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(CNN Student News) -- Record the CNN Special Investigations Unit Classroom Edition: Notes from North Korea when it airs commercial-free on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.) Program Overview . CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour travels to North Korea as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra makes a historic visit to one of the world's most closed societies. She examines the tense standoff with the U.S. over nuclear weapons and provides a rare look inside a notorious, top-secret nuclear facility. Grade Levels: 9 -- 12, College . Subject Areas: U.S. History, World History, Current Events, Political Science, Government . Objectives . The CNN Special Investigations Unit Classroom Edition: Notes from North Korea and its corresponding discussion questions and suggested activities challenge students to: . Curriculum Connections . Social Studies . Standard VI. Power, Authority, and Governance: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance. The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://ncss.org/). United States History . Standard 27. Understands how the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics . Level IV [Grade 9-12] . Benchmark 1. Understands U.S. foreign policy from the Truman administration to the Johnson administration . Standard 30. Understands developments in foreign policy and domestic politics between the Nixon and Clinton presidencies . Level IV [Grade 9-12] . Benchmark 5. Understands the influence of U.S. foreign policy on international events from Nixon to Clinton . Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks ), 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, CO 80014; Telephone: 303/337-0990. World History . Standard 44. Understands the search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world . Level IV [Grade 9-12] . Benchmark 11. Understands common arguments of opposition groups in various countries around the world, common solutions they offer, and the position of these ideas with regard to Western economic and strategic interests . Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks ), 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, CO 80014; Telephone: 303/337-0990. Civics . III. How Does The Government Established By The Constitution Embody The Purposes, Values, And Principles Of American Democracy? 4. Major responsibilities of the national government in domestic and foreign policy . IV. What Is The Relationship Of The United States To Other Nations And To World Affairs? 1. Nation-states . 2. Interactions among nation-states . 4. The historical context of United States foreign policy . 5. Making and implementing United States foreign policy . 6. The ends and means of United States foreign policy . 7. Impact of the American concept of democracy and individual rights on the world . The National Standards for Civics and Government (http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=stds) are published by the Center for Civic Education (http://www.civiced.org/). Discussion Questions . 1. Who is the leader of North Korea? According to the report, how do North Koreans regard this leader? What aspects of his personality are revealed in the program? 2. According to the program, North Korea is a "closed society." What does this mean? 3. How does the report describe the history of U.S.-North Korea relations? According to the report: What tensions currently exist between these two nations? What humanitarian and political concerns exist in North Korea? 4. Why do you think that North Korea invited the New York Philharmonic to play, and decided to open the Yongbyon nuclear facility to the media at this point in time? Why are these events historically and politically significant? 5. Who is Madeline Albright? When and where did she meet with Kim Jong-Il? How does she describe her visit with Kim Jong-Il? Why does Albright say that she is not surprised that Kim Jong-Il chose the New York Philharmonic for this "cultural overture"? 6. According to the report, why is the division of Korea an emotional issue for many Koreans? Who are Kim Cho Wun and Ji Hae Nam? To what countries did they defect, and why did they flee North Korea? What risks and sacrifices do you think that they assumed when they chose to defect? 7. According to the report: Why did New York Philharmonic President Zarin Mehta accept North Korea's invitation to play? Why was this performance controversial? What logistical hurdles did Mehta have to overcome to execute the trip? 8. What were some of the pieces of music that the New York Philharmonic played during its concert? Which of these pieces, if any, do you think were politically significant? Explain. If you were choosing the music for this performance, what pieces would you have selected, and why? 9. Following the concert, North Korea's nuclear negotiator, Minister Kim Gye Gwan, was quoted as saying that the concert was "a political breakthrough; an act of courage by both nations." What do you think that he means? Do you agree with the minister? Why or why not? 10. What is "cultural diplomacy"? How do you think that cultural diplomacy differs from other forms of diplomacy? Give examples. According to U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry, why is "people-to-people diplomacy" important to the future of U.S.-North Korea relations? 11. According to Amanpour, to what extent did the New York Philharmonic's concert impact U.S-North Korea relations? In your view, what actions, if any, might these two nations take to build upon the goodwill that was generated by the concert? 12. What did CNN's Christiane Amanpour observe during her visit to the Yongbyon nuclear facility? What impact, if any, do you think that this visit will have on U.S.-North Korea relations? 13. In your opinion, should the U.S. fulfill its commitment to remove North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism? State your rationale. 14. Prior to viewing this program, what preconceived notions, if any, did you have about North Korea? To what extent did Amanpour's report challenge or reinforce these perceptions? Explain. Suggested Activity . Point out to students that towards the end of World War II, Korea was divided by the Soviet Union and the United States at the 38th parallel, and that by 1948, North and South Korea had become independent nations. Generate a class discussion about students' knowledge of North Korea. Next, refer students to online resources to learn more about North Korea. Use the following questions to guide their research: . After students present their findings, ask: Do you think that peace talks between North and South Korea could benefit the two nations, as well as the international community? Explain. Given the cultural diplomacy represented by the New York Philharmonic's trip to Pyongyang, what do you think should be the next step in relations between the U.S. and North Korea? Challenge each student to write a brief for a North Korean, South Korean or an American diplomat that outlines a strategy for addressing the existing tensions among these parties. Have students present their documents to the class. Keywords . North Korea, Pyongyang, Kim Jong Il, secret state, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Yongbyon nuclear facility, defect, diplomacy, negotiations, United Nations .

Examine the history of U.S.-North Korea relations . Learn about the New York Philharmonic's historic concert in Pyongyang . Examine North Korea's standoff with the U.S. over nuclear weapons .

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Editor's note: Glenn Beck is on CNN Headline News nightly at 7 and 9 ET and also is host of a conservative national radio talk show. Glenn Beck says the decisions Washington makes today could have fateful consequences for the future. NEW YORK (CNN) -- Dear America: . Happy 300th Birthday! It's 2076 and we've just invented the time-fax machine. (Actually, "we" didn't invent the time-fax machine, the State did -- they pretty much control everything now.) I'm faxing this back to you in 2008 because that seems to be the year we had the best chance to reverse our course and get back to the vision laid out by our founding fathers -- a vision that didn't include the government being in the insurance business. I don't have a lot of time (the State only gives us one 30-minute break per day) so let me give you some advice: Stop worrying so much about who runs the country and start worrying about who runs your towns, your states, and your Congress. I know you're all distracted by the presidential election, but for all the money and time poured into it, the truth is that you're choosing between two roads that will lead you to the same destination. Sure, one may be the Autobahn and the other a two-lane highway, but you'll end up at the same place either way. Decades of Republicans and Democrats alike have all chipped in to lead you to where you are today. Believing that one person, from either party, can change that by themselves is a big mistake. Presidents are like captains of a large ship: They can map out a course and shout out orders, but without the trust and hard work of the people who actually move the rudders, their commands mean nothing. In retrospect, the lack of trust and confidence you now have in your leaders was really the root cause of everything that's happened since. While our founding fathers designed a brilliant system of checks and balances, separation of powers and democratic elections, trust was the one thing they couldn't mandate in the Constitution. Unfortunately, it's also the foundation upon which everything else is built and once it began to erode, our whole house inevitably began to crumble. Looking back now, it's pretty obvious that our trust in government declined at about the same rate as our partisanship increased. People became so concerned about getting their party into power at any cost that the truth didn't even seem to matter anymore. That's probably one of the reasons why George Washington hated the idea of political parties so much. Here's what he said about them in his 1796 farewell speech: . "The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty." I know that George had a habit for using big words, so allow me to translate into 2008 English: Political parties that put their own success over that of the country's will be the death of America. If you don't believe him yet, just wait a few more years...you're about to see firsthand how right he was. After all, if power corrupts, then the kind of absolute power gained by political parties (and feared by Washington) corrupts absolutely. The best advice I can give you is to stop thinking in terms of left and right and start thinking in terms of right and wrong. Demand the best leaders possible, and then demand the best out of them. Believe me, when you see what's coming your way, you'll realize how little the donkey and the elephant really ever mattered. Oh and while we're on politics, one quick thing that I'm sure you're curious about: Yes, Robert Byrd is still in the Senate. He's 159, but doesn't look a day over 91. Now, let's talk about the economy. Let me see if I have this right: Money and power made people greedy, so you decided to hand over a bunch of money and power to greedy politicians instead. Smart! After using that money to nationalize a bunch of banks, mortgage companies and insurance companies, they moved on to bigger things. The airlines came first -- we just couldn't live without them. Then it was the automakers (Detroit would've died), health care (they said they could manage it better), and eventually, the oil companies (I'm not sure where all of those "windfall profits" have gone). The idea behind it all (an idea that was eventually turned into law with the passage of the Securities Exchange Act of 2011) was to "socialize losses" by spreading them out among all taxpayers. The pain, our leaders argued, would be minimal that way. They were right. At least until the bills came due. See, we didn't actually have any of the money we were promising everyone; we were borrowing it. It didn't take long before so many of our tax dollars were going toward interest payments that we couldn't fund even the most basic of government programs without massive tax increases on everyone. People now work most of the year just to pay Uncle Sam (or, as we now call him, "Comrade Sam"). I hear the State censors coming, so let me leave you with a few other quick things: . • Good call on not worrying about protecting our borders. That works out really well for you in 2019. • You might want to spend a little less time worrying about carbon and a little more time worrying about Iran. We're now in a new mini-Ice Age but, believe me, Iran isn't using their nukes to warm any homes. (PS The International Atomic Energy Agency just revealed to you that Iran appears to be refitting their long-range missiles to carry nuclear payloads. Did you think they were joking or were you just too busy with lipsticks and pigs to notice?) • The currency of the future is energy. Those who have it are thriving and those who don't -- well, let's just leave it at that. Drill for all the oil you can, but you also better start seriously looking for some other options. In closing, remember this golden rule and you should be fine: Your Constitution will never fail you, but your leaders will. Be wary of anyone who tries to convince you that it's the other way around. Best wishes (you're going to need them), . Worker 2744A . PS It's not all socialist doom and gloom here in the future. We just thawed Ted Williams' cryogenically frozen body and he hit 87 home runs for the North Team! The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.

Glenn Beck: America in 2076 could be a very scary place . Beck imagines a country that is controlled by an all-powerful state . People lost trust in government because of uncontrolled partisanship, he says . Beck: Bailing out industries amounts to socializing their losses .

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(CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy who killed six young people at a house party in Crandon, Wisconsin, apparently died after shooting himself three times in the head with a .40-caliber pistol, the state attorney general said. Tyler Peterson, a sheriff's deputy, shot and killed six people, police said. Initial reports that 20-year-old Tyler Peterson was killed by a police sniper's bullet were apparently incorrect, though it appears the sniper may have shot Peterson in the arm, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said. Although the final forensic determination could take several weeks, the attorney general said that Peterson had his personal .40-caliber Glock when police found him. The three gunshots to the head came from a .40-caliber. "The three gunshot wounds to the head included two nonfatal rounds with entry points below the chin, and one fatal shot that entered Peterson through the right side of the head," Van Hollen said. "Each of the three head shots were fired while the gun was in contact with his skin, or extremely close to the skin," he said. "These three head wounds are consistent with self-inflicted wounds, and not consistent with long-range rifle fire." The fourth gunshot wound, Van Hollen said, struck Peterson in the left bicep and appeared to have been fired from a rifle "at some distance." Watch Van Hollen explain the shootings "will never make sense" » . Peterson was a Forest County sheriff's deputy and a part-time officer with the Crandon Police Department. According to Van Hollen, Peterson, while off-duty shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, entered a house where the seven young men and women had gathered. While there, Van Hollen said, Peterson apparently got into an argument with Jordanne Murray, accusing her of having a relationship with another person. "The argument got heated, and Murray demanded he leave," the attorney general said. "Peterson left, and returned minutes later," breaking down the door and opening fire with an AR-15 rifle, of the type he was issued by the Forest County Sheriff's Department. Police said Peterson fired about 30 rounds. Fewer than 20 minutes later, a patrolling Crandon police officer, after hearing gunfire, reported it and went to the house to investigate, Van Hollen said. The officer, Greg Carter, 21, reported seeing Peterson leave the house with a rifle. After momentarily losing sight of Peterson, Carter "heard multiple rounds of gunfire" and his windshield burst. Peterson escaped. Van Hollen said that Peterson apparently "drove aimlessly around the northern part of the state" for several hours, calling in false reports to police to throw them off. Peterson ended up at a cabin in the town of Argonne shortly before 8 a.m. He told friends about the shootings, handed over the AR-15 and two other rifles and left the cabin. After meeting with family members, he returned to the cabin around 9:15 a.m. Police arrived about 15 minutes later, Van Hollen said. Peterson was killed during a police shootout after police couldn't persuade him to surrender. All seven victims were students or graduates of Crandon High School, from which Peterson also was a graduate. In addition to Murray, the dead were identified as Aaron Smith, Bradley Schultz, Lindsey Stahl, Lianna Thomas and Katrina McCorkle. The sole survivor, Charlie Neitzel, 21, "played dead" after Peterson shot him three times, Van Hollen said. After Peterson shot him once, Neitzel begged him to stop. But Peterson fired again. Neitzel fell to the floor, was shot a third time and didn't move. "Playing dead until Peterson left, Neitzel survived," Van Hollen said. Neitzel was the last person shot. Neitzel underwent surgery Tuesday and was in stable condition Tuesday night, a hospital employee said. The families of the six slain young people asked that media leave them alone in their grief, Van Hollen told reporters. But the families of the victims also wanted it known that they had met with Peterson's family. "They hold no animosity toward them," Van Hollen said, conveying the families' wishes that the Peterson family be allowed space and time to heal. E-mail to a friend .

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

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(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama blasted Congress for not passing a financial rescue package Monday, while Sen. John McCain's campaign accused Obama and Democrats of putting "politics ahead of country." The House of Representatives rejected a $700 billion plan to bail out the financial system, putting a roadblock in front of the largest government intervention in the market since the Great Depression. The bill failed by a vote of 205 to 228, with 140 Democrats and 65 Republicans voting in favor and 95 Democrats joining 133 Republicans against. "This is a moment of national crisis, and today's inaction in Congress as well as the angry and hyper-partisan statement released by the McCain campaign are exactly why the American people are disgusted with Washington," the Obama-Biden campaign said in a statement released shortly after the vote. The statement went on to say that every American "should be outraged that an era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and Washington has led us to this point." Watch more on the vote » . Also after the vote, McCain touted his role in last week's negotiations on the bailout bill. "I laid out principles" including "responsible oversight," transparency and a cap on so-called golden parachutes --the big bonuses Wall Street CEOs would receive despite their involvement in the economic crisis, he said from Des Moines, Iowa. "I worked hard to play a constructive role." He said he was satisfied with the way the bill was written, though "it wasn't perfect." Earlier, McCain's campaign accused Obama and Democrats of injecting politics into the American economy. "From the minute John McCain suspended his campaign and arrived in Washington to address this crisis, he was attacked by the Democratic leadership: Sens. Obama and [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid, Speaker Pelosi and others. "Their partisan attacks were an effort to gain political advantage during a national economic crisis. By doing so, they put at risk the homes, livelihoods and savings of millions of American families," Doug Holtz-Eakin, a senior policy adviser for McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, said in a statement. "Barack Obama failed to lead, phoned it in, attacked John McCain and refused to even say if he supported the final bill. ... This bill failed because Barack Obama and the Democrats put politics ahead of country," Holtz-Eakin said. Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for the failure of the bill, which President Bush had urged Congress to approve. Obama had earlier Monday spoken with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and congressional leaders. Watch Pelosi say Democrats 'delivered' » . McCain and Obama had both said Sunday that they would probably vote for the legislation, as long as it included some key principles they had pushed for. McCain announced last week he was "suspending" his campaign events to focus on the financial crisis, but Democrats accused him of pulling a political stunt. iReport.com: Do you support a Wall Street bailout? The economy has dominated the campaign trail this month, and both candidates have been trying to convince voters that they will do a better job of getting the financial crisis under control. Earlier Monday, McCain told voters that Obama isn't being honest about his tax votes and said the Democrat is "always cheering for higher taxes." iReport.com: Share your stories from the campaign trail . In response, the Obama campaign called McCain's remarks "false attacks" and an "angry diatribe." "Two times, on March 14, 2008, and June 4, 2008, in the Democratic budget resolution, he voted to raise taxes on people making just $42,000 per year. He even said at the time that this vote for higher taxes on the middle class was 'getting our nation's priorities back on track,' " McCain said at a rally in Columbus, Ohio. "Then something amazing happened: On Friday night, he looked the American people in the eye and said it never happened. My friends, we need a president who will always tell the American people the truth," McCain said. McCain said a vote for Obama would "guarantee higher taxes, fewer jobs and an even bigger federal government" and charged that "these policies will deepen our recession." Watch McCain slam Obama on spending » . Shortly after McCain finished his speech, the Obama campaign accused the Arizona senator of lying. "Sen. McCain's angry diatribe today won't make up for his erratic response to the greatest financial crisis of our time. John McCain knows that the budget he's talking about didn't end up raising taxes on a single American, and the lie he told the American people today is all the more outrageous a day after he admitted that his health care plan will increase taxes on some families," Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said. In McCain's speech, the Republican presidential candidate was referring to votes on a resolution (Senate Concurrent Resolution 70) meant to outline the Senate's budget priorities through 2013, but the measure had no practical effect. According to a CNN review of the resolution, it assumes that most of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts pushed by President Bush will expire in that time, which McCain says amounts to a tax increase. Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, voted "yes" on the resolution. McCain did not vote. However, the Democrats offered their own cuts in the 48-page resolution, which called for several tax cuts and breaks, including rolling back the alternative-minimum tax and the so-called "marriage penalty." According to an analysis by the independent Tax Policy Center, the tax plan Obama has proposed during the campaign would increase taxes in 2009 on the wealthiest 20 percent of households, while offering tax cuts for the other 80 percent. Meanwhile, as Obama and McCain continue campaigning this week, their running mates will be focused on their upcoming debate. Palin and Biden face off Thursday in St. Louis, Missouri, in the only vice presidential debate of the election season. After McCain's rally, Palin headed to McCain's ranch near Sedona, Arizona, for what a top aide calls "debate camp." Palin has already spent four days hunkered down in a Philadelphia hotel for debate prep with advisers. Biden was preparing for the debate in Delaware on Monday. CNN's Dana Bash and Alexander Marquardt contributed to this report.

NEW: Barack Obama criticizes Congress, statement from John McCain . McCain's campaign says Obama "failed to lead" VP candidates' debate is Thursday in St. Louis, Missouri . Joe Biden, Sarah Palin spending much of the week in debate prep mode .

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NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- More than a dozen trucks loaded with fruits, spices and other goods Tuesday crossed the line dividing Kashmir as India and Pakistan opened a symbolic trade route in the disputed region for the first time in more than 60 years. Kashmiris watch as Indian trucks cross into the border town of Chakothi in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. To cheers and band music, the first trucks rumbled from the Pakistani side across a white bridge to a brightly decorated trade center festooned . Apple-laden Indian trucks heading the other way were also warmly welcomed. It is hoped the move will ease tensions in the troubled Himalayan region, which has been a conflict flashpoint between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan who both lay claims to the territory. "Today, we have regained our lost market," said Ghulam Rasool Bhat, president of the Kashmir fruit growers' association. Watch more about the historic day » . "We are sending the sweet Kashmir apple as the first consignment. This is sure to sweeten the relation between the two neighbors. The beginning of the trade between the two Kashmirs will further improve the relations and lead to a peaceful resolution of the bitter problem," he said. The trucks were subjected to thorough security checks before they crossed the bridge, one of the few crossing points in the heavily militarized 742-kilometer (460-mile) Line of Control, the de facto frontier that divides the region. Kashmir has been a major source of dispute between India, and Pakistan since the two countries were partitioned at the end of British rule in 1947. Muslim Kashmiris sided with Pakistan to the north, while the Hindu south joined India. For the past 18 years, Kashmir has been wracked by a bloody separatist campaign. Authorities say up to 43,000 people have died, but rights groups and non-governmental organizations put the death toll at twice that. Violence had dropped off since the countries began a peace process in 2004, but it surged after the state government in Indian-controlled Kashmir announced plans in June to donate land for a Hindu shrine. Muslim protests following the decision prompted a government U-turn that triggered Hindu demonstrations calling for it to be restored. Subsequent violence left 40 dead and hundreds wounded. It is hoped Tuesday's route opening will bolster the peace agreement and combat lingering mistrust between India and Pakistan. A bilateral cease-fire has been holding in the region for more than four years. A bus service connecting the divided Kashmir began amid much fanfare in 2005 but struggled under the weight of elaborate security checks and stifling bureaucracy. "This is a great emotional moment, as it brings to mind my grandfather, who used to drive lorries on this road," said Muzhar Hussain Naqvi, who drove the leading Pakistani truck. CNN's Sara Sidner and Mukhtar Ahmad contributed to this report .

Trade route between the two sides the first in six decades . A heavy military presence occupies strip of land known as the Line of Control . Kashmir a source of bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 . Trade meant to bolster a 2004 peace accord between the South Asian rivals .

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A female suicide bomber in northern Iraq targeted buoyant soccer fans who had just watched their national team win a big match against China, authorities told CNN. At least 29 people were wounded when the bomber detonated her suicide vest in a marketplace in the Diyala province town of Qara Tappa, a predominantly Shiite Kurdish town with a Shiite Turkmen population. Col. Ragheb al-Omairi, spokesman for Diyala Military operations command, who confirmed the account, said police on foot patrols were also in the area of bombing. Twenty-five civilians and four police were wounded, with at least 12 of the civilians in critical condition. The match, which Iraq won 2-1, was watched avidly across the country by Iraqis of all stripes -- united by their love of soccer. The game was part of the Asian qualifier for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, and Iraq and China are part of Group 1, along with Australia and Qatar. The match was played in China. The top two teams in the round advance to another stage of qualifying for the World Cup. Iraq eliminated China from competition and is in the running to advance. Celebratory gunfire also rang out across Baghdad, and the Baghdad Operations Command put an urgent message on state TV asking people to be careful and avoid shooting to celebrate. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki issued congratulations to the team, which last year won the Asia Cup. The bombing underscored the tensions that persist in a country where violence has dropped. Twenty females have carried out suicide bombings in Iraq this year, many more than in previous years. According to the U.S. military, women carried out eight bombings in all of 2007. Authorities said that al Qaeda in Iraq is recruiting women and that more women are offering themselves up for missions. The officials said the women are desperate and hopeless, most have pre-existing ties to the insurgency, and their main motive is revenge for a male family member killed by U.S. or Iraqi forces in the war. "We do see certain members of cells attempting to persuade women, specifically in many cases wives of those who have been killed as terrorists, to conduct suicide operations," U.S. Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling said recently. His area of operations includes Diyala province. Hertling's troops have targeted families of suspected female bombers in a bid to break up the rings that are recruiting the women and girls. Intelligence gathered from detainees indicates that al Qaeda in Iraq is looking for women who are illiterate, who are deeply religious or who have financial struggles, often because they've lost the male head of the household. Women and girls always have played a role in the insurgency in Iraq, helping feed militants, hiding them in their homes and helping to sneak weapons around the country. They have proved to be highly effective in their operations, because women are not searched by men for cultural and religious reasons. The U.S. military has created a program called the Daughters of Iraq, analogous to the Sons of Iraq, across the Sunni regions of the country. The Daughters of Iraq are being trained to conduct searches of women. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Arwa Damon contributed to this report.

NEW: Attack strikes people celebrating Iraq team's win in World Cup qualifier . 29 wounded in predominantly Kurdish town in Diyala province . Twenty female suicide bombings in Iraq this year, a sharp uptick . Insurgent recruiters target troubled women, authorities say .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British Museum plans to display a statue of supermodel Kate Moss that it bills as the largest gold statue built since ancient Egypt. The statue of Kate Moss will be displayed in the British Museum in a gallery holding anicent Greek sculpture. Called "Siren," the statue will be part of a group of major sculptures by leading British artists to go on display at the museum in October, the museum announced. The museum says the artist, Marc Quinn, claims it's the largest gold statue since ancient Egypt. His previous work included the marble sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant, which appeared on a plinth in London's Trafalgar Square. The Kate Moss statue, weighing 50kg, will be displayed in a gallery of the museum that houses ancient Greek sculpture. The museum calls it a "fitting setting" for the statue of Moss, "interacting with the great Greek beauties that surround it." Moss, whose slight frame was at the forefront of the waif look in the mid-1990s, is now nearly as well known for her celebrity lifestyle as her modeling career. The one-time girlfriend of British rocker Pete Doherty is a tabloid newspaper and celebrity magazine favorite, and now dates Kills guitarist Jamie Hince. She has recently mixed her modeling work with designing collections for the British clothing giant, Topshop. Other artists exhibiting include Damien Hirst, who most recently created a $100 million diamond-covered skull, and Angel of the North creator Anthony Gormley. The exhibit is expected to run from October 4 through January 25, 2009.

Statue of Kate Moss billed as largest gold statue built since ancient Egypt . Called "Siren," the statue will be on display at the British Museum . Moss statue will be displayed in gallery housing ancient Greek sculpture .

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(CNN) -- Chinese language media often refer to Jay Chou as the "small heavenly king," but the Taiwan born pop idol is more down-to-earth than the many accolades he receives suggest. At 29, Jay Chou is already a household name in many Asian countries. "I think I tend to believe in myself. I don't know....maybe I was born to believe in myself rather than in others. That's why I like to complete my work on my own," the solo singer-songwriter and actor told CNN's Talk Asia. The 29-year-old has ridden his wave of inner belief to become one of Asia's biggest pop stars, and fostered an image of being something of an anti-hero, neither boastful nor too brash. His music mixes ballads with urban R&B beats, while he has also taken a march on Asian cinema, writing his own screenplays, directing and appearing in a number of hit films. Music remains his first love, having found success despite being naturally shy. He released his first album in 2000, and eight years and seven albums later he still believes he has plenty of material for songs left in him, breaking from the usual Mando- and Canto-pop themes of boy-meets-girl. In the past his lyrics have ventured into more considered and darker territory with a song about an abusive father and have taken on a variety of themes and genres. "I think my music is quite different from the Western rap music culture. You won't find bad language in my music. I have this sense of responsibility to add an educational element in my music. That's why I would never write anything about suicide or whatever, because I think we all need the courage to deal with our lives," he said. Chou was brought up by his mother, a school teacher in Linkou in Taiwan. His parents divorced while he was at a young age. He began playing the piano as a 3-year-old, continuing to practice daily throughout his school days where despite being a diligent pupil he was academically average. While a so-so student he developed a way to express himself by focusing on playing the piano, and from it developed a self-reliant streak. "I think my confidence belongs to the stage or when I'm standing in front of the screen. I'm like two different people on-stage and off-stage," he told CNN's Talk Asia. Chou's career was given a boost when he was spotted by Taiwanese entertainer Jacky Wu while backstage before a TV talent contest. Wu liked what he saw and introduced Chou to the music industry, at first as a songwriter for others. "I never aimed to be a pop icon or whatever. My first album was actually a collection of songs that I wrote for other people. They didn't want them, so I made the album myself. The only aim I had was to be a singer-songwriter, not an idol," said Chou. Despite modest beginnings then he has reached idol status in many Asian countries, having appeared in front of crowds of tens of thousands of people across Asia and on the silver screen to millions. His huge exposure also ensures he's the sources of constant speculation from the media about his private life. "I think showbiz in Taiwan, or even in the Chinese-speaking region, is quite different from showbiz in the U.S. The more low-profile and tight-lipped you are, the more the paparazzi runs after you. And I happen to belong in this category," he said.

Multi-million album selling Taiwanese pop idol still lives with his mother . Has turned hand to acting and directing recently working with Chow Yun-Fat . Career began when spotted at a talent competition .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With moments of silence punctuated by somber music, readings of names, and tears, Americans held solemn memorial services Thursday to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. President Bush comforts a mourner Thursday at the dedication of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld returned to the Pentagon to help dedicate a memorial to victims of the attack there. "Today we renew our vows to never forget how this long struggle began and to never forget those who fell first," said Rumsfeld, who despite his high office helped carry the wounded from the burning building seven years ago. "We will never forget the way this huge building shook. We will not forget our colleagues and friends who were taken from us and their families. "And we will not forget what that deadly attack has meant for our nation." Watch Rumsfeld speak » . Rumsfeld donated hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to help build the Pentagon memorial. President Bush followed Rumsfeld at the lectern. "On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose," Bush said. "... One of the worst days in America's history saw some of the bravest acts in America's history." Watch Bush speak » . After the ceremony, participants moved through the memorial, finding and touching the benches honoring loved ones, colleagues and fellow citizens. Earlier, a bagpiper walked alone across the Pentagon memorial playing "Amazing Grace." Watch the bagpiper's moving solo » . Seven years ago, al Qaeda terrorists used hijacked airplanes to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon -- the twin symbols of America's financial and military might. Another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. iReport.com: 'I just sat in my car and cried' At the Pentagon, the ceremony dedicated a memorial to the 184 victims killed when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building's west wall. An American flag was raised smartly to the top of a flagpole, then slowly lowered to half-staff, and a band played the national anthem. Watch and listen to Thursday's ceremonies » . At the White House, President Bush and first lady Laura Bush, along with Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, observed a moment of silence on the South Lawn at 8:46 a.m., the moment when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced a moment of silence also at 8:46 a.m. Throughout the day's ceremonies, he was also to call for moments of silence to mark the time the second plane hit the south tower, the fall of the south tower, and then the fall of the north tower. Watch an audio slide show about that day » . "We come each year to stand alongside those who loved and lost the most, to bear witness to the day which began like any other and ended as none ever has," Bloomberg said. Flanked by police officers, firefighters and other officials, Bloomberg quoted what he called an Irish proverb: "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal." Watch Bloomberg honor the victims » . Relatives then began to read the names of the 2,751 victims at the crash site, commonly called ground zero. Moments of silence were also observed at 9:03 a.m., the moment in 2001 that the south tower of the World Trade Center was struck by United Airlines Flight 175; 9:59 a.m., when that tower fell; and 10:29 a.m., marking the collapse of the north tower. The New York Stock Exchange observed a moment of silence before its opening bell sounded. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, spoke for less than two minutes at a ceremony to remember the 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, who perished after the hijacked plane went down in a field there. Watch Americans remember 9/11 victims » . It is believed that the passengers and crew, aware of the fate of at least some of the other hijacked planes, fought back against the men who had taken control of their aircraft, leading to its crash. The services were held at a temporary memorial near the western Pennsylvania crash site. McCain and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Barack Obama, agreed to suspend campaigning for the day. Both candidates were to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the World Trade Center site at 3:30 p.m.

NEW: Former defense secretary donated thousands for memorial . 'On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose,' president says . Day 'began like any other and ended as none ever has,' New York mayor says . Watch 9/11 memorials in New York and Washington on CNN.com Live .

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(CNN) -- Two Russian bombers have landed at a Venezuelan airfield, from which they will carry out training flights for several days, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Russia's Tupolev TU-160, pictured here in 2003, is a long-range strategic bomber. The Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers landed at Venezuela's Libertador military airfield and "will spend several days carrying out training flights over neutral waters, after which they will return to the base," Interfax reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky, a ministry spokesman, told Interfax that NATO fighters followed the bombers on their 13-hour flight over the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic. "All flights by air force aircraft have been and are marked by strict conformity to the international rules on the use of air space over neutral waters," Drobyshevsky told Interfax. The U.S. will monitor the Russian training, said Pentagon officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the information. On Monday, Russia announced it might hold joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela in the Caribbean. The declaration came in the wake of increased tension between Russia and the United States over Russia's invasion last month of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, a U.S. ally that aspires to join NATO. Russia on Monday denied any link between that announcement and the conflict in Georgia, although Russia has criticized U.S. support for Georgia, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has long antagonized Washington. Earlier this month, Chavez said Venezuela would welcome the Russian air force, according to Russian news agency Novosti. "If Russian long-range bombers should need to land in Venezuela, we would not object to that either. We will also welcome them," Chavez said on September 1, according to Novosti. CNN's Mike Mount contributed to this story .

Russian bombers will use airfield for training over neutral waters, Interfax reports . Russian Defense Ministry spokesman: NATO fighters followed bombers . Venezuelan president had said he'd welcome Russian air force, Novosti reports .

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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel agreed to release a notorious killer Sunday in order to bring closure to the families of three missing military men, a government spokesman said. An Israeli woman stands in front of posters of captured soldiers Sunday in Jerusalem. "It's not an easy decision," Mark Regev told CNN. "One of the people being released is a brutal murderer, a man that with his own hands killed infants -- a terrible crime, but this is a nasty business." He was referring to Samir Kuntar, the longest-serving Lebanese prisoner in Israel, who is hailed as a hero by Hezbollah. Kuntar was convicted for a 1979 attack in which he shot and killed an Israeli man in front of his 4-year-old daughter before smashing her head against a rock and tossing her into the sea. The victim's 2-year-old daughter was accidentally smothered by her mother, who tried to keep her quiet as they hid from the attackers. Kuntar was convicted for murdering both children in the attack, which the Palestine Liberation Front orchestrated to protest the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty at Camp David the previous year. Kuntar is one of five Lebanese prisoners who Israel will release in exchange for two Israeli soldiers, Ehud "Udi" Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. The Lebanon-based Shiite militant group kindapped the two in a July 2006 raid into northern Israel that left three other Israeli soldiers dead. Hezbollah never gave Israel any indication whether they survived the attack, which sparked a 34-day war, leaving the families in limbo. Before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his Cabinet that the two soldiers are not alive, "as far as we know." "We'll have a final answer when they are returned," Regev said. Goldwasser and Regev are at the center of the landmark agreement, which has been years in the making, with both sides using the prisoners and intelligence as bartering chips. Under the deal, which the Cabinet approved 22-3 on Sunday, Hezbollah will also release information about Ron Arad, an Israeli navigator who has been missing since he was forced to eject from his plane over Lebanon in October 1986. "We have an obligation, a moral obligation to their families to bring finality," Regev said. "That if they are in fact no longer living, that their families can have a funeral, that they can have a grave, that they can know that this is over." Israel has repeatedly attempted to get information about Arad and other missing airmen by using Lebanese detainees as leverage. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised the Arad family that Kuntar will not be released unless Hezbollah provides information on Arad. In addition to Kuntar and other Lebanese prisoners, Israel will also release Palestinian prisoners and return the remains of dozens of border infiltrators and eight Hezbollah members to Lebanon, according to a statement from the government. Israel will also provide information to the United Nations about four Iranian diplomats who disappeared in Beirut during the 1982 Israeli invasion, the statement said. Earlier this month, Israel deported a Lebanese-born man who served six years in jail on charges of spying for Hezbollah. In exchange, Hezbollah handed over a brown coffin containing the remains of Israeli soldiers killed during the 2006 war. The move was seen as a prelude to a possible prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah. CNN's Shira Medding and and Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.

Israeli Cabinet agrees to swap prisoners for two captured soldiers . Israeli prime minister says two soldiers most likely not alive . Israel will release five Lebanese prisoners, including convicted killer .

