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(CNN) -- A U.S. Navy submarine and a Navy amphibious ship that collided Friday in the Strait of Hormuz south of Iran have arrived in Bahrain to be assessed for damage, the Navy said. The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans are shown in Navy photos. The submarine USS Hartford and amphibious ship USS New Orleans arrived Saturday in Mina Salman pier to "to further assess and evaluate the damage that resulted from their collision at sea," the service said in a written statement. Fifteen sailors were slightly hurt aboard the Hartford in the collision, which occurred early Friday morning. On Friday, Navy officials in Washington told CNN that there was significant damage to the sail, or tower-like structure on the topside of the submarine. On Saturday, the Navy said there was no damage to the submarine's propulsion unit. No injuries were reported aboard the New Orleans. The ship's fuel tank ruptured, spilling 25,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy said in the Saturday statement. "Aerial searches of the area where the fuel spill occurred were conducted yesterday, and revealed no indication of any remaining fuel on the ocean's surface," the Navy said. "The quick dissipation of the fuel is likely due to the type of fuel, and various environmental factors to include air and water temperatures, winds and seas." When the collision occurred, both vessels were headed to ports in the Persian Gulf to stock up on provisions and allow for some recreation, Navy spokesman Lt. Nate Christensen said Friday. Christensen said there were about 200 sailors in the sub and 1,000 sailors and Marines aboard the ship. The Strait of Hormuz is located between the United Arab Emirates and Iran, linking the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. It is heavily used by oil tankers. Both vessels are on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility, and conduct Maritime Security Operations. | Vessels in Bahrain "to further assess and evaluate the damage," says Navy .
USS Hartford, USS New Orleans collided near Arabian Peninsula .
15 sailors on Hartford slightly injured .
Fuel tank on New Orleans ruptured, spilling 25,000 gallons of fuel . | 04ab6aa4f2953f3acc9368478263ab3078c413aa |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Four British Coastguard helicopters of the same model as the one that crashed off Canada last week have been grounded in Scotland to replace a gearbox mounting part, and all those models worldwide are expected to be grounded as well. Sikorsky's Web site says the S-92 "is the most advanced aircraft" in its civil product line. This move comes after the Transportation Safety Board of Canada indicated on Friday that the components must be replaced on Sikorsky-92 A helicopters across the globe. The Canadian agency said the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will issue an emergency airworthiness directive, effectively grounding all Sikorsky S-92 A helicopters worldwide until the parts are replaced. On March 12, 17 people died when a Sikorsky S-92 A operated by Cougar Helicopters crashed or ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland. One person survived. Canada's transportation board on Friday said investigators found a broken main gearbox component that had been addressed in a January alert from Sikorsky. Sikorsky's alert, on January 28, said the "main gearbox filter bowl assembly mounting titanium studs should be replaced with steel mounting studs." This "one-time modification" was to be done within 1,250 flight hours or within a year of the alert's issue date. According to Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Sikorsky on Friday notified helicopter contractor CHC that aircraft operating out of Stornoway and Shetland in Scotland need the "urgent modification." The British agency said that when it is clear how long the helicopters will be grounded or need to undergo engineering work, the agency "will take a decision on implementing a contingency plan for longer term air coverage. The aircraft on the south coast are unaffected." | Canadian authorities warn Sikorsky-92 A helicopters need gearbox part replaced .
FAA to issue emergency directive ordering repair, Canadian safety board says .
Four British Coastguard helicopters grounded in Scotland to replace a part .
Sikorsky-92 A crashed last week off Newfoundland; 17 people died . | c2cf6971515d3b26dabea1ffd42784c07cd5fd5e |
(CNN) -- U.S. and NATO forces are engaged in a futile war against the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, Canada's prime minister said. Canadian leader Stephen Harper says he backs President Obama's "renewed commitment to Afghanistan." "We are not going to ever defeat the insurgency," Stephen Harper told CNN's Fareed Zakaria in an interview that aired Sunday. "Afghanistan has probably had -- my reading of Afghanistan history -- it's probably had an insurgency forever, of some kind." Harper's blunt assessment comes as nearly 2,800 Canadian forces are fighting in Afghanistan. The country's parliament has voted to pull them out by 2011. Harper spoke with Zakaria last week after a visit by President Obama, who made Canada his first foreign trip since taking office in January. Obama has said Afghanistan is the central front to the U.S.-led war on terror. The Pentagon is in the process of sending an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing the total there to 55,000. Harper told CNN that he supports Obama's "renewed commitment to Afghanistan" but said he would not recommit any more Canadian troops until there is a clear plan for leaving Afghanistan. "What has to happen in Afghanistan is, we have to have an Afghan government that is capable of managing that insurgency and improving its own governance," Harper said. "If President Obama wants anybody to do more, I would ask very hard questions about what is the strategy for success and for an eventual departure." | Prime Minister Stephen Harper: "We are not going to ever defeat the insurgency"
Canada's parliament has voted to pull its troops from Afghanistan by 2011 .
Harper says he supports President Obama's "renewed commitment to Afghanistan"
But Harper says he won't recommit more troops until there's a clear plan for leaving . | 3d54107ab9e89af5288f7bd0a37b7033b3fbd562 |
(CNN) -- Police hunting for a New Zealand couple who fled the country after a bank mistakenly paid them $NZ10 million (US$6 million) believe they traveled to Hong Kong. Westpac bank paid the couple 1,000 times the amount they asked for. New Zealand authorities have sought help from Interpol in locating the couple who disappeared May 7, two days after an employee error at Westpac bank paid them 100 times the amount they asked for. TVNZ, a CNN television affiliate, named the couple as Leo Gao and his girlfriend Cara Young. Gao owned a petrol station in Rotorua, a lakeside tourist town famous for its hot water springs and bubbling mud pools. Police said Friday that the couple were believed to have traveled to Hong Kong. "Enquiries to locate those individuals are continuing through Interpol in Hong Kong and official channels in Beijing," said Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey. Watch as 'millionaires' go on the run » . Police were not confirming the identities of those involved but they were working with the family of one of the individuals named in the media, Harvey said. The family were shocked at their name being associated with the case, he added. TVNZ said the couple applied for an overdraft from Westpac worth up to NZ$100,000 (US$61,000). However, on or about May 5, the bank erroneously put NZ$10 million (US$6.1 million) into their bank account. What would you do in this situation? The next day, the service station closed its doors. And the day after, the couple went missing. TVNZ said Westpac had confirmed that a customer had attempted to unlawfully transfer amounts totaling around $6.7 million (US$4.1 million). Nearly NZ$3 million (US£$1.85 million) had been recovered and the bank was continuing to vigorously pursue the outstanding amount, Westpac Media relations manager Craig Dowling told the station. | Manhunt for couple who fled after bank mistakenly paid them NZ$10 million .
New Zealand authorities seeking Interpol's help to locate the couple .
Police believe the couple flew to Hong Kong . | af44e9a5c53ae585384f0b4c7b5b1b5b0d289f54 |
(CNN) -- Americans were asked to stop whatever they were doing at 3 p.m. local time Monday to share a minute on Memorial Day and honor those who have died in the cause of freedom. Americans were asked to take one minute at 3 p.m. Monday to pause and reflect on those who died in battle. "The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday," according to the White House Commission on Remembrance. Congress established the National Moment of Remembrance. "The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom," the Commission on Remembrance said on its Web site. "It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans." Observances included an interruption of Major League Baseball games, the pausing of the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington and the National Grocers Association and Food Marketing Institute asking shoppers to pause in stores nationwide to remember the fallen. "We want our citizens to contemplate the ties that bind us and take a moment to put 'Memorial' back into Memorial Day," said Carmella LaSpada, executive director of the Commission on Remembrance. Children touring Washington inspired the idea when LaSpada asked them what Memorial Day meant and they said that's when the swimming pool opens, according to the commission's Web site. | Commission on Remembrance asks Americans to pause, reflect at 3 p.m. Monday .
Group hopes act will reclaim Memorial Day as "sacred and noble holiday"
Observances include interruption of Major League Baseball games .
Shoppers in grocery stores asked to take a minute to remember our fallen . | 164429b29027af03210d64ac150a5757b0b8602e |
(CNN) -- Melissa Huckaby, the former Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, will face additional charges that she tried to poison two people, including another 7-year-old girl. Melissa Huckaby is charged with killing Sandra Cantu and attempted poisoning of second child. A revised complaint against Huckaby, 28, of Tracy, California, was made public just hours before she was due back in court on Friday. The new charges caused another delay in the murder case, CNN afiliate KRON reported. The complaint charged that Huckaby "did willfully and unlawfully mingle a harmful substance with food or drink" with the intent to harm the child, identified only as "Jane M. Doe." Another alleged poisoning victim was identified as Daniel Plowman, but no age or other information was immediately provided. The latest charges also include one count of child abuse endangerment relating to the unidentified child, who was allegedly in Huckaby's "care and custody." Read the complaint (PDF) Huckaby did not enter a plea in the Cantu slaying in her first two court appearances last month. At an earlier hearing, Judge Linda L. Loftis agreed to keep the autopsy and toxicology reports under seal, citing a "great danger of public outrage." If convicted on the murder, rape and kidnapping charges, Huckaby, could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole, authorities said. CNN's Alan Duke and Jim Roope contributed to this report . | NEW: Melissa Huckaby charged with attempting to poison "Jane Doe," 7 .
Huckaby due in court to face charges in slaying of another 8-year-old .
She faces special circumstances including kidnap, rape by instrument .
Decision on whether to seek the death penalty will come later . | e3632ffd08849a110c92d35d1cef89f1ffef92b5 |
SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A 66-year-old woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer became the first person to use Washington's assisted suicide law, a nonprofit organization announced Friday. Compassion & Choices, an organization that says it advocates choice for the terminally ill, said Linda Fleming of Sequim, took her prescribed medication and died Thursday evening at home with her family, her dog and her physician. She had been diagnosed a month ago with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was told she was "actively dying," Compassion & Choices said in a written statement. "The pain became unbearable, and it was only going to get worse," Fleming said, according to the organization. It said Fleming had worked with the organization's volunteers to consider her choices. "I am a very spiritual person, and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at the time of my death," she said, according to Compassion & Choices. "The powerful pain medications were making it difficult to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death. And I knew I would have to increase them." Washington's law was approved by about 60 percent of voters in November. A similar law in Oregon passed in 1994. Oregon says 401 people have died under the terms of its law. | 66-year-old woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer chooses to die .
