congress has a copy of the audit, it has not yet been made public because of the ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of the items. The count of 100,000 was an estimate taken from the original Reagan White House Gift Unit database, Weinstein said Thursday, but was never meant to be used as a concrete inventory control number. The Reagan library has already begun implementing recommendations from the audit, he said. It has upgraded its management inventory software, is hiring additional trained museum staff, has begun a comprehensive inventory and is addressing storage issues by reshelving artifacts and taking steps to protect artifacts in case of an earthquake. "Like all of the presidential libraries, the Reagan library stores their gifts in a locked vault, which is protected by a security camera," Weinstein said. The audit examined management of artifacts at the Reagan library; the Franklin D. Roosevelt library; the John F. Kennedy library; the Gerald R. Ford library; the George Bush library; and the William J. Clinton library, Weinstein said. "Early collections of artifacts came to presidential libraries with few controls and incomplete information relating to the collections," he said. E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Fires at Camp Pendleton cause evacuation of 3,000 marines . Military lending direct and indirect assistance to firefighting efforts . As firefighting efforts go on, base officials poised to evacuate . Navy and Marine Corps have more than 20 facilities in San Diego area .

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(CNN) -- Dozens of Defense Department personnel are actively engaged in fighting the wildfires raging in Southern California, Pentagon officials said Tuesday, and thousands more National Guard and active-duty military personnel are available to help. The Rice fire, east of Camp Pendleton, caused the evacuation of the Fallbrook community. Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, said that 12 Defense Department firefighting teams, with 12 engines, are already working the blazes and more than 17,000 National Guardsmen are potentially available if needed. In addition, he said, 550 Marines from Camp Pendleton are preparing to deploy to the fire area. "All of the aid that we provide is the result of a request ... from the state," McHale said. "However, we have been very proactive in independently preparing those capabilities for the possibility of such requests, and we have reached out early to state officials." California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has already called up 1,500 National Guard troops, including more than 200 taken from border duty to help with supplies and security at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium and DelMar Fairgrounds and Racetrack, where thousands of evacuated residents are taking shelter. Schwarzenegger also requested and received from the federal government six "modular airborne fire fighting systems" units -- which are C-130s that drop water and fire suppressant on the blazes. Watch California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talk about the crisis » . The Pentagon provided 11 helicopters equipped with water buckets to fight the fires, McHale said. Aerial attacks on the fires, however, have been minimal because of high Santa Ana winds with gusts approaching 70 mph. In an effort to make room for more civilians who have had to evacuate their homes, sailors stationed in Southern California are abandoning their barracks. "Orders have been given to all sailors ashore in barracks to move to shipboard billeting to provide room for evacuees," said a Tuesday statement released by the U.S. military. Only essential personnel are requested to report to duty at Naval Base San Diego, Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, and Naval Air Station in El Centro. Those bases have also set up cots and tents for evacuees. Also, the Navy has offered an Aegis cruiser, a guided missile destroyer, and two fast frigates to support evacuation efforts. Meanwhile, the Pentagon designated March Air Reserve Base as the primary staging area for medical and relief supplies coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, McHale said. And some 100 California National Guard medical personnel are helping alleviate "critical staffing shortfalls" at the San Diego Veterans Center, whose hospital staff are under voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders. The fires are also having a direct effect on military personnel -- McHale said 1,400 Navy personnel and their families have been forced to evacuate, and Camp Pendleton ordered 3,000 Marines to evacuate because of the fire, the Pentagon announced Tuesday evening. In all, the military has about Video 20 facilities around the San Diego area. E-mail to a friend .

French and Australian leaders arrive in Afghanistan . Both leaders expected to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai . Both will visit with their respective country's troops .

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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Australia's new prime minister assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Saturday that his country's troops intend to be in Afghanistan "for the long haul." French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, shakes hands with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Kevin Rudd and French President Nicolas Sarkozy flew into the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Saturday to meet with Karzai and visit their respective country's troops participating in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. In a morning meeting, Sarkozy "assured President Karzai of his government's long term political and military support with the people of Afghanistan," according to a statement from the Afghan president's office. Rudd, who was elected in a landslide victory Nov. 24, appeared with Karzai at a news conference, where he repeatedly said that the Australian commitment to Afghanistan is strong. "We will be, as I said before, in this country, Afghanistan, for the long haul. It's important for us to be here in partnership with NATO countries," Rudd said. "On the question of the broader security policy challenges faced within Afghanistan, of course they are significant, they are real. But we are confident that in partnership with our friends in the Afghan government and with our other allies, particularly in NATO, that we can continue to achieve real progress in the long-term security of this country," he added. Australia's new defense minister, however, warned U.S. and NATO allies recently that they risk losing the war in Afghanistan without a sharp shift in military and reconstruction efforts there. Joel Fitzgibbon, who took office with Rudd allies during a conference in Scotland earlier this month, said that more work needs to be done to win the "hearts and minds" of the people of Afghanistan in the 6-year-old war against the country's former Taliban rulers and their al Qaeda allies. Karzai wished those at the news conference a merry Christmas, then thanked Australia, France and other countries for their help and support. More than 1,900 French troops are in Afghanistan, serving both the ISAF and the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom. Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the war in Afghanistan, with nearly 1,000 troops stationed mostly in the southern province of Oruzgan. Sarkozy, elected to lead France last May, told the U.S. Congress during a visit last month that France would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the United States on the war in Afghanistan. "Let me tell you solemnly today: France will remain engaged in Afghanistan as long as it takes, because what's at stake in that country is the future of our values and that of the Atlantic Alliance," he said. Rudd made a surprise visit Friday to Iraq, where he promised continued Australian aid, despite a decision to withdraw all 550 Australian troops in Iraq by mid-2008 -- an effort his predecessor, John Howard, staunchly opposed. Rudd had said he would start a phased withdrawal of Australian forces from Iraq if his Labor Party won the vote. E-mail to a friend . Journalist Farhad Peikar in Kabul contributed to this report.