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(CNN) -- Since 2½-year-old Ava Zinna ended up in the emergency room this summer after an allergic reaction to peanuts, her mother, Tara, has worried about her daughter's food whenever they eat out. But when the family went to Blue Smoke restaurant Sunday afternoon in New York, someone had already asked to hold the peanuts. Ava Zinna ate an allergen-free meal at the Worry Free Dinners event on Sunday. The Zinnas took part in Worry Free Dinners, a series of monthly meals for people with food allergies. Sunday's 16-person barbecue -- complete with ribs, chicken, burgers and brownies -- was the first event aimed directly at parents and children affected by food allergies. "When you're going into a restaurant environment, you're putting your child's safety and livelihood into other hands," Tara Zinna said. At the Worry Free Dinners event, "not only was the food phenomenal, but it's wonderful to have an opportunity to interact with other families who are dealing with similar issues." The recent "worry free" meal event took place just days before the Food and Drug Administration's September 16 public hearing on food ingredient labels. Since 2006, food manufacturers have been required to clearly label products that contain any of the most common allergens -- milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy -- but some allergy experts say the labels should be more explicit. Restaurant dining can be a terrifying experience for people with severe food allergies. When the meal arrives, there's often no way of knowing every single ingredient that went into it, or what else touched the plate and utensils used to serve it. You also have to pester the restaurant staff with special requests. But with Worry Free Dinners, everyone has some kind of experience with all of that, which helps build camaraderie, said Sloane Miller, who started organizing the events in April. Read more tips on how to manage food allergies » . "People sit down and start chatting immediately like they're old friends," said Miller, known in the blogosphere as "Allergic Girl." "It's so nice to be with people that you don't have to explain [to] why you want something on the side." So far, Worry Free Dinners has catered to food allergy sufferers in New York -- there are about 12 million in America, according to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) -- but Miller is looking to take the concept to other cities. A common but mysterious condition . One out of every 17 children under 3 years old in America has a food allergy, and some will outgrow their sensitivities, said Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of FAAN. But allergies to peanuts, nuts, shellfish and fish tend to be lifelong, she said. As far as she knows, Worry Free Dinners is the first event series of its kind. Experts agree that allergies in general -- both food and inhalant -- are on the rise, but no one is sure why. Research on food allergies has been slow because "for a long time, people thought this was a small problem," Munoz-Furlong said. The largest group of studies on the subject are in progress, including immunotherapy for people with peanut and milk allergies, she said. The majority of food allergy cases -- about 80 percent -- are "cyclic," with mild symptoms that resemble those of pollen or dust allergies: sneezing, itchy eyes, and nasal congestion, said Dr. Alpen Patel, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Emory University. Other people experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea consistently in response to certain foods. But for some people, ingesting something that even accidentally touched tree nuts or peanuts could result in anaphylaxis, a severe reaction that can lead to blocked airways, cardiovascular collapse, and even death. This is called a "fixed food allergy," he said. After one severe reaction, he said, most people consistently avoid the offending food and do not experience another severe attack. But they also always carry a shot of epinephrine to self-administer immediately in case they experience signs of anaphylaxis. Enjoying food in spite of allergies . Miller has made a career of helping people with food allergies and other special dietary needs navigate their meals, whether at Thanksgiving or on a date, without feeling sick. She runs her own coaching practice, blogs and organizes Worry Free Dinners events under her umbrella organization Allergic Girl Resources Inc. She herself has dealt with allergies all her life -- as a baby she developed a rash when her mother switched from breast milk to cow's milk, and at age 2 she had a reaction to tree nuts. She has since learned that she also has some form of allergy to salmon, lemon grass, eggplant, some types of melons and most tropical fruits. But Miller, now 36, did not want her food allergies to prevent her from sampling the cornucopia of New York City restaurants. She developed relationships with restaurants that would accommodate her needs, and began organizing dinners for people who have similar allergy problems. "It is both worry-free for the diner and worry-free for the restaurant," she said. "Restaurants appreciate that I'm looking out for them as well ... I want to make it as easy as possible for them to have people like me come in all the time." Where everybody knows your name . So how does someone like Miller, who lives with food allergies plus a "wheat/gluten-free, processed sugar-free, lactose-free, soy-free, low processed food-free lifestyle," safely enjoy eating out? Miller calls it the "Cheers" experience. The first time she goes to a restaurant, she always calls ahead and talks with the restaurant management to make sure they can accommodate her before making a reservation. Once at the restaurant, she'll meet the manager and give him or her a card with a run-down of her special dietary needs. Often a chef will join Miller and the manager to discuss the menu. By this point, Miller says, everyone has been introduced by name. After the meal, Miller thanks the server, chef and manager, and tips the server generously. She'll often call the next day and thank the manager for helping her eat safely. On her blog, allergicgirl.blogspot.com, Miller finds no shortage of restaurant meals to recommend and photograph. She'll find creative alternatives to traditionally prepared foods that look no less appetizing than more familiar versions -- for instance, she recently had fish-free sushi made of potato tempura, sticky rice, avocado and sesame seeds. Not every restaurant will accommodate Miller's special needs -- she has been refused service at some restaurants. But in general, she's found that restaurants have become far more understanding than five years ago, if only because staff members have children with food allergies. "That changes how they run their kitchen," she said. "More and more people are touched by this, and do get it."

Woman organizes dinners at restaurants for people with food allergies . If you have a food allergy, call ahead and tell the restaurant management, she says . 12 million Americans have food allergies, though some kids outgrow them . Food allergies are on the rise, but no one is sure why .

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NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Gangs of young men armed with machetes are roaming the streets in Kenya as post-election violence threatens to engulf the country. Horrific attacks are being reported, including the torching of a church where people who had sought refuge were burned alive. At least 148 people have been killed and about 75,000 have fled their homes since President Mwai Kibaki won a narrow victory, according to Kenyan government officials. The Associated Press reported a higher number -- about 275 -- have died since Saturday. Much of the violence is between supporters of Kibaki from the majority Kikuyu tribe and backers of opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is from the Luo tribe. The ethnic violence, previously rare in Kenya, is reminiscent of the strife that led to the Rwanda genocide. In a particularly disturbing incident, a mob appears to have burned a church filled with Kenyans seeking refuge from the violence. The Red Cross told The Associated Press that at least 50 were burned to death at the church, some of them children. As many as 200 people were at the church, about 185 miles northwest of Nairobi, KTN reporter Tony Biwott told CNN. Watch as machete-wielding looters haul away goods » . Biwott said he counted at least 15 charred bodies, including children, in the burned church and an adjacent field. "I'm sure there were more than 15 but I couldn't count the ones who were ashes," he said in a phone interview. The wounded sustained gunshot wounds, burns and cuts from a panga, a machete-like weapon, the Red Cross said. Watch smoke darken skies near a burned church . The national police commissioner has said in Kenyan society, churches are considered sacred and no one would expect such violence there. He said an investigation into the incident is under way. About 120 people are reported dead and over 1,000 injured countrywide, according to The Red Cross. Police and political backers of opposition leader Raila Odinga began clashing about four days ago as Odinga, of the Luo tribe, narrowly lost Kenya's presidential election to Mwai Kibaki. Kibaki is a member of Kikuyu, Kenya's largest tribe. Violence broke out in several cities as frustration mounted during the slow hand-count of the ballots. Kibaki was re-elected with 51.3 percent of the vote, to 48.7 percent for Odinga. "What we now witness is a cold and calculated plan to organize and engage in massacres," government spokesman Alfred Mutua said. Bringing in the New Year, Kibaki -- who rarely speaks to the press -- urged calm to the nation. "It now is a time for healing and reconciliation amongst all Kenyans," he said. Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju said the government is committed to taking control. "If the tear gas doesn't work then unfortunately they have to use live bullets," he told CNN. "The president has been sworn in, the elections are over, the Kenyans have to accept the results, the opposition has to accept the results." Tuesday, international observers said the balloting fell short of international standards for democratic elections. Alexander Lambsdorff, the head of the EU Election Observation Mission in Kenya, cited discrepancies in vote counts, election observers being turned away from polling places and observers being refused entrance to the electoral commission vote-counting room. The violence also has displaced some 75,000 Kenyans inside the country, Mutua said. The government said Tuesday it will not allow any political rallies in the aftermath of the controversial election outcome. Odinga's opposition Orange Democratic Movement had scheduled rallies for Tuesday, raising fears of more violence. Mutua said there was no intention to impose a state of emergency or curfew at this point, and said police are handling the violence well and with "extreme restraint." However, he warned that police restraint would not last forever. The violence is rare for Kenya, which has enjoyed relative calm even as war and chronic political violence wracked neighboring countries, such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The United States has withheld congratulations for Kibaki, citing concerns of voting problems, even though Kibaki has claimed victory. E-mail to a friend .

NEW: Red Cross: 120 people have been reported dead, 1,000 injured . International observers have called into question Kenyan election results . Witnesses: Mob set fire to church and burned people to death . The vote was marred by allegations of vote-rigging by both of the main parties .

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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Ten French soldiers were killed Tuesday in fighting near the Afghan capital of Kabul after 100 insurgents attacked a patrol, authorities said. French soldiers patrol in Afghanistan in May 2008. French and NATO authorities confirmed the deaths and said 21 other soldiers were wounded in the fighting in the Sarobi area in Kabul province, about 30 miles northeast of the capital. The clashes began late Monday afternoon and continued into Tuesday, when the casualties occurred, French officials said. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his "determination is intact" to continue "this battle against terrorism for democracy and liberty." "The cause is just. It is an honor for France and its armies to defend them," said Sarkozy, who will travel Tuesday night to Afghanistan, the Defense Ministry said. Last month, nine U.S. soldiers were killed in fighting in eastern Afghanistan. U.S., British, Canadian and Dutch troops have been engaged in much of the combat in Afghanistan. The United States has been urging other countries in the NATO-led alliance to help ease the burdens of those troops on the front lines. About 1,670 French troops serve in Afghanistan under NATO's International Security Assistance Force, according to ISAF's Web site. Before this incident, a total of 12 French troops had died in several incidents during the Afghan war, mostly in combat. As for the latest fighting, NATO said the initial patrol -- which included Afghan forces -- had been "reinforced with quick reaction forces, close air support and mobile medical teams." It said "a large number of insurgents were killed." Gen. Zahir Azimi, an Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, said Tuesday that Afghan army forces rushed to the battle scene soon after the attack took place. He said 27 militants were killed and 14 were wounded in the fighting, and 13 of the bodies were recovered by the Afghan army. He said one of the dead militants was identified as a Pakistani national. The Taliban posted a Web statement saying its forces attacked an "American" convoy, killing 20 soldiers and destroying five military tanks. It also said foreign forces later Tuesday bombarded the region and killed five Taliban militants and several civilians. The fighting came after authorities tightened security on Monday in anticipation of militant attacks on the country's Independence Day. Several suicide bombers struck an American base about 12 miles from the border with Pakistan in Khost province on Tuesday, but U.S. and Afghan forces repelled the onslaught. Seven insurgents were killed in the attack on Forward Operating Base Salerno, including three suicide bombers who blew themselves up after forces from the base encountered them more than 3,000 feet from the base, ISAF said in a statement. U.S. and Afghan troops noticed the approaching militants by their "special behavior," the spokesman said. Helicopters flew in to attack them, the force said. ISAF said it suffered no casualties. Gov. Arsallah Jamal of Khost province said four commandos -- presumably Afghans -- were wounded when the militants struck late Monday. A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said 15 suicide bombers with small arms and machine guns entered the base and inflicted heavy casualties -- claims that the NATO-led force and Khost governor dismissed. That attack came after a suicide car bombing outside the same base killed 10 Afghan civilians and wounded 13 others Monday, the U.S. military said. Two other would-be bombers were killed before they could carry out attacks, Jamal said. Afghan forces stopped a second would-be car bomb near the base, performed a controlled detonation and detained a suspect, the NATO-led force said. This comes as a source from the Afghan Defense Ministry, who declined to be named, confirmed that Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani arrived in Kabul on Tuesday morning to meet with Afghan and NATO military officials. In southern Afghanistan, a suicide bomber struck a Canadian foot patrol on Tuesday in the Kandahar province district of Panjwayee, local police said. The bomber and an Afghan interpreter for NATO forces were killed and a NATO soldier and a child were wounded, police said. The attack occurred as troops chatted with villagers in the district's main bazaar. The Taliban, in a Web statement, said 11 foreign soldiers were killed or wounded in the attack. CNN's Ben Brumfield and Journalist Farhad Peikar contributed to this report.

NEW: 'This cause is just,' French President Sarkozy says . NEW: Sarkozy to travel to Afghanistan Tuesday night . NEW: Officials dismiss Taliban claim of 15 suicide bombers entering base . 10 French soldiers killed as fighting flares around holiday .

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DEUTSCHNEUDORF, Germany (CNN) -- Digging has resumed at a site in the southeastern German town of Deutschneudorf, where treasure hunters believe there are almost 2 tons of Nazi gold and possibly clues to the whereabouts of the legendary Amber Room, a prize taken from a Russian castle during World War II. Treasure hunters use modern technology to try to locate the lost Nazi gold. Heinz Peter Haustein, one of the two treasure hunters and a member of Germany's parliament, said: "We have already hit a hollow area under the surface, it's filled with water and we are not sure if it is the cave we are looking for." Digging was stopped more than a week ago amid safety concerns, as authorities and the treasure hunters feared that the shaft might collapse and that the cave -- if it is there -- may be rigged with explosives or poisonous booby traps. At a news conference Friday, Christian Hanisch, the other treasure hunter, said that geological surveying equipment had located a possible cave about 30 feet under the surface containing "precious metals that can only be either gold or silver. The instruments would not have reacted to any other metal like copper." See photos from hunt for lost Nazi gold » . Hanisch pointed out that his father, who was a navigator in the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force, was one of the troops said to have been involved in hiding art, gold and silver as the Nazis realized that they would lose the war. He said that when his father died, he left coordinates leading to the spot in Deutschneudorf. "It's not about getting the reward," Hanisch said at the site. "I just want to know if my father was right and if my instincts were right." Haustein, who is paying for the expedition, said he hopes that finding the gold could lead to the Amber Room, whose interior is made completely of amber and gold. It was looted by the Nazis from a castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, after Adolf Hitler's forces invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. The room looked so majestic, many called it "the eighth wonder of the world." It disappeared after the war, and today a replica stands in its place in St. Petersburg. Although parts of the Amber Room have resurfaced, the vast majority remains missing. Haustein has been looking for the room for more than 12 years. Watch hunt for Nazi gold at German mountain » . "I am certain that large parts of the Amber Room are buried somewhere here," he said. He said he has collected much circumstantial evidence suggesting that the Nazis hid the Amber Room in old copper mines around Deutschneudorf, but he has no proof. Haustein said the Nazis began bringing valuables including art, gold and silver to the region around Deutschneudorf as early as summer 1944. Deutschneudorf is in Germany's Ore Mountains, and the mountain where the treasure hunters claim to have found the Nazi gold was a copper mine until the 19th century. Although the mine was shut down in 1882, geologists found evidence that soldiers from Hitler's Wehrmacht -- the German armed forces -- had been there. The machine guns, parts of uniforms and explosives are on display at the town's museum. Though both treasure hunters say they are certain they will find cultural goods, both admit that they fear disappointment. "Of course, if you embark on something like this, you ask yourself: 'What if we find nothing again? What if I was fooled?' " Haustein said. "But every man has to go his own way, for better or for worse." If they do find the treasure, Haustein says, it would legally belong to Germany, although he would recommend that Germany give any Amber Room parts back to Russia. Treasure hunters have typically received rewards of 10 percent of the value of the goods found, but Hanisch says there are no laws dictating the reward amount. E-mail to a friend .

Digging in search of lost Nazi gold resumed on Tuesday . Treasure hunters think 2 tons of treasure could be buried in mountainside . Men behind mission battle doubts: "What if we find nothing again?"

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- America's first female four-star general has been nominated, the Pentagon announced Monday. Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was nominated to be America's first four-star female general. President Bush nominated Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to serve as head of the Army's supply arm. By law women are excluded from combat jobs, the typical path to four-star rank in the military. "This is an historic occasion for the Department of Defense and I am proud to nominate Lt. Gen. Ann Dunwoody for a fourth star," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. "Her 33 years of service, highlighted by extraordinary leadership and devotion to duty, make her exceptionally qualified for this senior position." The Senate must approve the nomination. Dunwoody, a native of New York, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1975 after her graduation from the State University of New York in Cortland. She also holds graduate degrees in national resource strategy and logistics management. She became the Army's top-ranking woman in 2005 when she received her third star and became deputy chief of staff for Army logistics. "I am very honored but also very humbled today with this announcement," said Dunwoody. "I grew up in a family that didn't know what glass ceilings were. This nomination only reaffirms what I have known to be true about the military throughout my career ... that the doors continue to open for men and women in uniform." The Army Materiel Command handles all material readiness for the Army. During her career, Dunwoody has been assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, 10th Mountain Division and the Defense Logistics Agency. She served with the 82nd Airborne in Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. She has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, Master Parachutist Badge and the Army Staff Identification Badge. The first woman to become a general officer in the U.S. armed services was Brig. Gen. Anna Mae Hays, chief of the Army Nurse Corps, who achieved the rank in 1970 and retired the following year. Elizabeth Hoisington, the director of the Women's Army Corps, was promoted to brigadier general immediately after Hays. She also retired the following year. Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, the first director of Women in the Air Force, was the first woman to wear two stars, attaining the rank in 1973 and retiring two years later. In 1996, Marine Lt. Gen. Carol A. Mutter became the first woman to wear three stars. Mutter retired in 1999. Currently, there are 57 active-duty women serving as generals or admirals, five of whom are lieutenant generals or vice admirals, the Navy's three-star rank, according to the Pentagon.

Bush nominated Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to be head of Army's supply arm . By law women are excluded from combat jobs, the typical path to four-star rank . Dunwoody has served 33 years, and became Army's top-ranking woman in 2005 . There are 57 active-duty women serving as generals or admirals .

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ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) -- Ambulances rolled into a Texas ranch that's home to members of a polygamist sect, as authorities continued their search Saturday night for possible victims of physical and sexual abuse. Authorities are seeking Dale Barlow, 50, seen in a mugshot from a 2005 arrest on child sex charges. The emergency vehicles were called for as investigators prepared to search the group's temple, law enforcement officials said. The sect is a rogue branch of the Mormon church, which forbids nonbelievers from entering its temples. Authorities wanted medical backup "in case they're involved in sensitive areas that could escalate into a negative reaction," a law enforcement source said. A police helicopter also had begun circling the ranch Saturday night. Earlier, dozens more children and young women were removed from the compound. A total of 183 people, including 137 children, have been taken away since law enforcement officers raided the compound Thursday night, said Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the Texas Child Protective Services Division. The children -- most of them girls -- were being interviewed by special investigators, she said. "We're trying to find out if they're safe," she explained. "We need to know if they have been abused or neglected." Eighteen of the girls have been taken into state custody. Authorities believe that they "had been abused or were at immediate risk of future abuse," said Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar. The others were taken to a nearby civic center. Meisner described them as doing "remarkably well." Watch a report on the latest developments » . Authorities continue to search the 1,900-acre YFZ ranch, occupied by followers of imprisoned polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, and at least one man is being sought by police. According to the search warrant, authorities are looking for Dale Barlow, 50, whom they suspect of having married and fathered a child with a 16-year-old girl. Watch an Eldorado neighbor talk about the raid » . Law enforcement agencies raided the ranch Thursday night after receiving a report Monday that a 16-year-old girl had been "sexually and physically abused," Azar said. Watch buses take girls from compound » . The warrant cited an "immediate need" for authorities to have access to the 16-year-old and an 8-month-old child with either the last name of Barlow or the girl's last name. It instructs law enforcement officers to look for any records showing that Barlow and the girl were married and any evidence of them having a child. Barlow is in Arizona and does not know his accuser, his probation officer told The Salt Lake Tribune. "He said the authorities had called him [in Colorado City, Arizona], and some girl had accused him of assaulting her, and he didn't even know who she was," Bill Loader said. Barlow pleaded no contest last year to conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, The Associated Press reported. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for three years, according to the AP. His lawyer in that case told the AP he had not spoken to Barlow in a year. Jeffs, the 52-year-old leader and "prophet" of the 10,000-member church, was convicted in Utah last year and sentenced to 10 years on two counts of being an accomplice to rape, charges related to a marriage he performed in 2001. He faces trial in Arizona on eight charges of sexual conduct with a minor, incest and conspiracy. Jeffs' Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints bought the land near Eldorado four years ago and built the ranch, which they call the YFZ Ranch. The letters are said to refer to the words Yearning for Zion. It is home to as many as 400 members who relocated from their Arizona and Utah compounds. State and local law enforcement agencies set up roadblocks around the ranch Thursday evening, preventing journalists from seeing what was happening on the property, according to Randy Mankin, editor of the Eldorado Success weekly newspaper. "This came totally out of the blue," Mankin said. There were no indications of violence around the ranch, he said. When CNN crews have visited the ranch, it was guarded by armed men equipped with night vision gear and other high-tech surveillance tools to prevent intruders. When CNN flew over the ranch in a small plane last year, the crew saw a massive temple, the three-story housing units where Jeffs' chosen followers live, the water tower, the school and community center, the dairy and cheese factory and a massive concrete mill. The church openly practices polygamy in two towns straddling the Arizona-Utah state line -- Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona -- but members living on their Texas ranch rarely venture into Eldorado, four miles to the south. Critics of the sect say that it arranges marriages for girls as young as 13 and that competition for brides may be reduced through exiling young men. If male followers are excommunicated, the critics claim, their wives and children can be reassigned to someone else. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Bill Kirkos contributed to this report.

NEW: Ambulances called in as investigators prepare to search temple . Number of people removed from ranch grows to 183, including 137 children . Authorities served search, arrest warrants to members of polygamist sect . Jeffs in Arizona jail awaiting trial; sentenced to 10 years in prison last year .

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(CNN) -- A 30-year-old dolphin at Sea World has died after colliding with another dolphin while performing aerial tricks, the Orlando, Florida, amusement park said Monday. The incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Discovery Cove area of the park, according to a statement by Sea World spokeswoman Becca Bides. The animals were in the center of the lagoon and not near guests, she said. The dolphin who died was named Sharky. The other dolphin, Tyler, is being watched by veterinarians but appears to be fine, Bides said. "This is an unfortunate, random incident," Bides said in a written statement. "While it is not unusual to have two animals performing aerial behaviors at the same time, we are reviewing the situation to ensure even such a random incident does not occur again." E-mail to a friend .

Collision with another dolphin proves fatal to Sea World animal . Dolphins were in center of lagoon, away from guests, when collision happened . Park statement calls collision "an unfortunate, random incident"

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- They first met in the autumn of 1979; she playing the role of the lovelorn terrorist, he dressed as a rather sloppy Ayatollah Khomeini. Pamela Stephenson first met Billy Connolly on the set of a comedy show in 1979. They married in Fiji in 1990. It may not have been love at first sight on the set of British comedy show "Not the Nine O'Clock News," but love, marriage and children eventually followed. Australian comedienne, now psychotherapist, Pamela Stephenson, describes being captivated by Billy Connolly's wildman looks, his mane of grey hair and devil-may-care demeanor. She tells CNN's Revealed about her first impressions of her husband, his unique ability to keep audiences entertained and what she learnt about his addictions and childhood abuse while writing his best-selling biography, "Billy." CNN: Take us back to the beginning. How did you meet Billy Connolly? Pamela Stephenson: I'm not quite sure what Billy's version of how we met is like because he was very drunk. I met him when I was a performer on "Not The Nine O'Clock News" and he was a guest. He was just shaggy and some kind of terrible beastie. But I was attracted to him immediately, maybe because he was so unusual. I think what I picked up on was his dichotomy -- that beastiness and the underlying sensitivity that he has. I think that's something that audiences relate to, you're aware of all the toughness, but underneath you just know that there's philosophy and this poetic, Celtic nature that speaks to people. Also his pain, his underlying sadness and the pain of his childhood ... when I first met him I think I connected with that. He played the Ayatollah Khomeini in a scene on "Not The Nine O'Clock News" and I played a demented fan singing a love song to him, it was in days when you could do stuff like that, I suppose. And then we did an interview, I pretending to be British TV personality Janet Street-Porter, with giant fake teeth which kept falling out. Of course, he could never keep a straight face; I thought he was dreadfully unprofessional because he just kept laughing, especially when my teeth fell out -- my fake teeth -- fell out. CNN: What's it like being married to him? PS: People always think that being married to Billy means that I get non-stop Billy Connolly concerts. It's not nearly as exciting as that, although he's adorable. But it's boring sometimes and he would say the same. There are moments when I wish he would go and make me a cup of tea, which he does very often. Actually, Billy is quite a quiet person. He's a little reclusive and I don't think it's necessarily his personality. With the highs he experiences on stage he needs to be very quiet when he's not. Billy Connolly takes CNN's Revealed on a tour of his home » . CNN: What made you write a biography of his life? Was it the first time he opened up about his childhood? PS: When I wrote "Billy," it was the first time that Billy really looked at his childhood in a chronological order and with depth. It was a painful process, but cathartic. The book gave me the opportunity to understand a lot more about him. Just putting some of this together, the sexual abuse, for example, that he received from his father, the physical abuse he received from his aunts, helped me understand why there's a part of him that's very closed off. Watch Billy recall his troubled childhood » . His learning disability was never understood. Now we'd call it an attention disorder. In those days, he had difficulty concentrating, for which he was beaten and taunted at school. People told him he was stupid and to this day there's a part of him that thinks that's he's not as clever as other people and yet he is absolutely brilliant. He's incredibly well-read and very erudite. CNN: Can you tell us about Billy's problems with alcohol and drugs and how you helped him? PS: Billy was extremely famous in Scotland, and you know what happens, especially with people who don't think they are very worthy. As with Billy, they don't handle fame because they don't feel they deserve it and they'll turn to alcohol and drugs. It became very serious and by the time I met him he was on a very self-destructive path. At first, that was appealing to me, but later I realized I can't be with somebody like that because I don't want to watch him destroy himself. I didn't tell him, "You've gotta clean up your act," I just said I can't deal with this. I discovered you can't make anyone stop drinking or stop taking drugs, you have to just protect yourself and if they want to jump on the good train, they will. Fortunately it worked. CNN: How would you describe Billy's style of comedy? PS: Billy doesn't have a style, because to have a style it would mean that there have to be other people with a similar way of working. He goes on stage and it's like he's got these comedy angels whispering in his ear. He makes this extraordinary connection with the audience, and of course he's very astute and funny about politics. He sees the funny side of all kinds of things -- human nature, human behavior, world events, politicians. He'll talk about that with such passion. It's what many of us think but don't want to say. Billy will see something on television or notice something on the street or he'll just think something and it'll go into his computer of a brain and it'll stumble out when he's on stage. See Billy Connolly perform on a recent tour of Ireland » . CNN: Is he the same person on and off stage? PS: He's honest and real. He's a man of the people, a working class hero. It's a cliché, but people know that he has struggled; they know he's come from the tough part of Glasgow. Billy just loves an audience, he loves speaking to people if they're nice to him, and they usually are. When he's finished his show, he doesn't go home. He stays in his dressing room and people will come and see him and he'll talk to them for another hour. CNN: He says he's getting more and more nervous when he goes on stage -- have you noticed a change? PS: I don't think he's getting more nervous. At his age, maybe he thinks that it should have become easier -- well, it's not going to become easier. It's incredibly tough to go on stage in front of four or five thousand people and sustain [their interest] by yourself. And one thing that really impresses me, again as a psychologist, is that I think he is really healing. I think that people really have the opportunity to just laugh like that and it's so good for you. I feel fantastic when I go to one of his shows and come out and I'm just sick with laughter. CNN: How does he feel when he comes off stage? He says it can be tough and envies the audience. They can go home and forget about it. PS: Most performers struggle with the letdown after a show, and Billy's no exception. It's tough because it takes time for adrenalin to leave the system. That's actually one reason why a lot of comedians turn to alcohol, because it's a depressant and takes you down. Now that Billy doesn't drink he's found another way -- he goes back to his hotel and stays quiet. Sometimes he likes to eat after the show but not very often. He will just want to veg out, watch TV. Playing his banjo is a great way for him to relax. Watch a rare performance of Billy on banjo » . He doesn't like me being around when he's touring because he just likes to do his thing. I want to have some food or go and do something. He becomes a bit of a hermit, and that's appropriate for someone who expends that amount of energy and brainpower on stage. CNN: Billy says he finds the routine of touring increasingly tough -- do you think he will stop soon? PS: When Billy's touring, he'll say, "Oh I don't want to tour anymore, I've had enough it's too hard on the road." But the truth is, when he's not touring, he wants to go back. It's probably his happiest time. I have been a comedian so I know a little bit about what it's like to be on stage and know that when things are working fantastically, and you're getting that appreciation from the audience. It is an incredible high. It's pretty hard for me as a wife or us as a family or any of his fans or friends to match up to that kind of adulation and so, you know, he deserves it and I have to remind him that it is a lot of fun for him. CNN: How would you describe his dress sense? PS: Billy is a fashion maven. He spends most of his time in New York now so, you know, the New York "Black is the new black" is ... that's got to him a bit. He's influenced by Rock 'n' Roll and Vivienne Westwood and edgy stuff. But he just puts it together in his own unique way. He also takes great pride in his body. His closet is still extremely fun. It's far more colorful than mine. I have grey and black suits and things for work -- he loves colorful shirts. It will be a shame if he tones himself down, but I don't think that will happen. He borrows my clothes sometimes, if he sees something particularly mad. We used to say, "First up, best dressed," which is the Glasgow expression for a particularly fun brooch or hat.

Pamela Stephenson talks about marriage to Scottish comedian Billy Connelly . They met on the set of British comedy show "Not the Nine O'Clock News" She says writing his biography, "Billy," helped her understand him better . Stephenson: "It's like he's got these comedy angels whispering in his ear"

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is writing a prequel to her best-selling series to be auctioned for charity -- but at just 800 words, it may lack some of the magic fans of the boy wizard might be hoping for. Autographed copies of J.K. Rowling's work have fetched millions of dollars at auction. Rowling's hand-written prequel, signed by the author, will be auctioned alongside works by other famous writers to raise cash for a dyslexia charity. Despite the brevity of the piece, experts believe it could fetch big money, since other autographed works by the blockbuster author have sold for millions of dollars. "We never dreamed that J.K. Rowling would donate something so precious, and we're incredibly grateful," said Gerry Johnson, managing director of Waterstone's, the UK book chain organizing the auction. "I can't begin to guess how much it will raise at auction." A previous 93-word storycard from Rowling, which referred to the book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," sold in 2002 for $53,000. Rowling later produced seven hand-written copies of a new work, "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," one of which sold for $3.9 million in 2007. "Given the enormous interest we have seen in recent times for autograph work by J.K. Rowling, the prospects for her storycard are good to say the least," said Philip Errington, a specialist at Sotheby's auction house, which is helping to organize the sale. The card on which the story is written -- measuring 14.6 by 20.9 centimeters (5.75 by 8.25 inches) -- is signed "JK Rowling 2008." The author signs off with the message: "From the prequel I am not working on -- but that was fun!" Alongside Rowling, 13 other authors invited to contribute to the June 10 auction include Margaret Atwood, Sebastian Faulks, Nick Hornby, and Tom Stoppard. A book featuring all 13 cards will go on sale in August. All profits from the book will benefit Dyslexia Action and English PEN, a writers' association, Waterstone's said.

Author J.K. Rowling pens Harry Potter prequel for charity auction . Autographed 800-word piece will raise money for dyslexia charity . Previous autographed Rowling pieces have raised millions of dollars .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- It's been five years since Carrie Bradshaw journeyed to Paris in search of true love on the series finale of "Sex and the City." She appeared to have found it in the arms of Mr. Big, and she returned to New York -- and her now-settled friends -- ready for a new start. Sarah Jessica Parker was a driving force in creating the "Sex and the City" movie. Then came the inevitable cry: That's it? What happens next? Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie, wanted to find out as well. But the situation had to be right, she said, which prompted a cascade of rumors as plans for a movie came together, fell apart and came together again. Now that the movie is out, Parker -- who's a producer of the film as well as one of its stars -- talked about the journey to making a big-screen "Sex and the City" with "Showbiz Tonight" anchor A.J. Hammer. The following is an edited version of that interview. CNN: I think a lot of fans, maybe a lot of people, and those of you among the cast, didn't think this day would actually ever come ... but here we are. So how are you feeling deep inside, Sarah? Sarah Jessica Parker: I feel extraordinarily privileged. I've spent the last two years cobbling this movie together. ... It's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of professional experience and one really shouldn't be greedy enough to ask for it twice. Watch the cast talk about the thrill of "Sex" » . I have to say that, this last six, eight months, was better than those seven years [the show aired] and I think it's because we all recognize how lucky and unique those seven years were and that this is a story that you don't get to tell twice. It has been, I must say, worth every obstacle and dead end, and fit and start, and every moment that was seemingly impossible. It has been a dream. CNN: And I imagine sitting down for the first time in that room together for the table read, which was, from my understanding, the first time you all actually were in the same room [together] regardless of how much you kept in touch. Tell me a little bit about that moment. Parker: I started putting [the] script back together in April of 2006 ... and that [table read] was a really extraordinary day, because just the perfunctory details of getting people to a table read were complicated. Kim [Cattrall] had been away and Kristin [Davis] had been away and Chris [Noth] had been [doing] his other job, and this magnificent script had arrived and had been everything we hoped for and more. It was basically like being in an alternate universe for about three hours. ... It was a kind of reunion that is very, very special, because you really want to be there. It's not the reunion where you're forced by your parents to meet your aunts and uncles that you see rarely. It's the reunion that you want. I think even more so was that first day on [the] set. When we thought, good God, [writer/director] Michael Patrick [King] and I are actually making this movie, like we got it done, we're here, we're doing it -- what a privilege. CNN: I think we as fans and viewers actually got a sense of what that feeling was like when we saw you all together on "Oprah," because the energy was ... palpable. ... But we're talking about the perceived drama around this whole project. (Rumors have abounded about friction between the stars.) One of my producers said while we were watching the TV, "Are they going to sit near each other?" "Why are they putting Chris in the middle of all of them?" Hearing that, does it make you mad? Parker: I find it slightly -- it's not that I'm mad. I expect better from people. I think it's really beneath me, to keep defending myself. I have a 35-year career. I have an impeccable character, I really pride myself in my work ethic and the way I treat people. And I think Kim would say the same and Cynthia would say the same. And I love Kim, and I wanted her to be in this movie. We couldn't have done it without her, we couldn't have done it without Kristin, we couldn't have done it without Cynthia [Nixon], nor could we have done it without Chris. Watch Cattrall address the rumors » . You know, this is a story that people like to tell about women. Why? I don't know. Is it that interesting? Probably not. So once again I just have to say it doesn't define the experience. Nobody can take the experience away. It's far more interesting for me to talk about my affection for this cast than to start to deny a sad old beaten tale. CNN: You seem to have what goes on in the media in perspective -- and you have to, being at the game as long as you've been. To that end, one of the things that I've always admired about you and [husband] Matthew [Broderick] and I think a lot of people do, is how you've managed your public or your private life while being in the glare of the spotlight. ... Now I know one of the main reasons you guys are able to make it work is because you don't talk about your private lives, which is great and I applaud that. That said, is there something that you can tell me about what it is about your relationship that enables you to make it work separate from that? Parker: I wouldn't make any proclamations about why I have a marriage that, to me, is successful. I would just say that we've chosen to live in a city where we are not the most interesting people. This is a city that is about industry and finance and publishing and architecture and the arts and education and academia, and the movie industry fits into it in some small way, but there are a lot of people of important interest and I think that it's a conscious choice to live in a place where we're bumping up against humanity. We run to the market on our own, we take the subway, and we integrate into our city, and we become a part of the fabric and I think it's really been to our benefit and certainly to our son. Does it mean that we are not scrutinized and that we don't have paparazzi every single day at our house? No, but it is a city where you can't live behind a gate, you can't drive up in a car and be protected. You walk out the door and it is what it is. So you reconcile those things and you make the best choices you can. CNN: Is it the end of "Sex and the City"? What does your gut tell you? Parker: My gut tells me it's up to you and your colleagues and the critics and the people who show up. The future is dictated not by us at this point, and I think Michael Patrick and I have been so focused at getting this movie up on the big screen, that we haven't thought about the future. Doing this was more than we could have asked for. So anything beyond that is really kind of out of our hands in a perfectly wonderful way.

Sarah Jessica Parker: "Sex and the City" "has been a dream" Rumors of friction? "Beneath me to keep defending myself" Marriage to Matthew Broderick works because pair lives normal N.Y. life .

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(CNN) -- The wife of missing adventurer Steve Fossett has asked a court to declare him dead. Steve Fossett and wife Peggy in a February 2006 photograph. Fossett was last seen in early September, flying a single-engine plane on a pleasure flight from a Nevada ranch. A month-long search for the plane was unsuccessful. "As difficult as it is for me to reach this conclusion, I no longer hold out any hope that Steve has survived," wrote Peggy V. Fossett in court documents filed Monday with the Cook County [Illinois] Circuit Court. She asked that the will of her husband of 38 years be admitted to probate. At about 8:45 a.m. on September 3, the millionaire took off on what he said was to be a solo pleasure flight over the Sierra Nevada mountain range. He had planned to fly over the Nevada desert for two to three hours, and was expecting to return for lunch to the Nevada ranch, from which he departed. He was carrying a single bottle of water and had no parachute, lawyers for Mrs. Fossett said in the court documents. At 3 p.m., when he had not returned, a search began that ultimately included thousands of volunteers. It continued until October 2. "No one involved in the search holds out any hope that Fossett is still alive," the petition said. Rick Rains, a sheriff's supervisor of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, said Fossett's plane was last spotted at 11 a.m. less than 20 miles from the ranch's airport. "Given the timeline and the sighting of Fossett's plane, I believe he was within 20 to 25 miles of the ranch when he crashed," Rains said. But, he noted, "the terrain is very difficult to search, with many areas where the crevices, deep ravines and closely grown trees make it impossible to see from the air what is on the ground." "If Fossett was physically able to find water to survive on in the Nevada desert, he would have been physically capable of signaling searchers, by doing something as simple as crafting a large X of sticks or rocks, or by starting a signal fire," Rains said. In affidavits supporting his wife's petition, Fossett's doctor described the 63-year-old man as physically and mentally fit. Robert Keilholtz, a captain in the California Civil Air Patrol who was involved in the search, noted that the difficulty in finding wreckage was underscored by the fact that World War II-era plane wreckage was discovered last spring in the mountain range. In the search for Fossett, wreckage from eight other crashes was discovered, one of them from the 1960s, the lawyers said. Fossett made his money in the financial services industry, but is renowned for his daredevil exploits, which include nonstop, round-the-world trips aboard a balloon, a fixed-wing plane and a boat. At the time of his disappearance, Fossett was working on a project to build a single-man submarine and to build a vehicle capable of breaking land speed records by traveling at up to 800 mph, lawyers for his wife said. E-mail to a friend .

Steve Fossett missing since September solo flight over Nevada mountains . Single-engine plane last seen 20 to 25 miles from departure point, sheriff says . Plane not found after month of searching . Experienced aviator would have signaled rescuers if alive, sheriff says .