Woman wanted to be "clear-minded and alert at the time of my death"
Washington's law was approved by about 60 percent of voters in November . | f5af27d643c70643c8b4d28c0668e5c7f45db480 |
MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A moderately strong earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday afternoon, shaking the earth in the sprawling capital. People in Mexico City stream into the street as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.7, and placed the epicenter near the city of Puebla, about 85 miles southeast of Mexico City. It hit at 2:24 p.m. local time. The Mexican seismological service measured the quake at 5.9. People in the city reported the earth and buildings shaking. Thousands of panicked people streamed into the streets as stopped cars snarled traffic. Parts of the city were without electricity Friday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Earthquakes are a frightening experience for the 20 million residents of Mexico City, where thousands of people perished in a massive quake in 1985. The city, built on volcanic ash and clay, is particularly vulnerable to temblors. Aldo Pontecorvo of the humanitarian agency World Vision said the shaking lasted about 20 seconds. It came out of nowhere and "without any warning," said Pontecorvo, who said he was in his office when the quake struck. Earlier this month, a moderate earthquake was measured off the coast of Mexico's western Baja California peninsula. | U.S. Geological Survey measures quake at magnitude 5.7 .
Thousands of panicked people stream into the streets .
No immediate reports of injuries or damage .
1985 earthquake killed thousands in Mexico City . | 789c4bec886eaa4f0f913fc6e51147ff9f53752f |
(CNN) -- Somalia needs international help to fight Islamist extremists battling for power in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, the country's moderate Islamist president said Monday. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president. "I am calling on the international community to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country," President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said. Speaking at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, Ahmed called several times for international help in fighting foreign militants whom he claims are the same fighters who have fought the "international community" in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Wherever they come, they fuel violence," the president said. "The Somali people cannot and should not accept that their countries should be a launching pad for these militants to attack." Ahmed told local journalists that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups. He also praised local militias in the two regions of Hiiran and Middle Shabelle for struggling against the foreign militias. Last week, al-Shabab militants advanced to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, sparking sporadic fighting and shelling in the Somali capital. The recent fighting has killed more than 40 civilians and wounded about 150 others, according to sources at the scene. Al-Shabab -- once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union -- has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, which says it is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network. Ahmed participated in seizing control of Mogadishu in 2006 along with the Islamic Courts Union before it was ousted by Ethiopian forces later that year. He has since split from Somali jihad movements and was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president through a process shepherded by the United Nations. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report. | President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed speaking at a conference in Mogadishu .
Ahmed fears foreign fighters will turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan .
Fighting in past two days kills more than 40 civilians .
U.S. says Al-Shabab militants are affiliated with al Qaeda network . | 37e7e07f44147b18a00f6f2f0327c40f9a58142b |
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- The deafening roar of drums and horns rose as thousands of people took to the streets in Sri Lanka Friday for a victory parade marking the end of the decades-long civil war. Sri Lankan youth celebrate on the street in Colombo on May 20, 2009. Enthusiastic revelers danced in the street, carried yellow and red flags and some even carried hand-crafted puppets depicting the dead body of the leader of the rebel Tamil Tigers. Watch the victory parade » . Sri Lanka's government declared victory Tuesday in the country's 25-year civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels. The announcement brought celebrations to some parts of the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced that Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been killed and local media released footage of the fallen leader's body. But while thousands partied Friday, humanitarian organizations worried about the estimated 250,000 refugees the war created in northeast Sri Lanka. Many have had their homes destroyed are struggling for food, clean water, emergency health kits, cooking pots and school supplies, relief agencies say. Watch aid agencies fear for Sri Lanka » . A U.N. spokesman has said the country's government has not adequately helped refugees and has started to restrict U.N. relief agencies from providing aid. Watch Sri Lanka dispell allegations » . "The process of national reconciliation we feel must be all inclusive so that in can fully address the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil as well as other minorities. It is important that the victory becomes a victory for all Sri Lankans," said Vijay Nambiar, a U.N. special envoy. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit the area this week. CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this story. | Revelers dance in the street, wave flags to celebrate end of Sri Lanka civil war .
Sri Lanka government declared victory over Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday .
Aid groups express fears for 250,000 displaced people in country's northeast .
U.N. has accused the government of not providing enough help for refugees . | bc7574e7a4a3c1e839b3e230541a1331f39fccd6 |
(CNN) -- Five people were killed when their boat struck a barge in southern Louisiana, the Terrebonne Parish sheriff said Thursday. The accident occurred Wednesday night in the Falgout Canal in Dularge, Louisiana, Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois said. The bodies were not discovered until Thursday morning, when people began arriving on the barge for work and saw the boat and one body, Bourgeois said. The barge is being used to repair damage to the canal from past hurricanes. The victims' damaged boat was partially submerged under the barge, he said. The barge was slightly damaged, he said. The victims were last seen about 10 p.m. Wednesday leaving the Dulac, Louisiana-area en route to Bayou Dularge, the sheriff's office said. The victims were identified as: Michael J. Carrere, 43, of the Bayou Blue area, Louisiana; Carey Meche, 52, of Metairie, Louisiana; Lawrence Flak, 54, of Conroe, Texas; Rene Gauthier, 59, of Houston, Texas; and William Voss, 49, of Katy, Texas. They were entered in a fishing tournament that begins Friday, the sheriff said. Additional details were not immediately available. The accident occurred about 75 miles southwest of New Orleans. | 5 killed after boat hits barge Wednesday night in Falgout Canal in Louisiana .
Bodies discovered Thursday morning by people arriving on barge for work .
Victims' boat was partially submerged under the barge; barge was slightly damaged .
Victims last seen Wednesday night leaving Dulac, Louisiana-area for Bayou Dularge . | 9b5b4e72545f1159d6b6691262ce3b76b5230b66 |
KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Two people were killed and about a dozen others were injured when a bomb exploded in a Catholic church in Kathmandu on Saturday morning, police said. The damage inside the church in Kathmandu following Saturday's bomb blast. The explosion in the Nepalese capital killed a 15-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman. "The bomb exploded inside the church when the explosion happened," senior police officer Kedar Man Singh Bhandari told CNN over the phone. About 100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded, police said. Manish Amatya, who was injured, said the blast interrupted their prayers. "There was a loud explosion while we were praying and all of us ran out screaming," he said. Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb, which damaged the church. CNN's Manesh Shrestha contributed to this report. | Explosion in Nepalese capital killed 15-year-old girl, 30-year-old woman .
100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded .
Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb . | 306e4e5f484ad63435ec5fd69bfef54157882feb |
(CNN) -- Pirates attacked a Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia on Sunday, a Japanese Transportation Ministry official said. A french navy helicopter watches over a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden earlier this year. A pair of small pirate vessels fired on a ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines about 4 p.m. Somali time (9 a.m. ET), damaging the front of the ship, but not seriously, according to Masami Suekado. There were no injuries. The exact number and makeup of the crew were not immediately known, although none of the crew members is Japanese, Suekado said. Pirating off Somalia has increase over the past four or five years as fishermen from Somalia realize that pirating is more lucrative. The crime, which is hard to prevent, has raised concerns internationally. In 2008, pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. In response, a number of countries have deployed ships from their navies to the region, including the United States, China and Japan. Two Japanese destroyers set sail earlier this month on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, the Japanese defense ministry said. | Pirates attack Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia .
A pair of small pirate vessels fire on ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines .
Front of ship damaged but not seriously; There are no injuries .
In 2008, pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia . | 92b8bb91db437632db3a986a865f29a3b65c03d2 |
(CNN) -- Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has been handed his first call-up to the France squad for their two World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania. Gignac has been rewarded for his superb form this season with a first call-up to the France squad. The 23-year-old forward is the top scorer in French Ligue 1 with 17 goals this season -- and has been selected by coach Raymond Domenech ahead of Paris St-Germain striker Guillaume Hoarau. Defenders Patrice Evra and Ladil Rami return, but fellow-defenders Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Lyon) and Julien Escude (Sevilla) are all ruled out through injury. There is also no place in the squad for captain Patrick Vieira, who has struggled to find his best form for Inter Milan this season. France are currently third in European Group Seven with just one win to show from their first three matches. They trail Serbia and Lithuania by five points but have a game in hand on both nations. France initially face Lituania in Kaunas on March 28, with the return match at the Stade de France in Paris on April 1. France squad: . Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Toulouse). Defenders: Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (Roma), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Adil Rami (Lille). Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Samir Nasri (Arsenal), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse). | Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac handed his first call-up to France squad .
Gignac named in 23-man squad after scoring 15 goals in Ligue 1 this season .
But there is no place for captain Patrick Vieira in Raymond Domenech's squad . | 96ffb40c9385e7b09379bdcdf2d7069ee33dcd73 |
(CNN) -- Pele has denied saying that Manchester City striker Robinho had taken drugs. Pele's alleged quotes about striker Robinho (above) have caused a sensation in Brazil. The Brazilian legend was quoted as saying that Robinho and former world footballer of the year Ronaldo used recreational drugs at a private party in Sao Paolo. The comments have caused a sensation in Brazil, where Ronaldo is still revered and Pele's word is taken as gospel, and led to Robinho's representatives demanding an official retraction. However, Pele insists he said no such thing. "Robinho is our son and left Santos with our supervision," he told TV Globo. "What happened was a misunderstanding because I never said anything like that, they gave him wrong information. "I know what the people who need to sell newspapers are like. When there's a story like this you need to ask for the recording to hear what was really said." Pele's advisor went into further detail about the exact nature of the misunderstanding. "There's nothing to this, Pele never said that Robinho had problems with drugs," he told Terra.com. "His answer was distorted. Pele was asked about problems in football, and said that the problems are few compared to other sports. "He said that in football only Maradona, Ronaldo and Robinho had really had problems, but he never talked about drugs at any moment." | Pele has denied saying that Manchester City striker Robinho had taken drugs .
Brazilian legend was quoted as saying Robinho used drugs at a private party .