Pope says football can teach values of "honesty, solidarity and fraternity" Sport should be used as a vehicle of education for young people, he says . Vatican has endorsed lower league club Ancona's adoption of ethical code . German-born pope is reputed to be a Bayern Munich fan .

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(CNN) -- Football should be used to teach young people moral lessons, Pope Benedict XVI said during an audience with representatives from the Italian football league and lower division clubs. Pope Benedict XVI is presented with a football by Ancona club officials. Italian football has been tarnished in recent seasons by corruption, match-fixing scandals and crowd trouble, but the pope insisted the sport celebrated positive virtues as well. "The sport of football can be a vehicle of education for the values of honesty, solidarity and fraternity, especially for the younger generation," the pope said, according to Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper. The comments are not the first foray by the Bavarian-born pope -- reputedly a Bayern Munich supporter -- into Italian football. In October, he was presented with a No. 16 shirt by officials of the lower league club Ancona after the Vatican endorsed its campaign to turn itself into a "beacon of morality" by adopting an "innovative, ethical model of practising football," Reuters reported. The code committed Ancona to promoting fair play in a family atmosphere. The club is currently second in Serie C1/B, Italian football's third tier league. "Football should increasingly become a tool for the teaching of life's ethical and spiritual values," the pope said. Pope Benedict XVI's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was also a keen football fan, reportedly playing in goal during his youth in Poland. All Italian football matches were cancelled on the weekend following his death in 2005. E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Bridge reopens Friday morning after highway engineers give OK . Four killed in chain reaction crash that started when two tractor-trailers collided . Three killed in pickup truck that fell off bridge; 4th victim in car that hit one 18-wheeler . Crash happened on bridge linking Pharr, Texas, and Reynosa, Mexico .

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(CNN) -- Two tractor-trailer trucks crashed and burst into flames Thursday on a bridge between the United States and Mexico, shutting a key border crossing and killing four people, police said. Police look at the aftermath of a fiery crash on a bridge linking Reynosa, Mexico, and Pharr, Texas. The collision on the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Texas triggered a chain-reaction accident with three other vehicles, said Lt. Lupe Salinas with the Pharr Police Department. A pickup flipped off the bridge, killing three people. Another person died in a vehicle that struck one of the tractor-trailers. Six others were injured. Pharr Emergency Management Coordinator Elsa Sanchez told The Associated Press the pickup truck had Texas license plates, and the two 18-wheelers and a minivan involved in the wreck appeared to have Mexican plates. Watch aftermath of fiery crash » . The accident happened around 7:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. ET). The bridge was closed for the rest of the evening. The bridge reopened on Friday morning after Texas Department of Trnasportation engineers inspected it, according to CNN affiliate KRGV. The bridge is normally open from 6 a.m. until midnight and is closed overnight. The 3.2-mile-long bridge connects U.S. 281 in Pharr, Texas, to the city of Reynosa in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, according to the city of Pharr's Web site. On an average day, the site says, 5,800 vehicles cross it. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Ed Payne and Jessica Jordan contributed to this story. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thaksin Shinawatra's wife handed arrest warrant after she returns to Thailand . Pojamarn Shinawatra faces corruption charges that could imprison her for 20 years . The case involves Pojamarn's 2003 purchase of some prime Bangkok real estate .