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NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Vimlendu Jha is the founder and head of Swechha -- We For Change Foundation which is based in India's capital, New Delhi. "For the rest of the world India is powerful, but for many residing in the countryside, India is still disempowered, hungry and naked." Swechha started out as an organization to combat the pollution of the city's main waterway, the river Yamuna. Today it deals with the environmental issues that affect several aspects of Delhi. Vimlendu leads volunteers and local children to key sites around the city to tackle the ecological problems, as well as to raise awareness of the issues. Follow his efforts in his blogs and video diaries. October 18, 2007 We traveled, along with 100-odd kids from one of New Delhi's most progressive schools, The Shri Ram School, to the rural part of our country, to Kempty Village in Uttaranchal. The purpose of the visit was to expose these young minds (ages 15-17) to the existence of another India. Most of us have an illusion of India becoming a powerful nation and it is on a phenomenal growth trajectory. We are not so much seen as a developing nation but a developed nation. One wonders what actually makes a country developed, when most of the parameters of development are skewed, as is the case of our country. For the rest of the world India is powerful, but for many residing in the countryside, India is still disempowered, hungry and naked. Up to 70 percent of Indians still live in villages. Most of the time these villages are neglected and are centers of poverty. Development around India's cities has brought a flood of people from the rural areas who come in search of jobs. This population comprises the "urban poor" which is more vulnerable than the rural poor. Imagine, India still has more than 260 million people (26 percent of the population) living below the poverty line. In the last 10 years, we have had at least 40,000 farmer suicides in the country -- indicative of the growing gap between the poor and the rich. The purpose of this trip was to learn, and unlearn, about village stereotypes or notions we live with. The village in Uttaranchal wasn't as extreme an experience as other remote villages of India, but it was indicative of the hardships that people live with. Another reason for the trip was to celebrate the simplicity and generosity of the villagers vis-à-vis we, the insecure urbanites, and also to understand their hardships, due to our over-consumption and false assumption that our wrongdoing does not necessarily influence the rural population -- when we know it does. For many students, it was a first-time, first-hand experience of a village. Some were overwhelmed with the beauty and many were saddened by the villagers' plight. The outing also gave them an opportunity to contribute in some way. Students worked in the fields, helped the villagers in agricultural work and breathed the clean air. It was a wonderful experience, aimed at understanding the gap between the two exisiting worlds; to bridge the gap between these two worlds. E-mail to a friend .

Vimlendu takes a group of children to see a village in Uttaranchal . His aim was to show them the differences between India's city and village life . Many of the children had never been to an Indian village . Vimlendu says they were "saddened by the villagers' plight"

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BEIJING, China (CNN) -- When -- after many visits to doctors and hospitals --- Tian Huiping's son was finally diagnosed with autism, the only advice she was given was to make use of a loophole in China's "one-child" policy that allows parents with disabled children to have one more. Tian Huiping considered suicide when she learned her son was autistic. Instead, she opened an autism school. Alone with her son after her husband divorced her, Tian became depressed and desperate enough to consider killing herself and her son, Yang Tao. "I made a poison for me and my son," she said. But when she saw her boy smiling up at her happily, she says she couldn't do it. "I thought, I have no right to end his life, and I cannot kill myself and leave him." From that horrible moment 18 years ago, there grew an incredible resolve -- the kind of dogged determination borne of a mother protecting her child. At one of the many hospitals she went to for help in Beijing, Tian came across a small brochure printed by the Taiwan Autism Association, explaining a few basic concepts on how to teach kids with autism. Watch mom describe being near suicide with autistic child » . She read it over and over again. "I just tried to work a little bit with my son and another boy we lived with," she says. "And it worked -- a little bit -- but I saw hope." She rented space in a kindergarten and opened her own school at first, with just six autistic children. She slept on the floor in a store room to save money. Two months later, the kindergarten closed her down. "We didn't make enough money for them," she says. But the children had shown progress, even though the teaching was based on a few simple concepts in a few pages of a brochure. Soon, the word was out. And more parents with autistic children came to Tian looking for help, all of them with the same fears. "If my son cannot go to school, what will happen with him? As a mother this is such a big worry." Fifteen years later, Tian and her Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism help more than 3,000 children a day through her school and its outreach program. Eighty children of all ages enroll in her school for an 11-week course with their parents -- many of whom travel hundreds of miles from small villages to get help for their children. The parents then return to their villages to try to educate the local population. Interactive: Autism 101 » . The Chinese government says there are only about 100,000 people with autism in the entire country, but unofficial estimates put the number between 1-2 million people, perhaps even more. Tian says her institute has a list of just 60 doctors nationwide who are capable of diagnosing autism. Fifteen years ago, she says there were just three. Because resources are scarce, the focus at her school is on teaching the parents how to educate their children. They first help parents to accept their child's disability and teach basic information about autism awareness. Programs are individualized for each child, with teachers working on verbal communication, managing tantrums and other early intervention methods. One of the parents is a woman named Fu Jing. It took three years and countless wrong diagnoses, before she finally learned why her son Ruoqi wasn't talking or playing with other kids, she said. When Fu leaned Ruoqi was autistic, her world collapsed. "I thought about committing suicide with my son. I could not imagine the pain he would suffer when he grew up. All the unfair treatment from society and schoolmates," she said. "As a mother, I felt so much pain." But now Fu is learning how to communicate with her son, how to raise him, even how to love him. "The training here strengthens the acceptance of your kids. Honestly speaking, as an ordinary person, I get angry and even shout at him," she said. "But here, they say we have to accept our kids as who they are. I feel that I have changed." There are no government programs to help parents with autistic children -- and there is no government help for Tian and her school. "I'm not used to requesting anything from government," she says. "We have grown up in such a situation." For the past three years, Stars and Rain has been working with Heartspring, a Kansas-based center for children with special needs. Teachers from Beijing have been sent to Wichita, Kansas, for training; and teachers like Connie Coulter have come to Stars and Rain. When she arrived in February, Coulter found a school with almost no resources and without access to the latest research. Some parents, she said, would come up to her and ask about a magic pill or vitamin "to cure their child." "In the villages where they're coming from, they're just viewed as basically throw-away children," she said. "To tell [the parents] and be able to educate them, it was an exhilarating experience to talk to them about the basic understanding of autism." Coulter described her time at the school as a "life-changing experience." "There are things that they have taught me about value of family, the passion, the empathy, the sacrifice that I don't see as much in the United States," she said. It's a sacrifice these parents feel lucky to make -- because in China, if your child has autism and you want to help, there is almost nowhere else to turn. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Wayne Drash contributed to this report.

China estimates 100,000 people with autism; some say real number is 1-2 million . Mom considered murder-suicide with autistic son; instead started autism school . The school helps 3,000 children with autism every day despite no government aid . "As a mother, I felt so much pain"

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Liv Tyler doesn't like to be bothered by her agents at night. But it's a good thing she took their call pitching her "The Incredible Hulk." Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross, a colleague of Edward Norton's Bruce Banner, in "The Incredible Hulk." "My agent called me one night ... I had just put [son] Milo to bed. It was like 9 o'clock at night, and I always get grumpy with them when they call me really late," she told CNN. "They said, 'Marvel would like to fly you to Los Angeles tomorrow. Will you get on a plane to come and meet for 'The Hulk'? And I said I can't come tomorrow, but I can come the next day." The flight turned out to be well worth it -- though Tyler said she was discombobulated by the speed of it all. "I went and met with [director] Louis [Leterrier] and they offered me the part that day," she said. "I was kind of floored because it just happened so quickly and I didn't get to read the script. ... [But] it was kind of a no-brainer." In the new "Hulk," "The Lord of the Rings" actress plays Betty Ross, a former colleague of scientist and Hulk alter ego Bruce Banner (Edward Norton). She said working on the film brought back memories of her childhood watching the TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. (Ferrigno has a cameo in the new film.) "I loved the TV show when I was a kid," she said. "I used to watch it all the time with my mom. It was our favorite show." Tyler, 30, said that she felt a tremendous sense of responsibility to the "Hulk" mythology, particularly since a 2003 film on the character met with mixed reviews. Watch Tyler, Norton and Leterrier on the latest "Hulk" » . "Well, a lot of people would say -- even I said -- 'Oh, they're making "The Hulk"?' Didn't they do that already?" she said. But she added, "The fans love this so much ... and there's so much detail to the story, I always feel quite stressed about that, like I really want to do the part justice. ... I definitely feel that responsibility and want to do the best job that I can." CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report.

Actress Liv Tyler says "Hulk" role came unexpectedly . Tyler plays Betty Ross in new film version of Marvel superhero . Tyler says she was huge fan of TV show with Bill Bixby .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iraq is raking in more money from oil exports than it is spending, amassing a projected four-year budget surplus of up to $80 billion, U.S. auditors reported Tuesday. Oil accounted for 94 percent of the Iraq's revenue from 2005 to 2007, a U.S. report says. Leading members of Congress, noting that Washington is paying for reconstruction in Iraq, expressed outrage at the assessment. One called the findings "inexcusable." "We should not be paying for Iraqi projects while Iraqi oil revenues continue to pile up in the bank, including outrageous profits from $4-a-gallon gas prices in the U.S.," said Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We should require that U.S. taxpayers be reimbursed for the cost of large projects." Baghdad had a $29 billion budget surplus between 2005 to 2007. With the price of crude roughly doubling in the past year, Iraq's surplus for 2008 is expected to run between $38 billion and $50 billion, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The United States has put about $48 billion toward reconstruction since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, auditors reported. About $23 billion of that was spent on the oil and electricity industries, water systems and security. Iraq spent $3.9 billion on those sectors from 2005 through April 2008, according to the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress. The ongoing fighting there, a shortage of trained staff and weak controls have made it difficult for the Iraqi government to spend its surplus on needed projects, the agency's report concluded. Levin, a Michigan Democrat, has been an outspoken critic of the slow progress of reconstruction and an advocate of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. His criticism Tuesday was echoed by Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican who is the former chairman and now a leading member of Levin's committee. "Despite Iraq earning billions of dollars in oil revenue in the past five years, U.S. taxpayer money has been the overwhelming source of Iraq reconstruction funds," Warner said in a joint statement with Levin. "It is time for the sovereign government of Iraq, using its revenues, expenditures and surpluses, to fully assume the responsibility to provide essential services and improve the quality of life for the Iraqi people." In its written response to the audit report, the Treasury Department said U.S. officials are working with Iraqis to address the issue, "and we believe progress is being made." "The report shows Iraq's budget surplus is likely to grow significantly over the course of 2008, but it is equally important to realize that spending in Iraq is also increasing," Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Andy Baukol wrote to the GAO. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government submitted a $22 billion supplemental budget to the Iraqi parliament in July, including $8 billion in proposed capital expenditures, Baukol wrote. The issue raised the hackles of several members of Congress earlier this year -- particularly because Bush administration officials said on the eve of the war that Iraqi oil money would pay for reconstruction. In 2003, then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz told the House Appropriations Committee: "We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.'' Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, said Tuesday's report "is going to make a lot of American families very angry." "The record gas prices they are paying have turned into an economic windfall for Iraq, but the Iraqi government isn't spending the money on rebuilding," said Waxman, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Levin spokeswoman Tara Andringa said the senator hopes to tighten rules governing U.S. expenditures on Iraqi reconstruction efforts in the next Pentagon authorization bill. The Iraqi surplus has piled up even though the country's oil production has only recently matched prewar levels, according to the Brookings Institution's latest Iraq Index. The country spent about 80 percent of its $29 billion operating budget in 2007, including public services and salaries, but only 28 percent of its $12 billion investment budget, the GAO found. The export of crude oil accounted for 94 percent of Iraq's revenues from 2005 to 2007, the GAO reported.

U.S. lawmakers upset over surplus, noting Washington is footing reconstruction . U.S. taxpayers should be reimbursed, senator says . Report says Iraq's budget surplus from 2005 to 2008 could hit $80 billion .

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(CNN) -- The mother of a missing toddler on Monday was arrested in connection with an alleged theft from one of her friends, Florida authorities said. Monday's arrest of Casey Anthony, mother of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony, was her second relating to the theft case and her third since the child disappeared three months ago. The latest charges -- passing a forged check, fraudulent use of personal identification and petty theft, according to an arrest affidavit released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office -- related to a theft from Casey Anthony's friend Amy Huizenga, authorities said. Anthony and her missing daughter have garnered national headlines and served as fodder for nightly crime shows, which show pictures of the wide-eyed toddler during their coverage. Watch Nancy Grace with the latest on the arrest » . Caylee disappeared in mid-June, and her mother waited nearly a month before reporting the disappearance, authorities said. Since then, evidence has mounted that Caylee is dead, authorities said. Anthony was first arrested on July 16 after she told detectives lies about her daughter's disappearance, according to police. She was charged with child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation. While out on bail, Anthony on August 29 was arrested on suspicion of forgery, fraudulent use of personal information and petty theft related to the Huizenga case. She remained in jail until early September, when her $500,000 bail was posted anonymously. Police have labeled Anthony a "person of interest" in the case of her missing daughter. Anthony initially said she didn't immediately report her daughter missing because she was conducting her own investigation. Later, she told police she gave Caylee to a baby sitter. But investigators said they soon learned that the address she gave them was an apartment that hadn't been occupied for months.

Mother of missing 3-year-old Caylee Anthony charged with theft . Arrest is her second relating to alleged theft from friend . Authorities: Casey Anthony waited nearly a month before she reported girl missing . Casey Anthony is "person of interest" in disappearance, authorities say .

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

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

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TBILISI, Georgia (CNN) -- Russian forces appeared to be in control of two key Georgian cities early Friday, and there were reports of tanks on the move again. A woman outside a bombed apartment block in Gori, Georgia, on Thursday. Russia said Thursday that its withdrawal of Gori would be complete within hours, and the U.S. said it looked like the Russian military was gearing up to leave, but CNN's Michael Ware confirmed that Russian troops were comfortably in control of Gori in the early hours of Friday. The town was a base for the Georgian military and is near the breakaway South Ossetia province where the conflict began. Meanwhile, there are reports of Russian vehicles on the move towards Poti, a port city in the west of Georgia. Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili said that more than 100 tanks and other vehicles are traveling in convoy between the cities of Senaki and Kutaisi. CNN has not independently confirmed the claim. "I appeal for the help of every civilized person in the world to stop this uncivilized, barbarian, inhuman, treacherous, absolutely outrageous behavior, and to save innocent lives," Saakashvili said. He estimated that Russian soldiers control about one-third of his country and said his government has received 1,400 reports of brutal attacks. On Thursday, about 200 Russian troops were in Gori, just outside South Ossetia, the U.S. defense official said. A Russian general confirmed troops were in Gori, but said they should be withdrawn within hours. Watch Russian troops on the road to Tbilisi » . The U.S. official said there were also troops in Poti, having been put ashore in the Black Sea port several days ago. Russians have been accused of bombing targets in Poti, including a military installation and ships. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied Wednesday that there were Russian troops in Poti. But a CNN crew that tried to drive to Poti on Thursday found the road blocked by Russian soldiers. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has been charged with a major humanitarian mission to Georgia, warned that U.S.-Russian relations could be hurt "for years to come" but ruled out any U.S. military action in the region. The conflict in Georgia began late last week, when Tbilisi launched a military incursion into South Ossetia in an effort to rout separatist rebels. Watch some of the destruction in South Ossetia » . Russia -- which supports the separatists, many of whom claim Russian citizenship -- responded the next day, sending tanks across the border into the province. The conflict quickly spread to parts of Georgia and to Abkhazia, another breakaway region. Concern beyond Georgia's borders prompted European leaders, spearheaded by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to mediate a cease-fire deal and U.S. President Bush to offer humanitarian support. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in France. A senior State Department official familiar with the negotiations said she will be going to Tbilisi with a cease-fire document that allows Russia to keep some troops in Georgia, but it will not be the final version of the document. Watch the latest on Rice's mission » . International agreements signed in the early 1990s allow Russian peacekeepers to maintain a presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia as part of a force including Georgians and South Ossetians. Analysts see the conflict as a gamble initiated by Georgia, which is seeking EU and NATO membership, to test the strength of its Western allies in the face of Russia's unwillingness to see the West encroaching on its doorstep. In five days of fighting, both sides accused the other of targeting civilians, with casualty reports in the thousands. Many more people have fled the fighting into Russia and Georgia, leaving heavily bombarded towns and cities deserted. Despite Tuesday's cease-fire deal, accusations of ongoing hostilities have continued on both sides, and Russia's incursion into undisputed Georgian territory has adding to confusion fueled doubts that a quick solution to the conflict can be found. Watch as a reporter is grazed by a bullet » . Russian Gen. Nikolai Uvarov said Russia had invaded Gori because it is Georgia's main military base and an arms munition storage there had been left unattended. iReport.com: Ask ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev about the crisis . Meanwhile, Russia's deputy chief of general staff, Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said that a withdrawal plan to pull troops from the breakaway region had yet to be approved by Russia's defense ministry or its president, Dmitry Medvedev. During a Moscow visit by the leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Lavrov said that Georgia's current borders were "limited," an indication that the two breakaway regions may never agree to rejoin it. All three voiced their unity against what Abkhazian leader Sergey Bagapsh called "those aggressors from Georgia." South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity compared Georgia's initial assault on the region's capital Tskhinvali, which prompted the Russian invasion, to Germany's attempt to seize Stalingrad during World War II. iReport.com: Are you reminded of past wars? Do you remember the Cold War? "Tskhinvali has become the Stalingrad of the Caucusus," Kokoity said at a joint news conference. Saakashvili suggested earlier that Russia invaded his country to establish control over the former Soviet republic, where a major oil pipeline passes through. View a map of the region » . "The fact that the biggest number of bombs fell on purely economic and civilian targets clearly indicated that was a premeditated thing and it had nothing to do only with Abkhazia or South Ossetia," Saakashvili said. Russian peacekeeping troops were also in the western Georgian city of Zugdidi, just outside Abkhazia. Video showed the Russians, clearly wearing the blue helmets that signify their peacekeeper status, at the official government residence in the town. iReport.com: How is the Russia-Georgia conflict affecting you? U.S. officials said Russia is thought to have 15,000 or more troops in the region, between 5,000 and 7,000 more than when the fighting began. Russia's Lavrov said Russia's operations were about "peace enforcement" in respect of Georgia, which "violates all of its obligations." Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Russian military appears in control of two key Georgia cities . Georgia says more than 100 tanks, vehicles moving between Senaki and Kutaisi . Source tells CNN draft peace deal could see some Russian stay in Georgia . Conflict began when Georgia launched action against rebels in South Ossetia .

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WATERTOWN, South Dakota (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama linked Sen. John McCain Friday with what he called "the failed policies" of the Bush administration, accusing the presumed Republican presidential nominee and the White House of "bombastic exaggerations and fear-mongering" in place of "strategy and analysis and smart policy." "What we've done over the last eight years does not work," the Democratic front-runner said. Obama accused McCain of supporting a track record from the Bush administration that included the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, a longer and more expensive war in Iraq than was initially projected, the continued freedom of September 11 mastermind Osama bin Laden and the strengthening of Iran after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. "The American people are going to look at the evidence," he said. "We don't get a sense that this has been a wise foreign policy or a smart foreign policy or a tough foreign policy. This has been a policy that oftentimes revolved around a lot of bluster and big talk, but very little performance, and what the American people want right now is performance." In a speech at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday, McCain defended his foreign policy positions, saying the United States has a realistic chance of success in Iraq after four years of costly mistakes. McCain called some of Obama's ideas "reckless" and questioned his understanding of America's standing in the world. Watch McCain take on Obama's comments » . "It would be a wonderful thing if we lived in a world where we don't have enemies," the Arizona Republican said. "That's not the world we live in. And until Sen. Obama understands that reality, the American people have every reason to doubt whether he has strength, judgment and determination to keep us safe." The verbal sparring took place a day after President Bush suggested in a speech before the Israeli Knesset that those who want to shift American policy to include direct talks with what he called "terrorists and radicals" were appeasers and delusional. Watch more of the controversy surrounding Bush's speech » . "I don't take what Bush says personally, but I was offended by what is a continuation of strategy from this White House, now mimicked by Sen. McCain, that replaces strategy and analysis and smart policy with bombast, exaggerations and fear-mongering," Obama said. Watch more of Obama's comments » . "The speech yesterday was not about an actual policy argument. It was about politics and scaring the American people, and that's what will not work in this election," he said. Obama said he would offer "tough diplomacy" to the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela and North Korea "without preconditions, although with preparation, and I would present to them very clearly what my expectations would be in terms of them changing their behavior." On Thursday, McCain spoke warily of Obama's willingness to meet with dictators and "state sponsors of terrorists." "I have some news for Sen. Obama," McCain told the NRA Friday. "Talking, not even with soaring rhetoric ... will not convince Iran to give up its nuclear program. It is reckless to suggest that unconditional meetings will advance our interests." Speaking to reporters earlier, McCain said he disagreed with Obama's desire to talk with Iran's president. "What you do, if you sit down face to face, as Sen. Obama wants to do, is you legitimize a regime that's dedicated to the extinction of Israel, supports terrorist organizations and is responsible for deaths of brave young Americans," McCain said. McCain also said he would not meet with representatives of Hamas, the Palestinian organization listed as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel, which won elections in 2006 and now controls Gaza while U.S.-friendly President Mahmoud Abbas controls the West Bank. Obama agreed with that position, calling Hamas a terrorist organization that has vowed to destroy Israel. But Obama said McCain and Bush have to answer for Iran's benefiting from the invasion of Iraq, Hamas' gaining control of Gaza and Iran's continued funding of terrorist organizations, all of which, he said, have affected U.S. security. "That's the Bush-McCain record on protecting this country," he said at a Watertown, South Dakota, town hall meeting. "Those are the failed policies that John McCain wants to double-down on." "I am happy to have a debate with John McCain and George Bush about foreign policy," Obama said. "I believe that there is no separation between George Bush and John McCain when it comes to our Middle East policy, and I think their policy has failed." In Kentucky, McCain said he would also welcome a debate about "protecting America." "No issue is more important," he said. "Sen. Obama claimed all I had to offer was a quote 'naive and irresponsible belief' that tough talk would cause Iran to give up its nuclear program. He should have known better." CNN's associate political editor Rebecca Sinderbrand and political producer Ed Hornick contributed to this story.

McCain blasts Obama's comments in NRA speech . Obama slams Bush over attack "that alienates us from the rest of the world" He blasts McCain for "embracing" Bush's attacks .

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(CNN) -- Grocery store shelves are bare. Food left in refrigerators has rotted in the absence of electricity. Houston and Galveston are hungry. Ashia Turner and her family, from Galveston, wait at a shelter for a bus that will take them to a hotel on Tuesday. The Houston Food Bank is "utterly overwhelmed with people asking for help," its president, Brian Greene, said Tuesday. The food bank needs 500,000 pounds of food a day for the next six weeks to satisfy the "staggering" needs of Texans who have no food or water after the storm, he said. "People don't grasp just how many people live here," said Greene, who was executive director of New Orleans' Food Bank when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. He lost his home in Katrina, and lived at the New Orleans food bank for weeks using a garden hose as a shower. Most of the Houston food bank's volunteers' homes were damaged and they don't have power. "It's a very similar situation that I saw following Katrina: when the caregivers themselves [are] victims, it just becomes difficult on a far larger scale than you would think," he said. iReport.com: How are you getting by after Ike? He pointed out that while Katrina's devastation was spread over a greater area, more people have been affected by Hurricane Ike. Greene said the food bank normally distributes aid through local charities, churches and other faith-based organizations. But many were wiped out by the storm or are unable to function because of the lack of electricity or phone service. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said several times that they are constantly shipping two days' worth of food every day to make sure supplies do not wane. FEMA has established at least 60 distribution sites across the region to give away water, ice and food. There are long waiting lines at those stations crowded with thousands of people. iReport.com: Long lines for help . Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday issued an emergency order that authorized public utilities to lay temporary power lines to restore electricity to 1.5 million customers. Houston Mayor Bill White spoke at a 9 p.m. news conference about food distribution. "If we could figure out how to get a big block of ice on your doorstep, we'd do it," he said. The city is working to get people refrigerated food, but he cautioned, "There's a limited number of [FEMA] trucks" that contain supplies. Fuel is being shipped back to the region, he said. Motorists should stop topping off their tank and only pump the amount of gas they need. Thousands of people remain in shelters throughout the state. FEMA said it was instituting a transitional sheltering program, allowing some evacuees who are unable to return home to stay in hotels or motels. FEMA will pay for the lodging directly to hotels and motels, the agency said. iReport.com: Ike evacuees get help in Austin . Galveston was so ravaged that city officials told the 15,000 to 20,000 people who stayed on the island during Ike to leave. For those who evacuated, the message was: Stay away. There's not enough clean drinking water and if people came back it would result in a "downward spiral" that officials cannot handle right now, Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc said Monday. "Sometimes the aftermath of the storm is worse than the storm itself," Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said Monday. "There's nothing to come here for right now. ... Please leave." Watch how Ike wiped out neighborhoods » . In Houston, a curfew remained in place, banning citizens from the streets from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. iReport.com: Shattered Houston buildings . A bottled or boiled water advisory for the Houston area was not lifted as had been hoped -- with the exception of Bellaire, which gave the OK for its tap water Tuesday. Houston city officials said water in one location was being retested. Harris County, which includes Houston, said it had crews working to clear roads in downtown Houston, and said most streets were passable, while some were blocked because of glass and debris. "Businesses are reopening gradually, and the situation is returning to normal," said a statement from the Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "It's a tough situation on the coast," President Bush told reporters in a hangar at Houston's Ellington Field, where he had arrived to tour Houston and Galveston. "It may be hard to imagine a better Galveston or a better Orange [County], or some of these other communities that have been affected, but I know, with proper help from the federal government and state government, there will be a better tomorrow." Watch what the feds are doing to keep aid flowing » . Bush said the federal government will pay 100 percent for debris removal and emergency preparedness measures that state and local governments have put in place, without requiring matching funds from the state. "People have been moved out of their homes, and I know a lot of people are anxious to get back in," he said. "I urge you to listen to state and local authorities before you come back." iReport.com: Facing the deadly storm . Leslie Johnson came home Tuesday to strewn boxes, water-stained walls and soggy, ruined furniture in her first-floor apartment in Bayou Vista, Texas. "Nothing there is usable. Everything is damaged," she told CNN affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston, sitting on the steps outside her apartment in the small waterfront community in Galveston County. Inside, a television remained where it had been thrown face down on the floor, its wires still connected to a cabinet. "I didn't think this would really happen, you know," she said, inhaling deeply. "I thought it was just going to be like Rita, just a little bit of damage, everything will go back to normal. I never thought I would come back and it would look like this." The Texas coast bore the bulk of Ike's power, and areas lay in ruins Tuesday. At Crystal Beach, a resort community on the Bolivar Peninsula, swaths of land where houses had stood were reduced to debris-laden beaches, with only a few houses dotting the flattened landscape. See the aftermath of Ike » . Oak Island, north of the peninsula, looked like it had been "bombed," said former Chambers County Auditor Jimmie Moorhead, according to the Houston Chronicle. "I doubt there are any homes that are livable, and some are just cratered. I even saw someone's little pet goat [dead] in a tree," Moorhead told the newspaper. Chambers, which includes Oak Island, has sustained "widespread damage," a message on the county's emergency telephone line said. The area has "many unsafe things," no electricity and sewer problems, the message said, urging people not to return home. Ike's trail stretched into the Midwest, where roads were flooded and thousands of people were without electricity Tuesday. Ike dumped as much as 8 inches of rain over the weekend, according to The Associated Press. Some rivers in Missouri were more than 15 feet above flood stage and rising, and flooding already was occurring at several towns along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, including St. Louis, Missouri, the AP reported. Flooding had closed the street in front of the Gateway Arch and a casino on the St. Louis waterfront, the AP said. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Houston food bank needs 500,000 pounds of food a day for next 6 weeks . Thousands still in shelters, 1.5 million without power in Texas . President inspects hurricane damage in Galveston, promises help . Floodwaters rising on Missouri, Mississippi rivers from Ike's weekend deluge .

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Pop star Britney Spears was resting at UCLA Medical Center on Thursday, her mother said, hours after police escorted her to the hospital from her Hollywood home. Britney Spears, left, and her mother Lynne Spears pose at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York. A long convoy of police and a Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance transported the 26-year-old singer to the hospital after midnight, acting on what the Los Angeles Times reported was a "mental evaluation hold." It was the second hospitalization for Spears this month. The police operation was planned far in advance and, according to the L.A. Times, followed a phone call to police from Spears' psychiatrist. Asked if her daughter was resting, mother Lynne Spears said "Yes" to a throng of reporters as she departed the medical center. Watch scene at Spears' home » . The pop star's father Jamie Spears and her manager Sam Lufti also appeared at the hospital, neither choosing to speak to reporters. The latest incident in the troubled performer's saga began about 12:55 a.m. on Thursday when the North Hollywood Police Department sent about eight officers to Spears' hilltop house in Studio City, California, according to a law enforcement official, who asked not to be identified because he's not authorized to comment publicly. See Spears timeline » . The group at Spears' house included plainclothes officers, motorcycle police, ambulance crews and some police "brass," the official said. It took the better part of the day to arrange the transport plan, the officer said. On January 3, Spears was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she reportedly underwent a psychological evaluation. Watch how mental evaluations work » . Andrew Blankstein, a Los Angeles Times reporter who was at the scene of Thursday's incident, told CNN that a police convoy, stretching the length of a football field, accompanied the ambulance as it drove down Coldwater Canyon Boulevard -- in part to keep the paparazzi from getting too close. Watch police motorcade at Spears' home » . Spears was whisked out a side entrance to her house. "You couldn't really see what was going on [when officers first swept into the residence] but on the police radio, there was some reference to 'The package is on the way out,' 'We're leaving now. Go, go, go,'" Blankstein said. A few hours earlier, two officers were sent to investigate a report of a large group gathered outside the singer's home, said David Grimes, watch commander for the west division of the Los Angeles Police Department. The two officers found 20 to 25 people near the house around 11 p.m. Wednesday and they asked them to leave, he said. ABC-TV host Barbara Walters reported on Monday's "The View" that she had been contacted by Spears' manager and "good friend," Lufti, who told her the pop star has seen a psychiatrist and "is suffering from what he describes as mental issues which are treatable," according to The Associated Press. Watch experts discuss Spears' behavioral issues » . During Spears' earlier hospitalization, in addition to the psychological evaluation, she was examined for possible influence of alcohol or drugs. Police had been called to her home that night to mediate a custody dispute. A day later, a California court refused to grant Spears visitation rights with her two children -- Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1 -- at least until mid-February. Spears has been in a heated dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline over custody of their sons. Federline, Spears' former backup dancer, holds primary custody of the children. Spears has been in trouble with the court earlier concerning her compliance with court orders in the custody case. After filing for divorce in November 2006, Spears was frequently seen enjoying Hollywood nightlife. Her behavior became increasingly erratic; in February 2007, she shaved her head as paparazzi looked on, then spent a month in rehab. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Saeed Ahmed and Ninette Sosa 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.

Troubled pop star resting, mom says, after large police escort . L.A. Times: Britney Spears placed on "mental health evaluation hold" Hold prompted by call police got from Spears' psychiatrist, Times reports . Incident is second time in weeks the singer has been taken to a hospital .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Two men accused of failed car bomb attacks in London and a car bombing at Glasgow International Airport last year went on trial Thursday. Mohammed Asha, a doctor, is accused of conspiracy to murder and cause explosions. Bilal Abdulla and Mohammed Asha, both doctors, are charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions. Their trial at London's Woolwich Crown Court is expected to last up to 12 weeks. The case stems from the discovery in June 2007 of two explosives-filled Mercedes sedans in central London. One of the cars was parked across the street from a packed nightclub near Piccadilly Circus and the other was towed from an underground car park at Hyde Park. An ambulance crew notified police about the first car after they saw smoke coming from it. The second car was towed for a parking offense but drew suspicion because it smelled of gasoline. Officials said both cars cars were filled with fuel, gas canisters, and nails. Police managed to defuse them. The following day, with attention still focused on the averted attacks in the capital, a Jeep sped through the barriers outside Glasgow International Airport and slammed head on into the terminal. The Jeep, filled with propane gas, burst into flames and created a fireball. The driver and passenger jumped out of the car. One set himself on fire and later died in the hospital; the other was identified as Abdulla, an Iraqi doctor who had been practicing medicine in Scotland. Later that day, police arrested Asha as he was driving with his wife on a highway in Cheshire, England. Police said Asha, a doctor of Palestinian descent who grew up in Jordan, conspired with Abdulla to carry out the explosions. The incidents happened just days after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown took office. A third man charged in the case, Sabeel Ahmed, pleaded guilty in April to failing to disclose information about an act of terrorism. He was ordered to be deported to India.

Men accused of failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow go on trial . Bilal Abdulla and Mohammed Asha charged with conspiracy to murder . The men, both doctors, also charged with conspiracy to cause explosions .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Virginia hasn't backed a Democrat for president in 44 years, but economic concerns and changing demographics are giving Sen. Barack Obama a chance to steal the once reliably red state from Republicans. Sen. Barack Obama waves as rain falls on a rally in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in late September. Polls earlier this year showed Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, leading Obama, his Democratic rival, in Virginia by a healthy margin. A Virginia Commonwealth University poll taken May 12-18 had McCain leading 47 percent to 39 percent. But as the financial crisis has shaken voters' confidence in the economy, Obama has begun to open a lead in the state, as he has done in other battleground states. The latest CNN poll of polls has Obama leading McCain 49 percent to 45 percent. A CNN/TIME/Opinion Research Corporation poll conducted September 28-30 shows Obama with an even bigger lead over McCain, 53 percent to 44 percent. The CNN poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points. Polls show that voters have more confidence in Obama to handle the economic crisis than they do in McCain, and are more likely to blame Republicans for the recent turmoil than Democrats. Beside an advantage on the economy, Obama is also benefiting from a demographic shift that has reshaped Virginia politics. For the last 10 presidential elections, Republicans have been able to bank on Virginia delivering its 13 electoral votes to the GOP. President Bush won Virginia by 8 percentage points in both 2000 and 2004, and President Bill Clinton was never able to capture the state when he ran in 1992 and 1996. But the explosive growth of Northern Virginia in the last decade has changed the state's electorate. Drawn by government jobs in nearby Washington and high-tech jobs in the Dulles corridor, the growing population in Northern Virginia is more liberal than the mostly rural southern portion of the state, which has remained reliably Republican. In 2000, Bush carried Northern Virginia 49 percent to 47 percent, but in 2004, Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, carried the area 51 percent to 48 percent. Virginia "is not as red as people think," said Doc Thompson, a conservative talk show host for WRVA radio. "A third of the population in Northern Virginia is pretty liberal. A lot of people are buying into [Obama's] notion of change." Virginia Democrats have been able to exploit the changes in the electorate into statewide electoral success after years in which the Republicans had a virtual lock on the state. In fact, Virginia Republicans have not won a statewide race since Mark Warner, a former mobile phone company executive, captured the governorship for the Democrats in 2001 by emphasizing economic growth. Democrat Tim Kaine, who was Warner's lieutenant governor, succeeded Warner in 2005. And in what may have been the most surprising result of the 2006 election cycle, Democrat Jim Webb defeated the incumbent Republican George Allen in the race for one of Virginia's seats in the U.S. Senate. The trend favoring the Democrats is expected to continue this year, which is expected to help drive Virginia Democrats to the polls. The extremely popular Warner is almost certain to win this year's race against another former governor, Republican Jim Gilmore, to replace Virginia's long-standing Republican senator, John Warner, who is retiring. (The two Warners are not related, and John Warner was unopposed in 2002.) A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted in late September found Warner leading Gilmore by 30 points, and Warner's victory would give Democrats control of both of Virginia's seats in the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1970. While conservatives may be demoralized by Gilmore's poor showing, McCain may also face eroding support from Virginia conservatives for his recent proposals for the government to become heavily involved in the U.S. economy, said Thompson, the radio talk show host. During Tuesday night's presidential debate, McCain suggested that the government directly buy up to $300 billion in home mortgages to help homeowners facing foreclosure. Thompson said that proposal, along with his support for a $700 billion bailout package to help Wall Street firms that McCain voted for last week, are two signs that McCain is breaking from the free-market principles that Virginia conservatives support and not stopping "the march toward socialism" that has begun since the economic crisis started. "They missed a real opportunity, certainly, in Virginia with my listeners who say they want someone who is fiscally conservative," said Thompson, who added that he's considering voting for a third-party candidate. "They could have come out and said, 'no more spending.' " CNN's Scott Anderson contributed to this report.

Poll of polls has Sen. Obama leading Sen. McCain 49 percent to 45 percent . Rapid growth of suburbs around Washington has made Virginia more liberal . Conservatives angered by McCain's support for bailout, mortgage buyouts .

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The California Public Utilities Commission banned texting on the job Thursday after it was shown that a Metrolink train engineer involved in last week's deadly collision near Los Angeles sent text messages from his cell phone. It was unclear what 46-year-old Robert Sanchez was doing at the time of the crash Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating claims that he was sending text messages when his commuter train slammed into a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth. Twenty-five people were killed, including Sanchez, and at least 130 were injured. Investigators subpoenaed the phone records of the engineer and determined that he "had sent and received text messages on the day of the accident, including some while he was on duty," according to an NTSB statement Wednesday. Investigators were trying to determine at what time the messages were sent. The commission's emergency order passed unanimously Thursday. In pushing for the ban, Commission President Michael Peevey said that cell phone use by engineers "may have been a factor" in train accidents this year in San Francisco and Sacramento, California. He did not elaborate on details of those incidents. Thursday's order is temporary until the state commission decides whether to make it permanent. Metrolink prohibits cell phone use by engineers on the job, but Peevey emphasized that there is no federal or California regulation barring cell phone use by engineers while trains are moving. The NTSB had determined that the brakes on the Metrolink train were not applied before the collision and that stop signals at the scene were working properly, said Kitty Higgins, an NTSB member assigned to the investigation. Metrolink has said its train, carrying about 220 passengers, failed to stop for a red signal. Watch expert tell what it's like to drive a train » . Twenty-four bodies were found at the scene after the head-on collision during rush hour Friday in the northwest Los Angeles suburb. A 25th victim, a man in his 50s, died at a hospital. More than 130 people were injured. The agency has said it also has been in contact with the two teenagers who told a local television station they were exchanging text messages with the engineer just before the crash occurred. Higgins said investigators have interviewed the Metrolink train conductor, who had worked with Sanchez since April. The conductor "had no issues of his time working with the engineer and on how the engineer operated the train," she said. Watch as callers to 911 describe the crash » . The engineer took a two-hour nap during his midday break on the day of the collision, the conductor told investigators. Sanchez was a subcontractor who worked for another company.