However Pele claims that his recent quotes were distorted and misrepresented . | 601d1062dbde028eaea2ce7b8a0b62155490d996 |
KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Two people were killed and about a dozen others were injured when a bomb exploded in a Catholic church in Kathmandu on Saturday morning, police said. The damage inside the church in Kathmandu following Saturday's bomb blast. The explosion in the Nepalese capital killed a 15-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman. "The bomb exploded inside the church when the explosion happened," senior police officer Kedar Man Singh Bhandari told CNN over the phone. About 100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded, police said. Manish Amatya, who was injured, said the blast interrupted their prayers. "There was a loud explosion while we were praying and all of us ran out screaming," he said. Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb, which damaged the church. CNN's Manesh Shrestha contributed to this report. | Explosion in Nepalese capital killed 15-year-old girl, 30-year-old woman .
100 people were in the church when the bomb exploded .
Investigations are under way to determine who planted the bomb . | d0912f63112be8069398b3f6c926c727469f1191 |
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The death toll from a powerful cyclone that hit India and Bangladesh this week has climbed to at least 180, officials said Wednesday. Cyclone Aila struck eastern India, causing an estimated $8 million damage in one district alone. In Bangladesh, some 111 people have died and more than 6,600 others have been injured in the storm, said Sultanul Islam Chowdhury from the country's food and disaster management ministry. Cyclone Aila, which made landfall on Monday, has swept away nearly 180,000 homes and affected the lives of more than 3.3 million people, he said. In India, the number of storm-related deaths climbed to 69 Wednesday, according to an emergency official. About a quarter of the total, 20 people, died in landslides triggered by Aila on Tuesday in a hilly region of West Bengal, said Debabrata Pal, a joint-secretary with the state's disaster management department. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this story. | Powerful cyclone in India, Bangladesh kills nearly 200 people, officials say .
Cyclone Aila has left thousands of people homeless in both countries .
Aila packed winds up to 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers) | 411b2fd9d8a501f12e128705e9b51eeef9587f1b |
While I am looking forward to being back on the air in June, there is something I want to share with people that cannot wait. I want to tell you about Kai Anderson. Kai is a 5-year-old boy who lives in my neighborhood in New York City. Kai has a rare form of leukemia. Kai Anderson has a rare form of leukemia. This little boy's best hope lies in a bone marrow transplant. His only hope is a bone marrow transplant and he desperately needs to find a match. As if Kai's family weren't going through enough, his father was diagnosed with a very rare form of lymphoma -- that's two cancers in this one family. Our community in downtown Manhattan has mobilized to try to find a bone marrow match for Kai. We are asking people to consider taking a very quick and test. I have done it. It just involves a q-tip swab in the cheek. If you are a match, donating bone marrow can be a simple outpatient procedure. I encourage you to visit www.hopeforkai.com to learn more. This is a heartbreaking story and a family that truly needs our help. -- Campbell Brown . | 5-year-old Kai Anderson has a rare form of leukemia .
To cure it, he needs a bone marrow transplant .
Click here for information on bone marrow drives in Kai's honor . | c4e110237104546d0ebb26f56706c0b950e882b9 |
KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- An unopposed former Communist leader was elected Nepal's new prime minister Saturday, ending nearly three weeks of political uncertainty. Madhav Kumar Nepal waves at his supporters at the country's parliament in Kathmandu. Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) was the only person to serve as a candidate for the post after he received backing from more than 20 of the 25 parties in parliament. Nepal, 56, is a former general secretary of the Communist Party, but had resigned after the party made a poor showing last year against another Communist movement. In that vote, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) became the largest party, with 38 percent of the seats in the 601-member constituent assembly which also functions as parliament. Nepal had been general secretary since 1993 and served as the country's deputy prime minister for nine months in 1995. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist chairman, resigned as prime minister May 4 after the president overturned the Cabinet's decision to sack the army chief. Nepal became a republic last year. The new government has two important tasks before it: the writing of a new constitution within a year, and integration of 19,600 Maoist combatants into the security forces. Without the support of the former Maoist rebels, these tasks cannot be achieved. The Maoists fought a 10-year insurgency aimed at abolishing the monarchy. | Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal was only candidate .
Nepal, 56, is a former general secretary of the Communist Party .
Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Maoist chairman, resigned as prime minister May 4 .
Followed president's decision to overturn Cabinet's sacking of army chief . | cd69c6b1ae6ec892b25c041acf273df73a7cedd5 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- It's not every day the average Joe gets to take a peek at the personal possessions of a royal. Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, pictured on board his 52-foot racing yacht . But, this month CNN's MainSail program has been lucky enough to go on board Juan Carlos I -- the King of Spain's racing yacht. We get a unique insight into just what a royal's boat looks like and the kinds of technological toys and state-of-the-art equipment a King likes to equip it with. Speaking with the one of the boat's crew members, Ignacio Triay, CNN MainSail presenter Shirley Robertson finds that the King's boat is, indeed, at the cutting edge of modern sailing. The 52ft vessel is raced by a crew of 15 people and has competed in some of the world's most popular yacht racing series, racing alongside the very cream of the world's sailing talent. Video: See on board the King of Spain's yacht » . Triay, who has been sailing for the King of Spain for over 20 years, said the boat contains all of the best modern electronic and sailing equipment. For more sailing features -- including the 10 weirdest sailing terms you'll ever hear -- visit the MainSail homepage. | CNN MainSail gets on board the King of Spain's racing yacht .
The boat is a 52-foot racing yacht that requires a crew of 15 .
A crew member from the boat says it is full of state-of-the-art equipment . | 6fc897f08c891f6fee7ccdfa0db662b6e895576b |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A nude photograph of pop singer Madonna was sold for $37,500 Thursday afternoon at a Christie's Art House auction. Christie's auctioned this nude photo of Madonna (partially shown) taken by Lee Friedlander for $37,500. The photo, originally expected to go for between $10,000 and $15,000, was purchased for more than double its original estimated selling price, a Christie's spokesperson confirmed. The 13-inch by 8 5/8-inch framed photograph was purchased by an anonymous bidder over the phone. The full frontal photograph was one of several taken by American photographer Lee Friedlander in 1979. Madonna, then a cash-strapped student, received $25 for the entire photo shoot. Most of the pictures from the shoot were ultimately featured in Playboy magazine in 1985. | Nude photograph of Madonna taken when she was student in 1979 .
Lee Friedlander pic sold by Christie's for $37,500 .
Anonymous bidder made purchase over the phone . | af9c5da60afa299b146c6369bac332fb4e67e660 |
(CNN) -- British model and television personality Katie Price, also known as Jordan, and her singer husband, Peter Andre, are to separate, according to a statement released Monday. Peter Andre and Katie Price, who ran the London Marathon last month, are separating. The couple found romance on the reality show "I'm A Celebrity... Get me Out of Here!," which was filmed in the Australian jungle. The statement said: "Peter Andre and Katie Price are separating after four-and-a-half years of marriage," the British Press Association reported. "They have both requested that the media respect their families' privacy at this difficult time." Only last month the couple, whose reality TV show of their life features on British television, said they were trying for another child. They have two children together, son Junior, 3, and 1-year-old daughter Princess Tiáamii. Price has a 6-year-old son Harvey, by footballer Dwight Yorke, who is disabled. Price first made her name as a tabloid newspaper topless model, but has since gone on to become a television star, author and clothes designer. She also competes in show jumping events and has her own stable of horses. Andre, who was born in London but raised in Australia, came to prominence in 1996 with his international hit "Mysterious Girl." | Katie Price and husband, Peter Andre, are to separate .
British glamour model and singer married in 2005 after meeting on TV show .
They have two children together -- Junior, 3, and 1-year-old Princess Tiáamii . | f55e02b4284858b509b34da40570158a41724b2e |
(CNN) -- Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil playmaker Diego from German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in a $34 million deal. Brazil playmaker Diego, right, has completed his $34 million move to Juventus from Werder Bremen. The 24-year-old, who missed the recent UEFA Cup final defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk because of suspension, has penned a five-year contract with the Serie A giants. "I am enthusiastic and delighted to be a part of such a prestigious club," said Diego, whose contract at Werder Bremen was due to run until June 2011. "I have dreamed of this moment since I was a child. Diego joined three seasons ago from Porto and his Werder farewell will be in the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend. "After an experience in Portugal and in the Bundesliga, I will be able to prove my worth at a high level but difficult competition," he added. "It is the right time for me to take this important step and I am convinced that at Juventus I will be able to achieve great results." Last week, Juventus announced that Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is rejoining them after three years at Real Madrid. News of Cannavaro's return came less than 24 hours after the club sacked coach Claudio Ranieri and replaced him with former player and youth coach Ciro Ferrara. Ferrara's appointment had an immediate impact and Juventus are now level on points with AC Milan in second position after a 3-0 weekend victory at Siena. It was their first win in eight matches and guaranteed them Champions League action next season. The 35-year-old Cannavaro was voted world player of the year after leading Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and has helped Real to achieve two title triumphs during his stay in Spain. | Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil playmaker Diego .
The 24-year-old is leaving German club Werder Bremen in a $34million switch .
Juve said last week Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro will rejoin from Real Madrid . | c674fdceb339915df2a9de1a0bd3007c546dc092 |
(CNN) -- Switzerland's Massimo Busacca has been selected to referee Wednesday's Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United in Rome on Wednesday -- UEFA have confirmed on their official Web site UEFA.com . Massimo Busacca refereed the 2007 UEFA Cup and one of the semifinals from Euro 2008. Busacca, 40, will be assisted by his compatriots Matthias Arnet and Francesco Buragina, while the fourth official will be Claudio Circhetta. Busacca has been an international referee since 1999 and has taken charge of 32 Champions League matches, including six this season. Among the top club matches he has overseen are this year's Champions League quarterfinal second leg between Porto and Manchester United and the 2007 UEFA Cup final between Sevilla and Espanyol in Glasgow. On the international stage, Busacca was also in charge of the Euro 2008 semifinal between Germany and Turkey and the 2006 World Cup last 16 match between Argentina and Mexico. Meanwhile, authorities in Rome have enforced a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol as they attempt to stave off the threat of trouble between 67,000 Barcelona and Manchester United fans. In a bid to avoid incidents, local authorities have banned the sale of alcohol throughout the city and in airports and stations from 11pm on Tuesday until 6am on Thursday morning. "It will not be a militarised city," Rome authority spokesman Giovanni Pecorari told Press Association Sport. "All the necessary measures have been taken in order to give the best possible image of this city." | Massimo Busacca selected to referee Champions League final on Wednesday .
40-year-old Swiss will be accompanied by team of three compatriots in Rome .