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BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- The wife of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Thailand Tuesday morning to face corruption charges, promising to fight the accusations, her attorney said. Pojamarn Shinawatra with her husband Thaksin Shinawatra. According to Pichit Chuenban, Pojamarn Shinawatra was presented with an arrest warrant shortly after arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport and was escorted by authorities to the Supreme Court. "She intends to fight all charges through judicial system," Pichit said. Greeted by about 50 well-wishers, Pojamarn arrived at court accompanied by her three children. She faces charges stemming from a Bangkok land deal and a stock concealment plan that could put her in jail for up to eight years, according to the Thai News Agency. The court released her on 5 million baht (about $168,000) bail and ordered her not to leave the country. On Monday, Thaksin's attorney Noppadon Pattama said the former prime minister would return from exile in mid-April to answer to the same charges his wife faces. He was deposed by a military junta in Sept. 2006 and fled to London. He plans to return after Thailand's new government is in place. In December's parliamentary elections, supporters of Thaksin, the People Power Party, won nearly half the seats in the lower house and will lead the ruling coalition. PPP leader Samak Sundaravej said a new parliament controlled by his party would pass an amnesty law to allow Thaksin's return and amend the constitution to let Thaksin get back into politics. Thaksin said he would not re-enter politics when he returned to Thailand. He said that he and his family had "suffered enough" but that he wanted to face the charges against him and prove his innocence. Thaksin is a 58-year-old telecommunications tycoon who owns the English Premier League Manchester City Football Club. Thaksin's party won two landslide victories before he was deposed. E-mail to a friend .

This month Art of Life looks at motorbike, planes, DJs and Rock idols . Monita visits the Ducati factory in Bologna, meets Moto champ Casey Stoner . Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson talks about his passion for flying . DJ Paul Van Dyk takes us on a tour of his favorite parts of Berlin .

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(CNN) -- This month on Art of Life we feel the need for speed. From the world's first road-legal grand prix bike to a rock legend with a passion for aviation. Monita Rajpal samples the finest in Italian motorbikes . Monita Rajpal meets the boys behind Ducati's motorbikes, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson explains why flying is his new source of adrenaline, and trance legend Paul Van Dyk takes us round his favorite haunt in the former East Berlin. Ducati: Riding in Style . Ducati has long-been the ultimate name in luxury motorbikes, but just like its racers, the company has had to compete fiercely to defend its title. As a small Italian manufacturer, up against Japanese mega-plants, employing thousands of workers, Ducati's comparatively small family is driven by pride. CNN's Monita Rajpal visits the Bologna factory floor and talks to some of the men behind the company, meets Ducati's Moto GP champion Casey Stoner and takes a test drive of Ducati's Desmosedici racing replica, the world's first road-legal grand prix bike. Watch Monita's trip to the Ducati factory . Bruce Dickinson: Rock star in the sky . A leather-clad, long-haired pilot, donning a t-shirt with blood-spewing skeletons would be a nightmare for many uneasy flyers. Fortunately for passengers on Bruce Dickinson's plane, the lead singer of Iron Maiden has gotten a new wardrobe and a new day job. Art of Life meets up with the rock legend to find out why he has chosen to take to the skies and become a commercial airline pilot. Watch Dickinson take to the skies . Paul Van Dyk: Guides us through Germany . Paul Van Dyk, the legendary trance musician, DJ and producer has made his name well-known, even though his genre of music is typically associated with young ravers and more urban listeners. Watch as Van Dyk takes Art of Life on a tour of his hometown, the former East Berlin, and shows how he has drawn from the city's war-weathered rhythms to gain inspiration for his songs. Watch Van Dyk tour Berlin E-mail to a friend .

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

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

NEW: Military says some of the 26 bodies may belong to Iraqi police . Complex believed to be an al Qaeda in Iraq haven . Coalition forces say they made the discovery during operations in northern Iraq . Military: Evidence of torture and murder against local villagers found .

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Coalition forces found 26 bodies buried in mass graves and a bloodstained "torture complex," with chains hanging from walls and ceilings and a bed connected to an electrical system, the military said Wednesday. Twenty-six bodies were found in mass graves near a "torture complex" discovered by coalition forces. The troops made the discovery while conducting an operation north of Muqdadiya, Iraq. From December 8 to 11, the troops who found the complex also killed 24 people they said were terrorists and detained 37 suspects, according to a statement issued by Multinational Division North at Camp Speicher in Tikrit. The moves were part of an operation called Iron Reaper that has been in progress across northern Iraq for the past few weeks. The complex was in an area thought to be an al Qaeda in Iraq haven and operating base, the military said. Iraqis had told the military about the site during an earlier operation. "Evidence of murder, torture and intimidation against local villagers was found throughout the area," the military statement said. Ground forces first found what appeared to be a detention facility, which was one of three connected to the torture complex, Multinational Division North said. One of the facilities appeared to have been a headquarters building and a torture facility, it added. As the area was cleared, the bodies were found. Eventually, 26 bodies were uncovered in mass graves next to what were thought to be execution sites, the military said. The bodies are believed to have been dead between six and eight months, according to a gruesome military video shot at the scene. Some had their hands tied behind their backs. Identification is proving to be a challenge because of advanced decomposition. Photos given to the news media show a filthy bed wired to an electrical system, with an outlet hanging from wires on the wall. In the video, troops point out rubber hoses and boxing gloves, a ski mask and a blood-covered sword and knives. Other still photos show an entrance to the underground bunker and barbed wire stretched outside it. A short distance away from the complex, troops found a bullet-riddled Iraqi police vehicle. Some of the bodies may belong to Iraqi police, according to the military video. The operation netted nine weapons caches, which have been destroyed, the military said. They included anti-aircraft weapons, sniper rifles, more than 65 machine guns and pistols, 50 grenades and a surface-to-air missile launcher and platform, the statement said. Also found were mines, pipe bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, mortar tubes and rounds and 130 pounds of homemade explosives. E-mail to a friend .