NEW: California Public Utilities Commission passed ban Thursday . Phone records show engineer texting during work hours on day of crash . Engineer Robert Sanchez was among 25 people killed in Friday's crash . Investigators determined the brakes on train he was driving were not applied .

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Jorge Fernandez strolls across the used-car parking lot littered with dozens upon dozens of sport utility vehicles the size of small tugboats. SUVs like these are having a tough time selling with gas prices at all-time highs. With gas at $4 a gallon, many have sat there since last summer. "The cars are literally just sitting, and it doesn't matter how much you sell them for," Fernandez says of the SUVs and trucks nobody wants anymore. "It's amazing. I've never seen it this bad -- ever." Fernandez, a wholesale auto dealer who has been in the business for more than 20 years, says SUV owners are hit especially hard. The really large ones with V-8 engines that can get as little as 12 miles per gallon in the city -- like the Cadillac Escalade, Ford Expedition and Chevy Suburban -- are dropping in value by the thousands. Watch the sinking value of guzzlers » . The No. 1 reason for the sales slump is soaring gas prices, says Peter Brown, the executive director of Automotive News, the trade newspaper for the North American car industry. For the first four months of this year, truck and SUV sales are down a collective 24.8 percent. SUV sales plummeted 32.8 percent while pickups dipped 19.9 percent, he says. "If gas prices stay where they are at or continue to rise, the body-on frame SUV is an endangered species and the pickup truck as a personal car is an endangered species," Brown says. How do owners react when they're told their once-$40,000-plus vehicles are now worth less than half that? "When they find out what you think their truck is worth, they think you're trying to rip them off or something," says Fernandez. "Small cars are gone within a week; SUVs are sitting here since last summer." David Lavi, the owner of a Toyota Tacoma pickup, is feeling that pinch. He put his truck on the market several weeks ago in hopes of downsizing. He bought it brand new in 2006 when gas prices were much lower. "Once I do sell it, I'm going to get a smaller car -- maybe a Nissan Maxima or something smaller," he says. He's hoping to get $23,000 for the fully loaded truck, which is higher than the estimated Kelley Blue Book value of $15,000 to $19,000 depending on how many amenities it has. "No one has offered what I want," he says. Automakers have noticed this trend to downsize. Ford announced Thursday it was shifting production away from its longtime hallmark of pickups and SUVs in favor of smaller cars. In making the decision, Ford said it believes gas prices will remain in the range of $3.75 to $4.25 a gallon through the end of 2009. "We saw a real change in the industry demand in pickups and SUVs in the first two weeks of May," Ford chief executive Alan Mulally said Thursday. "It seems to us we reached a tipping point." Brown of Automotive News said he wouldn't be surprised if General Motors and other automakers follow suit. According to AAA, gas prices reached another all-time high Friday, with the national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at $3.87. Seven states are now over $4 a gallon, AAA says. How much do you need to work to pay for your gas? » . Stories of owners ditching larger vehicles for smaller ones have started to become widespread. Owners say they're tired of spending as much as 80 to 100 bucks to fill up their tanks. Some CNN.com users recently shared their stories of buying used Geo Metros -- the oft-maligned, snail-sized car from the 1990s that gets gas mileage similar to a hybrid of today for a fraction of the sticker price. "I used to be a car snob, and I used to be too vain to drive anything that doesn't shine," said Marci Solomon, an electrician who has a 100-mile commute to and from work. "But now it's about, do I want to eat, or do I want to make it to work? I want to do both." But some auto experts caution owners against trading in their SUVs and trucks to save money at the pump because it may not be the wisest financial decision. Owners might owe $20,000 or more when the vehicle is now worth $12,000. It's similar to an upside-down mortgage, and it may not make sense to try a trade-in. "What they might be doing is spending thousands of dollars to save hundreds," says Jack Nerad, the executive director of Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "Because if you make a trade, you're most often going to spend more to make that move than you would just sucking it up and paying the extra gasoline prices." Back at the Los Angeles lot, Fernandez says he thinks the trend away from SUVs and pickups is here to stay. "Just when you think that it's going to change any day now, it doesn't. It just continuously gets worse," he said. CNN's Wayne Drash and CNN Money's Chris Isidore contributed to this report.

Car dealer says SUVs are tough sells now: "I've never seen it this bad -- ever" AAA says average gas price hit another all-time high Friday . Truck owner says he can't get the price he wants for his vehicle .

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CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- An outraged sheriff in Illinois who refuses to evict "innocent" renters from foreclosed homes criticized mortgage companies Thursday and said the law should protect victims of the mortgage meltdown. Cook County, Illinois, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart says too many renters are being evicted for landlords' problems. Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said earlier he is suspending foreclosure evictions in Cook County, which includes the city of Chicago. The county had been on track to reach a record number of evictions, many because of mortgage foreclosures. Many good tenants are suffering because building owners have fallen behind on their mortgage payments, he said Thursday on CNN's "American Morning." "These poor people are seeing everything they own put out on the street. ... They've paid their bills, paid them on time. Here we are with a battering ram at the front door going to throw them out. It's gotten insane," he said. Watch Dart slam mortgage companies » . Mortgage companies are supposed to identify a building's occupants before asking for an eviction, but sheriff's deputies routinely find that the mortgage companies have not done so, Dart said. "This is an example where the banking industry has not done any of the work they should do. It's a piece of paper to them," Dart said. "These mortgage companies ... don't care who's in the building," Dart said Wednesday. "They simply want their money and don't care who gets hurt along the way. "On top of it all, they want taxpayers to fund their investigative work for them. We're not going to do their jobs for them anymore. We're just not going to evict innocent tenants. It stops today." Dart said he wants the courts or the state Legislature to establish protections for those most harmed by the mortgage crisis. In 1999, Cook County had 12,935 mortgage foreclosure cases; in 2006, 18,916 cases were filed, and last year, 32,269 were filed. This year's total is expected to exceed 43,000. "The people we're interacting with are, many times, oblivious to the financial straits their landlord might be in," Dart said. "They are the innocent victims here, and they are the ones all of us must step up and find some way to protect." Watch sheriff announce he won't evict innocent tenants » . The Illinois Bankers Association opposed the plan, saying that Dart "was elected to uphold the law and to fulfill the legal duties of his office, which include serving eviction notices." The association said Dart could be found in contempt of court for ignoring court eviction orders. "The reality is that by ignoring the law and his legal responsibilities, he is carrying out 'vigilantism' at the highest level of an elected official," it said. "The Illinois banking industry is working hard to help troubled homeowners in many ways, but Sheriff Dart's declaration of 'martial law' should not be tolerated." Dart was undeterred Thursday. "I think the outrage on my part with them [is] that they could so cavalierly issue documents and have me throw people out of homes who have done absolutely nothing wrong," Dart said. "They played by all the rules. "I told them, 'You send an agent out, you send somebody out that gives me any type of assurance that the appropriate person is in the house, I will fulfill the order.' iReport.com: How hard have foreclosures hit your neighborhood? "When you're blindly sending me out to houses where I'm coming across innocent tenant after innocent tenant, I can't keep doing this and have a good conscience about it."

NEW: Sheriff: 'I can't keep doing this and have a good conscience about it' Sheriff Thomas Dart says he is suspending foreclosure evictions in Cook County . Illinois Bankers Association opposes plan, says sheriff could be found in contempt . Cook County on pace to exceed 43,000 foreclosure cases this year .

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(CNN) -- In India he's an icon and to the rest of the cricketing world he's simply known as one of the greatest ever batsmen. One the game's greats, Sachin Tendulkar is more than just a player in India, he's an icon. Sachin Tendulkar picked up a bat at the age of 4 in Mumbai and from that day on fell in love with the game. "The only thing that was on my mind was, 'I want to play for India one day,' and I was pretty sure and confident that one day I will," he told CNN in Mumbai. In fact he made his Test debut for India at the age of 16 facing Pakistan's fearsome bowling attack, just two years after making his first-class debut for Mumbai. Despite a baptism of fire in that first international match and getting hit on the mouth by a ball from Waquar Younis, he took his own game forward and has become known for the positivity of his play and the compact efficiency and brilliance of his shot-making. Making his first Test hundred at the age of 17 against England he has racked up the records in a 19-year career. In 2000 he became the first batsman to score 50 international hundreds, and is the highest scorer in One Day internationals. He joined an elite group in 2007 when he became only the third player to pass 11,000 runs in Test cricket. Nicknames in cricket are common, but only if you're a really exceptional player do you get one that's complementary. Tendulkar has joined that elite as the "Little Master" which sits nicely next to other great batsmen, Viv "Master Blaster" Richards and Brian "The Prince" Lara. But perhaps no higher praise came from Australian cricketing legend Donald Bradman who once said that Tendulkar was the only player that reminded him of himself. Like all sportsmen he's suffered from injury, and now 35-years-old, many are wondering if his best days are behind him. Playing for India against England and Australia last summer and at the beginning of 2008, many commentators thought that his normal aggression and daring were missing from his game. His form was also heavily criticized after the 2007 World Cup, and injury forced him out of the international series against South Africa. But for the man used to batting away tricky deliveries, this criticism gets a typical positive response: "I'm not one to dwell on the past. I like to move forward and these challenges, these hurdles in between, they bring the best out of me. They motivate me even more." He's currently facing the challenges of the rapid-fire version of the game in the Indian Premier League (IPL), masterminded by Lalit Modi, that despite it's glitz and hype has been criticized for losing some of the finer points of the sport. "It's so full of excitement. I personally don't feel that it's dumbing-down the game. It's just another version of cricket. If the game is going to be globalized in the form of IPL, then why not? It's better for cricket," he told CNN.

India's best known cricketer is one of the games best-ever batsmen . Started his international career when just 16-years-old . Leading run-scorer in One Day Internationals and holder of many other records .

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(CNN) -- A professor who compared some victims of the al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center to Nazis was fired Tuesday by the University of Colorado's Board of Regents. Professor Ward Churchill wrote that some 9/11 victims were "little Eichmanns." Ward Churchill raised hackles with a 2002 essay that argued the September 11, 2001, attacks were a justified reaction to U.S. policies in the Middle East, and said the hijackers who killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania had "the courage of their convictions." But the regents said Churchill's firing was unrelated to the essay, which went largely unnoticed for three years. Instead, it cited "deliberate and repeated research misconduct." A university investigation had found cases of plagiarism and falsification in previous papers by Churchill -- allegations that surfaced after his essay became widely known. "The Board of Regents affirms that its decisions in this matter have been made solely on the basis of the allegations of research misconduct against Professor Churchill and have not been influenced or motivated by extrinsic considerations, Professor Churchill's political and social views or a desire to punish Professor Churchill for expression of his political or social views," the university announced. CU interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano recommended Churchill's dismissal in June 2006 after a university committee completed its investigation. Churchill's essay drew little notice until a 1,800-student college in upstate New York invited him to take part in a 2005 forum on prisons and Native American rights. The invitation was rescinded after criticism from then-New York Gov. George Pataki, then-Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and hundreds of relatives of those killed in the attacks created a media firestorm. The piece had called some of those who died in the World Trade Center "little Eichmanns" -- a reference to Adolf Eichmann, the Gestapo officer who was one of the chief architects of the Holocaust -- arguing they were "a technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire." Churchill, who had tenure, stepped down from his post as head of CU's ethnic studies department amid the flap but remained on staff. He had no immediate reaction to Tuesday's decision. E-mail to a friend .

Ward Churchill said 9/11 attacks were justified reaction to U.S. Mideast policies . University of Colorado says 9/11 essay not reason he was fired . Dismissal due to plagiarism, falsification in other papers, university says .

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

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

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(CNN) -- Police have arrested a 33-year-old man accused of killing his brother and five other people, including two children, at a Memphis, Tennessee, home. Jessie L. Dotson, who was recently released after serving 14 years in prison for murder, was captured Friday night. He faces six counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cecil Dotson, his 30-year-old brother; Hollis Seals, 33; Shindri Roberson, 20; Marissa Rene Williams, 26; and two children, said Memphis Director of Police Larry A. Godwin at a news conference Saturday. Dotson will also be charged with the attempted murder of three other children -- ages 7, 4 and 10 months -- who received stab wounds and blunt force trauma, Godwin said. Dotson's brother Cecil was the father of all the children, The Associated Press reported. Those who survived the attack were under police custody at a hospital, according to the AP. The March 2 killings followed an argument between Jessie and Cecil Dotson, Godwin said. Jessie Dotson shot his brother dead and went on to kill the others to try to cover up the crime, he said. "[Dotson] thought everyone in the home was dead," Godwin said. "But as we all know, by the grace of God, three children had survived." Prosecutors said they are considering seeking the death penalty against Dotson. E-mail to a friend .

Jessie L. Dotson was recently released after serving 14 years in prison for murder . He was captured Friday night and faces six counts of first-degree murder . Four adults and two children were found dead; three children survived . Prosecutors say they are considering seeking the death penalty .

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

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

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As a bill that would expand education benefits for veterans has become a flash point in the early sparring between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, some Republicans admit that the Democrats may have outmaneuvered them on the issue. Sen. John McCain has sided with President Bush on opposing a popular GI Bill in Congress. McCain has defended his opposition to the bill that would expand education benefits for veterans, saying it would hurt the military that he hopes to lead. The bill, which passed the Senate last week 75-22, would expand education benefits for veterans who served at least three years in the military after the September 11, 2001, attacks. A former Navy officer and prisoner of war during Vietnam, McCain says the bill would hurt military retention by 16 percent and be a disincentive for service members to become noncommissioned officers, which he called "the backbone of all the services." Democrats cite the Congressional Budget Office, whose figures say the expanded benefits would boost enlistment by 16 percent. Watch more of McCain's comments » . "I think John McCain has been outmaneuvered," said GOP strategist Ed Rollins, who had served as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign chairman. "Sometimes in politics, there are intellectual issues and emotional issues." "John McCain is going against veterans groups; he is going against a constituency that should be his. ... But I think he is on the wrong side of this issue," Rollins said. "A lot of Republicans are voting for this, and I think to a certain extent as it moves forward there will be more and more. There will be tremendous pressure from veterans groups past and present and I think you will see a lot of bipartisan support for this as well." Over the weekend, Obama, who appears to be the likely Democratic nominee, again tried to tie McCain to Bush by noting that both of them oppose the GI Bill expansion. "I revere our soldiers and want to make sure they are being treated with honor and respect," Obama said Saturday in Puerto Rico. "I think the GI Bill is one way for us to do that, and I hope that John McCain and George Bush decide they believe the same thing." Watch more of Obama's comments » . Obama hasn't served in the military. "It is really probably Barack Obama's shining moment in this campaign. The way he phrased this debate, the way he framed the issue," said Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic superdelegate who supports Sen. Hillary Clinton's run for president. Watch analysts weigh in on the issue » . "Intellectually, John McCain may be right, the president may be right. Emotionally, you are on the wrong side, you can never win an emotional battle in an intellectual argument," Rollins added. Rollins also said that despite McCain's war hero status, history has shown veterans who run for president don't always capture the veteran vote. "I think the bottom line here in the statistic that was astonishing to me is George Bush's father was a war hero lost the veterans' vote to Bill Clinton who ... did not serve in a war," Rollins said. "Same way with Bob Dole, a war hero lost the vote." McCain, along with Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Richard Burr of North Carolina, has introduced an alternative bill that would increase education benefits on a sliding scale based on an individual's years of service. The GI Bill was created in June 1944, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. It was designed to help educate and train military veterans returning from WWII. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 7.8 million of 16 million troops who served in WWII received educational or vocational training from the GI Bill. Soldiers, Marines and airmen, speaking at a Capitol Hill rally on April 29, said they are not given enough funds from the bill to cover college expenses as they were promised. Todd Bowers, who served two tours in Iraq, told a crowd of veterans, "I came home proud, very proud of my service, with a Purple Heart on my chest and a Navy commendation medal with a 'V' for valor." "But I didn't come back to the education I was expecting. I came back to three different types of student loans, two of which had gone to collections." Najwa McQueen said she joined the Louisiana National Guard in 2004 on what she thought was a promise to help pay for her college education. "They kind of sell you a dream," she said after the rally. "You think you're going to get all of this stuff, and in reality, you don't get that." CNN's Ed Hornick, Alexander Marquardt, Ed Henry, Eric Marrapodi, Mary Snow, Deirdre Walsh and Robert Yoon contributed to this report.

Senate passes an update to the GI Bill, extending education benefits to veterans . Sen. McCain and President Bush oppose it, citing retention problems . Ed Rollins: McCain's "outmaneuvered" and "on the wrong side of this issue"

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AMSTETTEN, Austria (CNN) -- Josef Fritzl, who Austrian police say has confessed to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering seven of her children, twice holidayed in Thailand while she remained trapped in a cellar below his house, according to German media reports. Josef Fritzl appeared in court after admitting raping his daughter and fathering her seven children. Germany's Bild newspaper quoted a holiday companion, identified only as Paul H, who said he and 73-year-old Fritzl traveled to Thailand together twice and spent time in each other's homes. "He went [to Thailand] without his wife; apparently she had to look after the children. ... Once he had a very long massage from a young Thai girl at the beach. He really loved that," Paul H told the newspaper, which featured video of Fritzl laughing and receiving a massage in Thailand on its Web site. "Once I saw how Josef bought an evening dress and racy lingerie for a very slim woman in Pattaya [Thailand] on the beach. He got really angry when he realized I saw him. Then he told me that he has a girlfriend on the side. The items were meant for her. He told me not to tell his wife." Watch footage of Fritzl on vacation at a Thai beach resort » . The pair had also ventured to Oktoberfest. Paul H said he had visited Fritzl's house three times, the last in 2005. "We sat out on the terrace and had a really nice evening. ... The kids were well-behaved, however; they had a great respect for their father. They were never allowed downstairs into the cellar, but we never thought anything of it," he told Bild. "Now that I think of the dungeon down there, I feel really sick in the stomach." Paul H said Fritzl was a DIY "genius," constantly extending and building on to the house. Meanwhile, family members at the center of the incest and imprisonment case have held an "astonishing" reunion, medical officials said. "They met each other on Sunday morning," clinic director Berthold Kepplinger said Tuesday. "And it is astonishing how easy it worked, that the children came together, and also it was astonishing how easy it happened that the grandmother and the mother came together." Investigators say Fritzl held his daughter, Elisabeth, captive in a cellar for 24 years. He raped her repeatedly, they say, and eventually fathered seven of her children. Elisabeth and two of her children were reunited Sunday with three of her other children and her mother, Kepplinger said Tuesday. The three children and her mother lived in the home above the cellar. Elisabeth's eldest child, 19-year-old Kerstin Fritzl, remains in hospital. A seventh child died years ago, shortly after birth. Fritzl told police he burned the infant's body in a furnace. The story of the family's imprisonment began to unravel a week ago, when Kerstin fell seriously ill with convulsions and was hospitalized. Austrian police Wednesday denied reports that they were investigating possible links between Fritzl and the unsolved murder of a woman. Franz Polzer, director of the Lower Austrian Bureau of Criminal Affairs, said Fritzl had owned an Austrian hotel near where a woman was found murdered decades ago. However, they were not investigating the incident at this stage. Meanwhile, an Austrian girl who was held prisoner in a basement for eight years said the family faced a long period of adjustment. See how Austrians are troubled by the case » . Natascha Kampusch was 10 years old when she was kidnapped on her way to school in March 1998. She escaped from a bunker below the house of Wolfgang Priklopil in a suburb of Vienna in August 2007. Priklopil killed himself by throwing himself under a train only hours later. "Although they are now in a secret location, I believe it might have been even better to leave them where they were, but that was probably impossible," she said of the Fritzl family Tuesday. "Yes, because that was of course the environment they were used to, and now they're somewhere else. Pulling them abruptly out of this situation, without transition, to hold them and isolating them to some extent, it can't be good for them." Officials said Tuesday that DNA testing had confirmed Fritzl fathered the children. His DNA also was found on a letter sent to the Fritzl family that was made to look like it was from his daughter, Elisabeth, Polzer said. See inside the 'House of horrors' » . Authorities said Fritzl sent other letters over the years, leading the family to believe that Elisabeth was a runaway who had abandoned three of her children on their doorstep. He dictated at least one of the letters to his daughter, they said. Authorities said it did not appear that Fritzl's wife, Rosemarie, knew about her husband's activities. Reports have surfaced in The Times of London and Austria's Presse that Fritzl was convicted of sexual assault in the 1960s, but there is nothing in his record to confirm this, said District Governor Hans Heinz Lenze. He added, however, that records were expunged after a certain number of years. Prosecutors were checking archives to find the information, said Gerhard Sedlacek, prosecutor for the state of Poelten. The Times of London quoted a 50-year-old neighbor who said that when he was 10, he remembered "how we children were afraid to play near Mr. Fritzl's house because of the rumors that he had raped a woman and spent some time in jail for it." Watch a report of how the case unfolded. » . Fritzl led police to the cellar Sunday. A day later, he confessed to raping his daughter, now 42, and keeping her and their children in captivity, police said. Fritzl was able to convince social service workers, friends and family that Elisabeth had run away in 1984, when she was about 18. The father, who police described as an authoritarian figure, forbade anyone from entering the cellar. In the cellar with Elisabeth were Kerstin and two sons, aged 5 and 18. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Phil Black, Nadine Schmidt and Eileen Hsieh contributed to this story.

Incest dad twice holidayed in Thailand while daughter remained in cellar . Austrian family terrorized by decades of incest meet for the first time . Josef Fritzl kept daughter imprisoned under home for 24 years, police say . Fritzl, who appeared in court Tuesday, has admitted guilt and faces 15 years| .

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(CNN) -- German logistics giant Deutsche Post said Monday it was cutting 9,500 jobs as part of a major program to restructure its loss-making DHL delivery service in the United States. DHL's restructuring is expected to result in heavy job losses. Deutsche Post said it would discontinue its U.S. ground and air delivery operations based out of Wilmington, Ohio, following an outsourcing agreement with UPS. DHL Express will continue to operate between the United States and other nations, the company said in a statement. DHL's 9,500 job cuts are on top of 5,400 job cuts announced earlier this year. The statement said DHL was shutting down all ground hubs and reducing its number of stations to 103 from 412. The company said it was making the cuts to improve profitability and "to prepare the company for the economic challenges ahead." DHL Express is owned by the German company Deutsche Post World Net. Officials in Ohio had been hoping to prevent layoffs. State senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter Sunday to DHL Express Chief Executive Officer John Mullen and urged employment officials in Washington for emergency funds to assist workers and communities affected. In May, Deutsche Post announced plans to outsource air services with UPS. Brown says the plan would mean shutting down DHL's hub in Wilmington and cutting at least 8,000 jobs. Brown testified at two congressional hearing this year that centered on the proposal. Prior to the announcement, Wilmington Mayor David Razik said he was preparing for the worst. "Given the state of the economy and the world wide economic collapse we know it can't be good news," he told CNN Sunday night. "Freight is down significantly, DHL is losing customers, they have laid off sales personnel in other locations. We really think it's certainly not going to be good for Wilmington."

German owners of DHL announce 9,500 job cuts . Owner Deutsche Post says U.S. air and ground operations to wind up . Officials in Ohio had hoped to prevent job losses .

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(CNN) -- German logistics giant Deutsche Post said Monday it was cutting 9,500 jobs as part of a major program to restructure its loss-making DHL delivery service in the United States. DHL's restructuring is expected to result in heavy job losses. Deutsche Post said it would discontinue its U.S. ground and air delivery operations based out of Wilmington, Ohio, following an outsourcing agreement with UPS. DHL Express will continue to operate between the United States and other nations, the company said in a statement. DHL's 9,500 job cuts are on top of 5,400 job cuts announced earlier this year. The statement said DHL was shutting down all ground hubs and reducing its number of stations to 103 from 412. The company said it was making the cuts to improve profitability and "to prepare the company for the economic challenges ahead." DHL Express is owned by the German company Deutsche Post World Net. Officials in Ohio had been hoping to prevent layoffs. State senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter Sunday to DHL Express Chief Executive Officer John Mullen and urged employment officials in Washington for emergency funds to assist workers and communities affected. In May, Deutsche Post announced plans to outsource air services with UPS. Brown says the plan would mean shutting down DHL's hub in Wilmington and cutting at least 8,000 jobs. Brown testified at two congressional hearing this year that centered on the proposal. Prior to the announcement, Wilmington Mayor David Razik said he was preparing for the worst. "Given the state of the economy and the world wide economic collapse we know it can't be good news," he told CNN Sunday night. "Freight is down significantly, DHL is losing customers, they have laid off sales personnel in other locations. We really think it's certainly not going to be good for Wilmington."

German owners of DHL announce 9,500 job cuts . Owner Deutsche Post says U.S. air and ground operations to wind up . Officials in Ohio had hoped to prevent job losses .

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(CNN) -- A 19-year-old gunman who killed eight people and then himself Wednesday at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, left a suicide note, police said. Police have identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins, 19, of Nebraska. Five other people were injured, and two of them were in critical condition, hospital officials said. Chief Thomas Warren of the Omaha Police Department called the shooting "premeditated," but said it "appears to be very random and without provocation." Surveillance cameras may have captured the shooting, Warren said. "We'll be here throughout the night; it's a very extensive crime scene," he said. Police identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins of Nebraska. They have recovered an SKS assault rifle and the suspect's vehicle. Debora Maruca Kovac, Hawkins' landlord who found the suicide note, said he wrote he was sorry for everything and did not want to be a burden to anyone any longer. Watch landlord describe phone call from shooter » . Hawkins said in the note he loved his friends and family, but "he was a piece of s--- all his life, and now he'll be famous," she told CNN. She said Hawkins was a friend of her sons and "reminded me of a lost puppy that nobody wanted." He came to live with her about a year and a half ago, telling her he could not stay with his own family because of "some issues with his stepmother and him." She described Hawkins as well-behaved, although "he had a lot of emotional problems, obviously." The shootings began about 1:42 p.m. Seven people were found dead at the scene by officers arriving six minutes later; two others, a male and a female, died after being transported to Creighton University Medical Center, said Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist. A Creighton spokeswoman said a second female was undergoing surgery and was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. Three other people were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. One, a 61-year-old man who sustained a chest wound after being shot in the armpit, underwent surgery and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit Wednesday night, said hospital spokeswoman Maggie O'Brien. Learn more about the victims » . The other two -- a 34-year-old man who was shot in the arm, and a 55-year-old man who fell and struck a clothing rack as he was trying to escape -- were treated and released, she said. Maruca Kovac told CNN that Hawkins left home Wednesday about 11 a.m., and called the house about two hours later, sounding upset. "He just said he wanted to thank me for everything I'd done for him ... and he was sorry," Maruca Kovac said. He told her he had gotten fired from his job, she said. "I said, 'Come home and we'll talk about it,' " she said. "He said, 'It's too late.' He said he'd left a note explaining everything." Witness Jennifer Kramer told CNN she heard at least 25 shots. Watch witnesses describe the ordeal » . "He just kept firing," she said. She said she called 911 on her cell phone, whispering into it out of fear of being heard. A dispatcher told her other calls had been received and help was on the way, but she said it seemed to take "a long time" for them to arrive. "It was just so loud, and then it was silence," she said. "I was scared to death he'd be walking around looking for someone else." She said as she was being escorted out by police, she saw a man lying injured by the escalator where she had been previously. "All of us were slightly confused because we didn't know what it was," said mall employee Charissa Tatoon about the first burst of gunfire. "Immediately after that, there was a series of maybe 20 to 25 more shots up on the third floor. "I was in the women's shoe department and there was a gentleman coming down the escalator that was very near the shoe department, and he was heard saying that he was calling 911, and immediately after that, the shooter shot down from the third floor and shot him on the second floor." Warren, the police chief, said the victims included five females and three males, not including Hawkins. "We believe there was one shooter, and one shooter only," he said. Maruca Kovac said she was unaware Hawkins had any guns, although she said he knew a lot about them, as did his stepfather. "When he first came to live with us, he was in the fetal position and chewed his fingernails all the time," she said. But she said she thought he was improving, as he had gotten a job, a haircut and a girlfriend. However, she said Hawkins and his girlfriend had broken up in the last couple of weeks, and he had taken it hard. She said late Wednesday that authorities were searching her house for evidence. "My kids are devastated," she said. "We're all in shock." Hawkins' former school district released a photo of a youth with glasses and long black hair. A spokeswoman said he attended Papillon-La Vista High School until he withdrew in March 2006. Witnesses described chaos and frantic shoppers running away from the Von Maur store, where the shooting began just before 2 p.m. "You're in such shock, it's hard to think. I was hoping God would spare us," said a woman who was clutching a rosary in her trembling hand after the shootings. "We had to put up our hands and follow the police to the outside." Others described scenes of horror as they fled the mall. See a map of where the shooting took place » . Some shoppers and mall employees hid in clothes racks, dressing rooms and bathrooms after hearing the shots. Most of the victims were shot inside the Von Maur store, Sgt. Teresa Negron said. Watch police talk about the shooting » . President Bush had visited Omaha Wednesday before the shooting. "The president is deeply saddened by the shootings in Omaha, Nebraska, earlier today," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "His thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families this evening. Having just visited with so many members of the community in Omaha today, the president is confident that they will pull together to comfort one another as they deal with this terrible tragedy." As news of the shooting spread, people gathered outside the mall, checking on loved ones who were inside. The shopping center will be closed until at least Thursday, police said. The shooting was at least the fourth at a mall or shopping center so far this year, following incidents in Salt Lake City, Utah; Kansas City, Missouri; and Douglasville, Georgia. E-mail to a friend .

Landlord says shooter called and told her: "It's too late" Police: Surveillance cameras may have captured the shooting . Police identify the shooter as Robert A. Hawkins, 19 . Two of the wounded are in critical condition .

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(CNN Student News) -- On November 11, Americans pay tribute to everyone who has served in the U.S. military. But why was this particular date chosen, and how does this holiday differ from Memorial Day? Origins of Veterans Day . World War I, also known as "The Great War," was fought from 1914 to 1918. During this conflict, Great Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Italy, Japan, the United States and other countries, which formed the "Allies," defeated the so-called "Central Powers," which included Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey (then the Ottoman Empire) and Bulgaria. On the "eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month" of 1918, German leaders signed an armistice, or a halt to hostilities, with the Allied powers. On that date, November 11, celebrations were held in New York City, Paris, London and in other cities around the globe. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 as "Armistice Day," a day to observe the end of World War I. On June 4, 1926, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution asking President Calvin Coolidge to call upon officials to "display the flag of the United States on all government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples." Twelve years later, on May 13, 1938, Congress passed an Act making the 11th of November Armistice Day, a federal holiday. Initially, Armistice Day was supposed to honor veterans of World War I. But after the call to arms and human sacrifices during World War II and the Korean conflict, veterans' groups urged Congress to consider a day to celebrate U.S. veterans of all wars. On June 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day . Veterans Day in the United States is a day to honor all Americans who have served in the U.S. military, both during wartime and in peace. Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring Americans who have died serving the nation, especially those who died in battle or from wounds received during armed conflicts. On Veterans Day, Americans thank the living veterans for their service to the country and recognize all who have served the country. Veterans Day Proclamation . The following is the text of President George W. Bush's 2008 Veterans Day Proclamation: . On Veterans Day, we pay tribute to the service and sacrifice of the men and women who in defense of our freedom have bravely worn the uniform of the United States. From the fields and forests of war-torn Europe to the jungles of Southeast Asia, from the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan, brave patriots have protected our Nation's ideals, rescued millions from tyranny, and helped spread freedom around the globe. America's veterans answered the call when asked to protect our Nation from some of the most brutal and ruthless tyrants, terrorists, and militaries the world has ever known. They stood tall in the face of grave danger and enabled our Nation to become the greatest force for freedom in human history. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard have answered a high calling to serve and have helped secure America at every turn. Our country is forever indebted to our veterans for their quiet courage and exemplary service. We also remember and honor those who laid down their lives in freedom's defense. These brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our benefit. On Veterans Day, we remember these heroes for their valor, their loyalty, and their dedication. Their selfless sacrifices continue to inspire us today as we work to advance peace and extend freedom around the world. With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service members have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor America's veterans. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2008, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 9 through November 15, 2008, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I encourage all Americans to recognize the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to support and participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support this national observance with commemorative expressions and programs. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third. GEORGE W. BUSH . Sources: U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Day, 2008: A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America .

Use this information to learn about the history of Veterans Day .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York suspended all construction crane activity in the city Friday after a crane collapse on the Upper East Side killed two construction workers. Crane wreckage lies on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Friday in a photo by iReporter Michael Schuman. Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri announced the suspension, in effect until Monday, and unveiled a $4 million plan to assess high-risk construction activities, including crane operations, and make recommendations to improve safety. "This year we have seen an increase in accidents and injuries related to high-risk construction activities," LiMandri said. "We must make sure that as construction activity in the city continues to increase, the department's ability to hold the construction industry to higher safety standards keeps pace." Friday's accident was the second deadly crane collapse in the city in less than three months. Seven people were killed and 24 were injured in March when a construction crane toppled, plowing through several residential buildings. Crane operator Donald Leo, 30, died in the initial collpase Friday morning. Construction worker Ramadan Kurtij, 37, died Friday afternoon of cardiac arrest after being rushed to the hospital. Another construction worker remained critically injured, a city official said. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the cranes in the two incidents were different types. "Two crane collapses in a short period of time look like a pattern, but there's no reason to think that there's any real connection," he said. On a radio program Friday, Bloomberg vowed that an investigation would be conducted and changes would be made if necessary. "I don't need any developer or union leader or anybody else telling me about the consequences of slowing things down," he said. "Nobody wants this economy to grow more than me. But we're not going to kill people." The accident happened shortly after 8 a.m. Bridget Barrett, who lives two buildings away, said she was just leaving for work. "We heard a loud crash as I was walking down my stairwell. I went to the front door of the building, and it was all white smoke everywhere," she said. "The crane had fallen in the middle of the street and was on fire. There was water spewing out of the apartment building all over the place. And I dialed 911." See photos from the scene of the collapse » . Witnesses said the cab and the arm of the crane crashed more than 20 stories to the ground, smashing the penthouse on a building across the street and gouging chunks out of balconies all the way to the ground. "It sounded like a large metal structure slowly falling on itself, sounded like a prolonged car accident," said iReport contributor Daniel Miranda, who lives a block away. "Construction workers were peering over the edge. Some of them were crying out in grief." A pedestrian had minor injuries, Bloomberg said at a news conference, adding that nearby buildings with about 160 apartments were evacuated "strictly as a precaution." Watch how latest crane collapse raises questions » . The collapse occurred a day after a building inspector rescinded a partial stop-work order that had been issued April 24. The order was issued after an inspection found that employees had been working without a permit and operating a crane in an "unsafe manner," according to the city's Building Department. No other details were available. The collapse left a pile of wreckage at the foot of the Azure, an apartment building under construction at the northwest corner of East 91st Street and First Avenue, a mainly residential area on the city's Upper East Side. The falling crane also damaged the Electra, a 20-plus-story building on the southwest corner. See where the crane fell » . Michael Schuman, another iReporter, said he heard a loud crash, grabbed his camera and went to the scene, about five buildings away. "I got there before the emergency vehicles. It looked like the crane had broken into three or four large pieces. I saw water pouring out of one of the apartments," Schuman said. Florence Diamond, a bus driver who was approaching the corner when the accident happened, said the crane's operator appeared to have been in the cab when the rig fell. Watch as Diamond describes what she saw » . "I just saw all the crane come down in the middle of the street. It was like something out of a movie," Diamond said. "I couldn't believe the crane had fell, and I also saw the guy that was operating the crane go down with it. It was just one guy." Appearing at news briefing with Bloomberg, New York Gov. David Paterson said that "we're going to have to take a look at all these crane accidents." "There's no need to speculate now on how this happened. That will all be investigated," he said. "But certainly, these types of accidents are all too frequent." Barrett said she had worried about construction sites since the March crane disaster. "It's just kind of baffling that this happened again," she said. "I've seen that crane for the past couple months, and of course I thought about, 'What if it fell on my building or buildings around me?' I just kind of dismissed it because [I thought] there's no way that could happen after it had already happened once," she said. A construction worker at the site identifying himself only as Anthony said he didn't know what happened Friday, but he called it "a scary thing." "Everything goes through your head when you start seeing things like that happen," the worker said. "You think about your family, your wife, your kids. Just, thank God, you know, whoever is alive is alive." CNN's Amy Sahba and Laura Batchelor contributed to the this report.

NEW: City suspends all construction crane activity, unveils assessment plan . Death toll rises after second construction worker dies of cardiac arrest . One person remains critically injured in Manhattan crane disaster . Collapse comes less than three months after seven killed in similar accident .