Busacca refereed the 2007 UEFA Cup final and one of Euro 2008 semifinals .
Rome authorities enforce a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol before the final . | 5d6f037c88a47e3e17b318e05099da8a01e34d67 |
(CNN) -- Indian telecom services provider Bharti Airtel Limited and South Africa's MTN Group Limited have renewed merger talks with the aim of creating an emerging market telecom giant, both companies announced Monday. Bharti Enterprises chairman and group chief executive officer Sunil Bharti Mittal in New Delhi in November . Such a merger would create an operator with combined revenues of over $20 billion and a combined customer base of over 200 million, according to both companies. In addition to savings, "this opportunity also represents a first of its kind in developing an Indian-African initiative that would serve as a shining example of South-South cooperation," said Bharti chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal. MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko called the case for such a deal "highly compelling," saying, a merged company would have "leading positions in three of the fastest growing wireless markets globally -- India, Africa and the Middle East, with no overlapping footprint." Under the potential deal, Bharti would acquire a 49 percent stake in MTN, and MTN and its shareholders would take an approximate 36 percent interest in Bharti. Bharti would also be able to fully consolidate the accounts of MTN under the deal, MTN's statement said. Bharti would serve as the primary vehicle for expansion in Asia and India in particular, while MTN would be the primary vehicle for the conjoined company to expand in Africa and the Middle East, Bharti's statement said. The two sides have agreed to hold exclusive talks until July 31. Singapore Telecommunications, a major existing shareholder in Bharti, will remain if the deal is implemented, according to Bharti. | Merger would create an operator with combined revenues of over $20 billion .
Bharti would acquire a 49 percent stake in MTN .
MTN CEO Phuthuma Nhleko: Case for such a deal "highly compelling" | d70db46bb3086fc87c314213b45a42e26a14cdeb |
MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A moderately strong earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday afternoon, shaking the earth in the sprawling capital. People in Mexico City stream into the street as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.7, and placed the epicenter near the city of Puebla, about 85 miles southeast of Mexico City. It hit at 2:24 p.m. local time. The Mexican seismological service measured the quake at 5.9. People in the city reported the earth and buildings shaking. Thousands of panicked people streamed into the streets as stopped cars snarled traffic. Parts of the city were without electricity Friday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Earthquakes are a frightening experience for the 20 million residents of Mexico City, where thousands of people perished in a massive quake in 1985. The city, built on volcanic ash and clay, is particularly vulnerable to temblors. Aldo Pontecorvo of the humanitarian agency World Vision said the shaking lasted about 20 seconds. It came out of nowhere and "without any warning," said Pontecorvo, who said he was in his office when the quake struck. Earlier this month, a moderate earthquake was measured off the coast of Mexico's western Baja California peninsula. | U.S. Geological Survey measures quake at magnitude 5.7 .
Thousands of panicked people stream into the streets .
No immediate reports of injuries or damage .
1985 earthquake killed thousands in Mexico City . | 6b5ab0eedc2a70969e9c75db5d5e200bb46a5a85 |
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- A militant group operating in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria said Monday that it had destroyed several major oil pipelines in response to a military offensive. File image shows Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta fighters. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it had "put out of operation" a Chevron storage facility by destroying several pipelines that fed into it. "This will henceforth become our standard mode of operation," the group said in a statement. The U.S.-based Chevron Corporation could not be immediately reached for an assessment of the damage. Nigeria's military has been clearing the western Niger Delta region in a major operation against MEND. The armed militant group demands that more of Nigeria's oil wealth be reinvested in the region instead of enriching those whom they consider corrupt politicians. The group declared war against the government in September for what it said were unprovoked attacks. At that time, MEND destroyed several oil facilities, forcing Nigeria to cut its oil exports by as many as 1 million barrels of oil per day, or 40 percent. The recent violence -- which has included attacks on pipelines and hostage-taking -- has limited shipment of crude oil supplies out of Nigeria, Africa's largest producer. "We will continue our cat-and-mouse tactics with them (the military) until oil export ceases completely," the MEND statement said. | Militant group operating in oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria destroys oil pipelines .
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has declared "all-out war"
Nigeria's military has been trying to clear the western Niger Delta . | 33aa3a64616dee9e4eb639b8ebdd7566acd0e893 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The family of a woman who died ignored on an emergency room floor has reached a settlement with Health and Hospital Corp., the family's lawyer and the company's top executive said Thursday. Surveillance video shows Esmin Green on the hospital floor for more than an hour before anyone helps her. The attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, said the settlement, reached Wednesday, is for $2 million. Alan Aviles, the president and CEO of Health and Hospital Corp., said in a written statement that the company -- which operates Kings County Hospital, where Esmin Green, 49, died last year -- takes full responsibility for her death and offers a "full apology." He said the settlement "is not meant to put a value on a life and the loss of a loved one. That remains priceless." Last July, Green's relatives said they planned to file a $25 million lawsuit against the city and the hospital and called for criminal charges against hospital workers. A hospital security video showed that the mother of six waited in an emergency room chair for nearly 24 hours before she slid to the floor, where she convulsed for more than a half hour and then became still. An hour after she fell to the floor, the video showed, a hospital employee nudged Green with her foot and summoned help, but the 49-year-old woman was dead . The New York Civil Liberties Union alleges that hospital records were falsified to say that Green was "sitting quietly in the waiting room" at a time when, the video shows, she had been on the floor for 48 minutes and had not moved for more than 10 minutes. An autopsy revealed that Green died from pulmonary thromboembolism -- blood clots that formed in her legs and eventually made their way into her lungs, according to Ellen Borakove, the medical examiner's spokeswoman. The clots came from deep vein thrombosis, which complicated Green's chronic paranoid schizophrenia, she said. | Health and Hospital Corp., operates hospital where Esmin Green died last year .
CEO Alan Aviles, takes full responsibility for her death and offers a "full apology"
Green died from pulmonary thromboembolism, says medical examiner .
The video appears to show hospital workers ignoring her lying on the floor . | 225a20c56bb7b0798878dfc000e2ab05eea29642 |
(CNN) -- Norwegian violinist, Alexander Rybak, 23, won the Eurovision Song Contest with an upbeat ballad that got the most votes in the history of one of the world's most watched television shows. Alexander Rybak of Norway performs during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday in Moscow, Russia. On Saturday night Rybak beat out contestants from 42 countries, with singers from Iceland and Azerbaijan taking distant second and third places. The boyish Rybak -- who performed a self-composed tune, "Fairytale," with some deft dance steps and a smile plastered on his face -- won with 387 points, the most in the contest's 53-year history, organizers said. It was the third time Norway has won the competition. Although the classically-trained Rybak grew up outside the Norwegian capital, Oslo, he was born in Belarus. A television audience estimated at more than 100 million people watch the show. In years past, winners have parlayed their victory in varying degrees of success -- most notably the Swedish quartet ABBA, which won with "Waterloo" in 1974 and became one of the most successful pop groups of the 1970s. In the Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, each participating European nation submits one singer or group who then perform a specially-written song. Telephone votes as well as judges from each country decided the winner this year. This year the contest was televised from a packed stadium in Moscow, Russia. Earlier police arrested dozens of gay and lesbian rights activists who were planning a rally to coincide with the contest. The protesters wanted to draw attention to what they call widespread discrimination of gays in Russia. Watch what's different about this year's gay rights protests » . | Rybak wins with 387 points, the most in the contest's 53-year history, organizers say .
More than 100 million people are estimated to watch the show .
Swedish quartet ABBA won with "Waterloo" in 1974 .
Police arrest dozens of gay and lesbian rights activists planning rally during contest . | 1f8e6ecf0f9595fb93fe28af823371c237a243d4 |
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Japan's GDP fell 4 percent last quarter, the fastest pace on record, the government said on Wednesday. A homeless man pulls his cart filled with possessions and goods for recycling on March 18 in Osaka, Japan. The January-March quarter for Japan was 15.4 percent lower than the same time period last year, according to figures released by the Cabinet Office. Exports fell 26 percent on quarter, while imports were down 15 percent. The GDP slide in the world's second-largest economy is the greatest drop among the world's leading economies. By comparison, GDP in the United States fell 6.1 percent on an annual basis. This was the fourth straight quarter the Japanese economy contracted. Analysts say the drop reflects cuts in domestic spending with job cuts, factory closings and less capital spending as a result of spiraling sales abroad. The news punctuates a month of poor economic news out of Japan in recent weeks. Panasonic, one of the world's largest makers of electronic devices, announced it lost nearly $4 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31. Hitachi lost $8 billion in the fiscal year, with consolidated revenues down 11 percent from last year, the largest loss ever recorded by a Japanese manufacturer. NEC Corporation lost $3 billion in the past fiscal year, down nearly 11.5 percent from last year. Meanwhile, Nissan lost $2.3 billion for the year.Sony Corp. announced net losses of $1 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, finishing a year in the red for the first time in 14 years. | Japan's GDP fell 4 percent last quarter, the fastest pace on record.
First quarter GDP was 15.4 percent lower than the same time period last year .
This was the fourth straight quarter the Japanese economy contracted . | 6ae442896c0b6d8b1273bc23ecdc82a2dee3e05f |
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korean and U.S. forces have been placed on a higher surveillance alert level, after North Korea threatened military action following its nuclear test earlier this week, the joint forces announced on Thursday. South Korean soldiers use binoculars to look at North Korea on Wednesday in Paju, South Korea. The "Watchcon" alert was raised to its second-highest level on Thursday, a government spokeswoman told CNN. The last time the joint forces raised the surveillance alert was after North Korea's last nuclear test in 2006, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. The separate five-stage combat alert level, known as "Defcon," has not changed and remains at stage 4, South Korean defense spokesman Won Tae-jae said at Thursday's briefing, according to Yonhap. "Additional intelligence assets, including personnel, will be deployed while reconnaissance operations over North Korea will increase," Won said, according to Yonhap. He declined to give specific details, the news agency said. Watch Hillary Clinton's warning about 'consequences' » . North Korea conducted a nuclear test Monday and fired five short-range missiles Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the country threatened military action after South Korea joined a U.S.-led effort to limit the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction. There has also been recent activity at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility, according to U.S. officials, who cited information from U.S. spy satellites. The officials would not speculate about the type of activity. North Korea agreed in 2008 to scrap its nuclear weapons program -- which it said had produced enough plutonium for about seven atomic bombs -- in exchange for economic aid. But the deal foundered over verification and disclosure issues, and the North expelled international inspectors and announced plans to restart its main nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon complex. CNN's Barbara Starr in Washington contributed to this report. | Joint forces in S. Korea elevate surveillance alert in response to N. Korean threat .