Pakistan rejects fears its nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of extremists . Mohamed ElBaradei, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief, voiced his worries Tuesday . ElBaradei: I fear chaos in this state, which has 30 or 40 nuclear weapons . Pakistan: Our nuclear weapons as secure as those held by other nuclear states .

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's foreign ministry Wednesday rejected concerns raised by the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief that the country's nuclear weapons "could fall into the hands of an extremist group in Pakistan or in Afghanistan." Mohamed ElBaradei, the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief. fears for Pakistan's nuclear weapons. Mohamed ElBaradei's comments to Al-Hayat newspaper were "irresponsible" and "unwarranted," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said at a news briefing on Wednesday. "Pakistan rejects the statement by Dr. ElBaradei, Director General IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), hinting at the possibility of its nuclear weapons falling into the hands of extremists," according to a ministry statement. "As head of the IAEA, which is a U.N. body, he has to be careful about his statements which ought to remain within the parameters of his mandate. "His remarks also ignore the fact that the strategic assets of Pakistan are fully secure and under multilayered safeguards and controls exercised by the National Command Authority." In an interview published in Al-Hayat Tuesday, ElBaradei said that Pakistan's recent political instability makes it more sensitive to susceptible to problems in other Muslim countries. "The effects of any new war in the Middle East and the Islamic world could have repercussions, not only in Iran, but what I fear most is the effect in Pakistan, a nation with many internal problems," ElBaradei said. "I fear a system of chaos or extremist regime in this state, which has 30 or 40 nuclear weapons." Pakistan has been in a state of political upheaval since the country's opposition challenged President Pervez Musharraf's tight grip on power, pushing him to step down as military chief and lift the emergency rule he had imposed in early November. The country further spiraled into chaos after the December 27 assassination of leading opposition figure and former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto. In response to the IAEA director-general's comments, Pakistan's foreign ministry stressed in its statement that ElBaradei, "on several occasions, has been briefed about the structure and control mechanisms put in place to ensure complete safety of our nuclear assets." "Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapon state. Our nuclear weapons are as secure as that of any other nuclear weapon state. We, therefore, believe statements expressing concern about their safety and security are unwarranted and irresponsible. "Pakistan attaches great importance to IAEA and has extended cooperation and assistance to the Agency on many important issues towards the fulfillment of its mandate. Our civilian nuclear program is under IAEA safeguards and we have always fully complied with IAEA obligations," the ministry said. E-mail to a friend .

Adam Gadahn in videotape tears up U.S. passport, speaks in Arabic and English . Tape was released by As Sahab, al Qaeda's video production wing . Originally from California, Gadahn talks about Bush's upcoming trip to Middle East . Gadahn is on the FBI's Most Wanted List with $1 million reward for information .

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(CNN) -- On a videotape released Sunday, American al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn renounces his U.S. citizenship, destroys his passport and cites U.S. President Bush's upcoming trip to the Middle East. "American jihadist" Adam Gadahn, originally from California, in a video released in September 2006. The 50-minute tape -- titled "An Invitation to Reflection and Repentance" -- was released by As Sahab, al Qaeda's video production wing and was provided to CNN by www.LauraMansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism. In it, Gadahn renounces his citizenship to protest the imprisonment of Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, a blind Egyptian Muslim leader serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center; and John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001, and others. Gadahn displays his passport to the camera, rips it in half and says, "Don't get too excited -- I don't need it to travel anyway." Though Gadahn speaks mostly in English, he references Bush -- who is to travel this week to the Middle East -- only in Arabic. "We raise an urgent appeal to our mujahedin brothers in the Muslim Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula in particular, and the region in general, to be prepared to receive the crusader butcher Bush on his visit to Muslim Palestine and the occupied peninsula at the beginning of January," he said. "They should receive him not with roses and applause, but with bombs and booby-traps." The video also refers to the Annapolis Conference, indicating it was produced after last November 27, when the conference was held. National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the U.S. president would not be deterred. "His comments are indicative of an al Qaeda ideology that offers nothing but death and violence," Johndroe told CNN in a written statement. "President Bush will travel to the region to stand with the mainstream governments who want liberty and justice for their people." The self-proclaimed American jihadist, also known as Azzam the American, is on the FBI's Most Wanted List, with a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his capture. Gadahn was indicted in 2006 on charges of treason and offering material support for terrorism, the first American charged with treason since World War II. Gadahn, who grew up in rural California, embraced Islam in the mid-1990s and moved to Pakistan. Since October 2004 he has appeared in at least eight al Qaeda videos in which he speaks in English and praises the terrorist network. E-mail to a friend .