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(CNN) -- Islamist fighters battling for control of Somalia have threatened to close Mogadishu's only airport, warning all airlines to stop flights into the Somali capital by early Tuesday. African Union peacekeepers keep guard recently at the international airport in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. "Any plane which uses or lands at the airport, we will consider it a military plane and we will not be held responsible for what happens to it," the Al-Shaabab militia said in a Web posting. The statement said the airport would be closed at 1 a.m. Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Wednesday). The statement was posted on www.kataaib.net, a Web site frequently used by Al-Shaabab. A graphic posted along with the statement shows a plane about to land at Mogadishu's international airport. As the plane approaches, a man with a shoulder-fired missile appears and a red-circle target is placed over the plane. The Somali word for "Warning!" flashes at the same time. Nairobi, Kenya-based Daallo Airlines, which operates flights four times a week into Mogadishu, is "monitoring the situation," the company's chief executive officer told CNN. "We haven't received any warning directly," Howard Leedham said. He said he was made aware of Al-Shaabab's warning through the local media, and would not say if any of the four weekly flights would be canceled or rescheduled as a result. "All I can say is we're monitoring the situation very closely," Leedham said. "We have employees down there, and so we're monitoring the situation." Maj. Barigye Ba-Hoku, a spokesman for African Union forces in Somalia -- many of whom are based at Mogadishu's airport -- said he has not received an official warning from Al-Shaabab about the airport's closure, but "we take the warning seriously." "We have taken precautionary measures, but that's all we can do," Ba-Hoku told CNN. Al-Shaabab is an Islamic militia that has launched a bloody battle to seize control of Somalia and oust Ethiopian forces, which are helping Somali government forces try to rout the Islamic fighters. It is a splinter group of the Islamic Courts Union, which pushed out Somalia's transitional government in 2006. The ICU was deposed in December of that year following Ethiopia's military intervention. In its statement, Al-Shaabab said it has been forced to shut down the airport because it is being used by a variety of "infidel forces," including Ethiopia, Burundi, and Uganda. Burundi and Ugandan forces make up the bulk of the AU mission in Somalia. Al-Shaabab also said U.S. and Israeli security officials "regularly" land at the airport. "So based on all these issues, we -- Al-Shaabab fighters -- are notifying all business people in Mogadishu, particularly to those of the airlines, that the airport is officially closed from the date on 16th September," it said. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

NEW: Airline CEO says situation being monitored, doesn't comment on flights . Al-Shaabab militants threaten flights with statement, graphic on Web . African Union forces spokesman says he's not received official warning . Al-Shaabab group is seeking to oust Ethiopian forces from Somalia .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Congress enacted a $300 billion farm bill Thursday over President Bush's objections, but questions remain about whether a clerical error will keep the bill from going into effect. Congress voted to override President Bush's veto of a $300 billion farm bill. The Senate voted 82-13 to override the president's veto of the bill Thursday, a day after the House voted 316-108 to override the veto. Both override votes exceeded the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution. A portion of the bill, however, remains in legal limbo. Before the House override vote Wednesday night, lawmakers discovered that the version sent to the White House last week was missing a part. The discovery raises questions about whether that section of the bill, which dealt with authorized trade and food aid, would become law. The discovery of the missing section, "Title III," prompted concerns from House Republicans that the override vote was improper. Democrats said the matter stemmed from a clerical error. But Republicans pounced on the "fiasco," which they said would require a temporary extension of the current farm bill. "What's happened here raises serious constitutional questions -- very serious," said Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio. "I don't see how we can proceed with the override as it occurred." However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the override votes in both chambers of Congress would allow the sections of the bill that were sent to the president to become law. "So, the farm bill minus Title III would be enacted" after the override votes, Pelosi said. "But I'm optimistic that we will be able to get Title III as well, either on its own or by sending the full bill again." "Obviously, we want the complete bill. But ... we have obviously consulted with those who are expert on the Constitution and congressional action and presidential signatures, vetoes and overrides." In order to start the process of Title III to become law, the House passed the entire farm bill again Thursday by a vote of 306-110. It is unclear what the Senate will do. It could pass the entire bill again, as the House did, or it could pass the portion not sent to the president as a free-standing bill. Two-thirds of the $300 billion in spending for the farm bill would go for nutrition programs such as food stamps. Another $40 billion would go toward farm subsidies, and $30 billion is allocated for payments to farms to keep land idle and other environmental programs. After vetoing the farm bill, Bush said it "continues subsidies for the wealthy and increases farm-bill spending by more than $20 billion, while using budget gimmicks to hide much of the increase." The president said it would hurt efforts to improve American farmers' access to overseas markets. Congress has passed one bill over Bush's objections: a $23 billion water-project legislation that the president vetoed in 2007. CNN's Deirdre Walsh and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

NEW: Congress enacts most of farm bill over Bush's objections . NEW: Portions of bill sent to the president are now law, Pelosi says . Section of farm bill left out in version sent to President Bush . Bush vetoed bill because he says it's too generous to wealthy farmers .

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Iran has condemned the kidnapping of one of its diplomats in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, calling it an "act of terrorism," an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said. Pakistani policemen inspect a bullet-riddled car of a kidnapped Iranian diplomat on Thursday. "Pakistan should do its best to protect foreign diplomats and their residential places," the spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency. At least four gunmen abducted Heshmatollah Attarzadeh near his home in Peshawar as he headed to work at the Iranian consulate, according to Pakistani police and Iranian diplomatic officials. His bodyguard, a Pakistani police officer, was shot and killed when the two men tried to resist, a Peshawar police official said. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also "strongly condemned" the attack, and informed Iran that the government "will take all necessary measures for his safe and early recovery." Attarzadeh is a commercial attache for the Iranian consulate in Peshawar. It is the second attack targeting a foreign worker in Peshawar in two days. An American aid worker was shot and killed outside the Iranian consulate in Peshawar on Wednesday. Stephen Vance worked for a non-profit foundation funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development that helped find jobs for people in Pakistan's tribal regions, according to a statement from his employer, the Cooperative Housing Foundation International. "Stephen had fully immersed himself in the community in which he worked," the statement said. "He dressed traditionally and even sent his children to local schools." Vance, 52, a native of California, is survived by his wife and five children -- all of whom lived with him in Peshawar -- CHF International official Bill Holbrook told CNN. The attacks come less than three months after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying the senior U.S. diplomat in Peshawar, Lynne Tracy. She escaped unharmed. Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, an area rife with Islamic extremists and the site of recent clashes between security forces and militants. In late June, Pakistan's military launched an offensive in the province -- the biggest push against extremists in the tribal region since the civilian government took power in March. Islamic militants vowed to retaliate. Since then, militants have launched several deadly attacks. Pakistan's new government has tried to negotiate a deal with militants as part of its efforts to bypass military might and achieve peace through talks.

Diplomat was kidnapped and his bodyguard killed in Peshawar, northwest Pakistan . Authorities believe he was kidnapped while traveling from his home to consulate . On Wednesday, gunmen shot and killed an American aid worker in Peshawar .

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(CNN) -- President Bush had a "relaxed" and "friendly" meeting with President-elect Barack Obama after he and first lady Laura Bush welcomed their successors to their future home Monday, a White House spokesman said. President Bush and Laura Bush welcome Barack and Michelle Obama to the White House on Monday. "The president and the president-elect had a long meeting, described by the president as good, constructive, relaxed and friendly," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. "The president enjoyed his visit with the president-elect, and he again pledged a smooth transition to the next administration." Perino said the two discussed national and international issues but did not provide specifics of the conversation. Bush also gave Obama a tour of the White House's living quarters, including the Lincoln bedroom. Bush and Obama held a private meeting in the Oval Office, while the first lady gave incoming first lady Michelle Obama a tour of the residence. The president and president-elect walked together along the Colonnade by the Rose Garden before entering the Oval Office together. They briefly waved to reporters along the way. Obama and Bush were not expected to speak on camera after their meeting. The two met in the Oval Office for just over an hour. When President George H.W. Bush hosted President-elect Bill Clinton after the 1992 election, the two talked for nearly two hours. Monday's meeting was a historic formality, but it was also a time for serious talks. It marked the first time Obama has visited the Oval Office. Watch Bush welcome Obama to the White House » . Bush and Obama "had a broad discussion about the importance of working together throughout the transition of government in light of the nation's many critical economic and security challenges," said Stephanie Cutter, spokeswoman for Obama's transition team. "President-elect Obama thanked President Bush for his commitment to a smooth transition, and for his and first lady Laura Bush's gracious hospitality in welcoming the Obamas to the White House," Cutter said. A day earlier, a leader of Obama's transition team said the president and president-elect were expected to discuss "a broad range of issues," focusing on the economy. "It's clear that we need to stabilize the economy, to deal with the financial meltdown that's now spreading across the rest of the economy. The auto industry is really, really back on its heels," transition team leader John Podesta told CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday. Podesta said Obama will push Congress to enact "at least part" of an economic package before he takes office in January, but said the problems Americans face need short- and long-term approaches. The president and president-elect also were expected to talk about national security and the war in Iraq. Go inside the Oval Office . Despite the negative tone of the campaign season -- in which Obama frequently campaigned against what he called Bush's "failed policies" -- Bush has pledged to do everything he can to make sure they have a smooth transition. iReport.com: What's your message for Obama? "When I called President-elect Obama to congratulate him on his historic victory, I told him that he can count on my complete cooperation as he makes his transition to the White House. Ensuring that this transition is seamless is a top priority for the rest of my time in office," Bush said in his radio address this weekend. Podesta said cooperation with Bush administration officials has been "excellent" since Tuesday's election. Watch more on the transition to power » . Obama said he was "gratified by the invitation" to meet with the president and his wife. "I'm sure that, in addition to taking a tour of the White House, there's going to be a substantive conversation between myself and the president," he said at a news conference Friday. "I'm going to go in there with a spirit of bipartisanship and a sense that both the president and various leaders in Congress all recognize the severity of the situation right now and want to get stuff done," he said. Given their drastically different views on foreign policy, Mark Preston, CNN's deputy political editor, predicted an "uncomfortable meeting at best." Watch CNN's Mark Preston talk about the meeting » . "Let's not forget that Barack Obama ran against President Bush every day when he was taking on John McCain. While they will be cordial, I bet you it will be uncomfortable," Preston said. As the president and president-elect met in the Oval Office, Perino gave Robert Gibbs a tour of the White House press office. Gibbs was the communications director for Obama's presidential campaign. He has not officially been named the incoming press secretary, but he is widely considered the top contender for the position. Cutter said that after Laura Bush gave Michelle Obama a tour of the residence, the first lady and her successor discussed raising daughters in the White House. "Mrs. Obama was honored to finally meet the first lady, who was a gracious hostess," Cutter said.

NEW: President Bush calls meeting with President-elect Obama "constructive" Laura Bush gave Michelle Obama a tour while president, Obama met . Bush and president-elect were expected to discuss "broad range of issues" Obama campaigned against what he called Bush's "failed policies"

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) -- The light from the cell phone screens allowed surgeons to complete an emergency appendix operation during a blackout in a city in central Argentina, reports said on Saturday. Leonardo Molina, 29, was on the operating table on July 21, when the power went out in the Policlinico Juan D. Peron, the main hospital in Villa Mercedes, a small city in San Luis province. "The generator, which should have been working correctly, didn't work," a hospital spokesman, whose name was not given, told TN television news station. "The surgeons and anesthetists were in the dark... A family member got some cell phones together from people in the hallway and took them in to provide light," he said. Ricardo Molina, 39, Leonardo's brother, told La Nacion newspaper that the lights were out for an hour and his brother's anesthesia was wearing off. E-mail to a friend . Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Surgeons complete emergency appendix operation with light from cell phones . The power went out in the main hospital in Villa Mercedes, central Argentina . The hospital's generator, which should have been working correctly, didn't work .

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MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- India's Home Minister Shivraj Patil submitted his resignation Sunday as the country investigated alleged Pakistani ties to the terrorist attacks that killed 183 people in Mumbai. Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil addresses the media after a cabinet meeting with PM Manmohan Singh. The fallout from the attacks is damaging the tenuous relationship between India and Pakistan, said CNN's sister station in India, CNN-IBN. The Indian government is considering suspending the five-year-old cease-fire with Pakistan and perhaps even ending the dialogue process with the country, sources told CNN-IBN. Pakistani security officials told CNN that if tensions with India escalate, Pakistan may shift its military forces from the Afghan border east to prepare for any conflict. The 60-hour wave of violence began Wednesday night as gunmen surged into at least nine locations in Mumbai, killing at least 183 people and wounding about 300. The official death toll does not include at least 11 gunmen killed in battles with security forces. Authorities have said that some of the attackers, who arrived in Mumbai by boat, were from Pakistan. "Yes, the captured terrorist was Pakistani, as the home minister and others have said. As far as the others, the accomplices, the investigation, the interrogation is under way and the details will become public very soon," said Vilasrao Deshmukh, chief minister of Maharashtra. Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, vowed Saturday to take action against any group within its borders if it is found to be involved with the attacks. Interpol had said it would send a delegation to India to aid in the investigation. But on Sunday, the international law enforcement agency was still waiting for official permission into the country, a spokesman said. "We believe that time is of the essence in Interpol's getting to India in order to explore any potential international links with regard to the seized evidence as well as the fingerprints and DNA of the suspected terrorists," a statement said. The resignation of India's home minister could also slow down the agency's being allowed into India, the statement said. Officials say they found telephones and a global navigational device on an abandoned boat floating off the coast of Mumbai that was used by the terrorists, CNN-IBN reported. The television network showed photographs of a phone's call log that revealed calls had been placed to Pakistan. The boat had been hijacked, intelligence officials told CNN-IBN. Four crew members who had been on board were missing. The captain was found dead, face down with his hands bound behind his back. The targets of the attacks included luxury hotels packed with foreign tourists. The 105-year-old Taj Mahal hotel was the site of the attackers' final stand, as gunmen held hostages and refused to leave the facility. Victims share their tales of survival and escape » . The chairman of the company that owns the hotel told CNN that the company had been warned about the possibility of a terrorist attack before the massacre. The hotel heightened security as a result, the chairman of the Tata Group and Taj Hotels, Ratan Tata, said in a taped interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN's "GPS." There were indications, though, that the hotel had relaxed security before the attack. "It's ironic that we did have such a warning and we did have some measures," Tata said. "People couldn't park their cars in the portico where you had to go through a metal detector." "But if I look at what we had -- which all of us complained about -- it could not have stopped what took place. They didn't come through that entrance," he said. "They came from somewhere in the back. They planned everything," he said of the attackers. "I believe the first thing they did, they shot a sniffer dog and his handler. They went through the kitchen, they knew what they were doing." Watch the destruction left at the hotel » . The security response to the attacks has brought criticism and led to the resignation of Patil, the home minister. Patil, who had been widely criticized even before terrorists struck, submitted his resignation to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Home Ministry spokesman said. Singh accepted the resignation and immediately named Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to take over the Home Ministry post, according to a source in the prime minister's office. N. Ram, editor-in-chief of The Hindu -- a major Indian newspaper -- said Patil's departure was overdue. "This man has been widely criticized for not being up to it and it was simply impossible that he could stay on after this," Ram said. The criticism of Patil was "that he has been very slow, that they haven't delivered in the promise to improve intelligence." iReport.com: Share tributes to those lost . The toll from the attacks is expected to rise as authorities count the casualties inside the Taj Mahal hotel, whose burned-out lobby was littered with shards of glass. At least 18 foreigners were among the victims, including five Americans and eight Israelis. Indian authorities found five bodies Friday of hostages at the Chabad House, a Jewish community center. The carnage could have been worse, investigators said. "We found bullets with them, hand grenades, bombs," said R. R. Patil, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located. "Based on our investigation, we believe they had planned to kill 5,000 people." President Bush spoke Sunday to Singh, the National Security Council said. Noting that U.S. citizens were among those killed, the president "said that we would all be working together, with the international community, to go after these extremists," according to a statement from National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe. India's major political parties Sunday held a five-hour meeting in which all involved pledged to find ways to strengthen security in the country and discussed a proposal to set up a federal investigation agency to look into the attacks, said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. CNN's Andrew Stevens, Mallika Kapur, Harmeet Shah Singh, Saeed Ahmed, Sara Sidner, Alessio Vinci, Reza Sayah and Paula Newton contributed to this report.

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigns over attacks . Report: India considering suspending five-year-old cease-fire with Pakistan . Officials link boat floating off Mumbai to attacks; calls placed to Pakistan . At least 183 killed during attacks, according to federal officials .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Spiritual leaders of New York's African-American Muslim communities lashed out Friday at a purported al Qaeda message attacking President-elect Barack Obama and, using racist language, comparing him unfavorably to the late Malcolm X. Ayman al-Zawahiri said Obama was the "direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X. The imams called the recorded comments from al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri "an insult" from people who have "historically been disconnected from the African-American community generally and Muslim African-Americans in particular." "We find it insulting when anyone speaks for our community instead of giving us the dignity and the honor of speaking for ourselves," they said in a statement read during a news conference at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center. The al Qaeda statement, an 11-minute, 23-second audio message in Arabic with subtitles in English, appeared on the Internet on Wednesday. Its authenticity has not been confirmed. The message said Obama represents the "direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X. Watch al Qaeda official criticize Obama » . The speaker also said Obama, former and current Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice and "your likes" fit Malcolm X's description of "house slaves." An English translation of the message used the term "house Negroes," Malcolm X's term for blacks who were subservient to whites. The term refers to slaves who worked in white masters' houses. Malcolm X said those slaves were docile compared with those who labored in the fields. iReport.com: Should Obama react to comments? Malcolm X, the fiery African-American Muslim activist from the 1950s and 1960s, was an early member and leader of the Nation of Islam. He left that group in 1963 over disillusionment with its then-leader, Elijah Muhammed, but remained a Muslim. After months of death threats, he was assassinated in 1965 by members of the Nation of Islam, who shot him 16 times at close range. The three men who were convicted of the crime have been paroled. On Friday, Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid, recalling Malcolm X's legacy, said that he "stood for human rights and the principle of self defense ... international law. He would have rejected, and we who are Muslim African-Americans leaders reject, acts of political extremism." The Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned Zawahiri's comments in a statement issued Thursday. "As Muslims and as Americans, we will never let terrorist groups or terror leaders falsely claim to represent us or our faith," the statement said. "We once again repudiate al Qaeda's actions, rhetoric and world view and re-state our condemnation of all forms of terrorism and religious extremism."

U.S. Muslim leaders respond to comments reportedly made by al Qaeda official . Official said President-elect Barack Obama fit Malcolm X's definition of "house Negro" Official also denigrated Secretaries of State Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice .

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(CNN) -- A Warren Township, Ohio, man faces charges of felonious assault after authorities say he fired his rifle at two teens who were attempting to deface his McCain presidential campaign yard sign. Police say the man's sign is the only McCain sign on a street full of Obama signs. Kenneth Rowles, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday, according to CNN affiliate WBNS. Bail was set at $10,000. Rowles told police he was sitting on his porch Saturday when a tan SUV pulled up and a black youth jumped out and ran toward his house, screaming, "This is for Obama." He said another male was hanging out of the passenger window screaming the same thing. Rowles said he went inside, got his rifle and fired three shots to scare the youths away, according to a Warren Township police report. He told officers he believes that the men "were the same two that have been destroying his McCain sign." Just hours before the shooting, Rowles called police and said that a car had stopped in front of his house and that a black male "ran up and said something about Obama," according to the report, and "damaged his sign again." One of the youths, 17-year-old Kyree Flowers, was shot in the arm, according to a police report. He and the second youth, Patrick Wise Jr., 16, told police they were in the car attempting to leave when Rowles fired at them. "Kyree stated that he witnessed the homeowner trying to shoot Patrick but he was having trouble chambering a round," the police report said. The teens admitted that they had defaced the McCain sign several times, Warren Township police Lt. Don Bishop told CNN. Rowles' is the only McCain sign on a street full of Obama signs, he said. Bishop said the teenagers probably will not be charged -- and are unlikely to damage campaign signs again, as the incident scared them. Warren Township is in Trumbull County not far from Cleveland, Ohio.

Man pleads not guilty to charges of felonious assault . Police: Youths admitted defacing McCain sign several times . It is the only McCain sign on a street full of Obama signs, police say . Teenagers probably will not be charged; one was shot in arm .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The swanky and exclusive super-yacht market is bracing itself for a storm -- off the water. Pondering his boats? Despite a softening of the super-yacht market, Roman Abramovich will likely keep his fleet. The industry has bucked trends of other sectors with massive growth in recent years, but, the current international financial woes mean the uber-rich are poised to leave the plain rich behind as the market tightens. With estimations that hundreds of billions, or even trillions, of dollars will be wiped from the assets of the world's wealthiest businessmen and women, the super-yacht industry is sure to be one market that suffers. Although it is reserved mainly for the wealthy, dire predictions for the super-yacht world should be of concern to many, given that Superyacht UK estimates the industry is worth more than £350 million and provides employment to over 3,500 people. So, could the credit crisis be enough to crunch the industry altogether? Superyacht UK's international development manager Tom Chant told CNN the answer was "no", but it could have an impact at the lower end of the market. Chant said there were some signs that demand was "softening" for smaller super-yachts -- boats in the range of 30 to 40 meters long and usually worth anywhere between £1 million and £5 million. "There has been a softening of demand for smaller super-yachts. These people are usually immune to these sorts of things. But now, maybe it has finally filtered all the way to the top," he said. The softening in this area of the market could also affect re-sale prices, which until now had been very stable, he said. The lower to middle market received a further blow recently when UK super-yacht building company Devonport Yachts, announced its closure. However, at the other end of the scale, things aren't looking so worrisome. Recent figures suggest that the top end of the super-yacht market is holding firm -- at least for now. A Super-yachting Index compiled by The Luxury Institute with yacht broker and charter company Camper & Nicholson's International, found that new orders for yachts over 130 feet are up nearly 20 percent in 2008. • See pictures of the world's top super-yachts . These figures continue a longer-term trend within the market. Last year there were 254 new orders for super-yachts over 130-feet, up from 134 orders in 2005. This increase is even more drastic when looking back a decade to 1997. Then, there were just 241 yachts longer than 80 foot being built across the globe. By 2007 this number had soared to 916 vessels. Chant said the credit crisis wasn't an issue for the attendees of the Monaco Yacht Show in September. "At the Monaco show we had the first news of the credit crunch really hitting then. People didn't really raise an eyebrow," he said. And despite the weakening in the lower end of the market, Chant said the 60 meter-plus category was still "very strong", with most of the build slots at major ship-builders still full. So, it seems likely the super wealthy owners such as Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, Microsoft's Paul Allen, and Oracle's Larry Ellison should be shielded. There's no greater evidence of this than Roman Abramovich's latest project. Reportedly named the Eclipse, the super-yacht is expected to be about 160 meters long and become the biggest on the planet. Although no firm details have been released about the project, rumors have included a £250 million price tag, and the inclusion of two helicopter pads. However, not all super-yacht owners possess the fortune Abramovich does, and those without such giant financial backing may be forced to leave the market. Chant said some owners of smaller vessels may look to share ownership or charter their vessel out more often in order to maintain possession. "Chartering is the big way to make money ...it is a good way to get some money back," he said. Tim Wiltshire, director and sales broker at international yacht company Burgess Yachts, said the chartering market was expected to stay reasonably strong, although it could be affected by people wanting to spend less money on holidays. "We certainly haven't seen a crash. We are looking at people being more concerned about how they spend their money, so we may see a price realignment. "But the demand will be there. There are plenty of people on the planet that want to go boating. Some people may not want to buy and may charter instead," he said. So, if the financial crisis doesn't worsen too much in the coming six months, the lower end super-yacht owners may yet be able to stay in the market.

The super-yacht industry is believed to be worth £350 million in the UK . Sales of large super-yachts are steady while the smaller yacht market is softening . Super-yacht owners can make money by chartering or sharing their vessels .

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TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A Japanese food corporation has recalled five products after determining they contained the chemical melamine that has been blamed for the deaths of four children and sickening thousands of others. Officials stresses though that there were no reports of anyone becoming ill from consuming the sweets, which were made with ingredients imported from China, according to a representative of Tokyo's Marudai Food. The recall was issued several days ago. Tests found a ratio of 37 milligrams of melamine per kilogram of the products, the company said Friday. Japan is the latest country to report products tainted with melamine after thousands of Chinese children fell ill. The illnesses were traced to infant formula to which the toxic chemical had been added in Chinese dairy plants. Nearly 53,000 children in China have been sickened by the formula or other products containing melamine. Four babies have died, and five Hong Kong children have suffered melamine-related illnesses. Dozens of countries have banned or recalled Chinese milk products. Watch how the scandal has spread beyond milk » . Hong Kong officials said Friday that a type of Heinz cereal and wasabi crackers were recalled after they were found to contain excessive melamine. Test results for another 40 samples of baby food are pending, said Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety. Earlier Friday, the maker of a widely distributed Chinese candy linked to the melamine scandal said it would stop selling the confection in China. The manufacturer, Guanshengyan, had already recalled exports of White Rabbit Creamy Candies, and food-safety authorities worldwide have pulled them from shelves. On Thursday, the European Union joined authorities worldwide in banning the import of Chinese milk products for children. Chinese authorities have arrested 18 people in a nationwide investigation. They include two brothers who face charges of selling contaminated milk; the brothers could face death if convicted, according to China Daily, a state-run newspaper. Watch Chinese government reaction » . The raw milk used to produce powdered baby formula had been watered down, and the chemical melamine was added so it would pass quality checks, the newspaper said. Adding melamine makes a product seem to have a higher protein level. Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. It is the same industrial contaminant that was found last year in pet food produced in China that poisoned and killed thousands of U.S. dogs and cats. Watch the fallout from the scandal » . Health experts say ingesting melamine can lead to kidney stones, urinary tract ulcers, and eye and skin irritation. It also robs infants of much-needed nutrition.

Japanese company recalls 5 products after finding they contained melamine . Chemical blamed for deaths of four children in China, thousands sickened . Food safety authorities around the globe pull candies from shelves . EU announces a ban on imports of baby food containing Chinese milk .

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(CNN) -- A Florida TV anchor became an Internet sensation this week when she pressed Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden about whether Sen. Barack Obama's policies were Marxist. WFTV-TV anchor Barbara West tells Larry King she was doing her job as a reporter when she interviewed Sen. Joe Biden. Critics said WFTV-TV anchor Barbara West of Orlando had an agenda and was asking biased questions. Biden responded, "Is this a joke?" CNN's Larry King on Monday talked with West about the interview on "Larry King Live." Larry King: Your recent grilling of Joe Biden has stirred up a lot of controversy. Let's take a look at part of it, and we'll get your comments. Watch. [Video clip begins] Watch as West interviews Biden » . Barbara West: You may recognize this famous quote. "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." That's from Karl Marx. How is Sen. Obama not being a Marxist if he's intending to spread the wealth around? Sen. Joe Biden: Are you joking? Is this a joke? West: No. Biden: Or is that a real question? West: That's a question. Biden: He is not spreading the wealth around. He's talking about giving the middle class an opportunity to get back the tax breaks they used to have. I know this has been a pretty mean campaign. I was on a television station the other day and doing a satellite feed to a major network in Florida. And the anchor quotes Karl Marx and says in a sense, "Isn't Barack Obama Karl Marx?" You know I mean folks, this stuff you're hearing, this stuff you're hearing in this campaign, some of it's pretty ugly. [Video clip ends] . King: All right, Barbara, what were you getting to, since generally the redistribution of the wealth is a graduated income tax? West: Well, Larry, no, I don't believe that it is just a graduated income tax. I think a lot of people who are talking to me out on the street are saying they are very, very concerned that this idea of redistributing the wealth means taking it out of somebody's pocket who is a wage earner and putting it in somebody's pocket who refuses to work. And they're asking about. That's what they don't want. That is what they want to know, what does this really mean? My job as a journalist is to ask those questions and get those answers, and I don't believe I got answers at all. King: Was the implication in the question that Barack Obama is a Marxist? West: I was asking him to tell us about how Barack Obama's redistribution of wealth was different from that quote by Karl Marx, that's all I wanted to know. ... I'm not here to debate the issues. I am not a political pundit. ... I'm a journalist. Watch as West defends her questions » . And I -- my job is to ask tough, probing questions of the candidates. I had a very short time to be able to do that, only about four minutes. There were issues that I wanted to cover, including the issues about ACORN and the abuses that they've done with voter registration, particularly here in Florida, and Florida is such a key state. And also this issue of the redistribution of wealth, as well as Sen. Biden's comments about "You mark my words, in six months, Barack Obama will be tested." King: I got you. West: But it was his caveat afterward that was the issue that I was questioning, and that is it may not be readily apparent as to what, as to whether or not the actions or whatever he does are in fact the appropriate ones. And so America, stand with him and trust him. King: I got you. West: I just wanted answers to those questions. King: The Orlando Sentinel reports that you are registered as a Republican; your husband is a Republican strategist. Is that true? West: Let me correct that. My husband did do consulting for the Republican Party back in the Clinton administration, and he also worked for Sen. Paul Wellstone, who was a very liberal Democrat at the time, and they were working together to shape the media message as far as the sex slave trade was concerned. He was sent by the Clinton administration to go to Europe and also South America to consult with local officials who were perceived as friends of America in fighting the war against drugs.

TV news anchor attracts controversy with interview of Sen. Joe Biden . Anchor asks Biden how Sen. Barack Obama's polices aren't Marxist . WFTV's Barbara West says her job is to ask tough, probing questions . "I don't believe I got answers at all," West tells CNN's Larry King .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In their first head-to-head debate, Sen. John McCain criticized Sen. Barack Obama as a candidate who "doesn't understand" the key issues the country faces, and Obama linked McCain to President Bush on several issues. "I'm afraid Sen. Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy," McCain said Friday as the two traded jabs over Iraq. Obama shot back, "I absolutely understand the difference between tactics and strategy. And the strategic question that the president has to ask is not whether or not we are employing a particular approach in the country once we have made the decision to be there." McCain drew from his experience overseas as he tried to portray himself as the more qualified candidate. "Incredibly, incredibly Sen. Obama didn't go to Iraq for 900 days and never asked for a meeting with Gen. [David] Petraeus," he said. Watch McCain, Obama talk about fighting in Iraq » . McCain slammed Obama for not supporting the surge, an increase of about 30,000 troops to Iraq in early 2007. Bush sent the additional troops as part of a campaign to pacify Baghdad and its surrounding provinces. "John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007," Obama shot back. "You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong." Watch entire debate: Part 1 » | Part 2 » | Part 3 » . Obama repeatedly criticized the Bush administration and charged that McCain is an endorser of his policies. See scenes from the debate » . In describing his tax plan, Obama said, "over time, that, I think, is going to be a better recipe for economic growth than the -- the policies of President Bush that John McCain wants to -- wants to follow." Obama also said the economic crisis is the "final verdict on eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush, supported by Sen. McCain." Both candidates squeezed in a few cheap shots. Obama brought up McCain's jokingly singing a line about bombing Iran, and McCain jabbed Obama for his short-lived "presidential seal." Immediately after the debate, both campaigns issued statements declaring their candidate the winner. Grade the candidates' performance in the debate . "This was a clear victory for Barack Obama on John McCain's home turf. Sen. McCain offered nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies, and Barack Obama made a forceful case for change in our economy and our foreign policy," said Obama-Biden campaign manager David Plouffe. "John McCain needed a game-changer tonight, and by any measure, he didn't get it," he said. iReport.com: Who do you think won the debate? McCain's campaign said "there was one man who was presidential tonight; that man was John McCain." "There was another who was political; that was Barack Obama. John McCain won this debate and controlled the dialogue throughout, whether it was the economy, taxes, spending, Iraq or Iran. There was a leadership gap, a judgment gap and a boldness gap on display tonight, a fact Barack Obama acknowledged when he said John McCain was right at least five times," communications director Jill Hazelbaker said. Full coverage of the debates . During the first 30 minutes of the debate, the candidates focused on the economy, even though the debate was supposed to be centered on foreign policy. For a while, it seemed like the debate might not even take place, because McCain said he would not show up unless Congress came to an agreement on the government's proposed $700 billion bailout plan. McCain said Friday that enough progress has been made for him to attend the debate, even though Congress has not made a deal. Here's a snapshot of what the candidates said. On government spending: . McCain said he would consider a spending freeze on everything but defense, veterans affairs and entitlement programs in order to cut back on government spending. Obama disagreed, saying, "The problem is, you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel. "There are some programs that are very important that are currently underfunded," Obama said. He agreed that the government needs to cut spending in some areas, but he said other areas, such as early childhood education, need more funding. McCain repeated his call to veto every bill with earmarks. Watch the candidates spar over earmarks » . Obama said the country "absolutely" needs earmark reform but said, "the fact is, eliminating earmarks alone is not a recipe for how we are going to get the middle class back on track." On the bailout proposal: . Obama said that the United States was facing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. McCain said he was encouraged that Republicans and Democrats were working together to solve the crisis. Obama refused to be pinned down on whether he would support a $700 billion plan proposed by President Bush's top economic advisers, saying the final details of the proposal were not known. McCain said he hoped to be able to vote for it. On the likelihood of another terrorist attack: . McCain that another attack on the scale of the September 11 hijackings is "much less likely" now than it was the day after the terrorist attacks. "America is safer now than it was on 9/11," he said, "But we have a long way to go before we can declare America safe." Obama agreed that the United States is "safer in some ways" but said the country needed to focus more on issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and restoring America's image in the world. On relations with Russia: . Obama called for a re-evaluation of the United States' approach to Russia in light of the country's recent military action in the Caucasus. "You cannot be a 21st-century superpower and act like a 20th-century dictatorship," he said. McCain accused Obama of responding naively to Russia's invasion of neighboring Georgia last month by calling on both sides to exercise restraint. McCain said he would support the inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine in NATO. On Iran: . McCain said Iranian nuclear weapons would be an "existential threat to the state of Israel" and would encourage other countries in the Middle East to seek nuclear weapons as well. "We cannot allow another Holocaust," he said. Obama agreed that the United States "cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran," calling for tougher sanctions from a range of countries including Russia and China. McCain called for a new "league of democracies" to stand firm against Iran. On Iraq: . McCain said the next president will have to decide when and how to leave Iraq and what the United States will leave behind. The Republican candidate said that the war had been badly managed at the beginning but that the United States was now winning, thanks to a "great general and a strategy that succeeded." "Sen. Obama refuses to acknowledge that we are winning in Iraq," McCain said. Obama responded, "that's not true; that's not true." He blasted McCain as having been wrong about the war at the start, saying McCain had failed to anticipate the uprising against U.S. forces and violence between rival religious groups in the country. Watch Obama tell McCain he was 'wrong' » . "At the time when the war started, you said it was quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were," Obama said, citing the key White House policy justifying the 2003 invasion. "You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong," he said.

Barack Obama says John McCain wrong about Iraq . McCain says Obama "doesn't understand" some key issues . Candidates debate earmarks, taxes, economic plans . Status of debate was in limbo until Friday afternoon .

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(CNN) -- Two fishermen remain missing after a commercial fishing vessel went down in frigid, treacherous waters off the Aleutian Islands about 1,400 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The fishing vessel Courageous helps search for missing men in waters off Alaska. A search for the two crew members of the 93-foot Katmai resumed at daybreak Friday. An e-mail sent by the doomed fishing boat to a nearby vessel said it was taking on water in the rear, where the steering was housed, the Coast Guard told The Associated Press on Thursday. Four of the boat's crew members were rescued and five bodies retrieved Wednesday near the Amchitka Pass, a strait that connects the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The names have been withheld pending the notification of families, a Coast Guard statement said. "What can you say?" said Jeff DeBell, chief financial officer of Katmai Fisheries, which owned the boat. He told The AP, "We are devastated by what has happened. We are elated there have been survivors. We are just terribly saddened by the ones that are dead and are praying that those that are still in the water are alive." Watch rescue footage from the choppy waters » . The Seattle-based company told the AP the survivors were Capt. Henry Blake and crew members Guy Schroeder, Adam Foster and Harold Attling. The search began at about 1 a.m. Wednesday when the Coast Guard received an emergency signal from the Katmai, a 93-foot fishing vessel that had been battling 50-knot winds and nearly 20-foot waves. The signal originated from a wall-mounted satellite positioning device on the Katmai that reacts when it's touched or splashed with water, Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said. Watch a "Deadliest Catch" captain talk about what may have happened on the rough seas » . At about that time, another vessel, the Blue Balard, sent an e-mail to the Coast Guard saying that it received a message from the Katmai that water was flooding its rear compartment. The message also said that the vessel had lost steering. The Coast Guard tried to e-mail the Balard back but received no response, likely because the seas are remote and Internet access can be spotty, Read said. Rescuers launched a C-130, a long-range surveillance aircraft, and went straight to the scene twice Wednesday morning, Read said. The boat was nowhere in sight, but the C-130 did spot two strobe lights on top of the water, he said. By this time, the weather was treacherous and the sky was darkening, according to Read. The C-130, having found no signs of life, dropped two life rafts and headed back, he said. On the second trip, at 11 a.m., the C-130 and a Jayhawk helicopter found two strobe lights floating in the water, one attached to a survival suit and the other to the emergency device that had first alerted the Coast Guard, Read said. They also found a body, he said. "We knew the person was from the Katmai because the suit he was wearing had the name of the vessel on it," Read said. Roughly five hours later, the Coast Guard spotted four men on a life raft, all wearing survival suits. With the assistance of other vessels, the Courageous and the Patricia Lee, the bodies of four other men were recovered from the water, all wearing survival suits, Read said. The odds of someone surviving the frigid waters off Alaska's Aleutian Islands is minimal, said Read. Crews usually have survival suits that allow water to seep inside but have a mechanism that traps body heat. The search for the two remaining men began at 9:30 a.m. Alaska time Thursday, an hour before sunrise there. "You just couldn't do anything earlier," Read said. "It's darker the farther out you go, and they are really, really out there."