Combat alert level unchanged, S. Korean military spokesman says .
North Korea tested nuclear device, missiles, threatened military action . | bf73f7558437bec87bc94876de6241f9db91fde3 |
(CNN) -- Maria Sharapova stepped up her comeback after injury to claim the scalp of 11th seed Nadia Pedrova to reach the third round of the French Open in Paris on Wednesday. Sealed with a kiss. Sharapova celebrates her victory over Petrova. The former world number one had come into the second grand slam of the season with only two matches in a minor tournament in Poland under her belt, but surprised her fellow Russian with a 6-2 1-6 8-6 victory. Still playing with tape on her troublesome right shoulder, Sharapova showed no ill effects as she won five straight games to take the first set. Petrova hit back in style to force a decider and took the lead with an early break. But Sharapova hit back in the eighth game to level and held her own service under pressure in the next two games. Petrova finally wilted as she served at 6-7, giving Sharapova match point with a double fault and then hitting wide on a forehand after two hours 12 minutes. Sharapova will now face qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan for a place in the last 16. She had shoulder surgery in August last year and missed both the U.S. Open and Australian Open as fears for her future in the game grew. She made a brief comeback by playing doubles in Miami in March before a return to singles action at the Warsaw Open where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine. Meanwhile, defending champion Ana Ivanovic showed a welcome return to form by sweeping into the last 32 with a 6-1 6-2 victory over Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn. The 21-year-old Serbian has slipped down the world rankings since lifting the title at the Stade Roland Garros, but is making a strong defense on her favored clay. World number one Dinara Safina also impressed with a 6-1 6-1 win over fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko. She has dropped just two games in reaching the third round as she bids to back up her ranking with a first grand slam title. | Maria Sharapova beats 11th seed Nadia Petrova at French Open in Paris .
Former world number one Sharapova is returning after a shoulder injury .
Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina also go through in straight sets . | 8b8112437825fe4043dd635faeebe8076c02f3be |
(CNN) -- Somalia needs international help to fight Islamist extremists battling for power in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, the country's moderate Islamist president said Monday. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president. "I am calling on the international community to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country," President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said. Speaking at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, Ahmed called several times for international help in fighting foreign militants whom he claims are the same fighters who have fought the "international community" in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Wherever they come, they fuel violence," the president said. "The Somali people cannot and should not accept that their countries should be a launching pad for these militants to attack." Ahmed told local journalists that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups. He also praised local militias in the two regions of Hiiran and Middle Shabelle for struggling against the foreign militias. Last week, al-Shabab militants advanced to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, sparking sporadic fighting and shelling in the Somali capital. The recent fighting has killed more than 40 civilians and wounded about 150 others, according to sources at the scene. Al-Shabab -- once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union -- has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, which says it is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network. Ahmed participated in seizing control of Mogadishu in 2006 along with the Islamic Courts Union before it was ousted by Ethiopian forces later that year. He has since split from Somali jihad movements and was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president through a process shepherded by the United Nations. Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report. | President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed speaking at a conference in Mogadishu .
Ahmed fears foreign fighters will turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan .
Fighting in past two days kills more than 40 civilians .
U.S. says Al-Shabab militants are affiliated with al Qaeda network . | 83915433daf2c92bfd25109179f547959d6c54b1 |
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- The Mexican navy said Wednesday that it rescued five Ecuadorians who had been adrift without supplies in a fishing boat for more than two weeks off the coast of the southern state of Chiapas. Mexican medical personel examine two of five Ecuadorians rescued at sea. Mexican authorities initiated the rescue, which occurred Tuesday, after the U.S. Coast Guard alerted them that sailors aboard a fishing boat located 45 nautical miles (83 km) southeast of Port Chiapas had signaled to a passing plane that they needed help. The Mexican navy dispatched a helicopter, which located the 15-meter-long (49-foot-long) vessel and carried out the rescue by air, the navy said in a news release. The five aboard identified themselves as Jaime Arturo Alaba Chavez, the 35-year-old captain; Víctor Hugo Alaba Chavez, the 32-year-old cook; Edison Prado Alaba, a 27-year-old sailor; Carlos Cheme Vazquez, a 37-year-old sailor; and Raul Contreras Vera, a 64-year-old machinist. The sailors were taken to the Naval Sanatorium of Puerto Chiapas, where doctors determined they were dehydrated. They said they had departed Costa Rica's on May 6 but, five days later, their motor stopped working and, unable to repair it, they had been adrift and without food since. A naval patrol boat towed the boat to Puerto Chiapas, arriving there Wednesday morning. It will be inspected to rule out the possibility that it may have been used for illicit activities, the navy said. | The Mexican navy said Wednesday that it rescued five Ecuadorians adrift at sea .
Men apparently without supplies in a fishing boat for more than two weeks .
Men found off the coast of the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico . | 391d4022784892f14d00555c4e32bdd12bfdf625 |
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- A man "angered" by Manchester United's defeat to Barcelona in the final of the Champions League killed four people when he drove a minibus into a crowd celebrating the Spanish side's victory, police in Nigeria have told CNN. Barcelona fans celebrate in the city's Las Ramblas thoroughfare early Thursday morning. Ten people were also injured in the incident in the town of Ogbo, where the driver was subsequently arrested, a Port Harcourt Police spokesperson said. "He was displaying his anger at his team losing the match. The driver had passed the crowd then made a U-turn and ran into them," spokesperson Rita Inomey-Abbey said. Both Manchester United and Barcelona have a large fan base across the African continent, with millions tuning in to watch European football on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, more than 100 people were arrested in Barcelona city center in the early hours of Thursday morning following the Catalan team's 2-0 victory in Rome in the final of Europe's top club competition. Police arrested 119 young people after violence flared at a special celebration party in Place de Catalunya near the Las Ramblas thoroughfare, while 238 people suffered minor injuries. City officials estimated the damage at up to 100,000 euros ($140,000) as the youths attacked police with bottles and damaged shops, parks and public utilities such as lamp-posts. The trouble took some of the gloss off the achievement of Barcelona, who became the first team to win the Champions League, Spanish League and Spanish Cup titles in one season. Manager Josep Guardiola led the club to glory in his first season in charge, ending a period of three years without a trophy. | Man drives minibus into a crowd celebrating Barcelona's Champions League win .
The Manchester United supporter was angry after his team's defeat in final .
Nigerian police confirm that 10 people were also injured in the attack .
Man was arrested after incident that took place in the town of Ogbo . | cfa0349fb668b9e053361f57db8ad9ba4be60a97 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher on Saturday denied that he is the man shown pointing at the Google Street View camera as it drove past his local pub in London last summer. Liam Gallagher says the figure captured on Google Earth outside a pub in London is not him. "Just saw google earth apparently that's meant to be me, who ... wears legwarmers with reeboks?? Not this kid!! LG," he wrote on Twitter. Though available for a while in the United States, Google Street View only launched in Britain last week. As in America, the launch in Britain prompted people all over the country to try to find themselves or spot funny images and famous faces on the service. Gallagher was apparently spotted outside The Queens pub in Camden, in north London, a place he's known to frequent. The picture shows a man dressed in a dark T-shirt and long shorts sitting at an outdoor table. He points at the camera, obviously having seen the Google car and its Street View camera drive by. The service blurs people's faces so it is hard to confirm whether it is Gallagher. Though the man isn't wearing legwarmers, Gallagher is apparently talking about the man's ankle-high shoes and thick black socks. | Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher denies Google Earth appearance .
Fans said man captured on camera drinking outside London pub was singer .
Gallagher said the man was too embarrassingly dressed to be him . | df3343dffeaca447a8894d62a4833e7c98965bb0 |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets in January, will star in a reality television series about her family, a TV executive said. Nadya Suleman will star in a "quasi-reality TV series," says a TV executive. The Eyeworks executive, who asked not to be named, confirmed a Us magazine report that quoted Suleman's lawyer, Jeff Czech, saying a deal has been reached after months of negotiations. The "quasi-reality TV series" would be "an arrangement whereby several events in the children's lives would be filmed in a documentary series," Czech told Us. Eyeworks' British division will produce the show, the Eyeworks executive said. "There is a story to be told" about the family, he said. "They might be several shows aired during a year. There are all kinds of possibilities. It really depends on what the networks want," Czech was quoted as saying. Though he said the show has not been named, Suleman has sought to trademark her media nickname -- Octomom -- for a TV show and a line of diapers. Suleman has six other children. All 14 were conceived through in-vitro fertilization. | Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets in January and had 6 children already .
Suleman will star in a TV show, produced by Eyeworks' British division .
The "quasi-reality TV series" would film the lives of her children in documentary style . | f565fab609995c88d068079991af5b07faf811c3 |
(CNN) -- Arizona reported its fourth death from the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, health officials said Wednesday. The H1N1 strain is relatively mild, but it's being closely watched for mutations that might become severe. The victim was the second child in the Pima County area to die of flu complications, health officials said. The age of child who died Wednesday was not released, but the patient's health was "medically compromised." Earlier, officials in Cook County, Illinois, recorded their second death from H1N1. The latest victim, from suburban Chicago, died within the past couple of days and had "significant underlying medical conditions," said spokeswoman Kelly Jakubek. The first fatality occurred in a Chicago resident over the weekend. That victim also had underlying medical conditions, Jakubek said. Citing family privacy, she would not reveal the victims' ages or genders. By late Wednesday, the most-recent deaths in Arizona and Illinois had not been included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's official tally of 11 U.S. deaths from the disease. They are in Arizona (three), Missouri (one), New York (two), Texas (three), Utah (one) and Washington (one). Nor did the CDC's count include two more deaths reported by the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene. The World Health Organization has counted 14,557 cases of H1N1 -- 96 of them fatal -- in 48 countries. Seasonal flu typically kills 36,000 Americans in any given year, though such cases usually have tapered off by this time of year, according to the CDC. Though the H1N1 strain is considered relatively mild, public health officials have been scrutinizing its spread since it was first identified in April in Mexico because they are concerned it could mutate and become more severe. | Arizona reports its fourth death linked to H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu .
Officials in Cook County, Illinois, report their second flu death .
Latest two deaths not in CDC's official tally of 11 swine-flu deaths in U.S.
World Health Organization has counted 14,557 cases of H1N1 -- 96 of them fatal . | a7dfae9b7878bf9cd4c3ba490d77c956c6d7ef88 |
(CNN) -- Mount Redoubt volcano in southern Alaska has erupted again, shooting ash as high as 45,000 feet in the air on Saturday, experts said. A series of eruptions has been rattling Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano since Sunday. The eruption occurred at about 1:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET), the U.S. Geological Survey told CNN. Some of the ash fell around Anchorage, resulting in the airport to close, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The volcano erupted three times Friday, at times shooting ash as high as 51,000 feet. The eruptions are the latest in a series that began March 22. The Alaska Volcano Observatory has set the alert level at its highest possible designation -- red -- indicating that an eruption is under way or imminent and that the eruption will produce a "significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere." Friday's volcano activity prompted Alaska Airlines to limit flights to and from Anchorage, according to the airline's Web site. It canceled all its Thursday flights to and from Anchorage after an eruption earlier in the day sent an ash cloud 65,000 feet high. The eruptions are the latest in a series that began Sunday. | NEW: Mount Redoubt volcano in southern Alaska erupted again on Saturday .
NEW: Eruption sent ash as high as 45,000 feet in the air, experts said .
NEW: FAA says ash falling around Anchorage resulted in closure of the airport .
Mount Redoubt has been erupting since March 22 . | 3ae90745918e22a3c619bbdbc00f9ca90408d938 |
(CNN) -- The ozone hole over Antarctica in 2008 is larger in both size and ozone loss than last year, but not as large as in 2006, the European Space Agency said Tuesday. Some chemical processes produce ozone-depleting gases. The hole is a thinning area in the ozone layer over Antarctica and the size of the hole varies every year depending on weather conditions. This year, the size of the thinned area reached about 27 million square kilometers (10.4 million square miles), compared to 25 million square kilometers (9.65 million square miles) in 2007. In 2006, the hole was a record 29 million square kilometers (11.2 million square miles), larger than North America, the ESA said. The ESA announced its results based on information from German and Dutch researchers who analyzed satellite data. Depletion of ozone is caused by extreme cold temperatures at high altitude and the presence of ozone-destroying gases, such as chlorine and bromine, in the atmosphere, the ESA said. Those gases originate from man-made products like chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which were phased out under a global agreement two decades ago but continue to linger in the atmosphere. Ozone is a protective atmospheric layer found at an altitude of about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles). It acts as a sunlight filter, shielding life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays that put humans at greater risk of skin cancer and cataracts and harm marine life, the agency said. | 2008 ozone hole larger than in 2007, European Space Agency says .
It covers area of about 27 million square kilometers .
Ozone layer acts as a sunlight filter, shielding Earth from some ultraviolet rays . | 25eaf2e94aeee670372ac563c806aec1a91dbde2 |
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani military says security forces have taken back the city of Mingora from the Taliban, calling it a significant victory in its offensive against the Taliban. Pakistani solders escort a suspected Taliban militant inside an army base in Mingora. Mingora is the largest city in Pakistan's Swat Valley where security forces have been fighting the Taliban in a month-long offensive. "It is a great accomplishment," said Pakistani Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. "This is the largest city in Swat and for all practical purposes, Mingora has been secured." Abbas said militants put up a stiff resistance, but their resistance weakened as troops moved in. Abbas told CNN pockets of militants remain just outside Mingora. The fighting has uprooted about 2.4 million Pakistanis from their homes in the northwestern region of the country, according to the latest data from the United Nations. Of those displaced, about 10 percent -- or 240,000 -- are living in refugee camps, according to the U.N. The announcement that the military has pushed the Taliban out of Mingora comes after days of Taliban attacks in other areas in the country. The military issued a press release on Saturday saying that 25 militants and a soldier were killed in fighting across the region over the last 24 hours. Pakistani authorities increased security throughout Islamabad on Friday after a string of deadly bombings in Lahore and Peshawar, and a threat by the Taliban to carry out further attacks. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday's suicide attack in Lahore on a building housing police, intelligence and emergency offices. Twenty-seven people were killed. The militant group also threatened to continue attacking cities in Pakistan until the military ends its operations against Taliban militants in the country's northwest. | Pakistani military says it has taken back key Swat Valley city of Mingora .
Army spokesman says operation is a "great accomplishment"
Fighting in northwestern region has displaced about 2.4 million Pakistanis .
Pakistan raises security levels after deadly blasts in Lahore, Peshawar . | 1448d17be08916697a6238a7ff73ffcd09440ef8 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Navy is investigating how thousands of dollars went missing in the rescue of the captain of the Maersk Alabama in April, a Pentagon source told CNN. The USS Bainbridge tows the lifeboat in which Capt. Robert Phillips was held for days. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service opened an investigation into how $30,000 disappeared after special forces snipers shot and killed three pirates, ending the multi-day siege and freeing the captain, who had been held hostage. Investigators are talking to anyone who may have had contact with the money or knowledge about what happened to it, the source said, including military personnel on the warship, Navy SEALs who rescued Capt. Richard Phillips, and the crew of the Maersk Alabama. The NCIS and the Maersk Line Ltd., which owns the Maersk Alabama, have not responded to CNN's request for comment. In a criminal complaint filed against the one surviving alleged pirate, Abduwali Muse, the government contends the alleged pirate demanded money from the ship's captain and led him by gun point to the ship's safe. Watch CNN's Chris Lawrence on the investigation » . "The captain opened the safe and took out approximately $30,000 in cash. Muse and two other pirates then took the cash," the criminal complaint contends. It goes on to allege that Muse distributed some of the money to the other pirates who retreated to a lifeboat where they were holding the captain as a captive. See timeline of events that led to piracy case » . All three of the other pirates were killed by U.S. Special Forces snipers during the rescue but the complaint does not list any money recovered from the boat after the rescue. It only lists rifles, a hand gun, artillery, cell phones and handheld radios. | The Naval Criminal Investigative Service opened an investigation into missing cash .
$30,000 disappeared after rescue of captain of Maersk Alabama by Navy SEALs .
SEALs shot and killed three pirates, ending multi-day siege, freeing captain in April .
Pirates reportedly led captain at gun point to the ship's safe . | 2f767d154cfd7a086b03439dcb882fc041fae58c |
(CNN) -- Former first lady Nancy Reagan has been released from a hospital after fracturing her pelvis during a fall at home last week, a spokeswoman said Friday. Former first lady Nancy Reagan is shown at an event in the nation's capital in September. Reagan, 87, returned to her Bel Air, California, home, spokeswoman Joanne Drake said. Doctors expect a full recovery, prescribing a regimen of daily physical therapy and a reduced public schedule, Drake said in a written release. The former first lady admitted herself to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on Tuesday after experiencing what Drake described as "persistent pain." Tests revealed a fractured pelvis and sacrum, the triangular bone within the pelvis. She also was hospitalized for two days in February after a fall. President Reagan died in June 2004 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Since his death, Nancy Reagan has remained involved with the national Alzheimer's Association and its affiliate, the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago, Illinois. However, she has appeared in public only rarely in recent years. Reagan expressed her thanks in the release Friday to all those who prayed for her and sent cards, flowers, phone calls and e-mails. | Nancy Reagan admitted herself to a hospital with a fractured pelvis Tuesday .
Reagan, 87, returned to her Bel Air, California, home Friday .
She previously was hospitalized for two days in February after a fall . | 6942fa9f78051bfe1c6df7618668884a8d8d42bf |
(CNN) -- Thousands of inmates rioted at the Reeves County Detention Center in Texas on Saturday, the second disturbance at the prison facility in the last two months. As many as 2,080 inmates from two of the center's three buildings began fighting in the prison yard about 4:30 p.m. CT, said county Sheriff's Office Dispatcher Anna Granado. Authorities from several law enforcement agencies responded to quell the violence. However, officials had not brought the unrest under control as of 1 a.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff's office. Officials said they do not know what prompted the riots. Three inmates were hospitalized, including one with a severed finger, the sheriff's office said. On December 12, inmates took two workers hostage and set fire to the recreation area at the center in Pecos, located about 430 miles west of Dallas. The inmates, who had made several demands, surrendered later that night. The prison is a 2,400-bed, low-security facility, operated by Geo Group Inc. It houses federal prisoners as well as inmates from other states. CNN's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report. | NEW: Inmate unrest at Texas prison enters second day .
NEW: Authorities: Three inmates have been hospitalized; one has severed finger .
Prison was site of another inmate riot in December .
Officials say they do not know what sparked latest riot . | 7fe21d1a74acc2e0d605e454866818e34e5de8a0 |
(CNN) -- A drunk passenger tried to hijack a Turkish Airlines flight to Russia on Wednesday before he was brought under control, the head of Turkey's civil aviation authority said. The Turkish Airlines passenger jet was en route from Turkey to Russia when the incident took place. The plane landed safely and on time Wednesday afternoon in St. Petersburg. Russian authorities promptly arrested a "slightly intoxicated" passenger from Uzbekistan, Russia's Interfax News Agency reported, citing a national police spokesman. The suspect, in his early 50s, was arrested on suspicion of trying to hijack the plane, Interfax reported. Turkish media initially reported that the plane had been hijacked. When asked about those reports, a Turkish Airlines spokesman said the flight experienced an "urgent situation" as it headed to St. Petersburg, without offering further details. Interfax said the flight was carrying 164 Russian nationals. There have been several attempts to hijack Turkish airlines in recent years. In August 2007, two men hijacked an Istanbul-bound Atlasjet Airlines flight with 136 passengers and crew on board from Cyprus, claiming to have a bomb on board the flight. They forced the crew to make an emergency landing in Antalya. Both hijackers eventually surrendered to Turkish authorities. In April 2007, Turkish authorities detained a man they believed tried to hijack a Turkish airliner, possibly to Iran. The suspect, Mehmed Goksin Gol, was not armed and all 178 passengers and crew aboard the Pegasus Airlines flight were unharmed. The flight was heading from southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir to Istanbul, but landed at Ankara's airport, where the suspect was detained. In October 2006, a Turkish man hijacked a Turkish jetliner with 113 people aboard en route from the Albanian capital Tirana for Istanbul. He forced it to fly to a military airfield in Brindisi, Italy, where the passengers and crew were released unharmed. CNN's Maxim Tkachenko in Moscow and Nicky Robertson in Atlanta contributed to this report . | Incident on flight between Antalya, Turkey and St Petersburg, Russia .