The Boeing 777 aircraft first entered service on June 7, 1995 . First airplane U.S. (FAA) approved for extended-range twin-engine operations . Engineers designed, electronically pre-assembled the 777 using computers . In 2005, a Boeing 777 set a new world record for distance traveled non-stop .

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(CNN) -- The Boeing 777 is the mainstay of many airlines' long-haul fleets and has never been involved in a fatal accident during its service history. British Airways aircrew fly the Royal Standard from the flight deck of the Boeing 777 aircraft. The aircraft first entered service on June 7, 1995, with more than 900 suppliers from 17 countries coming together to provide the more than three million parts needed in its construction, according to the Boeing Web site. Since its inaugural flight, Boeing has extended the 777 family to five commercial passenger models and a freighter version, collectively making more than two million flights. The aircraft seats between 301 and 368 passengers in a three-class configuration and can fly distances up to 17,500 kilometers. The 777 has also won a number of design awards, as well as setting a number of records and firsts. On November 9 and 10, 2005, a Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner set a new world record for distance traveled non-stop by a commercial jetliner. The 777-200LR set a record distance of 21,601 km on a route traveling eastbound from Hong Kong to London Heathrow. The flight lasted 22 hours and 42 minutes. The achievements was recognized by the U.S. National Aeronautics Association, The Federation Aeronautique Internationale and the Guinness Book of Records. The Federation eéronautique Internationale recognized the Boeing 777 in April 1997 for achieving a speed and distance record for airplanes in its size and class. The Boeing Web site claims the 777 set the "Great Circle Distance Without Landing" record, traveling 20,044 km, and it set the record for "Speed Around the World, Eastbound," traveling at an average speed of 889 km per hour. According to Boeing the aircraft reached 500 deliveries by 2005 -- faster than any other twin-aisle commercial airplane in history. Boeing prides itself on the 777's landing gear, which it claims is the largest ever incorporated into a commercial aircraft. Each main landing gear is fitted with six wheels, while the nose gear has two. E-mail to a friend .

Kenya's 36 million population made up of around 40 tribal groups . President Mwai Kibaki belongs to the influential and powerful Kikuyu tribe . Challenger Raila Odinga's Luo tribe forms sizeable group in west, Nairobi slums . Kenya dogged by poverty, violent crime, corruption, simmering ethnic tensions .

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(CNN) -- Kenya has enjoyed a reputation as one of East Africa's most stable nations since achieving independence from the UK in 1963. Residents of the Mathare slum in Nairobi shout at demonstrators during violent clashes. But a booming tourism industry, impressive economic growth -- currently six percent a year according to The Economist -- and decades of peace in a region scarred by conflict have served to disguise widespread poverty, violent crime and corruption and simmering ethnic tensions. Tribal bonds remain stronger than national identity in Kenya, with the country's 36 million people claiming allegiance to around 40 different tribes. Last week's election pitched incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, a member of Kenya's largest Kikuyu tribe, against opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Luo tribe. The Kikuyu make up about 22 percent of Kenya's population. Mostly originating from Kenya's central highlands, the Kikuyu have long wielded strong economic and political power within the country. Kenya's first post-independence leader, Jomo Kenyatta, president from 1964 until 1978, was a Kikuyu. Kibaki, a government minister from 1965 until winning power as head of the Party of National Unity in elections five years ago, also enjoys the support of Kenyatta's successor, Daniel Arap Moi, a member of the Kalenjin tribe who ruled Kenya for 24 years from 1978 to 2002. The Luo make up around 13 percent of the population, mostly in the west of the country. But they also form a sizeable community in some of Nairobi's most notorious slums, such as the vast Kibera shantytown where Odinga enjoys strong support and where some of this week's fiercest violence has occurred. Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement is also backed by many members of the Luhya tribe, Kenya's second largest ethnic group, after Odinga promised to make a leading Luhya his deputy if elected. This week's violence came as election officials declared victory for Kibaki with 51.3 percent to 48.7 percent for Odinga in the closest presidential vote in Kenyan electoral history. But the result has been questioned by international election observers, throwing the country's political future into doubt. Kibaki's first election success in 2002 -- declared free and fair by international observers -- was hailed at the time as a step forward for Kenyan democracy. However, his term has been dogged by allegations of corruption and graft. E-mail to a friend .