NEW: Search resumes for two fishermen lost in frigid waters off Alaska . Distressed boat had sent e-mail that it was taking on water . Four fishermen rescued; five bodies have been recovered . CFO of company: We "are praying that those that are still in the water are alive"

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(CNN) -- The fourth and final suspect in the fatal shooting of two Arkansas university students turned himself in Monday, University of Central Arkansas police said. The first suspect was apprehended while driving about three minutes after the Sunday night shooting. The others were detained later, said Lt. Preston Grumbles. The suspects were identified as Kawin Brockton, 19; Kelsey Perry, 19; Mario Toney, 20 and Brandon Wade, 20. Police released little details on the suspects other than the fact that they were not university students. "It does not seem at this time that it was a random act," he said, but police are "unsure of the precise motive." He said there was "no indication" the shooting was gang-related. University police released the names of the victims Monday. Ryan Henderson, 18, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Chavares Block, 19, of Dermott, Arkansas, were killed. Block was a sophomore pre-engineering major. Henderson was a freshman who had not yet declared a major. The university's student government will hold a candlelight vigil in memory of the students at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. ET) Monday. Religious organizations on campus will host a prayer vigil Tuesday. A third victim, Martrevis Norman, was treated at a hospital and released. He is not a student at the university, said Lt. Rhonda Swindle of UCA campus police. A hospital representative earlier told CNN that the survivor was shot in the leg. "This is something you pray never happens," interim university president Tom Courtway said, visibly upset. "But it happened." The shooting, which happened outside a dorm, prompted a campus lockdown and the cancellation of Monday classes. Courtway said classes will resume Tuesday. Watch police describe the shooting » . The shots were fired near Arkansas Hall and the Snow Fine Arts Center at 9:22 p.m., Swindle said. Freshman Sam Hausen, who was about 50 feet (15 meters) away from the shooters when the gunfire began, said, "I heard about five or 10 shots and, at first, I thought it was just firecrackers, because everybody always clowns around out there, but I just realized that it wasn't firecrackers." As he began running away, he saw one of the wounded students hit the ground and another stumble into the dorm, he said. "I saw a couple cars speed off," Hausen said. "I don't know if they were the shooters or not." Student Lauren Knight, who was walking to the library when the shooting started, said students scurried for safety. When the campus lockdown was ordered, Knight was stuck with other students for several hours inside the library, she said. The university serves about 12,500 full-time students in Conway.

NEW: A fourth and final suspect has turned himself in, police say . Student government, religious groups plan prayer vigils for students . Two students killed, one wounded Sunday night, officials say . Shooting prompted lockdown at University of Central Arkansas in Conway .

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(CNN) -- A Warren Township, Ohio, man faces charges of felonious assault after authorities say he fired his rifle at two teens who were attempting to deface his McCain presidential campaign yard sign. Police say the man's sign is the only McCain sign on a street full of Obama signs. Kenneth Rowles, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charge Monday, according to CNN affiliate WBNS. Bail was set at $10,000. Rowles told police he was sitting on his porch Saturday when a tan SUV pulled up and a black youth jumped out and ran toward his house, screaming, "This is for Obama." He said another male was hanging out of the passenger window screaming the same thing. Rowles said he went inside, got his rifle and fired three shots to scare the youths away, according to a Warren Township police report. He told officers he believes that the men "were the same two that have been destroying his McCain sign." Just hours before the shooting, Rowles called police and said that a car had stopped in front of his house and that a black male "ran up and said something about Obama," according to the report, and "damaged his sign again." One of the youths, 17-year-old Kyree Flowers, was shot in the arm, according to a police report. He and the second youth, Patrick Wise Jr., 16, told police they were in the car attempting to leave when Rowles fired at them. "Kyree stated that he witnessed the homeowner trying to shoot Patrick but he was having trouble chambering a round," the police report said. The teens admitted that they had defaced the McCain sign several times, Warren Township police Lt. Don Bishop told CNN. Rowles' is the only McCain sign on a street full of Obama signs, he said. Bishop said the teenagers probably will not be charged -- and are unlikely to damage campaign signs again, as the incident scared them. Warren Township is in Trumbull County not far from Cleveland, Ohio.

Man pleads not guilty to charges of felonious assault . Police: Youths admitted defacing McCain sign several times . It is the only McCain sign on a street full of Obama signs, police say . Teenagers probably will not be charged; one was shot in arm .

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(CNN) -- They were fathers and daughters, tycoons and spiritualists, Westerners and Asians, who were in Mumbai for different reasons. But they met the same fate in the indiscriminate path of gunfire and explosions in a string of terror attacks across the Indian city this week. Kia Scherr, left, has told CNN that her husband, Alan Scherr, and daughter Naomi were killed in Mumbai. At least 183 people were killed this week in attacks on several high-traffic landmarks, many of which tourists frequent. Their deaths have torn families and communities apart, and many more have yet to be confirmed. Small snapshots of the victims have begun to emerge, most of them pertaining to foreigners. Limited reports have circulated about victims from India. A father and daughter from a Virginia meditation group were among five Americans confirmed dead, the U.S. State Department said Friday. Kia Scherr told CNN on Friday that her husband, Alan, 58, and daughter, Naomi, 13, were killed. She said she knew her husband and daughter were dining at the Oberoi, a Mumbai hotel, when gunfire broke out Wednesday night. Scherr said she last spoke to them Thursday. Watch friends tell the story of the Scherrs' visit to Mumbai » . The father and daughter had been in India since November 17 and were due to leave Monday, Scherr said. A spokeswoman for The Synchronicity Foundation, a meditation group based near Charlottesville, Virginia, said the two were among 25 members of the group who were visiting India. The other Synchronicity people who were staying at the Oberoi "are accounted for and safe," the group's Web site said. Hemant Karkare, Anti-Terrorism Squad chief for Maharashtra state, was among at least 16 members of Indian law enforcement officers killed in the attacks. Mumbai is in Maharashtra. Karkare was leading an offensive against gunmen late Wednesday when he was shot three times in the chest, CNN sister network CNN-IBN reported. Karkare, who joined the Indian Police Service in 1982, became ATS chief in January after spending seven years in Austria at the Research and Analysis Wing, Indian's external foreign intelligence agency, according to CNN-IBN. Five hostages, including a rabbi and his wife, were killed in a standoff at the Chabad House, said Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a spokesman for Chabad-Lubavitch International in the United States. Watch: Rabbi and wife killed in Mumbai » . Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, the city's envoy for the community, and his wife, Rivka, had been held hostage at the Chabad House, known as the Nariman House in Mumbai. The building houses the Mumbai headquarters of the Chabad community, a Hasidic Jewish movement. Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, was born in Israel and moved to Brooklyn, New York, with his parents when he was 9. Rivka, 28, was a native of Afula, Israel, the organization said. Watch the Chabad community in New York react » . The Holtzbergs arrived in Mumbai in 2003 to serve the Jewish community there, Chabad-Lubavitch International said. "As emissaries to Mumbai, Gabi and Rivky gave up the comforts of the West in order to spread Jewish pride in a corner of the world that was a frequent stop for throngs of Israeli tourists," said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, in a statement. Gavriel Holtzberg made a phone call to the Israeli Consulate to report that gunmen were in his house, the organization said. "In the middle of the conversation, the line went dead," the organization said. It did not say when the phone call took place. A cook at the center, who had barricaded herself in a room, grabbed the couple's son and escaped with another person, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. The boy's 2nd birthday is Saturday, said Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of the Educational and Social Services arms of the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement. "Today, he became an orphan," Krinsky said at a news conference in New York. Watch as Krinsky vows the Chabad community will raise the child » . The couple's other child was not in Mumbai at the time and is safe, Krinsky said. Among others confirmed dead: . CNN's Zain Verjee and Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.

NEW: Two Canadians, yachting tycoon, sister of Bollywood actor among dead . Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, wife Rivka confirmed dead at Chabad House in Mumbai . Virginians Alan Scherr and daughter Naomi Scherr killed, family member says . Anti-Terrorism Squad chief killed in offensive, CNN sister network CNN-IBN says .

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(CNN) -- They were fathers and daughters, tycoons and spiritualists, Westerners and Asians, who were in Mumbai for different reasons. But they met the same fate in the indiscriminate path of gunfire and explosions in a string of terror attacks across the Indian city this week. Kia Scherr, left, has told CNN that her husband, Alan Scherr, and daughter Naomi were killed in Mumbai. At least 183 people were killed this week in attacks on several high-traffic landmarks, many of which tourists frequent. Their deaths have torn families and communities apart, and many more have yet to be confirmed. Small snapshots of the victims have begun to emerge, most of them pertaining to foreigners. Limited reports have circulated about victims from India. A father and daughter from a Virginia meditation group were among five Americans confirmed dead, the U.S. State Department said Friday. Kia Scherr told CNN on Friday that her husband, Alan, 58, and daughter, Naomi, 13, were killed. She said she knew her husband and daughter were dining at the Oberoi, a Mumbai hotel, when gunfire broke out Wednesday night. Scherr said she last spoke to them Thursday. Watch friends tell the story of the Scherrs' visit to Mumbai » . The father and daughter had been in India since November 17 and were due to leave Monday, Scherr said. A spokeswoman for The Synchronicity Foundation, a meditation group based near Charlottesville, Virginia, said the two were among 25 members of the group who were visiting India. The other Synchronicity people who were staying at the Oberoi "are accounted for and safe," the group's Web site said. Hemant Karkare, Anti-Terrorism Squad chief for Maharashtra state, was among at least 16 members of Indian law enforcement officers killed in the attacks. Mumbai is in Maharashtra. Karkare was leading an offensive against gunmen late Wednesday when he was shot three times in the chest, CNN sister network CNN-IBN reported. Karkare, who joined the Indian Police Service in 1982, became ATS chief in January after spending seven years in Austria at the Research and Analysis Wing, Indian's external foreign intelligence agency, according to CNN-IBN. Five hostages, including a rabbi and his wife, were killed in a standoff at the Chabad House, said Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a spokesman for Chabad-Lubavitch International in the United States. Watch: Rabbi and wife killed in Mumbai » . Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, the city's envoy for the community, and his wife, Rivka, had been held hostage at the Chabad House, known as the Nariman House in Mumbai. The building houses the Mumbai headquarters of the Chabad community, a Hasidic Jewish movement. Gavriel Holtzberg, 29, was born in Israel and moved to Brooklyn, New York, with his parents when he was 9. Rivka, 28, was a native of Afula, Israel, the organization said. Watch the Chabad community in New York react » . The Holtzbergs arrived in Mumbai in 2003 to serve the Jewish community there, Chabad-Lubavitch International said. "As emissaries to Mumbai, Gabi and Rivky gave up the comforts of the West in order to spread Jewish pride in a corner of the world that was a frequent stop for throngs of Israeli tourists," said Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch, in a statement. Gavriel Holtzberg made a phone call to the Israeli Consulate to report that gunmen were in his house, the organization said. "In the middle of the conversation, the line went dead," the organization said. It did not say when the phone call took place. A cook at the center, who had barricaded herself in a room, grabbed the couple's son and escaped with another person, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. The boy's 2nd birthday is Saturday, said Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of the Educational and Social Services arms of the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement. "Today, he became an orphan," Krinsky said at a news conference in New York. Watch as Krinsky vows the Chabad community will raise the child » . The couple's other child was not in Mumbai at the time and is safe, Krinsky said. Among others confirmed dead: . CNN's Zain Verjee and Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.

NEW: Two Canadians, yachting tycoon, sister of Bollywood actor among dead . Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, wife Rivka confirmed dead at Chabad House in Mumbai . Virginians Alan Scherr and daughter Naomi Scherr killed, family member says . Anti-Terrorism Squad chief killed in offensive, CNN sister network CNN-IBN says .

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You wanted to know more about greenwashing, and Scot Case, from environmental marketing firm TerraChoice, answered. Greenwashing expert Scot Case of TerraChoice . "Why are green products often more expensive than ones that don't say they are green or environmentally friendly? Is it just because green has become a new form of 'premium brand'? Isn't this bad news if we want to make more people environmentally aware when they go shopping?" Harriet Gladwell . Case: First, it should be noted that not all greener products are more expensive. The remanufactured toner cartridges I purchase at a nationwide office-supply store, for example, carry the same warranty as other cartridges at a 30-percent lower cost. This greener option is less expensive because the manufacturer avoids the cost of manufacturing the plastic and electronic components. They simply reuse the parts from recycled cartridges. There are also greener products that do not cost extra. There are cleaning products and paints, for example, that have been certified as meeting tough environmental standards by EcoLogo or Green Seal that deliver the same high-quality performance one expects without costing any extra. Other greener products might be slightly more expensive initially, but generate substantial savings for the consumer. Energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), for example, are still four times more expensive than traditional cheap incandescent light bulbs. However, CFLs use 75 percent less electricity and last 10 times longer, so they don't have to be replaced as frequently. As a result, the typical CFL saves consumers $30 over the life of the bulb. There are now energy- or water-efficient versions of all sorts of products -- refrigerators, windows, air conditioners, televisions, dishwashers, ovens, showerheads, washing machines, etc. The more efficient versions are typically more expensive initially to reflect the higher-quality components used to make them, but they quickly pay for themselves in lower energy and water costs. Look for products that are Energy Star registered. Even better, look for products that have been independently certified as meeting the Energy Star standards. Why are other greener products still more expensive sometimes? It boils down to the simple laws of supply and demand. Any new innovative product, whether it is "greener" or not, costs extra initially. It costs money to research and develop the product and to build the factories and supply chains it takes to make the product. Manufacturers try to recoup those costs as quickly as possible during the initial sales of the product. As demand increases, however, additional manufacturing efficiencies -- economies of scale -- begin to emerge that permit the prices to fall. In addition, high prices attract competitors with similar products, and the additional competition helps force prices lower. Are some manufacturers attempting to earn additional revenue by presenting their greener options as a premium brand? Absolutely. Just as some clothing manufacturers charge extra to have their name brand applied to a shirt. It is also possible, however, to buy high-quality, greener products, at very good prices, at growing numbers of mainstream retail outlets. When DVD players and cell phones were first introduced, they were only available to the very wealthy. Now everyone has at least one. The same is increasingly true with greener product offerings. "What are the most obvious signs that a company is greenwashing the public with false claims? What words and phrases should raise a red flag?" Carla Dos Santos . The most obvious sign a company is greenwashing is if the company fails to provide proof of their environmental claims. Legitimate environmental claims can be certified by independent outside third-party auditors. Manufacturers can also provide test data and other relevant information on Web sites. Consumers should also beware of generic environmental claims that are so vague they are likely to be misunderstood. Watch out for broad claims like "eco-friendly," "earth kind," "all natural," "eco-safe" or other green babble. Even phrases like "biodegradable," "recyclable" and "compostable" can be misleading if they fail to clarify how the products were tested or under what circumstances the claim is true. Make sure any environmental claim is specific, backed by proof, and, preferably, verified by an independent, outside third-party. For additional greenwashing examples and recommendations on how to avoid being fooled, check out the Six Sins of Greenwashing or the accompanying wallet-size guide book. "Is it possible to put together information about a product's greenness that has both the detail that's really needed, and is at the same time simple and clear? And how can we get governments to serve the public and advise them on green purchasing, in the way that is most fair to commercial interests?" Rick Reibstein . There are certainly efforts underway to provide consumers with additional information about the environmental impacts of their purchasing decisions. The traditional environmental standards such as Green Seal and EcoLogo publish standards and then certify products meeting those standards. Most consumers find the simplicity of this type of certification scheme the most useful. Some particularly savvy green consumers, however, want additional information beyond knowing that a product has been certified as meeting a standard. They are seeking information presented in a nutrition-label format that allows them to compare two certified products to determine which is greener. I think we will see the emergence of hybrid labeling systems that do provide greater detail about the environmental features of a product. Such a label would combine the traditional "thumbs up or thumbs down" approach of Green Seal or EcoLogo along with additional information in a standard format. The information might be available on product packaging or on an accompanying Web site. Governments are actually already pushing manufacturers to provide this level of detail using their purchasing power rather than their legislative power. Government purchasers across North America, for example, are demanding safer, more environmentally preferable cleaning products, papers, paints, vehicles, building products, office equipment and computers. Government purchasers in New York, Illinois, California, Minnesota, and other places, for example, require cleaning products to meet the Green Seal or EcoLogo cleaning-product standards. As a result, those products are becoming more widely available for consumers too. The U.S. Federal government and many state governments are also purchasing more environmentally preferable computer products. They are requiring products to meet the EPEAT green computer standard. One unique feature of the EPEAT label is that the EPEAT Web site provides additional information on the environmental features associated with the almost 1,000 products on the EPEAT registry. Now that the information is available, consumers can use the EPEAT information to make their own purchasing decisions. Providing this level of environmental information is the foundation of market-based environmentalism. Government purchasers, other large purchasers such as colleges and universities or Fortune 1000 companies, and individual consumers can use the publicly available information about the environmental impacts of their purchasing decisions along with traditional factors like price and quality to determine how they will spend their hard-earned money. This approach allows the greenest products to be identified and to compete with other products for market share. Of course, in addition to the market-based approach, governments always have it within their power to actually legislate minimum environmental requirements or the publication of basic environmental information. There are persistent rumors of efforts underway to use the legislative power of the federal government to encourage greater transparency regarding the environmental footprint of a product and to make it easier to share that information with consumers. It will be interesting to see what happens in Congress with a new U.S. president in January. "How can we know if the 'green' label is credible, and do you think we'll ever get to the place where all these different certifications merge into one consistent and widely recognized label? Is this happening in any countries?" Amber Wells . While there were only three or four eco-labels 20 years ago -- EcoLogo was North America's first and it was founded in 1988 -- there are now more than 300. At some point, I think it is inevitable that there will be some significant consolidation in the environmental-labeling world. There are already numerous meetings among the most legitimate environmental-labeling programs to collaborate more closely. A variety of efforts are attempting to separate the truly green labels from the fake green ones. There are also persistent rumors of pending federal legislation to encourage or even require greater accountability. Until then, consumers need to be aware that not all green-labeling programs are created equally. Before relying on any "green dot" to help make a purchasing decision, consumers need to understand exactly what the "green dot" means. Make sure you can answer the following questions about an environmental label before making a purchase: . (1) Who created the labeling program? -- Was it created by a manufacturer or a trade association to promote their own products, or was it created by an independent outside organization in an open, public, transparent process? Is it backed by a respected European or North American government? (2) Does the label require a product to actually meet a specific standard? -- Some labels are being awarded based on fees paid to a consultant rather than based on compliance with a published standard. Others are being awarded simply by joining a trade association or paying a membership fee. (3) Does the label address multiple environmental issues or does it focus narrowly on just a single issue like energy-efficiency or recycled-content? -- Review the standard to determine whether it covers multiple environmental issues throughout the entire product life-cycle, which includes the raw materials used to make the product, the manufacturing process, transportation and packaging, and the impacts of using and discarding or recycling the product. Make sure the standard covers the environmental issues you and the environmental community are most concerned about. (4) What does a manufacturer have to do to prove a product meets the standard? -- Some labels permit a manufacturer to determine on its own whether it meets the published standard. Other programs -- including EcoLogo, Green Seal, and the Chlorine Free Products Association -- independently review product test data and visit the manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with the standard. There is a three-page appendix to the Six Sins of Greenwashing report that provides additional information to help identify legitimate environmental standards. Click here to read more of your questions and Scot Case's answers on greenwashing.

Scot Case answers your questions on greenwashing . Has green become a new form of "premium brand"? What green words and phrases should raise a red flag? Click here to read more answers to your questions .

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(CNN) -- A group of native Hawaiians occupied the grounds of the old Hawaiian monarchy's royal residence Wednesday, vowing to stay and do the business of the kingdom's government. "It is through a greater realm than ours" that the group took this action, said Mahealani Kahau, elected leader of the group, called Hawaiian Kingdom Government. "Today and every day, we will be here to assume our role." The group is one of several in Hawaii that reject statehood and seek to return to the constitutional monarchy that effectively ended in 1893 when a group of politicians, businessmen and sugar planters -- aided by the U.S. minister to Hawaii -- overthrew the kingdom's government. The monarchist groups say the kingdom was overthrown and annexed into the United States illegally. Hawaii's office of the attorney general did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Wednesday's action. The staff of Iolani Palace, built in 1882 and now operated as a museum, shut down the building to visitors. The 60 or so protesters occupied the grounds, chaining the gates and stationing guards there to explain to visitors the purpose of the action. The group later reopened the gates, but remained on the grounds and the building was kept closed. "It saddens my heart to have to turn away visitors," said palace staff member Cindy Ascencio, who added that although she is a native Hawaiian, she does not understand the actions of the group. Ascencio also said the group appeared peaceful and she was not concerned about security. Jose Carrion, a visitor to Hawaii from Puerto Rico, told Honolulu's KHON-TV that he was disappointed he wouldn't be able to visit the ornate palace and "learn about the culture of the Hawaiians." "We wanted to come here precisely because we thought we'd learn something about the history of Hawaii and the last queen and the monarchy," said Carrion, who said he had reservations for the visit. "But we're leaving tomorrow, so we won't get to see the palace." Carrion also said he "kind of understood" the actions of the group. Puerto Rico and Hawaii, along with Guam and the Philippines, were annexed into the United States in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. Guam and Puerto Rico remain territories of the United States. The Philippines gained independence after World War II, and Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959. Although the monarchy was not overthrown until 1893, its fate effectively was sealed six years earlier when the same group that forced the overthrow imposed a new constitution on King David Kalakaua, who was forced to sign it under threat of arms. The document dramatically reduced the authority of the monarchy and instituted voter requirements that limited voting to wealthy businessmen and Hawaiian landowners, barring 75 percent of the native Hawaiian population and all Asians. When Queen Lili'uokalani ascended the throne after the death of her brother in 1891, she began work on a new constitution that would have effectively reversed the 1887 document. With the help of John L. Stevens, the U.S. minister to Hawaii, the elite group that had changed the constitution in 1887 opposed the queen's actions. Two years later, under threat of U.S. troops, she yielded her authority, saying, "Until such time as the government of the United States shall ... undo the action of its representative and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands." The queen was later imprisoned in Iolani Palace for eight months for her participation in an attempted 1895 revolt, until she relinquished her claim to the throne in return for her release. She died in 1917 at 79. In 1993, the U.S. Congress approved, and President Bill Clinton signed, an apology to the people of the Hawaiian islands. The document "acknowledges that the overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum." Although it was used as a seat of government for decades after Lili'uokalani's reign, the palace fell into disrepair. When the last of the government offices moved out and into new facilities adjacent to the palace in 1969, restoration work began. It opened to the public in 1978. E-mail to a friend .

Group does not recognize Hawaii as a U.S. state . Palace used by rulers of Hawaiian kingdom; now a tourist attraction . Peaceful protesters eventually unlock gates, stay on palace grounds .

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

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

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(CNN) -- Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend will perform at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing on Thanksgiving on CNN. John Legend will sing "If You're Out There" from his just-released album "Evolver." Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper, the program honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. The show will be broadcast globally on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español at 9 p.m. ET/PT November 27 (0200 GMT November 28). Each of this year's top 10 CNN Heroes will be honored in a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Actors Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, Forest Whitaker, Meg Ryan, Terrence Howard, Lucy Liu, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Selena Gomez are among the stars participating in the event. See photos of the presenters » . In addition, actor Hugh Jackman will present People magazine's 2008 Heroes Among Us award to six recipients honored by the magazine this year. People is partnering with CNN for this portion of the telecast. Keys will perform "Superwoman" from her hit album "As I Am." Legend, backed by the Los Angeles-based Agape Choir, will sing "If You're Out There" from his just-released album "Evolver." The evening will culminate with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year, chosen through a six-week online poll that generated more than 1 million votes. Viewers were asked to select the CNN Hero who inspired them the most from among the top 10 CNN Heroes selected by a blue-ribbon panel. The Hero of the Year will be awarded $100,000 in addition to the $25,000 that each of the top 10 CNN Heroes receives. Voting for the CNN Hero of the Year has now closed. Watch a close-up look at the CNN Hero Award » . Award-winning producer-director Joel Gallen returns to executive produce this year's program. Among his credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, winning an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes." Kodak Theatre is a 3,400-seat venue that opened in November 2001 and is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards.

Grammy winners to perform at CNN Heroes event . The show will honor the top 10 CNN Heroes, as selected by a distinguished panel . It airs globally at 9 p.m. ET November 27 (0200 GMT November 28) The program culminates with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year .

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(CNN) -- Rebel attacks north of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo prompted thousands more civilians to flee Tuesday, and U.N. officials said a U.N. convoy trying to provide security near Goma also was attacked. Thousands of displaced Congolese on Tuesday line the road near the Kibati camp north of Goma, Congo. "Five rockets were fired on two U.N. armored personnel carriers that were part of the convoy of MONUC Blue Helmets near Kalengera," according to a report on the Web site of the U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known by its French acronym, MONUC. "MONUC reiterates that under its mandate it will continue to intervene with all of its means to ensure the protection of civilians and to protect the urban centers of North Kivu," MONUC said, referring to the province in eastern Congo. The attacks by rebels of the National Congress for the Defense of People, or CNDP, led civilians to seek refuge in Goma, the provincial capital, where national army forces surround the city, said MONUC spokesman Jean-Paul Dietrich. He said U.N. helicopters flew overhead to provide cover until darkness fell, when the aircraft were grounded for the night. Dietrich said a U.N. official in Goma reported that the town of Rutshuru had been captured, although he had not confirmed the information with the military. Rutshuru is a territorial capital about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of Goma. The U.N. convoy that officials said was attacked was providing security on the road from Rutshuru. Dietrich said clashes between the rebels and government forces had taken place during the day in scattered locations. Bertrand Bisimwa, a spokesman for the rebels, told The Associated Press the rebels' front lines are within within 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Goma, a city of 600,000. U.N. refugee agency spokesman Ron Redmond said the Kibati camp for displaced persons tripled in size in a matter of hours Tuesday, The AP reported. Congolese hurled rocks at U.N. armored personnel carriers that were headed away from the fighting, according to an AP report. Watch as Congolese throw rocks at tanks » . "What are they doing? They are supposed to protect us," AP quoted displaced person Jean-Paul Maombi as saying. Between 800,000 and 1 million displaced persons are living in camps run by the United Nations and other organizations in the area, Dietrich said, including about 150,000 people who came to the camps after August 28. "I think right now it's a very delicate situation," he added. The spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in Goma, Sylvie van den Wildenberg, said the situation in Goma is under control for now. "We have reinforced our presence there." Watch as crowds target U.N. offices in Goma » . On Monday, U.N. gunships supported army forces as they fired on the CNDP rebels in an effort to halt their advance on Kibumba, to the north, Wildenberg said. "We have put all our resources on alert to deter any further progression, trying to contain the aggression in those areas. CNDP is not listening to anyone anymore," she said. Renewed fighting erupted Sunday when the CNDP, led by renegade Gen. Laurent Nkunda, seized a major military camp and gorilla park just one week after a U.N.-brokered peace accord, according to U.N. and park officials. The rebels, according to Wildenberg, are surrounding areas where displaced persons are housed as a "strategy used to put more pressure on government and on the international community to get some of their requests satisfied. This is unacceptable and a violation of humanitarian law." Although the civil war in Congo officially ended in 2003, recent fighting in eastern Congo between government forces and rebels has displaced thousands. Fighting and the related humanitarian crisis have killed some 5.4 million people since 1998, and 45,000 people die there every month, according to an International Rescue Committee report in January. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Displaced persons triple size of U.N. camp . U.N. tanks stoned by frustrated civilians . Rebels say they're within a dozen miles of Goma .

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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- German federal police seized two suspected terrorists from a Dutch passenger aircraft at Cologne airport Friday shortly before it was due to take off for Amsterdam, officials told CNN. The arrests were made at Cologne's airport. A 23-year-old Somali national and a 24-year-old German citizen who had been born in Mogadishu were arrested on a KLM plane at 6.55 am local time (0455 GMT), a police spokesman said. Police said "farewell" letters had been found from the men that led them to suspect they were intending to carry out terror attacks. It was not revealed where the letters were found or how long the men had been under observation. Walter Roemer, press spokesman at Cologne-Bonn airport, said that the arrests had been "very unspectacular". He said federal police boarded the plane and arrested the two suspects, "without them showing any resistance." The two had been among 40 passengers en route to Amsterdam. All those on board were asked to disembark while the suspects' luggage was identified. The plane took off for Amsterdam after a delay of one hour and 20 minutes. She said everyone was then forced to leave the plane, and there was a "baggage parade" to see whose bags belonged to whom. Watch more details on the incident. » . Amsterdam's Schipol airport Web site listed flight KL 1804, the scheduled morning flight from Cologne to Amsterdam, as having arrived at 9.17 am local time, one hour and two minutes after it was due to arrive. In September 2007, German authorities arrested three suspected militants planning what were described as "massive" attacks on American targets in Germany. German media said at the time that potential targets could have included Ramstein Air Base, the U.S. military's main installation in Germany, or the major international hub of Frankfurt Airport. Terrorism expert Sajjan Gohel told CNN the arrest showed Germany faces a major threat from extremists. Watch Gohel explain details behind the arrests » . "This was a long term operation, there was a couple of individuals that the German intelligence agency was monitoring," he said. "The feeling was that they had come back specifically with the purpose of planning and plotting a terrorist attack." CNN's Diana Magnay in Berlin 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.

Police board KLM flight in Cologne early Friday to arrest suspects . Two suspects said to be Somali man, 23 and German born in Somalia, 24 . Police say "farewell" letters found from the men .

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(Sunset) -- The old warehouses of Portland's Pearl District are home to increasingly cool cultural diversions. Spend a weekend browsing the neighborhood's art galleries, snack on a pumpkin-pie cupcake and enjoy dinner and a show. The Gerding Theater at the Armory has been transformed after its $36 million eco-renovation. Take it home . If prices in the Pearl's posh galleries put a damper on your holiday gift giving, head to the Pacific Northwest College of Art for its annual student-art sale. Future famous artists sell surprisingly sophisticated gifts reflecting their fields of study: one-of-a-kind monotypes and screen-printed cards, jewelry with semiprecious stones, gorgeous oil paintings and thought-provoking metal sculptures. Catch a show . The once-vacant, castlelike Gerding Theater at the Armory has been transformed after its $36 million eco-renovation. For people-watching, sip wine in the loft overlooking the lobby, then settle in for Portland Center Stage's one-man play "R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe." Sunset.com: Life in the Pearl . One-stop gallery hop . Who cares if it's raining when you have the DeSoto Building/Museum of Contemporary Craft -- four fine art galleries and an innovative museum under one roof? Hit the museum's Holiday Shoppe (December 3-January 4) for funky felt rings and handcrafted ornaments. Great Pearl eats . Wild rice-smoked duck breast is steps from the Gerding Theater at Ten 01. Or try Isabel; we like the brown rice and tofu bowl with peanut sauce. Then there's 50 Plates, a casual bistro serving all-American classics. Sunset.com: Green in Portland . A twist on pumpkin pie . Warm up for T-Day with a luscious pumpkin pie cupcake filled with pumpkin cream at Cupcake Jones, a grab-and-go bakery. (Then place your order for Thanksgiving dessert.) WANT MORE ENTERTAINMENT? (Portland's got it) For budding theater buffs . Kids will eat up the juicy Oregon Children's Theatre production of Roald Dahl's classic "James and the Giant Peach," while you'll get a kick out of the high-flying special effects and dry humor. For small-stage premieres . See classics and local playwrights' works on one of Artists Repertory Theatre's two intimate stages. Get some comic relief during the hectic holidays with Marc Acito and C.S. Witcomb's "Holidazed," a humorous look at modern families coping with old-fashioned Christmas traditions. For indie-film fans . The Northwest Film Center presents themed series, retrospectives and annual film festivals. The Portland International Film Festival, held in February, features nearly 100 films from more than 30 countries. Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright 2004-2008 Sunset magazine. All rights reserved.

Check out Pacific Northwest College of Art's annual student art sale . Settle in to watch a play at the renovated Gerding Theater at the Armory . Stop for dinner at 50 Plates, a casual bistro serving all-American classics .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Investigators had a "significant break" in tracking the salmonella outbreak when they found the bacteria on a jalapeño pepper imported from Mexico at a Texas food supplier, the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday. The FDA has discouraged all consumers from eating raw jalapeño peppers. The FDA also warned consumers not to eat fresh jalapeños and products made with fresh jalapeños. The discovery may provide a clue to the source of a recent outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. The bacteria have sickened more than 1,200 people in 42 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "One of the jalapeño peppers has tested positive with a genetic match to the Saintpaul strand," said Robert Tauxe, deputy director of the CDC's Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. Consumer Tips Blog: Hold the jalapeños He said officials are "looking at the chain that the peppers would have passed through to decide if any of them are a point of contamination." Watch more on the salmonella outbreak » Tauxe called the discovery a "significant break." "While this one sample does not give us the whole story, this genetic break is very important," he said. "This will hopefully help us pinpoint the source of this outbreak." The bacteria were found at a distribution center in McAllen, Texas, and the distributor has agreed to recall the products. Although the pepper was grown on a farm in Mexico, Tauxe said, investigators are not yet certain where the bacteria originated. Read food safety tips » "This does not mean that the pepper was contaminated in Mexico," he said. "We aren't only looking for the source, but the reason for the spread [of the outbreak]." The news comes just days after the FDA lifted its ban on consumption of certain raw tomatoes. The FDA has not ruled out tomatoes as the source of the original outbreak, but investigators have determined that tomatoes currently in fields and stores are safe, Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for food protection, said Thursday. Learn about the differences between salmonella and E. coli » The FDA is still investigating fresh tomatoes as a possible source of the outbreak. It is possible that tomatoes were paired with another food that was contaminated, Tauxe said. Watch more on the FDA investigation » Before Monday's warning, the agency had discouraged high-risk people -- elderly people, infants and those with impaired immune systems -- from eating serrano and jalapeño peppers. Two elderly men with pre-existing conditions died while infected with Salmonella Saintpaul, and the FDA said the infection could have contributed to their deaths.

NEW: Discovery called a "significant break" in outbreak investigation . Strain is Salmonella Saintpaul, which has sickened hundreds recently . CDC: Pepper grown in Mexico, but origin of bacteria uncertain . Bacteria were found at distribution center in McAllen, Texas .

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Editor's Note: Alfred Liggins is chief executive officer of Radio One Inc. and chairman of TV One LLC. The companies are aimed at an audience of African-American and urban consumers, and they own 53 radio stations in 16 cities, a cable network and a variety of Web sites. Liggins personally has contributed to Barack Obama's campaign. Alfred Liggins says the black population in America has grown increasingly diverse. (CNN) -- If you think African-Americans will come out in greater numbers than ever before to vote for Barack Obama, you're probably right. If you think you know how they'll vote in the almost 500 House, Senate and gubernatorial races, you could be in for a surprise. Although politicians and their advertising gurus often speak to Black America as a collective, homogeneous group, the black population is anything but a monolith. In the past decade, the more than 40 million strong black population in America has become increasingly diverse: economically, socially, technologically and even philosophically. In the final push toward Election Day, as politicians and political hopefuls seek to penetrate this community, they may no longer understand to whom they are speaking. Are they addressing blacks or African-Americans? Is racial prejudice as important an issue today as affording a college education for their kids or taking care of an aging parent? iReport.com: Black college cancels class to vote . Radio One, the country's largest broadcasting company primarily targeting African-Americans, recently commissioned a study to uncover Black America today. How do they identify themselves? What do they care about? How are they influenced? What is most important to them? Interestingly, the study found that 42 percent of those polled actually prefer to be called black (these are more likely to be more affluent) compared with 44 percent who choose to be described as African-American. And yes, it would be misguided to assume that dropping a Martin Luther King Jr. quote into a speech and focusing on America's history of racial inequality is the sure way to sway black voters when one-third of blacks, particularly younger people, believe that there is actually too much focus on past oppression. And as insulting as it is to assume that all women vote for female candidates, it is equally inaccurate and offensive to say that blacks simply cast their ballots for people of color. Like all Americans, black folks vote on the issues they care about, and today those issues are less likely to be linked to race than they are to the economy, health care, education and a whole spectrum of social issues. As Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson recently said, "black people don't vote for candidates just because they are black. If Clarence Thomas ran for president, he would get five black votes." Given Black America's extreme diversity today (the study identified 11 specific groups) it is easy to misunderstand who they are and how they can be reached. Yes, discrimination and racial issues are still incredibly important, particularly to middle-age and older blacks. But the younger populations are more concerned about starting their own businesses, paying for their education, taking care of their children and creating a better work/life balance. So how do politicians penetrate the multiple segments of Black America? In 1992, when Bill Clinton wooed African-Americans in church, he understood how to effectively reach that population. But that was before social networking sites attracted millions of teenage and young black adults. Now that the digital divide has faded, with roughly the same percentage of blacks online as the general population, ignoring black Web sites and social networking sites would be a big mistake. Although the history of black oppression in America is not the radioactive issue it once was, trust in the community -- whom blacks trust -- is still paramount. Of all institutions, they are least likely to trust credit card companies but also remain seriously wary of the mainstream media and tend to trust black media more than traditional media outlets. It has been almost a century and a half since blacks in America won the right to vote. It makes all the sense in the world that the black community has evolved and diversified over the years, but too often politicians make the mistake of assuming that blacks are still a monolithic group fixated on all of the same issues. Though Barack Obama will be able to count on a massive percentage of the black vote on Election Day, the rest of the ticket will need to dig deeper than the canned speeches dealing with racial injustice of the past to satisfy today's black voters. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Alfred Liggins.