Turkish Airlines: Drunk man tried to hijack passenger plane .
Officials: Man brought under control, airline experienced "urgent situation"
NEW: Interfax: Flight arrives at St. Petersburg, police arrest Uzbek man in his 50s . | 6b6924652ba141223bcd64416e874d690f1a253d |
(CNN) -- Two men were in custody and a third was still on the run Friday after the shooting of two police officers in Indiana sparked a manhunt across the Ohio River into Kentucky, authorities said. One of the injured officers is taken out of an ambulance and rushed into the University of Louisville Hospital. Vincent Windell, 22, and another man whose name was not released were in custody in connection with Thursday's shooting, Jeffersonville, Indiana, Chief Detective Charlie Thompson told CNN. A third suspect, Robert Dattilo, 37, fled into Kentucky, where Louisville police were pursuing him, according to Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley. The incident began Thursday when Jeffersonville Police Cpl. Dan Lawhorn, 39, and Patrolman Keith Broady, 32, responded to a call from a Motel 6 employee about possible drug activity, Thompson said. The two were apparently ambushed when they arrived, Indiana State Police told the Louisville Courier-Journal. Lawhorn, an 11-year veteran, was shot in the leg, and Broady, a 4-year veteran, was shot in the upper body, Thompson said. The two officers returned fire, but it wasn't clear whether the suspects were hit. Lawhorn and Broady were able to reach their patrol cars and call for help after the shooting. They were rushed to the University of Louisville Hospital for surgery and are both listed in serious but stable condition, hospital spokesman David McArthur told CNN. | Vincent Windell, 22, and another man in custody for Thursday's shooting .
Third suspect, identified as Robert Dattilo, 37, fled into Kentucky, still on run .
Police say incident started when cops were ambushed responding to drug call .
Both officers who were shot are listed in serious but stable condition . | 7cfd324a1a8aeded607ccf504ff27a2c00294dfc |
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a routine medical examination at a hospital in the Indian capital on Tuesday, his spokesman Tenzin Taklha told CNN Sunday. The Dalai Lama with French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on a recent visit to France. The check-up in New Delhi is likely to take several hours, but the Dalai Lama will not be admitted to the hospital, the spokesman said. The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala, will travel to the Indian capital on Monday. The 73-year-old Tibetan leader was hospitalized in Mumbai in August for abdominal discomfort. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a routine medical examination at a hospital in the Indian capital on Tuesday. | Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a medical exam this week .
Dalai Lama was recently admitted for tests after suffering abdominal discomfort .
The check-up in New Delhi is likely to take several hours . | 6d836bf7dc1a756176466f81a72b4945ac4a46b2 |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A power-sharing deal has been reached between Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, South African President Thabo Mbeki said. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, left, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mbeki, who mediated the talks in Harare for the Southern African Development Community, said the deal would be signed Monday but did not give details of the agreement. Zimbabwe has had no Cabinet since the March presidential election that started the impasse. Opposition lawmakers booed and heckled Mugabe when he spoke at the opening of the country's parliament August 26. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the most votes in that election, but not enough to avoid a runoff, according to the government's official count. He withdrew from the June 27 runoff days before the vote, saying Mugabe's supporters had waged a campaign of violence and intimidation against opposition supporters. The main sticking point in the talks had been how much power Mugabe would retain. Tsvangirai had said he would sign a deal only if Mugabe gave up some power and his presidency became a ceremonial position. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the agreement, according to a statement released by his spokesperson, and "hopes that this agreement will pave the way for a durable peace and recovery in the country and contribute to rapid improvement in the welfare and human rights of the people of Zimbabwe." The country is also reeling from hyper-inflation. In August, the country's Central Statistical Office said inflation was at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world. Analysts have said the Zimbabwean government's official inflation rate figures are conservative. One of Zimbabwe's leading banks, Kingdom Bank, said the country's inflation rate was more than 20 million percent. The economic crisis has destroyed Zimbabwe's currency and made it difficult for Zimbabweans to buy basic commodities, electricity, fuel and medicines. | Zimbabwe leaders agree terms for sharing power, South African president says .
Thabo Mbeki, who led mediation talks, said deal will be signed Monday .
Zimbabwe has been in political deadlock since controversial election in June . | 32cc4eec92096f0f85f06468be031fe2acd3bb9a |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- American fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers, one of which buzzed a U.S. aircraft carrier in the western Pacific on Saturday, U.S. military officials told CNN Monday. Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that there was no violation of flight regulations during the incident. A ministry official said the flights are standard operating procedure for air force training. One of them twice flew about 2,000 feet over the deck of the USS Nimitz Saturday while another flew about 50 miles away, officials said. Two others were at least 100 miles away, the military reported. U.S. defense officials said four F/A-18A fighter jets from the Nimitz were in the air. The Russians and the U.S. carrier did not exchange verbal communications. Watch U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz » . Four turboprop Tupolev-95 Bear bombers took off from Ukrainka Air Base, in Russia's Far East, in the middle of the night, Japanese officials told The Associated Press, adding that one of the planes violated Japanese airspace. Russian bombers have been making flights over the western Pacific for several months. There have been eight incidents off Alaska since July. Among the latest, on September 5, six F-15s from Elmendorf Air Force Base, adjacent to Anchorage, Alaska, intercepted six Russian bombers about 50 miles from the northwest coast of Alaska. Two similar incidents occurred in August, one near Cape Lisburne, Alaska, and the other near Cold Bay, Alaska, west of the Aleutian Islands. E-mail to a friend . | Russia's Defense Ministry says there was no violation of flight regulations .
One bomber twice flew about 2,000 feet over USS Nimitz deck, U.S. military says .
U.S. Defense officials say four F/A-18A fighter jets from the Nimitz were in the air .
Japanese officials tell AP one of the planes violated their country's airspace . | 101309778895e6ca14fca581352735a07b9fc6f7 |
(CNN) -- FBI agents Monday raided a rural Georgia peanut butter plant suspected as the source of a nationwide salmonella outbreak, a CNN affiliate reported. The Food and Drug Administration launched a probe of Peanut Corporation of America on January 30. The Peanut Corporation of America plant in Blakely, Georgia, was sealed off by federal authorities Monday morning, WALB reported. The company is accused of knowingly shipping tainted products now linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 states. The recent outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history, encompassing more than 1,000 products. The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations launched a probe of the company on January 30. Previously, the Peanut Corporation of America had said said it shipped products only after subsequent tests came back negative for salmonella. Representatives from the company have not returned repeated calls from CNN. | Peanut Corporation of America plant is accused of knowingly shipping tainted goods .
Those goods are linked to nearly 600 illnesses, including eight deaths, in 43 states .
The outbreak has led to one of the largest food recalls in U.S. history . | 7e9e655a1bdb66ca474708ff59167c8fdf104c2b |
(CNN) -- Brazilian star Kaka has agreed to join Real Madrid from Italy's AC Milan in a $92 million deal, the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported on Tuesday. Former World Player of the Year Kaka has agreed to join Real Madrid in a $92m move according to reports in Spain. Cadena Ser claimed that Real president Florentino Perez had thrashed out a deal with AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani and Bosco Leite, Kaka's father and agent. Kaka is currently in Brazil with the national team ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay and earlier in the day had appeared to rule out a move from Italy's Serie A. "I'll say it for the last time. The last time. I don't want to leave Milan," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "In this period I prefer to remain silent because I don't want to be misunderstood. Or, worse still, to be used. "To the millions of Milan supporters, I say that I have made my choice. I have said what I want to stay. Leave me in peace, please." However, AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi also hinted at Kaka's departure just before Cadena Ser's claim. "I do not know if we can keep Kaka at Milan because they (Real) have offered him so much money," Berlusconi was quoted as saying by Italian press agency Ansa. Spanish reports said Kaka will sign for five years with a salary worth nearly $13 million a year. Former team-mate Paolo Maldini, who retired at the end of the season, admitted he still had doubts about Kaka's future at the San Siro. "I don't know if he'll still stay at Milan," Maldini told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Ancelotti might have been cryptic about his future but Kaka has been even more so." Last January, Kaka rejected a move to Premier League Manchester City who were prepared to pay the 2007 world player of the year $750,000 per week. Kaka's coach at Milan Carlo Ancelotti was on Monday appointed manager at Premier League Chelsea who have also been linked with a bid for the Brazilian. | Spanish radio station Cadena Ser claim Kaka agrees $92m Real Madrid move .
Kaka currently in Brazil with the national team ahead of a World Cup qualifier .
Reports said Kaka will sign for five years with salary worth nearly $13m a year . | 85b90eb0ff86868c5223f4ef8fa77daf41443034 |
(CNN) -- Four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal slid to an astonishing 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6 defeat to Sweden's Robin Soderling at the French Open on Sunday. Soderling savors his unlikely triumph against Nadal in the French Open fourth round. Soderling, the 23rd seed, was a rank outsider against the world number one who had never lost a match on the clay at Roland Garros and was a short-priced favorite to win a record fifth straight title. But Soderling never looked back after breezing through the first set of their fourth round match and closed out victory as Nadal sent a volley wide after bravely saving a matchpoint in the fourth set tiebreak. The Spaniard tried to look on the positives after his shock defeat. "It's not a tragedy, losing here in Paris," he told the official tournament Web site www.rolandgarros.com . "It had to happen one day, and this is an excellent season for me. "Of course it's a bit sad, but I have to overcome this as quickly as possible. No one remembers defeats on the long run. People remember victories. So I have to move forward and try and prepare the best I can." King of clay Nadal had compiled a 31-match winning streak at the French Open and was attempting to win the second grand slam of the year after beating world number two Roger Federer in the final of the Australian Open. Soderling took advantage of a strong serve and big forehands to give Nadal a torrid time in front of a stunned crowd on the Philippe Chatrier court. Defeat for Nadal opens up his side of the draw with world number three Andy Murray a possible beneficiary. Murray, who was seeded to meet Nadal in the semifinals, beat Marin Cilic of Croatia 7-5 7-6 6-1 in their earlier fourth round match. He will play Fernando Gonzalez of Chile for a place in the semifinals. Gonzalez beat Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-2 6-4 6-2 in their fourth round match. Soderling will next play Nikolay Davydenko of Russia as the 10th seed beat eighth-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain 6-2 6-2 6-4.in the final last 16 match of a dramatic day. | Four-time defending French Open champion Rafael Nadal crashes out .