Bush: U.S., Turkey and Iraq must unite against PKK Kurdish separatists . Iraqi Kurds are critical of both PKK and air attacks against them . Turkey bombed alleged PKK sites in northern Iraq over the weekend . PKK has spent 20 years fighting for autonomy in Turkey; uses Iraq as a base .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S., Turkish and Iraqi leaders all held talks Monday about Kurdish rebels using northern Iraq as a launchpad for cross-border attacks into Turkey. Turkish troops patrol near the border with Iraq on Monday. President Bush chatted by phone with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while separately two senior Iraq national government figures met with the head of the country's Kurdish region. The diplomatic moves came after Turkish warplanes pounded Kurdish separatist targets in northern Iraq on Saturday and Sunday as well as last week. Bush and Erdogan talked about the dangers of the Kurdish separatist rebels along the Turkish-Iraqi border, the White House confirmed. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said they discussed their common efforts to fight terrorism, and the importance of the United States, Turkey and Iraq working together to confront the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Bush has vowed to help Turkey fight PKK rebels. The PKK has spent two decades fighting for autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey, with some of its attacks launched from inside northern Iraq. The United States and European Union consider the group a terrorist organization. Last week, Turkey's ambassador to the United States, Nabi Sensoy, said his country's maneuvers against Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq were based on intelligence provided by the United States. In the Kurdish Iraq city of Sulaimaniya, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who is Kurdish, and Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who is Sunni Arab, met with Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani. Iraqi Kurdish officials, while critical of the PKK, have denounced the Turkish bombing campaign. Last week, Barzani snubbed visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in protest of the attacks. "We have vehemently condemned the bombardment. The bombing targeted safe and secure areas and innocent people. Several people were either killed or wounded," Barzani said on Monday at a press conference with the others. "We held consultations with President Jalal Talabani and we will continue our consultations with other concerned parties to put an end to these aggressions and put to an end the shelling of villages." The three Iraqi officials also dealt with national unity. They signed a "memorandum of understanding" to deepen relations further with their three parties: Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party and al-Hashimi's Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni Arab entity. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Kathleen Koch, Talia Kayali and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report .

Several Marines are the focus of 2004 Falluja civilian death investigation . Allegations from former Marine called "credible" Sources: Naval Criminal Investigative Services conducting the probe .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several Marines who were involved in the November 2004 offensive in Falluja, Iraq, are now the focus of an investigation into allegations that civilians were intentionally killed during the operation, several Pentagon officials have confirmed. Members of the 1st U.S. Marines Expeditionary Force operate in Falluja, Iraq, in November of 2006. No one has been charged in the probe, which is based on what one official told CNN were "credible allegations" from a former Marine. That Marine volunteered the information during an employment polygraph test administered by the U.S. Secret Service. Several sources familiar with the probe say the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is conducting the investigation. The allegations first surfaced on a Web site, defendourmarines.com, posted by Nathaniel Helms, a military journalist who wrote a book about the Marines in Falluja. The Web posting includes an account from a Marine who alleges eight captured Iraqis were gunned down following a firefight. The weeklong anti-insurgent offensive in Falluja began on November 7, 2004. It was called Operation New Dawn, and it sparked intense fighting involving airstrikes and house-to-house searches. There were reports of civilians being killed in the crossfire at that time. The allegations are the latest involving Marines and civilian deaths in Iraq. Seven Marines and a Navy medic were charged with killing an Iraqi civilian in Hamdaniya in April 2006. One Marine will serve eight years in a plea deal; another Marine withdrew his guilty plea, saying he acted under orders. Four Marines were charged with murder in the 2005 killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Four officers are accused of failing to investigate and report the deaths properly. Haditha was a target of Marine operations to root out insurgents. Both U.S. military law and international law of armed conflict prohibit the killing of unarmed captured prisoners, whether or not they are combatants. E-mail to a friend .

New law raises auto fuel efficiency standards . Increase to fleet average of 35 miles per gallon is first in 32 years . Senate majority leader calls bill a "great, wonderful first step"

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Wednesday signed a sweeping energy bill that he said would help the country become "stronger, cleaner and more secure." President Bush on Wednesday signs a bill raising auto fuel economy standards for the first time in decades. The bill -- approved overwhelmingly Tuesday by the House of Representatives -- raises automotive fuel economy standards for the first time in more than three decades, requiring a corporate average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. It also boosts federal support for alternative fuel research and energy conservation efforts. A Republican filibuster in the Senate removed provisions that Bush objected to that would have eliminated tax breaks for oil companies and a requirement that electric utilities produce a portion of their power from alternative sources. The current fuel-economy standards of 27.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 22.2 for light trucks were established in 1975. The new bill sets a single average standard for manufacturers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Tuesday's bill was "a great, wonderful first step for an energy revolution that starts in America and ripples throughout the world." But Reid said Democrats would continue pushing to shift federal tax breaks away from fossil-fuel producers and into renewable energy research -- one of the party's top priorities when it took control of Congress in January. House opponents such as Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, complained that the bill will undo many of the efforts made to foster increased production of fossil fuels in an energy bill passed in 2005. "I understand the consequences of elections. I understand there's a new majority," said Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. "I do not understand how what made sense two years ago doesn't make sense today." Barton called the legislation a "no-energy" bill and "a recipe for recession," arguing its mandated conservation measures would raise prices for fuel, homes and appliances for consumers. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Ed Henry contributed to this report.