Alfred Liggins: America's black population has become more diverse . 40 million population represents many different social, economic viewpoints, he says . Liggins: Discrimination still key issue, but other concerns have emerged . Liggins says politicians need to know that past appeals to race are outdated .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After Friday night's presidential debate, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger defended Sen. John McCain's attack against Sen. Barack Obama for Obama's willingness to meet with the Iranian president "without precondition." Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says he is not in favor of negotiations with Iran at the presidential level. Immediately after the debate, the McCain campaign released a statement from Kissinger backing the Republican nominee's sentiments on structuring any talks with Iran. "Sen. McCain is right. I would not recommend the next president of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the presidential level," Kissinger said in the statement. "My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Sen. John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality." McCain and Obama sparred during the debate over how to best handle relations with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly threatened Israel. Both candidates referenced Kissinger's comments from a CNN forum last week in which former secretaries of state discussed several topics, including Iran, and the presidential candidates disagreed over what Kissinger had said. The exchange started with McCain criticizing Obama for stating in two previous debates that he would sit down with Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban President Raúl Castro "without precondition." McCain, the Republican nominee, said that in the past, U.S. presidents such as Ronald Reagan refused to meet with adversaries until a Cabinet member, such as the secretary of state, had several talks. "Look, I'll sit down with anybody, but there's got to be preconditions," McCain said. Watch the candidates debate policy in Iran » . Obama responded by claiming that Kissinger, "along with five recent secretaries of state, just said we should meet with Iran, guess what, without preconditions." McCain denied the claim: "Dr. Kissinger did not say that he would approve a face-to-face meeting" with Ahmadinejad. "He did say there could be secretary and lower-level meetings." Obama defended his stance, explaining, "Look, Sen. McCain keeps on using this example that suddenly the president would just meet with somebody without doing any preparation, without having low-level talks. Nobody's been talking about that. Sen. McCain knows it. That's a mischaracterization of my position." He also said, "I reserve the right as president of the United States to meet with anyone at the time and place of my choosing if I think it's going to keep the American people safe." He added that those talks would come after "preparations, starting with low-level diplomatic talks." The forum last week -- "The Next President: A World of Challenges" -- was co-sponsored by CNN and hosted former secretaries of state Warren Christopher, Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, James Baker and Colin Powell. During the forum, Albright, who served in the Clinton administration, said, "I believe we need to engage with Iran." Kissinger, who served in the Nixon and Ford administrations, echoed the sentiment. He said he is "in favor of negotiation with Iran" at the secretary of state level. "I always believed that the best way to begin a negotiation is to tell the other side exactly what you have in mind ... what the outcome is that you're trying to achieve so that they have something that they can react to," Kissinger said.

Obama said Kissinger thought U.S. should meet with Iran without preconditions . McCain: "Kissinger did not say that he would approve a face-to-face meeting" Kissinger releases statement siding with McCain . Ex-secretaries of state: Next president should have some form of talks with Iran .

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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexican authorities have detained the country's former drug czar on suspicion that he may have accepted $450,000 a month in bribes from drug traffickers, Mexico's attorney general said Friday. Noe Ramirez Mandujano was in charge from 2006 through August of fighting organized crime in Mexico. Noe Ramirez Mandujano was in charge from 2006 until this August of the attorney general's office that specializes in combatting organized crime. Ramirez is accused of meeting with members of a drug cartel while he was in office and agreeing to provide information on investigations in exchange for the bribes, Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora Icaza said at a news conference Friday. The arrest was part of an ongoing investigation called "Operation Limpieza," or "Operation Cleanup," the attorney general said. The operation targets officials who may have passed information to drug cartels. The arrest was announced Thursday night, four days after the house arrest of Ricardo Gutierrez Vargas, the director for International Police Affairs at Mexico's Federal Investigative Agency and the head of Mexico's Interpol office. Authorities say more than 30 officials have been arrested since July in connection with the anti-corruption operation. Interpol, which is based in France, announced Wednesday it is sending a team of investigators to Mexico to investigate the possibility that its communications systems and databases may have been compromised, a prospect raised by the arrest of Gutierrez, the top official working with the agency in Mexico. "A war of master proportions" between authorities and narcotics traffickers and traffickers among themselves has left more than 4,300 dead so far this year, according to the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, an independent research and information organization. By comparison, the council said in a report this week, there were 2,700 drug-related deaths in 2007. "Homegrown drug cartels operating from both within and outside the country are engaging in a vicious turf war to seize control of major trafficking corridors while engaging in almost open warfare against the mobilized forces of the state," the council said about what it calls "narco-fueled crime." Mexican leaders have been trying to tamp down the violence by tightening controls on money-laundering and cracking down on corruption among local and municipal police forces infiltrated by drug traffickers. It may not be enough. "Due to pervasive corruption at the highest levels of the Mexican government, and the almost effortless infiltration of the porous security forces by the cartel, an ultimate victory by the state is far from certain," the Hemispheric Council concludes. Drug trafficking in Mexico is a $20 billion- to $50 billion-a-year industry, as much as the nation earns from tourism or remittances from Mexicans living in the United States, said Robert Pastor, a former National Security adviser to President Jimmy Carter and now a professor of international relations at American University in Washington. He has been studying Latin America for more than four decades. "This is a huge industry with an extraordinary capacity to corrupt and intimidate the country. And they're doing both right now," said Pastor, also a former director of the Carter Center's Latin American and Caribbean Program. The drug cartels are paying some Mexican officials bribes of $150,000 to $450,000 a month, authorities have said. This in a country where the per capita income is $12,500 a year and one of every seven Mexicans lives in poverty, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Noe Ramirez Mandujano arrested, suspected of taking $450,000 a month in bribes . About 30 officials arrested in massive operation investigating collusion with cartels . Report: 4,300 dead this year in war between authorities and narcotics traffickers . Drug cartels pay some officials bribes of $150,000 to $450,000 a month .

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HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe urgently needs to form a new government in order to address a food crisis in the nation and prevent starvation, newly designated Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told reporters Saturday. At least 80 percent of the population of Zimbabwe are living below the poverty line. Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said there was a "deepening food insecurity" in the country. "We need to respond to this crisis with utmost urgency," he said. "It is therefore imperative that a government be formed in the next few days and begins to implement plans to insure that our people have food and do not die of starvation." Zimbabwe industries are operating at about 10 percent of capacity, and the food and manufacturing industry will not be able to deliver sufficient food supplies to markets. Tsvangirai signed a power sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe on September 15 but the two have not yet agreed on the distribution of Cabinet posts. Earlier this week, Mugabe told the press that only four posts were still to be agreed on. But Tsvangirai said in response, "I think to minimize the remaining issues to only four issues, it is to underplay the whole process. The issue is that the negotiation must be concluded I think the matter will be solved once all the principals are back in the country." Mugabe has been in the United States for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. He is expected back in the country after Saturday. Zimbabwe has been facing a collapsing economy for nearly a decade, and is plagued with high unemployment, food shortages and at least 80 percent of the population living below the poverty line. This has been accompanied by dizzying levels of inflation -- now officially at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world. Once an exporter of food, Zimbabwe has been a net importer of food since 2000, when Mugabe's government embarked on a controversial and violent land reform program that displaced some experienced commercial farmers, most of them of European origin. Tsvangirai said he has consulted with food security experts and was told the country needs to import 800,000 tons of maize (corn) to avoid starvation until the next harvest in April.

New PM: Zimbabwe urgently needs government to address food crisis . Robert Mugabe blames country's economic collapse on sanctions .

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(CNN) -- Elvis Presley may have left the building three decades ago, but he raked in more money last year than many living titans of the music industry . Singer Elvis Presley tops the Forbes list for the second year in a row, raking in $52 million last year. For the second year in a row, Presley topped the Forbes magazine's list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, hauling in $52 million last year. In comparison, the very-much-alive Justin Timberlake earned $44 million while another superstar, Madonna, made $40 million, the magazine reported Tuesday. The 30th anniversary of Presley's death boosted attendance and merchandise sales last year at his Memphis, Tennessee, home, Graceland. A long list of licensing deals, such as a Presley show on satellite radio, added to the earnings. The business magazine has been compiling its annual list of departed celebrities' earnings since 2001. Since 2003, the feature has coincided with Halloween. This year, the top 13 celebrities earned a combined $194 million in the last 12 months. The magazine says it talked to people inside the celebrities' estates and calculated their gross earnings from October 2007 to October 2008. Some celebrities are staples on the list, which is in its eighth year. Cartoonist Charles Schulz, who created Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the assorted cast of "Peanuts" characters, is second on the list. Schulz, who died in 2000, had posthumous earnings last year of $33 million, the magazine reported. He owes his constant presence to a steady revenue stream from the ongoing licensing of his characters, the magazine said. Schulz and Presley join Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel (this year's No. 6), Beatles legend John Lennon (No. 7) and actress Marilyn Monroe (No. 9) as the only entertainers to make the list every year since its inception. Physicist Albert Einstein, best known for his theory of relativity, is fourth on the list. It is his third consecutive year making the Forbes rankings. Though he died in 1955, a franchise bearing his name -- Baby Einstein -- made big bucks last year selling educational books, DVDs, CDs, toys and other products. It plans to expand into the young-adult market this year. Australian actor Heath Ledger, who died of an overdose in January, made his debut on the list in third place. The magazine estimated his earnings at $20 million, thanks to the success of the movie, "The Dark Knight," in which Ledger played the Joker. The movie grossed $991 million worldwide. Paul Newman, who died of lung cancer last month, also made his first appearance on the list, raking in $5 million. "His income still largely stems from residuals from his classic pictures, as well as more recent productions," the magazine said. The legendary actor's line of natural and organic food products, Newman's Own, earned revenues of $120 million last year, but the earnings were not considered in the tally because Newman donated all profits to charity while he was living, the magazine said. Several entertainers from last year's list failed to make this year's cut, including composer, producer and Beatles guitarist George Harrison, rapper/actor Tupac Shakur, "Godfather of Soul" James Brown, and reggae legend Bob Marley.

Presley earned more than Justin Timberlake ($44M), Madonna ($40M) last year . Cartoonist Charles Schulz, author Dr. Seuss still relevant among children . Beatles' John Lennon comes in at No. 7, but George Harrison drops off list . Heath Ledger debuts on list thanks to performance as Joker in "The Dark Knight"

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(CNN) -- The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first of a new class of HIV drugs that attacks the virus in a different way. A woman wears an AIDS ribbon at a Cape Town, South Africa, hospital where HIV patients are treated. Isentress, developed by Merck & Co., is designed for patients who have shown resistance to current treatments. The drug has been approved for adults who already have been receiving treatment, but more testing is necessary before it is approved for new HIV patients or children, the company said in a statement. Isentress belongs to a class of drugs called integrase inhibitors. These drugs work by blocking the integrase enzyme, which helps HIV replicate by inserting its DNA into new cells. Isentress is the first drug in the class to win FDA approval. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a noted HIV expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said the FDA's approval "will be most welcome in the community of physicians taking care of HIV-infected patients." "Its mechanism of action is particularly important in that it blocks the ability of the virus to integrate itself into the genes of cells," Fauci said. "This property of the virus to integrate is important in establishing the reservoir of virus in the body that has made it extremely difficult to eradicate HIV, even with prolonged treatment." Two earlier classes of anti-HIV drugs -- protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors -- also work by blocking different enzymes involved in HIV replication. Friday's decision by the FDA will give doctors a new tool to help patients who have developed resistance to existing drugs or who are infected with drug-resistant strains of HIV. Like protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors, Isentress will also be prescribed for patients in combination with other drugs to maximize the number of ways the virus is being attacked. The cost of the recommended daily regimen of Isentress -- a 400 mg tablet taken twice a day -- will be comparable to protease inhibitors, with a wholesale price of $27, Merck said. E-mail to a friend .

FDA approves HIV drug for use in adults with resistance to existing treatments . Isentress, by Merck & Co., is the first of new class of drugs to get approval . More testing necessary before it is approved for new HIV patients, children . Drug works by blocking different enzymes involved in HIV replication .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration misused intelligence to build a case for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a report issued Thursday. President Bush didn't request intelligence reports about the post-war situation, the Senate panel's report says. The White House exploited its ability to declassify intelligence selectively to bolster its case for war, the committee chairman, Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, D-West Virginia, said in the report. Senior officials disclosed and discussed sensitive intelligence reports that supported the administration's policy objectives and kept out of public discourse information that did not, he said. The report also found that the administration misled the American people about contacts between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. "Policymakers' statements did not accurately convey the intelligence assessments" about contacts between the then-Iraqi leader and Osama bin Laden's group, "and left the impression that the contacts led to substantive Iraqi cooperation or support of al Qaeda," the report said. "Statements and implications by the president and secretary of state suggesting that Iraq and al Qaeda had a partnership, or that Iraq had provided al Qaeda with weapons training, were not substantiated by the intelligence," according to the committee's exhaustive report on prewar intelligence. The top Republican on the committee dismissed its findings as "partisan gamesmanship." "It is ironic that the Democrats would knowingly distort and misrepresent the committee's findings and the intelligence in an effort to prove that the administration distorted and mischaracterized the intelligence," said Sen. Christopher Bond of Missouri. The White House also rejected the report as old news. "I know this is another report, and I'm sure that they put a lot of considerable thought into it, but this is a subject that has been gone over many many, many times, and I don't know of anything that's particularly new in it," said spokeswoman Dana Perino, who said she had not yet read it. She said the White House relied on the same information as the rest of the world, admitting that it was wrong but denying that Bush had set out to mislead the country. White House claims that Hussein was seeking weapons of mass destruction were partially backed by available intelligence, the report found, but did not reflect disputes within the intelligence community. The CIA, among others, believed Iraq was trying to acquire nuclear weapons, but the Department of Energy disagreed, the report said. No weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq after the invasion. The report also took the administration to task for its predictions about the aftermath of the invasion, including Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators. Bush and Cheney did not request intelligence reports about the post-war situation, and their public statements did not reflect doubts and uncertainties in the intelligence community, the report said. The report comes days after former White House press spokesman Scott McClellan published a book saying Bush decided on war with Iraq soon after the September 11, 2001, attacks. "Bush and his advisers knew that the American people would almost certainly not support a war launched primarily for the ambitious purpose of transforming the Middle East. Rather than open this Pandora's Box, the administration chose a different path -- not employing out-and-out deception, but shading the truth," McClellan wrote in his memoir, "What Happened." Current and former White House officials have dismissed McClellan's accusations, saying he was not in a position to know about top-level White House decision-making before the war when he was deputy press secretary. The Senate committee chairman slammed the White House in a statement marking the release of the long-awaited report. "Before taking the country to war, this administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced," Rockefeller said Thursday. "Unfortunately, our committee has concluded that the administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence. In making the case for war, the administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted or even nonexistent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed," he added. The report picked apart three speeches by Bush, including his 2003 State of the Union address two months before the invasion, one by Cheney and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell's U.N. presentation about Iraq in the run-up to the war. The report was approved by a 10-5 vote, with some Republicans dissenting. Some GOP members of the committee had wanted the report to examine prewar statements by Democrats, including Sen. Hillary Clinton. Democrats on the committee blocked the suggestion and limited the report's purview to administration statements only. CNN's Pam Benson and Ed Henry contributed to this report.

Report says Bush administration misused intelligence in run-up to Iraq war . Administration selectively declassified information to bolster case, report says . Panel: Public misled about contacts between Saddam Hussein, al Qaeda . White House spokeswoman calls findings old news .

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(CNN) -- Suspected Al Qaeda militants disguised as security forces launched an explosive assault on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, Wednesday killing 10 Yemeni police and civilians, officials said. The attack involved two car bombs, a spokesman for Yemen's embassy in Washington said. Six attackers, including a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest, were also killed in the attack, Mohammed al-Basha said. There were at least four explosions -- including at least one car bomb -- and sniper fire, a senior State Department official said. Yemeni officials said the first car contained people in police uniforms who exchanged fire with Yemeni security forces, the officials said. The second car exploded after it passed an outermost gate to the Embassy but before it reached a second protective barrier, the officials said. But al-Basha said there were two cars packed with explosives involved in the attack. The heavily fortified compound in the capital of Yemen -- the ancestral home of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- has previously been targeted in attacks. Watch the aftermath of the attack » . A U.S. official told CNN the attackers initially opened fire outside the embassy's security gate, then there was the main explosion followed by a secondary explosion. At some point, snipers positioned across the street from the embassy opened fire on Yemeni first responders as they arrived on the scene, the official said. Those killed include six Yemeni policemen and four civilians, he said, noting that the number of wounded is unclear. No U.S. Embassy employees were killed, the official added. However, CNN affilliate WGRZ reported that Ahmed Elbaneh of Lackawanna, New York, said his sister, Susan, 18, and her new husband died in the attack. Elbaneh said his sister left Lackawanna about a month ago for an arranged marriage and that she had been married for only 30 days. Elbaneh said family members in Yemen told him she was at the embassy translating for her new sister-in-law when the blast occurred. Yemen believes al Qaeda is responsible for the attack, al-Basha said. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the the explosions "bear the hallmarks of an al Qaeda attack." And Al-Basha said in a statement: "The government of Yemen considers terrorism as a crime against humanity. It strongly condemns this heinous attack. Whoever else who may have planned, plotted and supported the perpetrators of this terrorist attack will be apprehended and justice will prevail." Media reports said Islamic Jihad in Yemen -- which is affiliated with al Qaeda -- has claimed responsibility for the attack, but CNN could not independently confirm those reports. The U.S. State Department said it is sending a team of law enforcement and security experts to help in the investigation, spokesman Sean McCormack said. Trev Mason, a British national who lives near the embassy, said he saw "a massive fireball" near compound. Eyewitness tells of fireball outside embassy » . "We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on," he told CNN. "I looked out my window, and we saw the first explosion going off -- a massive fireball very close to the U.S. Embassy. "The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions." The first explosion happened about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday (0615 GMT/2.15 am ET) and was followed by several secondary blasts, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Ryan Gliha. Gliha describes the aftermath » . Gliha was at the embassy at the time of the attack and said he felt the compound shake. "We were all ordered to assume what we call a duck-and-cover position which is a position where we guard ourselves and bodies from potential debris," Gliha told CNN. "From that vantage point, I can't tell you much after that except we did feel several explosions after the main explosion that shook the ground." Al-Basha called it a "despicable and heinous act" particularly because it took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. President Bush condemned the attack, and warned that it is "a reminder that we are at war with extremists who will murder innocent people to achieve their ideological objectives." "One objective ... is they will try to cause the United States to lose our nerve," he said. "We want people to be able to live normal lives; we want mothers to be able to raise their sons and daughters." A senior State Department official told reporters Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a phone call with Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh expressed regret for the loss of Yemeni life but also underscored the need to increase and improve cooperation against terrorism. Witnesses told CNN they heard gunfire, and said they saw ambulances rushing from the scene. The U.S. State Department has warned of violence that it attributes to Islamic extremists in Yemen. It has cited concern "about possible attacks by extremist individuals or groups against U.S. citizens, facilities, businesses and perceived interests." The State Department ordered the departure of all non-emergency American staff from the Embassy, along with their family members, in April, after attacks against the Embassy and a residential compound. That order was lifted last month. In March, three mortar rounds landed near the Embassy, injuring Yemeni students at a nearby school and Yemeni government security personnel, the State Department said. The next month, an expatriate residential compound in the Hadda neighborhood was attacked by mortar fire. Suspected extremists fired two mortar rounds toward the Yemen Customs Authority and Italian Embassy in April, as well, but no one was hurt. Authorities in Yemen have been struggling to curb the activities of al Qaeda-linked groups, with militants seen as having free rein outside major cities, says CNN's International Security Correspondent Paula Newton. Watch Newton analyze the situation in Yemen. » . CNN's Zain Verjee, Caroline Faraj and Mark Bixler 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.

Militants attack U.S. Embassy in Yemen with car bombs and suicide bomber . Attack involved two cars and snipers; some attackers wore police uniforms . Embassy spokesman says 10 Yemen police, civilians killed; six attackers dead . NEW: President Bush: "A reminder that we are at war with extremists"

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(CNN) -- Hemant Karkare, Mumbai's slain terror chief, was a shrewd and unflappable investigator whose death is a blow to a police force that has difficult work ahead, his colleagues said this week. Hemant Karkare, left, was killed by gunmen in Mumbai shortly after this video was taken Wednesday. According to accounts in Indian newspapers, Karkare, 54, was credited with solving many crimes and did his job apolitically and with the utmost integrity. "The state Anti-Terrorism Squad has lost a daredevil officer in Hemant Karkare," Peter Lobo, chief inspector of the Anti-Terror Squad in Pune, told The Times of India on Thursday. Karkare, head of Maharashtra state's Anti-Terrorism Squad, was heading home Wednesday when he learned gunmen were attacking the Oberoi hotel in Mumbai, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil told The Hindu newspaper. Karkare later got word the situation at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was more serious. The terror chief and two other officers -- armed with automatic weapons -- jumped in a jeep and rushed to take on the terrorists, The Hindu reported. Watch how victims are coping with the attack » . Footage from CNN's sister network, CNN-IBN, showed Karkare donning a helmet and putting a bulletproof vest over his light blue shirt as uniformed police officers with firearms and walkie-talkies surrounded him. Watch Karkare's funeral » . It would be the last video taken of Karkare before terrorists shot him three times in the chest near Cama hospital, the site of another Wednesday attack in Mumbai. "Though a workaholic, he was a soft-spoken officer. ATS has received a severe blow because of the untimely death of Karkare," Lobo told The Times of India before departing Pune to pay his respects to Karkare. Karkare joined the Indian Police Services in 1982. He became head of Maharashtra's Anti-Terror Squad in January after he returned from Austria, where he served seven years in the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency. The post in Austria was testament to his acumen as a police officer, a colleague told The Times of India. "Due to his excellent ability to handle things, he was posted to the Research and Analysis Wing in Austria. He was like family to me,'' said Bipin Gopalakrishna, who joined the force with Karkare in 1982. According to CNN-IBN, Karkare was credited with solving bombing cases in Thane, Vashi and Panvel and played a key role in cracking the case of the September 29 blast in Malegaon, which reportedly killed six people. He also uncovered several radical Hindu groups operating in Maharashtra, according to media reports. Karkare came under intense political pressure while investigating the Malegaon bombing, and it was widely reported that he warned officers in his command against succumbing to pressure to doctor evidence. "We should do our job and it is for the court to decide," Karkare was quoted in several media outlets as saying. Watch officials speculate on who may be responsible for this week's attacks » . "He was simply superb. He could handle any difficult situation boldly and with a cool mind," Aurangabad Police Commissioner Thakur Deepaksinh Gaur told The Times of India. Gaur told the paper he had worked with Karkare in Aurangabad and Nanded. Added another Indian Police Services officer: "His death is a huge loss to our force and society." When not on the clock, Karkare was known to enjoy sculpting and could often be found whittling driftwood, The Indian Express reported. He also enjoyed music and dabbled in palm reading, former diplomat T.P. Sreenivasan told The Hindu. "We used to put him in one of the stalls as an Indian palmist during the annual charity fair organized by the Indian ambassador and he was big hit with the crowd," said Sreenivasan, who worked with Karkare in Vienna for five years. Sreenivasan told The Hindu that Karkare -- who had strong credentials in fighting terrorism, corruption and money laundering -- could have earned a post at a U.N. agency in Vienna, but chose instead to return home to serve India. Karkare is well-admired, Sreenivasan told The Hindu, and is survived by a doting family and many friends and admirers. Contacted in Pune, Karkare's brother Shirish found it difficult to speak about his brother's death Thursday. "He was a father figure for me," the younger brother told The Times of India. Shirish's wife Amruta told the newspaper that the anti-terror chief would be laid to rest when his daughters arrived from overseas. The older daughter Jui Navare lives in Boston, Massachusetts, she said, and the younger daughter studies at the London School of Economics. Karkare's son Akash is a student at R.A. Podor College of Commerce and Economics. His wife Kavita teaches at a college in Mumbai, she said.

Official tells paper Hemant Karkare was on his way home when he heard of attacks . Reports: Karkare was shot three times in chest responding to Mumbai attacks . Colleagues describe terror chief as "workaholic" with utmost integrity . Karkare had interest in woodworking, music, palm reading, reports say .

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(CNN) -- The chairman of one of India's fastest-growing banks, the sister of a Bollywood actor, a Times of India journalist and the chief of India's Anti-Terrorism Squad were among Indians killed in the four-day terrorist siege in Mumbai. National Security Guard troops salute slain commando Gajendra Singh on Saturday in New Delhi, India. Eighteen foreigners, including five Americans, were killed in attacks on nine sites Wednesday through Saturday in India's commercial capital; at least 165 Indians died. Several news outlets reported that Ashok Kapur, chairman of Yes Bank, was killed Wednesday at the Oberoi hotel. He had gone there to have dinner with his wife and some friends, who escaped the carnage, the Indian newspaper Business Standard reported. His body was found not in the restaurant but on the hotel's 19th floor, a bank spokesperson told the paper. Kapur was one of the founders of the bank and held a 12 percent stake in it, Business Standard said. His long banking career included ventures in Singapore and the Netherlands, and he was an adviser to India's wealthy Tata family, the paper reported. Bollywood actor Ashish Chowdhury's sister, Monica Chhabaria, and her husband also were killed Wednesday at the Oberoi, CNN-IBN reported. The actor waited outside the hotel for word of his sister, who he said had stopped answering phone calls after the siege began. Chowdhury has appeared in numerous Indian films. He had a small role in the U.S. film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt. The body of Sabina Sehgal Saikia, a Times of India consulting editor and food critic, was recovered Saturday from the Taj hotel, CNN-IBN reported. As the terrorists were seizing control of the hotel, Saikia had sent a text message to hotel employees saying, ''They are in my bathroom,'' CNN-IBN said. She was not heard from again. Hotel staff were also among the many dead. Boris Rego, a management trainee at the Taj Mahal hotel, was killed Thursday, his brother told CNN-IBN. Kevin Rego said his 25-year-old brother was working in the hotel's restaurant when gunmen barged in and opened fire. Boris made several phone calls to his family in Goa, the last one coming in about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Kevin Rego told CNN-IBN. "There was commotion in the background. All he said was 'Daddy ... Kevin ... Kevin.' Then his voice trailed off, and there was silence," his brother said. The chairman of the company that owns the Taj told said the hotel's general manager lost his family in a fire the broke out in the hotel Wednesday night. "I went up to him today, and he said, 'Sir, we are going to beat this. We are going to build this Taj back into what it was,' " Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata told CNN's Fareed Zakaria. The bodies of Karambir Kang's wife and two children of were burned beyond recognition in the fire, The Times of India reported, citing hotel sources, but it was unclear whether they were killed in the blaze. Thousands turned out Saturday in Mumbai for the funeral of Hemant Karkare, chief of Maharashtra state's Anti-Terrorism Squad, who was shot to death Wednesday as the siege unfolded. He was one of at least 17 police officers who died in the attacks. Karkare's cremation was delayed while his two daughters made their way home from the United States and England, The Times of India reported. A military funeral was held Saturday in Bangalore for Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a National Security Guard commando who was killed at the Taj hotel, The Times of India reported. iReport.com: Share tributes to those lost . The body of another Security Guard officer, Gajendra Singh, was taken to New Delhi before being transported for last rights in his native Dehradun, The Times reported. He was killed at Mumbai's Chabad House, a Jewish community center where American-born rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his Israeli wife, Rivka, were killed along with another American rabbi, Leibish Teitelbaum. IBN listed the other slain police officers as: .

NEW: Hotel employee, Taj GM's wife and two sons reported dead . Ashok Kapur, chairman of Yes Bank, reported killed at Oberoi Hotel . Body of Sabina Sehgal Saikia, Times of India consulting editor, found . Hemant Karkare, chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad, among 17 police killed .

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(CNN) -- Erika Preuss gave a worried glance over rows and rows of empty cars packing the Wal-Mart parking lot at 3:30 a.m. Sean Blake said he met Black Friday campers in Houston, Texas, who call themselves the "Best Buy family." She was 30 minutes early at the sprawling store in suburban Kansas City, Missouri, where she had arrived to take advantage of Friday's 4 a.m. post-Thanksgiving clothing deals. But there were no tents, no campers, no eager shoppers waiting to spend their dollars. Preuss said she expected to wait in a line to get service, but people were already inside, and the store was filled with frenzied shoppers. She captured video to document her experience. "So apparently Wal-Mart did take pity on the poor souls standing outside in the cold and let people into the store early," Preuss said. "Here's how they handle it: They shrink-wrap all the goodies in plastic wrap, so all the good sale items are wrapped in black Saran wrap, and no one can touch them until 4 a.m." As a self-described "Black Friday virgin," Preuss says, she has lots to learn about the proper technique for this holiday weekend ritual. "I discovered that I was very unprepared for Black Friday, not dressed properly, as you need more padding to avoid all the shopping carts ramming into you," she said. "I feel like that song, 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,' only the reindeer had a Wal-Mart sign on it." She decided to see what the hype was about while visiting from Lake Delton, Wisconsin. "I have three kids, and money is tight," she said. "I'm a single mom. This year, I decided I was going to give it a try and see if I could get some bargains." Preuss said the lines of people searching for discounted merchandise said a lot about the shape of the economy. Many people were fighting over kids' clothes and other essentials, but she saw much less effort being expended on video games and TV sets. She said she came for the $4 kids' track suits and $8 winter coats. iReport.com: See footage of the shoppers packing the store . Inside the packed store, she began to realize she needed a new strategy to beat the crowds. She decided to grab a bunch of clothing from which to pick. "I ditched the cart and went in with my bare hands," she said. iReport.com: Huge crowd in Puerto Rico . Although Preuss got lucky and immediately entered the toasty store, others across the country were willing to wait in the freezing cold just to get merchandise. Barbara Rademacher woke at 2 a.m. to see the shopping scene and found shoppers huddling outside a Best Buy in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Some had sleeping bags, blankets and winter wear. Chilly hands held lists of the items they planned to buy. "Laptops! We have lists!" exclaimed excited shoppers waiting to get into the store. iReport.com: Watch Arkansas customers wait in the cold . Rademacher watched a lengthy stream of people cram through the doors when the store opened. "It's something fun to experience, because you can only do it once a year," one of the aspiring customers said to the camera. Rademacher headed for the nearby Kohl's and found a similar scene as massive queues of people started running into the store. iReport.com: Virginia shoppers join Santa at mall . "Whoa, look at all these people," Rademacher said. "I'm less worried about the economy than I might have been." But even these determined shoppers had nothing on the tented campers spotted by Sean Blake of Houston, Texas, who found several temporary shelters set up outside a Best Buy store on Thursday. He said campers told him the first tents went up on Wednesday morning, two days ahead of the store's 5 a.m. sales deals. iReport.com: Retail campout for the holidays . Blake said the shoppers refer to themselves as the "Best Buy family" and have gotten together to wait in line for the past three years. "They've become really close friends with each other because they've done this every year," Blake said. iReport.com: Vehicle blocked by overnight shoppers . Some customers spent almost the entirety of Thanksgiving in line, taking turns to get food or sneak a break from the close-knit tent city. Blake saw people with TV sets, car batteries, computers and other devices. He visited a different Best Buy store and found people playing an impromptu football game in the parking lot. Eager shoppers made for many more strange sights Friday. Patrons camped out in the frozen-food aisle at a Meijer store in Louisville, Kentucky. iReport.com: Lawn chairs in aisle 9 . While on a break during his grocery shift, Bryan Hoskins shot photos of the circuslike scene of customers taking free doughnuts as they sought HDTVs and video game consoles. He said some items sold out completely. Not everyone could get what they wanted, as Jason Rathburn of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, found. iReport.com: Wal-Mart packed to the gills . "It was a sea of people," said Rathburn, who hoped to buy a Nintendo Wii game system but went home empty-handed. He wasn't impressed by the behavior of fellow customers. He said a woman accidentally bumped his back as she tried to compete with him while he examined $1.50 towels. He also said he watched as a customer swooped in to take a 42-inch TV and the unattended cart in which it was sitting. "I'm guessing that the spirit of giving for Christmas starts tomorrow," he said.

iReport.com: Shoppers line up early to take advantage of holiday deals . Sean Blake says people camped through Thanksgiving outside Best Buy . Erika Preuss calls herself a "Black Friday virgin," learns many lessons . Barbara Rademacher says cold weather doesn't deter shoppers in Arkansas .

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(CNN) -- Former first lady Barbara Bush was moved out of the intensive care unit of a Houston, Texas, hospital into a regular room Thursday after surgery to repair and seal a perforated ulcer, a hospital spokeswoman said. Ex-first lady Barbara Bush has been moved out of ICU and into a regular room. Bush, 83, was in good spirits and was joking with hospital staffers, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman said. She was being fed intravenously. Her doctor said earlier she will be allowed no food by mouth for about a week, to avoid possibly stretching her abdominal area. The former first lady showed up at Methodist's emergency room Tuesday night complaining of severe abdominal pain, Dr. Patrick Reardon, who performed the surgery, told reporters Wednesday. Doctors determined Bush had a perforated ulcer in her duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine after the stomach, he said. In the operating room, doctors thoroughly cleaned her abdominal cavity of any contaminants that had leaked through the hole, described by the hospital as being one centimeter in diameter. Then, doctors repaired the ulcer and sewed a piece of the fat tissue in the abdomen, on top of it to seal it, Reardon said. Bush's husband, former President George H.W. Bush, was with her Thursday morning, but was leaving to attend Thanksgiving dinner with his son Neil, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman told CNN. The ulcer was biopsied and is benign, Reardon said Wednesday. He suggested it might have been caused by anti-inflammatory medications. CNN's Sean Callebs contributed to this report.

Barbara Bush had surgery to repair and seal a perforated ulcer . Bush, 83, is in good spirits and was joking with hospital staffers . Former first lady being fed intravenously to avoid stretching abdomen . The ulcer has been biopsied and is benign .

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(CNN) -- Manuela Testolini and her colleagues had just sat down to dinner at the Oberoi hotel restaurant in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday when the sound of gunfire erupted outside. Manuela Testolini was in Mumbai on business when a series of brazen attacks broke out. At first, they didn't know what it was. Then, one of Testolini's colleagues saw a man get shot to death outside the restaurant's front door, and everyone started to run. "We left everything behind, including purses and phones," said Testolini, the ex-wife of music icon Prince and founder of In A Perfect World children's foundation. "There was a lot of panic." Testolini said gunfire followed her as she and dozens more fled through the kitchen and down to the ballroom, where they found temporary refuge from the gunfire and grenades raining outside. Testolini, a Canadian in Mumbai for business, was at the center of a brazen series of coordinated attacks in the southern part of the city overnight Wednesday. Watch Testolini describe running from gunfire » . Gunmen rampaged through a series of targets in the commercial capital of India, killing indiscriminately and taking hostages at two luxury hotels. Testolini said she and 200 others waited in the dark ballroom for several hours, listening to the intensifying sounds of gunfire and grenades. Eventually, the hotel staff began evacuating guests 10 at a time, women and children first, to the street. For a moment, she thought she was safe. But then, the gunfire returned. "They were pursing us, and we ran, and we could hear them shooting at us," Testolini said. Testolini and her colleagues eventually found shelter in an undisclosed location, where they are keeping up with the news on their BlackBerrys, waiting for signs that it's safe to move. "We are far enough away to feel safe but close enough to feel what's going on," said Testolini, who was scheduled to leave Mumbai on Thursday afternoon. "We'll lay low till at least the daylight." There's no telling where Testolini would be had she been in her room at the Taj Mahal Hotel, where gunmen were holding hostages on multiple floors. One witness told local reporters that gunmen stormed the lobby, demanding to know who had U.S. or British passports, and took about 15 people hostage. Yasmin Wong, a CNN employee who was staying in the Taj, said she hid under her bed for several hours after she was awoken by gunfire. Wong said she received a phone call from the hotel telling her to turn her light off, put a wet towel by the door and stay in her room until she was told otherwise. Watch Wong describe the chaos in the hotel » . She complied, but then she went to her window and saw smoke and debris. "I saw a guy outside the window above me who had smashed the window and was hanging out," Wong said. "At that point, authorities told us to run out of the hotel." Wong said she passed dead bodies in the hotel's halls as she searched for an exit, finally leaving through the pool entrance. "The main thing I thought was, was it going to end? And it just never ended," Wong said.

Manuela Testolini says colleague saw man killed outside restaurant . Prince's ex-wife says gunmen pursued her, diners as they fled . Nearby, CNN employee hid from gunfire under bed at Taj . Yasmin Wong ran past bodies in hotel's halls as she sought exit .