Case part of parental custody dispute . Father converted to Judaism after splitting with wife . Father wanted son to convert after getting custody . Russian Orthodox mother says son doesn't want procedure .

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(CNN) -- A 12-year-old boy should get a say in whether he gets circumcised, the Oregon Supreme Court has ruled. The court sent the parental custody dispute back to the trial court "to resolve the factual issue whether M agrees or objects to the circumcision." "M" is the child at the center of a long-running custody dispute between James and Lia Boldt, who divorced in 1999. Soon after, the father began studying Judaism and later converted. He also started teaching his son about the faith. By then, James had parental custody and told his ex-wife the boy would convert as well, and that to do so, he would have to have the circumcision procedure. The mother objected, saying the child had been raised in the Russian Orthodox faith while the couple was married. Because the two sides disagreed, and were living in neighboring states, the conflict dissolved into ongoing personal and constitutional dispute. James Boldt said that as a Jew and the primary caregiver, he has a First Amendment right to practice his faith as he sees fit for his child. Lia Boldt countered her son does not want to go through with the circumcision, and that it is an invasive, irreversible, and potentially dangerous medical procedure. The state high court seemed especially reluctant to address the issue, saying normally such disputes "are considered private family matters." But the justices noted "these parties cannot or will not resolve this matter without resort to the courts." So rather than offer a definitive ruling, the justices ordered both sides to go to the actual source of the conflict. "In our view, at age 12, M's attitude regarding circumcision, though not conclusive of the custody issue presented here, is a fact necessary to the determination" of whether the mother can press her objections to the procedure, wrote Chief Justice Paul De Muniz for the six-member panel. "Forcing M at age 12 to undergo circumcision against his will could seriously affect the relationship between M and his father, and could have a pronounced effect on father's capability to properly care for M." There was no initial reaction to the decision from the parents or their attorneys. The case is James Boldt v. Lia Boldt (S054714). E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Sewage was partially treated, Office of Emergency Services says . The 2.7 million-gallon spill occurred Thursday night, Sheriff's Department says . Pump and alarm failed at Marin County waste treatment facility . Area being tested; boaters advised to avoid Richardson Bay area .

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SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Nearly 3 million gallons of sewage spilled into San Francisco Bay when a pump failed at a waste treatment facility, the Marin County Sheriff's Department told CNN on Friday. Attempts are being made to contain Thursday night's 2.7 million-gallon sewage spill. The 2.7 million-gallon spill occurred Thursday night. A pump failed at the South Marin Sanitation District's waste treatment facility in the town of Mill Valley, said Lt. Doug Pittman. The waste was released into Richardson Bay, an inlet of the large bay on the east shore of Marin County, he said. See the spill from the air » . The sewage and storm water was partially treated, according to Greg Renick of the California Office of Emergency Services. In addition to the pump failure, he said, an alarm that would have alerted workers at the facility to the spill also failed. The accidental release occurred between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a statement from Marin County's emergency operations center. But the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin didn't report it to the state until 11:16 p.m., Renick said. The state Office of Emergency Services notified local offices in the bay area within an hour of receiving the report, he said. The Marin County Department of Environmental Health was conducting tests Friday to determine how far the contamination had spread, Pittman said. Boaters were being warned to avoid the Richardson Bay area, and residents were told to avoid contact with the water. The California Department of Fish and Game has had a boat and personnel on the water since early Friday, and has found no sign of sick or distressed wildlife resulting from the spill, agency spokesman Steve Martarano said. Marin County is just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Chuck Afflerbach contributed to this report .

CBS: Hussein claimed he didn't think the U.S. would invade Iraq over WMD . FBI agent says Hussein lied about having WMD to intimidate Iran . But the Iraqi dictator said he wanted to start the WMD program again, agent said . Hussein was captured in 2003 and hanged in 2006 .

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(CNN) -- Saddam Hussein let the world think he had weapons of mass destruction to intimidate Iran and prevent the country from attacking Iraq, according to an FBI agent who interviewed the dictator after his 2003 capture. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in an unknown location in Iraq after his capture in 2003. According to a CBS report, Hussein claimed he didn't anticipate that the United States would invade Iraq over WMD, agent George Piro said on "60 Minutes," scheduled for Sunday broadcast. "For him, it was critical that he was seen as still the strong, defiant Saddam. He thought that (faking having the weapons) would prevent the Iranians from reinvading Iraq," said Piro. During the nearly seven months Piro talked to Hussein, the agent hinted to the Iraqi that he answered directly to President Bush, CBS said in a posting on its Web site. "He told me he initially miscalculated ... President Bush's intentions. He thought the United States would retaliate with the same type of attack as we did in 1998 ... a four-day aerial attack," Piro said. "He survived that one and he was willing to accept that type of attack." "He didn't believe the U.S. would invade?" Correspondent Scott Pelley asked. "No, not initially," Piro answered. Once it was clear that an invasion was imminent, Hussein asked his generals to hold off the allied forces for two weeks, Piro said. "And at that point, it would go into what he called the secret war," the agent said, referring to the insurgency. But Piro said he was not sure that the insurgency was indeed part of Hussein's plan. "Well, he would like to take credit for the insurgency," he said. Hussein had the ability to restart the weapons program and professed to wanting to do that, Piro said. "He wanted to pursue all of WMD ... to reconstitute his entire WMD program." Hussein said he was proud he eluded U.S. authorities who searched for him for nine months after the U.S.-led invasion, Piro said. "What he wanted to really illustrate is ... how he was able to outsmart us," Piro said. "He told me he changed ... the way he traveled. He got rid of his normal vehicles. He got rid of the protective detail that he traveled with, really just to change his signature." Hussein was hanged in 2006. E-mail to a friend .

Grand jury upgrades charges against girl's mother and mother's husband . Presented new evidence, jury took just 3 minutes to vote for tougher charges . Riley Ann Sawyers, initially known as Baby Grace, was beaten to death . Prosecutors haven't decided whether to seek death penalty for couple .

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(CNN) -- A Texas couple charged with killing the little girl known as "Baby Grace" now face capital murder charges, after a Texas grand jury upgraded the charges on Wednesday. Riley Ann Sawyers was moved from Ohio to Texas by her mother. Prosecutors said they have not decided whether to seek the death penalty against the girl's mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, and Trenor's husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II. Two-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers was beaten to death and her body was disposed of in Galveston Bay. Riley's body was found October 29 by a fisherman on an uninhabited island in the bay. It was wrapped in black plastic bags and stuffed in a blue, plastic bin. Her identity was not known at first, and police dubbed her "Baby Grace." Police sketches of the child were widely distributed, and 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. Trenor, 19, and Zeigler, 24, were initially charged with injury to a child and tampering with evidence. But since the initial charges were filed last month the investigation has continued and police have gathered additional evidence, in addition to confirming Riley's identity, said a statement released Wednesday by Galveston County Criminal District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk. Based on that, the grand jury was asked to upgrade the charges, he said. A three-hour hearing was held Wednesday in which grand jurors heard testimony from five witnesses, including police and FBI investigators and the medical examiner. The grand jury deliberated for only three minutes Wednesday before upgrading the charges, Sistrunk said. Trenor told police Riley had been beaten and thrown across a room and that her head was held under water before she died July 24. She said the couple hid the girl's body in a storage shed for one to two months before putting it in the plastic container and dumping it into the bay. A medical examiner said Riley's skull was fractured in three places that would have been fatal injuries. Trenor and the girl moved to Texas from Ohio in May to be with Zeigler, who Trenor had met online. Sistrunk said the investigation is continuing, and a decision on whether to seek the death penalty will not be made until its conclusion. E-mail to a friend .

Saudi lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Lahem says his license to practice is reinstated . Al-Lahem says license revoked because he publicized rape victim's conviction . Saudi minister last month denied license was ever revoked . Rape victim was convicted of being alone with an unrelated man .

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(CNN) -- The Saudi lawyer who represented a woman kidnapped and raped by seven men said his license to practice has been reinstated. A protest appeared in India in November against the Saudi sentence. Lawyer and human rights activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem told CNN's Nic Robertson that the Justice Ministry has reinstated his license. Al-Lahem had previously told CNN that the Saudi judge revoked his license as punishment for speaking to the media about his client's case, which attracted international attention. His client, an engaged teenager, was raped by seven men who found her alone with a man unrelated to her. She has said she was meeting with the man to retrieve a photograph. The attack took place in Qatif in March 2006. The seven rapists were sentenced to two to nine years in prison but she also was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison for having violated the kingdom's strict Islamic law by being alone with an unrelated man. The woman's sentence provoked outrage in the West and cast light on the treatment of women under Saudi Arabian law. Under Saudi law, women are subject to numerous restrictions, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man's permission to travel or have surgery. In challenging what he said were his suspension and disbarment, al-Lahem said he had received threats on his life from the religious right. Last month, Minister of Justice Abdallah bin Mohammed al-Sheikh, in a phone call to a Saudi Television newscast, said the lawyer's license had never been revoked. "Such decisions are made through institutions in the kingdom," he said. "The punishment of the lawyer or any lawyer does not come from a reaction; it comes from a carefully examined procedure within a special council in the ministry." He said the council charged with deciding law license revocations had not issued any decisions in the case. E-mail to a friend .