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ST. BERNARD PARISH, Louisiana (CNN) -- "We were a normal red-blooded American family," recalls Rudy Aguilar. "And ... it took [one day] to wipe us out." Liz McCartney moved to St. Bernard Parish to help residents rebuild their homes after Katrina. A lifelong resident of St. Bernard Parish, a community just east of New Orleans, Aguilar lost everything during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Nearly three years later, like many in his area, Aguilar is still struggling to get back on his feet. But now he has help. From her home 1,000 miles away in Washington, Liz McCartney was haunted by images of the storm's destruction and stories of people like Aguilar. In February 2006, she and her boyfriend, Zack Rosenburg, went to New Orleans to volunteer. The experience changed their lives -- so much that they quit their jobs and moved to St. Bernard Parish. Now they're dedicated to helping people rebuild and move back into their homes. Watch McCartney describe how the St. Bernard Project is rebuilding homes » . McCartney said that when she first arrived in St. Bernard Parish, she was stunned. "We just wanted to pitch in and help out," McCartney, now 35, recalls. "I naively thought that six months later, you'd see all kinds of progress. [But it] looked like the storm had just rolled through." St. Bernard Parish was once home to 67,000 residents, but Katrina left nearly all of the area's homes uninhabitable. As McCartney got to know the locals, she was reminded of her parents and grandparents. "These were people who worked their whole lives, put their kids through college, and had never had to receive [help] before," she says. That's when she decided to do more to help the community recover. By June 2006, the couple had left Washington and moved to St. Bernard Parish. Neither knew anything about construction, but both felt they could use their experience raising money and organizing volunteers to help with the rebuilding effort. Local residents, touched by the couple's leap of faith, taught them basic construction. Within two months, McCartney and Rosenburg opened the nonprofit St. Bernard Project, which focuses on helping those they consider most in need -- senior citizens and families with children. The formula is straightforward: With donations, volunteers and skilled supervisors, homes get rebuilt -- and people move home. "It's not rocket science," McCartney says. "The problems in this community are widespread, but the solutions are really simple." Yet this simple equation yields impressive results. The St. Bernard Project can transform a gutted house into a livable home in just eight to 12 weeks for an average cost of $12,000. For residents like Aguilar, the St. Bernard Project has been a lifesaver. In the years since Katrina, he lost his job and struggled with health problems. "I was so beaten down," he says. "I was gonna blow myself away." When the Saint Bernard Project agreed to rebuild his home, the relief he felt was palpable. "They saved my life." Watch Aguilar describe his own Katrina experience » . To date, more than 6,000 volunteers have worked with the St. Bernard Project, enabling more than 120 families to move back into their homes. McCartney says every house her group rebuilds has an impact on the community as a whole. "Once you get one family back, other families are willing to come back as well," she says. "There's a very nice ripple effect." McCartney and Rosenburg plan to keep working until all the homes in St. Bernard Parish are rebuilt. "We're here until we work ourselves out of a job," she says. Watch McCartney describe her turning point while volunteering in New Orleans » . For Aguilar, McCartney isn't just rebuilding homes -- she's restoring a sense of hope to the community. "Little by little, one house at a time, we'll be back," he says. "I feel it. I know it."

Katrina left St. Bernard Parish, once home to 67,000, virtually uninhabitable . Liz McCartney moved from Washington to New Orleans to help rebuild homes . She and her boyfriend started St. Bernard Project, focusing on seniors, families .

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(Mental Floss) -- Behind every good war are many good women. Using their feminine (and in at least one case masculine) wiles, the following five spies would make James Bond proud. Noor Inayat Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her spy service. 1. Mata Hari . While Margaretha Geertruida Zelle MacLeod (1876--1917) may not have caused World War I, she sure as heck kept it going. Having spent time in Java with her husband, Captain Campbell MacLeod, Margaretha returned to Holland and sued for divorce. To make ends meet she took up exotic dancing and the name Mata Hari (meaning "the light of day" in Malay). With her sensual performances becoming the attraction of the major European cities came the men and the gifts for her favors. Many of these favors came from royalty and high-ranking French and German military officers. As World War I progressed, both sides became suspicious that Mata was spying for the other side. The French eventually put her on trial and, although the charges were never proven, Mata Hari was convicted of espionage and was executed by a firing squad on October 15, 1917. Playing the seductress up until the end, Mata refused a blindfold, smiled, and blew a kiss to the firing squad as the fatal shots were fired. Mental Floss: When a criminal survives execution . 2. Noor Inayat Khan . Khan was born in 1914 and at a young age moved with her family first to England and then to France. In 1940, Khan, along with her mother and sister, escaped back to England just before France surrendered to Germany. While in England she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), but her ability to speak fluent French soon caught the attention of the Special Operations group and Khan agreed to become a spy. Khan was flown to Le Mans, where she teamed up with other female spies and traveled to Paris, France. There they joined the French Resistance Prosper Network. Soon after their arrival, the network was infiltrated and many were arrested. Khan was ordered to return to England, but instead she stayed on and continued to pass information on to England. Eventually she was arrested again and interrogated by the Gestapo. When she refused to speak, she was sent to a prison in Germany and then to the Dachau concentration camp. On September 13, 1944, Khan and three other female British spies were executed by the Nazi SS. In 1949, Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross. 3. Belle Boyd (aka "La Belle Rebelle") Born Isabelle Boyd in Martinsburg, Virginia, in 1844, the beautiful Belle soon became the star attraction in Washington, D.C., social circles prior to the beginning of the Civil War. With the outbreak of the war, she returned to Martinsburg. When the Union soldiers occupied the city, Belle mixed with the officers and soon gathered information on troop movements, which she passed on to the Confederate forces. However, she is probably best known for warning Stonewall Jackson that the Union intended to blow up all the bridges around Martinsburg. With this information, Jackson, with a small number of troops, was able to surprise the Union troops and drive them from the area. In 1864, Confederate president Jefferson Davis asked Belle to carry letters for him to England. The Union Navy captured her ship, but the officer in charge fell in love with Belle and let her escape. The officer, Lieutenant Samuel Harding Jr., after being courtmartialed and discharged from the Navy, traveled to England, where he married Belle. After the war, Boyd toured the United States as an actress under the stage name of La Belle Rebelle. 4. Elizabeth Van Lew . Crazy Bet, as she was known, was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1818 but educated at a Quaker school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After developing a hatred for slavery, Elizabeth returned to Richmond and freed all her family's slaves. She also went so far as finding where her freed slaves' relatives were and purchased and freed them also. After the Civil War started, Elizabeth asked to visit Union prisoners being held captive in Richmond. The Union prisoners gave her information, which she then passed on to the North. Among the slaves she freed was Mary Elizabeth Bowser, whom Van Lew got a job as a house servant in the home of Jefferson Davis. This allowed Bowser and Van Lew to collect and pass on information directly from the Confederate president's mansion. Elizabeth effectively used the Crazy Bet moniker to make the residents of Richmond think she was mentally ill. She would wear old clothes and bonnets and talk to herself. Because of this, most people thought that her Northern sympathies were just a part of her craziness. Mental Floss: Confederacy's plan to conquer Latin America . After the war, President Grant named Elizabeth the postmaster for Richmond. When the citizens of Richmond found out that Crazy Bet was an act, they shunned her. However, at her death, the state of Massachusetts placed a memorial marker on her grave. 5. Sarah Emma Edmonds (or Was It Frank Thompson?) Born in 1841 in New Brunswick, Canada, Sarah ran away from home in her early teens. In order to survive she became an itinerant Bible salesman, by calling herself Frank Thompson and dressing like a man. In 1861, Frank (Sarah) enlisted in the Second Michigan Infantry and over the next two years not only fought in a number of Civil War battles, but also served as a spy for the Union Army. Solders in her unit called Frank "our woman" because of his feminine mannerisms and his extremely small boot size. However, none of her comrades ever figured out that Frank was really Sarah. Mental Floss: Celebrity or look-alike? This boded well for her spying, where she dressed as a young boy serving in Confederate camps, as an immigrant Irish peddler and, most interestingly, as a woman. In 1863, Sarah caught malaria and deserted the army out of fear that hospitalization would reveal her true identity. In 1884, though, Sarah applied for and was awarded a veteran's pension in which the secretary of war acknowledged that Sarah was a female soldier who had rendered faithful services to the ranks. For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com . Entire contents of this article copyright, Mental Floss LLC. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Van Lew pretended to be crazy so no one would take her seriously . Belle Boyd passed on information to the Confederate forces . Sarah Edmonds fought and spied as a man during the Civil War . Exotic dancer Mata Hari convicted of espionage and executed by firing squad .

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

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

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SINGAPORE (CNN) -- Hundreds of customers flocked to the Singapore office of troubled insurer American International Group Inc. (AIG) on Wednesday, many hoping to pull their investments and policies from the company. People in Singapore queue outside the office of AIA, a subsidiary of AIG. The crowd formed just hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve Board authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to lend $85 billion to a crumbling AIG. In return, the federal government will receive a nearly 80 percent stake in the company. One person who lined up in Singapore, retired teacher Wong Yoke Inn, said she was going to pull her investments from AIA even though it would cost her about $3,000 -- the equivalent of about $2,000 in the United States. She joined an orderly crowd whose members were each given a number and a time to return to meet with a representative of AIA Singapore -- AIG's division in the island nation. AIA tried to allay investors concerns in a statement distributed outside the Singapore office and posted on the company's Web site. "AIA Singapore has more than sufficient capital and reserves ... to meet our obligations to policyholders," the statement said. "The funds maintained in Singapore are segregated from American International Group, Inc. (AIG) and are held specifically for the purpose of meeting our obligations to policyholders." The U.S. government announced Tuesday night that it would act to save America's largest insurer from filing for bankruptcy. Such a move almost certainly would have further roiled world markets already reeling from the bankruptcy filling of Lehman Brothers and the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America. AIG has $1.1 trillion in assets and 74 million clients in 130 countries.

Hundreds queue outside AIG subsidiary in Singapore following news of U.S. bailout . U.S. Fed announces $85 billion loan to one of world's largest insurers . Singapore offices try to ease worries of policyholders .

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MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Inside the blacked-out Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, hallways were littered with bloodied bodies. A commando in disguise give details of what went down in the Taj hotel when commandos went in. Terrorists were still holding 200 people 33 hours after the assault began. Knowing next to nothing about what they might encounter in the dark recesses of the hotel, Indian Army commandos decided to go back in -- and were met by terrorists firing mercilessly, throwing grenades and continuously switching positions. The sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated throughout the hotel's atrium, making it impossible to pinpoint the origin of the shots. Through it all, the commandos walked down pitch-black halls, trying to navigate the damaged hotel without knowing the layout. A commando spokesman, his face and hair swathed in a black scarf and wearing dark glasses to hide his identity, revealed these details of the mission inside the Taj at a news conference Friday. At 6:30 a.m. Friday, the battle at the Taj came to a head with a final firefight at the room holding the 200 hostages, he said. Watch what it was like inside the hotel for commandos » . When the gunfire stopped, commandos -- known as the Black Cats -- entered the room and freed all 200 hostages. Their difficulties had been apparent from the beginning, he said. "We did not know the layout of the hotel," the commando told reporters. "There was one person on the hotel staff who was helping to guide us around." They entered the hotel for the first time essentially blind to what was ahead. They had no idea what kind of people they would encounter, what kind of weapons might be pointed at them, and whether they might be blown up by explosives. Learn more about the Taj's past and future » . "Then we heard gunshots on the second floor and we rushed toward the fired shots," he said. "While taking cover we found that there were 30 to 50 bodies lying dead. At that point we also came under fire. The moment they saw us, they hurled grenades." When the shots stopped, the commandos moved toward the source of the gunfire. See the first photos from inside the Taj Mahal hotel » . "At that time, they vanished ... they had gone elsewhere," the commando said. The attackers had a clear advantage, commandos said, because it was apparent from their movements they knew the hotel's layout. Some tourists rescued from the hotel said the building's large dome and a massive atrium made the sounds of gunfire and explosions reverberate endlessly. It was impossible to pinpoint where the shooters were. Because of the darkness, commandos could not tell how many terrorists were there -- were there many, or only a few who continued to change positions? At one point, commandos believed some of the terrorists were hiding on the eighth floor. As the commandos approached one of the rooms, attackers opened fire at them and said all the people in the room were dead. "We fired at them and they fired at us, but because the room was absolutely dark and we had just gotten [inside] it made it difficult for us," the commando said. Watch commandos talk about fighting the attackers » . During the fight, two commandos were shot. They decided to flush out the terrorists by blocking entry and exit routes. But the attackers knew all the doors, he said. When they made it inside the room, the terrorists had disappeared again. Inside that room, commandos found AK-47 ammunition rounds, including seven magazines fully loaded, and 400 other rounds for other weapons. They found grenades, credit cards, U.S. notes, foreign money and bags of dried fruit, which they believed helped sustain the attackers during the siege. During the three-day assault, the attackers fired indiscriminately. But the commandos were forced to use caution. "Let me tell you one thing," the commando said. "Within the first exchanges of fire, we could have got those terrorists -- but there was so many hotel guests -- there were bodies all over and blood all over. And we were trying to avoid the causalities of civilians. We had to be more careful in our fighting." In trying to rescue hostages and trapped civilians, commandos had to convince guests they were there to help, not terrorists trying to trick them, Indian Army Lt. Gen. Noble Thamburaj said. "There are a number of rooms that are locked from inside," he told reporters. "It is possible that some of the hotel guests have locked themselves in and for their own security and safety. Even though we have identified ourselves they are not opening the doors." The overall operation may have been made more difficult because of a late start, CNN sister station CNN-IBN reported. CNN-IBN said that attacks at the Taj Mahal Hotel were well under way at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, but unnamed sources said the commandos were not given the go-ahead to take part in the rescue until midnight. Those sources told CNN-IBN said that once the commandos got the go-ahead, it took nearly three hours for them to leave for Mumbai from their undisclosed location. Once they arrived, the sources said, commandos had no precise maps of the hotel layout or its access points. While local police and other officers were at the scene, the sources said, the commandos and army special force units are the only ones equipped and trained to rescue hostages.

Disguised commando tells reporters rescuers entered unknown layout in the dark . Commandos had to avoid hurting civilians, convince them they were not terrorists . Attackers knew layout well, moved around frequently, commando says . 33 hours after siege, commandos rescued 200 people from Taj Mahal Hotel .

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CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- The body found inside an SUV Monday morning has been confirmed to be Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, a top FBI official said. The white SUV where the child's body was found is taken away to be examined by investigators. The medical examiner positively identified the body found in the white Chevrolet Suburban as Julian King, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said Monday afternoon. Julian had been shot to death, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond. Police are collecting evidence from the Suburban and reviewing surveillance tapes from all over the city as the investigation continues, Weis told reporters. "There's a lot of work to be done. We'll be sure we go through this thoroughly," he said. Asked about possible motives, Weis said, "We don't know what the motive really was at this time. But, clearly you have people who do know each other, so it wasn't a case of a stranger-type homicide." Earlier Monday Deputy Chief Cmdr. Wayne Gulliford said police found the body inside a parked white Chevy Suburban with a license plate matching the description in the child's Amber Alert, after responding to "a call about a suspicious auto" on Chicago's West Side at approximately 7 a.m. He had no details on the body, pending the medical examiner's report. Julian has been missing since Hudson's mother and brother were found dead in their home Friday. Watch police say they've ID'd the body » . Over the weekend, Hudson offered a $100,000 reward for the safe return of her nephew. "Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely," Hudson said in a posting on her MySpace page Sunday. "If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately." Hudson also posted two pictures of her nephew wearing the brown-and-orange striped polo shirt he was wearing when he was last seen. Earlier, Hudson viewed the bodies of her mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, the Cook County medical examiner's office told CNN on Sunday. They were found shot to death Friday in their South Side Chicago home. Watch the latest on the Hudson case » . Julian's stepfather, William Balfour, was detained over the weekend for questioning in connection with the case, a police spokesperson told CNN. He was subsequently transferred to prison on a parole violation charge, the spokesperson said. No charges had been filed against anyone in connection with the murders. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Balfour, 27, spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. Chicago news station WLS reported Saturday that Julian was not with Balfour when he was detained. Hudson's sister, Julia Balfour, made an emotional appeal Saturday for the safe return of her son. "My greatest fear has already happened, my greatest hope is for having my child. I just want my son," Julia Balfour said. "That's all I have to say. Just let my baby go." William Balfour's mother, Michele Davis-Balfour, also urged the public to focus on finding Julian and said her son had nothing to do with the slayings. "Out of no means did my son do this. This heinous crime to this family is unbelievable. It's unbearable," Davis-Balfour told WLS. Watch Davis-Balfour's emotional appeal » . Deputy Police Chief Joseph Patterson said the bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were found about 3 p.m. Friday, when a relative arrived and found the body of a woman on the living room floor. The relative backed out of the house and called police, Patterson said. Authorities found a man shot to death in a bedroom. The Cook County medical examiner's office said Saturday that Donerson and Jason Hudson suffered multiple gunshot wounds and ruled the deaths homicides. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots earlier Friday, Patterson said. Authorities found no signs of forced entry to the home and were not sure whether other items were missing. Watch the scene outside the house » . "You've got two people who were killed inside a home. That alone will produce a great deal of evidence," Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said of forensic evidence at the crime scene. Hudson won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie in the film version of the Broadway musical "Dreamgirls." She competed on the third season of "American Idol" in 2004, making it to the top seven contestants before being eliminated from the contest. CNN's Susan Roesgen and Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.

NEW: Julian King, 7, was shot to death, a police spokeswoman says . Police collecting evidence from Suburban, reviewing surveillance tapes . Julian King missing since Friday, when Hudson's mother, brother were shot dead . Actress identified bodies of her mother and brother for medical examiner .

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's foreign ministry said Wednesday that it has lodged a "strong" protest with the U.S. ambassador over missile attacks conducted on Pakistani soil by unmanned drones. The aftermath of a suspected U.S. drone attack on a building in North Waziristan. The ministry said it summoned Ambassador Anne Patterson to underscore that such attacks violate Pakistan's sovereignty and should be stopped immediately. A statement from the ministry said Patterson was also told that the attacks have cost lives and undermined public support for Pakistan's counter terrorism efforts. The ministry lodged its protests three days after a missile strike from a suspected U.S. drone on a compound in South Waziristan killed 20 people. Pakistan has repeatedly raised objections to foreign nations violating its sovereignty to pursue terrorists. A U.S. ground operation in September that left several civilians dead rankled relations between the two countries. Last week, Pakistan's parliament passed a resolution that condemned any incursion on Pakistani soil by foreign forces. The resolution called for a review of the country's national security strategy and said the government needs to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The ministry said it handed Patterson a copy of the resolution. The U.S. and NATO, which have troops in Afghanistan, have been seeking a way to effectively battle militants who launch attacks from Pakistan's swath of tribal areas along the border. They have become frustrated with Islamabad over the years, saying it is not being proactive enough against militants -- a claim Pakistan denies. The United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely. In another development, suspected Taliban militants kidnapped three government officials from an administrative office in Pakistan's tribal region Wednesday, officials said. The militants abducted two employees and a security guard from the Ambar district in Mohmand Agency. Mohmand is in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, where U.S. and Pakistani officials have reported a presence of militants. Earlier in the day, militants tried unsuccessfully to take control of a school in Mohmand and abduct about 100 students, authorities said. A shootout with Frontier Corps followed, in which one militant was killed and another arrested. The Frontier Corps is a paramilitary force which uses recruits from Pakistan's tribal areas and is overseen by Pakistani army officers. Also Wednesday, a suicide car bomber detonated explosives outside a police checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, killing two security personnel, officials said. The Wednesday afternoon attack in the Bannu district of the North West Frontier Province also wounded a dozen people, military sources said. The bomber targeted a check point near a military hospital, said the sources who did not want their names revealed because they are not authorized to speak to the media. CNN's Reza Sayah and journalist Janullah Hashimzada contributed to this report .

Pakistan summons U.S. ambassador over missile attacks . Missile strike from a suspected U.S. drone killed 20 people . Suspected Taliban militants kidnap 3 officials from in tribal region .

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(CNN) -- Researchers have produced aerial photos of jungle dwellers who they say are among the few remaining peoples on Earth who have had no contact with the outside world. Taken from a small airplane, the photos show men outside thatched communal huts, necks craned upward, pointing bows toward the air in a remote corner of the Amazonian rainforest. The National Indian Foundation, a government agency in Brazil, published the photos Thursday on its Web site. It tracks "uncontacted tribes" -- indigenous groups that are thought to have had no contact with outsiders -- and seeks to protect them from encroachment. More than 100 uncontacted tribes remain worldwide, and about half live in the remote reaches of the Amazonian rainforest in Peru or Brazil, near the recently photographed tribe, according to Survival International, a nonprofit group that advocates for the rights of indigenous people. "All are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed or decimated by new diseases," the organization said Thursday. Illegal logging in Peru is threatening several uncontacted groups, pushing them over the border with Brazil and toward potential conflicts with about 500 uncontacted Indians living on the Brazilian side, Survival International said. Its director, Stephen Cory, said the new photographs highlight the need to protect uncontacted people from intrusion by the outside world. "These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist," Cory said in a statement. "The world needs to wake up to this, and ensure that their territory is protected in accordance with international law. Otherwise, they will soon be made extinct." The photos released Thursday show men who look strong and healthy, the Brazilian government said. They and their relatives apparently live in six communal shelters known as malocas, according to the government, which has tracked at least four uncontacted groups in the region for the past 20 years. Watch a report on the tribe » . The photos were taken during 20 hours of flights conducted between April 28 and May 2.

The photos are published on the National Indian Foundation's Web site . Government: Men appear strong and healthy, live in communal shelters . "Uncontacted tribes" are thought to have had no contact with outsiders .

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(CNN) -- NASA's plans to fly a fifth and final space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope have suffered another set-back. Atlantis was prepared to launch in September before an onboard computer failed, delaying the mission. Hubble managers say ground testing of a critical replacement computer that they hope to install on the orbiting telescope is taking longer than previously expected. And that means an additional flight delay. "Delivery in April to support a May launch, I think is a fair thing to say," said Hubble program manager Preston Burch. "Right now I think we have a very good chance of meeting a readiness date in that time frame." The additional delay is just the latest dip in an emotional rollercoaster ride for the Hubble team over the past few months. In late September, astronauts were mere weeks away from launching to Hubble aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, with spacewalks planned to make the telescope more powerful than ever and extend its expected lifespan an additional five years. That flight had to be postponed when the onboard computer that downlinks scientific data to the ground suddenly failed on September 27th. While that problem has been corrected using a back-up system, NASA managers have decided the computer needs to be completely replaced in order to keep a fully redundant back-up capability available. A spare computer was built prior to Hubble's launch in 1990, and has been warehoused at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland ever since. Initially, engineers had hoped that spare could be quickly tested, certified "flight ready," and shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to be packed aboard Atlantis in time for a February launch. But a closer evaluation of the spare shows more than six months of work will be needed to get it ready to fly. Among other issues, it was partially disassembled other the years so that parts could be used for other systems. It has been largely put back together, but now programming anomalies are cropping up. And once engineers get it in good working order, it will have to go a battery of environmental tests to make sure it is ready to hold up in the harsh conditions of space. But the engineers are confident that they will eventually overcome all the obstacles. "We've gotten a lot smarter about the condition of this unit over the last four weeks, said Burch. "We don't want to take any chances in bringing a box up there that isn't going to be 100% working to the absolute best that it can. So we want to take some extra time and make sure that we subject this to a very rigorous test program and we don't want to leave any stones unturned on the way to the launch pad."

NASA's plans to service Hubble Space Telescope suffer another setback . Ground testing of a critical replacement computer taking longer than expected . "Delivery in April to support a May launch," NASA manager predicts . More than six months of work will be needed to get it ready to fly .

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MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded Thursday in a parking lot at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, sparking a massive fire, but "luckily," no one was nearby and there were no deaths, Spain's interior minister said. "There could have been an enormous tragedy today at the University of Navarra," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said hours after the attack in a televised address. Hospital officials told CNN that 27 people suffered minor injuries, including one American woman and five other non-Spaniards. The Basque separatist group ETA is suspected to be behind the attack. The car, packed with an unknown quantity of explosives, was parked in a lot near the university's library and detonated shortly after 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET), Rubalcaba said. Watch witness describe the blast » . Campus authorities shut down the entire campus shortly after the blast to search for a possible second explosive device near the science building, about a half kilometer (.3 mile) from the car bombing, according to CNN's partner station in Spain, CNN+. Watch report on Pamplona car bomb » . No device was found and the search was called off Thursday afternoon, according to a university spokesman and a representative for the national government's main office in Navarra. Most of the campus was reopened; only the area surrounding the bomb blast remained cordoned off, they said. Classes are expected to resume as scheduled on Friday, the university spokesman said. The car bomb sparked a massive fire in the campus' Central Building, where about 400 students and staff were located at the time, university spokesman Jesus Diaz told CNN+. Video from the scene showed fire engulfing part of the building and thick clouds of black smoke billowing over the campus. Authorities in Spain's Basque province of Alava received a warning call at 9:50 a.m. in the name of ETA. Watch aftermath of the blast » . The warning call to the DYA emergency services in Alava said the car bomb would strike a university campus in the city of Vitoria about an hour after the phone call, prompting emergency officials to search that campus and determine that the call was merely a false alarm, Rubalcaba said. "So whoever planted the bomb either gave an intentionally misleading warning call or they made a mistake," he said in his televised address. According to CNN+, the University of Navarra has been targeted by ETA six times in the past 30 years, and one faculty member said it is unclear why. "It is not a political university," Professor Maria Teresa La Porte told CNN. "We don't understand." "If they are looking for innocent victims, the place to find them is here," she said. "There is no way to stop them." She said it is an open campus with students from various backgrounds -- including Basque -- where people "can come here completely freely." The blast could be heard across the campus of the private school, which has 12,000 students -- including more than 1,000 scholars from countries outside Spain. It is also home to Spain's top-rated journalism school, which is located not too far from the blast site. A spokeswoman for Clinica Universitaria de Navarra -- located across the street from the university -- said that 24 patients were treated for injuries ranging from glass cuts to hearing problems. Most have been released and only two are expected to remain overnight, she said. Two other patients are being treated at Hospital Virgen del Camino, also in Pamplona, but their nationalities were not clear. Those being treated at Clinica Universitaria de Navarra included 18 Spaniards and six others with the following nationalities: American woman from California, age 20; Italian woman, age 28; Portuguese woman, age 23; Chilean woman, age 25; Peruvian man, age 28 and Philippines man, age 34. Thursday's explosion came just days after Spanish police arrested four suspected ETA members early Tuesday. Authorities accused them of forming a terrorist cell that was ready to attack, the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement. Three of the suspects were arrested in or near the city of Pamplona, in Spain's northern Navarra region, which has Basque roots and was to be the base for the alleged cell, the statement said. The fourth suspect was arrested in the city of Valencia, on Spain's eastern coast. Police seized two revolvers and ammunition; various timers that might be used for bombs; detonating cord; items that might be used to make a bomb attached to the underside of vehicles; various substances that might be used to make explosives; and computer documentation, the ministry said. All four suspects -- three men and a woman -- were born in Pamplona and range in age from 26 to 29, the ministry said. ETA is blamed for more than 800 killings in its four-decade-long fight for Basque independence. The European Union and the United States list ETA as a terrorist group. CNN Madrid Correspondent Al Goodman contributed to this report.

Car bomb blast at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain Thursday . NEW: 27 people injured, none seriously, hospital tells CNN . Blast days after arrests of four suspected members of separatist group ETA . Authorities accused them of forming a terrorist cell that was ready to attack .

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(CNN) -- China's Olympic gold medal gymnasts have been officially cleared of lying about their ages. Widespread reports claimed that gold medal winner He Kexin was only 14 years of age. An investigation was launched after the Beijing Games over claims that several members of their women's squad were ineligible because they were not 16 in the year of competition. But on Wednesday, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) closed a near six-week probe saying that documentation provided confirms they were old enough to compete. The inquiry had been called for by the International Olympic Committee who were concerned that the controversy undermined the results of the competition in Beijing. Watch tiny gymnasts work out » . China provided passports, ID cards and family registers for He Kexin, Yang Yilin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan, all showing the girls were 16 or would turn 16 this year. "We have received all we could possibly ask for," FIG secretary general Andre Gueisbuhler told Associated Press. "All of them confirm the age that they should be, so what can we do ?" he added. The Chinese women's gymnastics team won a gold medal in a team competition in Beijing and five members won individual medals. One of the challenges came from a blogger known as "Stryde Hax." The blogger claimed to have uncovered proof that He Kexin is only 14. In Internet searches, "Stryde Hax" allegedly uncovered Web pages showing lists complied by China's General Administration of Sport that show a 1994 date of birth for He. That would make her 14 -- too young to compete in the Olympic Games. CNN was not been able to independently verify the information, but snapshots of the Web pages appeared to back up the claim. Other bloggers joined the search and reported similar results. The New York Times conducted its own investigation, producing similar results that seem to implicate He and two other members of the team. The Times uncovered a 2006 biography on He that lists her birthday as January 1, 1994. But Chinese gymnastics coaches have stridently defended their team. "Asians have different figures than people from the West, so that's what caused their suspicion," said Huang Yubin, head coach of the men's and women's teams, referring to media inquiries. "They shouldn't be suspicious." It was not all good news for the Chinese gymnasts, with the FIG announcing that it would step up its investigation into the 2000 team which won the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics, particularly Dong Fangxiao and Yang Yun. Yang, who also won a bronze medal on the uneven bars in 2000, said in a June 2007 interview that aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was only 14 in Sydney . Dong, who was a technical official for the Chinese team in Beijing, allegedly provided documents for her credentials which indicated that she too must have been only 14 in 2000. Gueisbuhler warned that legal and statute of limitation issues might hinder further scrutiny and sanctions against the 2000 Chinese team. Underage gymnasts have been a problem since the 1980s, when the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 to protect young athletes from serious injuries. The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997. North Korea was barred from the 1993 world championships after FIG officials discovered Kim Gwang Suk, the 1991 gold medalist on uneven bars, was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Romania admitted in 2002 that several gymnasts' ages had been falsified, including Olympic medalists Gina Gogean and Alexandra Marinescu. In women's gymnastics, younger teenage girls can have an advantage over older competitors due to their often smaller, more agile bodies and lighter frames. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

China's gold medal gymnasts cleared of competing while under age limit of 16 . International Gymnastics Federation announces decision after investigation . Further doubt cast on members of the 2000 Chinese Olympic squad . IOC ordered probe after widespread claims that Chinese squad were too young .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Joe Biden and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will face off for their first and only debate in the presidential race Thursday night, an event pitting a political veteran against a political newcomer. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been preparing since last week for Thursday's debate. Both candidates have recently tried to lower expectations leading into the debate, where topics will range from domestic to foreign policy. The debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, will start at 9 p.m. ET and be moderated by PBS's Gwen Ifill. For Palin, the stakes are high. After skyrocketing onto the national stage and energizing the Republican faithful, the first-term Alaskan governor has struggled recently to regain her footing after several shaky network TV interviews with ABC's Charlie Gibson and CBS's Katie Couric. View memorable moments from other debates » . Palin said Tuesday that she's different. "I think they're just not used to someone coming in from the outside saying, 'You know what? It's time that normal Joe Six-Pack American is finally represented in the position of vice presidency,' and I think that that's kind of taken some people off-guard," she said in a radio interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt. Palin's interview gave the vice presidential candidate a chance to showcase elements of her life story and demonstrate some of the folksiness that's been central to her political success. It's exactly the kind of interview that voters can expect to see from the governor in the coming weeks, according to a Palin adviser, who recognized that there is hunger in Republican circles and among the public at large to see a less-scripted, more authentic candidate. "We're going to be continue to put her in settings where she has an opportunity to shine, to be on offense," the adviser said. "We've gotten very good feedback from the public from Hugh Hewitt interview." The adviser suggested that the campaign's efforts at damage control after Palin's interview with Couric may have been hampered by the fact that the governor wasn't doing more friendly interviews to counter her flubs on Russia and the congressional bailout bill, which have reverberated throughout the blogosphere and even turned Palin into a punch line on "Saturday Night Live." "We acknowledge that perhaps she should have been out there doing more," the adviser said, arguing that "it's not fair to judge her off one or two sound bites" from the network interviews. Palin is apparently eager to take on a more outspoken role, both in interviews and in her stump speech, after Thursday's vice presidential debate in order to remind voters of what it is they like about her. iReport.com: Watch debate, then tell us who won . "She connects really well, and she's good at it, and she wants to be doing more of it, and she will do more of it," the adviser said. For the Democrats, Biden has served in the Senate for 35 years. His biggest challenge will be to stick to the script. He's known for making off-the-cuff remarks, including some gaffes. Watch analysts weigh in on Thursday's debate » . A Biden aide said the senator is ready. He left Wednesday's debate preparation in Delaware to vote on the economic recovery bill in Congress. "I haven't read the package yet, but my anticipation is I'm going to vote 'yes.' But I want to see. That's why I'm going home now to get briefed on the details," Biden said. Biden campaign aides are actively playing up Palin's debating skills. His spokesman called Palin "a leviathan of forensics," a classic example of the campaign tactic of raising the expectations of their opponent and lowering their own. "She's very skilled, and she'll be well-prepared," Barack Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, said Sunday night while flying with Biden back to Delaware to help him get ready. "As you saw at the convention, she can be very good. So, I think it would be foolish to assume that this isn't going to be a really challenging debate. We're preparing for that, on that assumption." Taking it one step further, Biden spokesman David Wade added, "he's going in here to debate a leviathan of forensics who has debated five times, and she's undefeated." Biden has a difficult task on his hand: not coming across as condescending with his decades of experience and not adopting a tone that could appear as though he's treating Palin differently because she's a woman. "I think Gov. Palin is a skilled politician," Axelrod said. "She got elected in a very tough political arena against tough opponents, and we're going to treat her with the respect that she deserves. And I think that she would expect that; I think voters should expect that." Axelrod argued that at the end of the day, the choice voters make is between the candidates at the top of the ticket and not the vice presidential candidates. However, he said vice presidential nominees have a harder time preparing because they need to not only defend their own positions but those of their running mates, as well as knowing where both candidates on the opposing ticket stand. Obama and John McCain, meanwhile, have two more debates before the November 4 general election: a second debate October 7 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a final debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on October 15. CNN's Sandra Endo, Peter Hamby, Ed Hornick and Alexander Mooney contributed to this report.

Joe Biden, Sarah Palin to face off in their only debate Thursday night . Stakes high for Palin, who is said to be eager to prove herself . Biden is political veteran who must avoid embarrassing gaffes .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton decided to join her one-time rival's team because she wanted to be part of the "greatest adventure of our century," she said Monday after President-elect Barack Obama named her as his nominee for secretary of state. Sen. Hillary Clinton addresses the media in Chicago on Monday while President-elect Barack Obama looks on. "President Kennedy once said that engaging the world to meet the threats we face was the greatest adventure of our century," Clinton said during a news conference in Chicago, Illinois, when Obama unveiled his national security team. "Well, Mr. President-elect, I am proud to join you on what will be a difficult and exciting adventure in this new century." Clinton said she would work to restore America's position as "a force for positive change" in the world. "America is a place founded on the idea that everyone should have the right to live up to his or her God-given potential. And it is that same ideal that must guide America's purpose in the world today," she said. Watch Clinton accept Obama's offer » . During the news conference, Obama called Clinton a woman of "extraordinary intelligence and toughness" who will "command respect in every capital." "Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances," Obama said. Speculation that Obama would appoint his former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination to the nation's top diplomatic post surfaced after the two meet secretly in Chicago in mid-November. When Clinton's name was first mentioned for secretary of state, the Obama team reviewed the relationships her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had forged as part of his charitable foundation work. The Obama team was concerned that the relationships could create conflicts of interest. To address those concerns, the former president agreed to disclose the names of the more than 200,000 donors to his presidential foundation, a move he had previously resisted, Obama aides told CNN on Sunday. He also agreed to separate his work with the Clinton Global Initiative from his foundation work and submit the text of future speeches and other activities to State Department officials for review, the Obama aides said. In a statement, President Clinton said he was "deeply proud" that Obama has chosen his wife to be secretary of state. "She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities," he said. During the presidential campaign, Obama and Clinton traded tough statements on foreign policy, but, now, Obama and Clinton will be in the same administration, albeit one led by Obama. Watch more about the other members of the security team » . In a now famous ad that showed a telephone ringing at 3 a.m., Clinton challenged Obama's readiness to handle foreign policy crises. Later, Obama questioned Clinton's argument that she had more foreign policy experience. But during the news conference, Obama dismissed any lingering resentment between himself and Clinton as a result of the tough campaign. Clinton and the other members of the national security team "would not have agreed to join my administration -- and I would not have asked them to be part of this administration -- unless we shared a core vision of what's needed to keep the American people safe and to assure prosperity here at home and peace abroad," he said. Obama said there was not a "light bulb moment" when he decided to ask Clinton to be his secretary of state but would not reveal details on the talks that led up to him asking his former rival to join his team. Watch Obama praise Clinton's abilities » . "I have always admired Sen. Clinton. We have worked together extensively in the Senate," Obama said. "After the election was over and I began to think about my team, it occurred to me that she could potentially be an outstanding secretary of state," he said. "I extended her the offer, and she accepted. I know that's not as juicy a story as you were hoping for, but that's all you are going to get." Clinton will also be working with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, whom Obama asked to stay on when he takes office. Watch Gates on why he is staying » . Gates was responsible for implementing an increase in troop strength in Iraq that both Obama and Clinton criticized while on the campaign trail. He will now, however, work to implement the drawdown of troops in Iraq that the president-elect promised during the campaign. After announcing Clinton and the rest of his national security team, Obama said he was sure that team members shared "a core vision of what's needed to keep the American people safe," but he also wanted "strong personalities and strong opinions" in his administration. "I think that's how the best decisions are made," Obama said. "One of the dangers in the White House, based on my reading of history, is that you get wrapped up in groupthink, and everybody agrees with everything, and there is no discussion and there are no dissenting views." CNN's Scott J. Anderson, Ed Henry and Kristi Keck contributed to this report.

President-elect Obama taps Sen. Hillary Clinton to be his secretary of state . Obama calls Clinton a woman of "extraordinary intelligence and toughness" Former rivals engaged in tough exchanges on foreign policy during primary fight . Obama says national security team members share common "core vision"

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