Top seed beaten in four sets by Sweden's Robin Soderling in Paris .
Britain's Andy Murray powers into quarterfinals with straight sets win . | bb66a54aa1d8fbf52213ee1aaeb316059c03886b |
(CNN) -- The worst cholera outbreak in Africa in 15 years has killed more than 4,000 Zimbabweans, and the crisis threatens to worsen when the rainy season hits, the U.N. Children's Fund said Thursday. A cholera patient sits in his bed at a hospital in Harare. The rainy season could threaten more lives. The preventable disease has spread through the southern African country in the past 10 months because of faulty sewage systems, uncollected refuse and a lack of clean water, UNICEF said. "Last year, we had a near collapse of basic social services," said Tsitsi Singizi, a spokeswoman for the organization. "Municipal services were not providing clean water anymore and they were not collecting refuse anymore. There was also a collapse of the health-delivery system. So if you went to the clinic and you were affected by cholera, you would not be attended to." The possibility of a new wave of cholera cases looms, Singizi said. "We might have another spike in the number of cases once we have our first rain, because cholera is waterborne and the contaminated water will be flowing towards open sources and people will be drinking from unprotected wells," she said. Nearly 100,000 people have been infected since the current epidemic broke out, according to a new Red Cross report. The cholera crisis comes as Zimbabwe is struggling with an economic meltdown. In May, Zimbabwe announced that it would receive a $22 million grant from the World Bank to help the country's battered economy. | The cholera crisis has killed 4,000 Zimbabweans and could to worsen, the U.N. said .
A new wave of cholera looms as the rainy season approaches, UNICEF said .
The crisis comes as Zimbabwe is struggling with an economic meltdown . | 477a63d8f7fef15eb0ffe247ae8e40852e0e76de |
(CNN) -- Switzerland's Lara Gut made history on Saturday when she became the youngest-ever winner of a women's World Cup race when claiming victory in the super-G at St Moritz. Gut holds the Swiss flag aloft after becoming the youngest skier to win a women's World Cup race. Cheered on by the local supporters, the 17-year-old finished ahead of compatriot Fabienne Suter with Italy's Nadia Fanchini -- the winner of the opening super-G in Lake Louise, Canada, finishing third. Gut gave a clear indication of her immense talent on Friday when finishing fifth in the super-combined and she produced a near flawless run of 57.38 seconds to finish well clear of her rivals. Suter, who finished third on Friday, moved up one place on the podium with a time 00.63 secs behind Gut. World Cup leader Lindsay Vonn failed to finish on a piste that had been considerably shortened to deal with poor visibility caused by falling snow. American Vonn, the defending overall champion, was one of many racers caught out by a bump in a fast section after a sharp right-hand turn. Vonn said Gut's maiden win was not a surprise. "She has been skiing well all season so far," said the 24-year-old. "She has got a lot to learn still, but on a day like today, going first, it was a perfect chance for her. She definitely executed and seized the opportunity." Gut added: "I was really nervous as I wasn't used to being the leader, but gradually I began to realise that in fact I had skied really well especially when I saw that Nadia and Fabienne were behind me." | Swiss Lara Gut makes history by winniing the women's Super-G at St Moritz .
The victory makes Gut, 17, the youngest-ever woman to win a World Cup race .
Fellow-Swiss Fabienne Suter finished second with Italy's Nadia Fanchini third . | 8349bd72c5dd2c6329d51806313f9286a6395856 |
(CNN) -- The wreckage of a C-130 cargo plane that disappeared shortly after takeoff in the southern Philippines Monday night was found Tuesday about two miles (3km) offshore, the Philippines News Agency reported. Searchers have recovered items from the wreckage of the cargo plane. The bodies of two of the nine crew members on board were recovered, the report said. The Philippines Air Force plane was declared missing after the control tower at Davao International Airport lost radio contact with the pilot halfway between Manila and Davao, an Air Force official said. The plane, with two pilots and seven crew members on board, was to have picked up members of the Presidential Security Group for transport to Manila. The wreckage was found at 6am Tuesday by a search team just off the coast of Barangay, San Pedro Extension, Davao City, the news agency said. | The wreckage of a C-130 cargo plane is found close to Philippine coastline .
The bodies of two of the nine crew members on board were recovered .
C-130 cargo plane was was going to pick up the Presidential Security Group . | 6d23b0212da7a9ac6d3f83477c1d474ac66767c6 |
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Letters containing white powder were mailed to 16 U.S. embassies across Europe, according to the State Department on Wednesday. Emergency services surround U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain. The substance has proved to be harmless in 15 locations with results still pending for the final embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood said. He said the list of U.S. embassies where the powder was received includes Berlin, Germany; Bern, Switzerland; Brussels, Belgium; Bucharest, Romania; Copenhagen, Denmark; Dublin, Ireland; Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; Oslo, Norway; Paris, France; Reykjavik, Iceland; Riga, Latvia; Rome, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; Tallinn, Estonia; and The Hague. An envelope, containing what testing revealed to be white flour, prompted the U.S. Embassy in Madrid to close the staff entrance on Wednesday, a U.S. embassy official told CNN. Mail at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid is received near the front entrance and was closed amid security concerns, he said, though most employees remained at work. "We know where the package is coming from," the official said, but declined to elaborate. The official spoke on coindition on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. He described the incident as "very serious" but went on to say there is probably "more commotion" outside the embassy, where local media reported police and ambulances had gathered. A similar letter was mailed to the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen on Tuesday, embassy spokeswoman Melissa Ford said Wednesday. She said the contents of that envelope "still aren't in," contrary to Wood's statement. "It usually takes more than 24 hours (for the cultures), so perhaps we'll know later today or early tomorrow," Ford told CNN. CNN's Elise Labott and Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman contributed to this report. | Sixteen U.S. embassies in Europe receive mail containing white powder .
Tests show powder harmless in 15 cases; results pending in 16th case .
U.S. embassy official in Madrid: "We know where the package is coming from" | a7bb45a2615abaf0ba2ee61bf87f56f8c67af395 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A potential victim became a compassionate counselor during a recent robbery attempt, changing the would-be criminal's mind -- and apparently his religion. Surveillance video shows storekeeper Mohammad Sohail holding a robber at bay with a shotgun. Storekeeper Mohammad Sohail was closing up his Long Island convenience store just after midnight on May 21 when -- as shown on the store's surveillance video -- a man came in wielding a baseball bat and demanding money. "He said, 'Hurry up and give me the money, give me the money!' and I said, 'Hold on'," Sohail recalled in a phone interview with CNN on Tuesday, after the store video and his story was carried on local TV. Sohail said he reached under the counter, grabbed his gun and told the robber to drop the bat and get down on his knees. "He's crying like a baby," Sohail said. "He says, 'Don't call police, don't shoot me, I have no money, I have no food in my house.' " Amidst the man's apologies and pleas, Sohail said he felt a surge of compassion. He made the man promise never to rob anyone again and when he agreed, Sohail gave him $40 and a loaf of bread. "When he gets $40, he's very impressed, he says, 'I want to be a Muslim just like you,' " Sohail said, adding he had the would-be criminal recite an Islamic oath. "I said 'Congratulations. You are now a Muslim and your name is Nawaz Sharif Zardari.'" When asked why he chose the hybrid of two Pakistani presidents' names, the Pakistani immigrant laughed and said he had been watching a South Asian news channel moments before the confrontation. Sohail said the man fled the store when he turned away to get the man some free milk. He said police might still be looking for the suspect but he doesn't intend to press charges. "The guy, you know, everybody has a hard time right now, it's too bad for everybody right now in this economy," said the storekeeper. | Long Island storekeeper Mohammad Sohail faces man wielding baseball bat .
Sohail grabs shotgun; stunned man begins to cry, says he has no food at home .
Man's story tugs at Sohail's heartstrings, and he offers man money, bread, milk .
After act of compassion, man says he wants to become a Muslim like Sohail . | 7d255e035aaa23c3425651e2c83b2e1bf9f6240c |
(CNN) -- Famed Uruguayan author Mario Benedetti died at his home in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Sunday, his personal secretary, Ariel Silva, told CNN. Author Mario Benedetti, 88, was battling intestinal problems and had been hospitalized earlier this month. Benedetti, 88, was battling intestinal problems and had been hospitalized earlier this month. A descendent of Italian immigrants, Benedetti authored such best-selling novels as "The Truce" and "Juan Angel's Birthday," as well as a collection of short stories and poems. The poet-turned-novelist became a part of a thriving era of Latin authors including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Fuentes, and Mario Vargas Llosa, who often intertwined politics with their work. A supporter of Fidel Castro's government, Benedetti left Uruguay to live in exile, partly in Cuba, where his writings grew more political. "I have never hidden my political position so I had to leave the country," he told CNN in a June 2005 interview. "I've had many mishaps, many problems in my short life," he added. Journalist Dario Klein in Montevideo contributed this report. | Mario Benedetti, 88, was battling intestinal problems; hospitalized earlier this month .
Benedetti authored novels such as "The Truce" and "Juan Angel's Birthday"
A supporter of Fidel Castro's government, Benedetti left Uruguay to live in exile . | 2260e4a2ffdebedfb8f9bd94daf77107cbe14783 |
(CNN) -- Paolo Maldini and Luis Figo brought down the curtain on their remarkable careers as their Milan clubs both scored victories on the final day of the Serie A season. Maldini was given a special presentation as he made his 902nd and final appearance for Milan. The 40-year-old Maldini was playing his 902nd game for Milan who won 2-0 at Fiorentina while Portuguese international Figo helped champions Inter to a 4-3 home win over Atalanta. Milan's victory helped them secure the third Champions League place in Italy and automatic qualification to the group stages. Juventus, who beat Lazio 2-0 with Vincenzo Iaquinta scoring twice, finished level on points with Milan, while Fiorentina will go into the Champions League final qualifying round after finishing fourth. Inter had clinched the title two weeks ago, with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic double making sure that they would round off their season in style, the Swede finishing Serie A's top scorer with 25 goals. Figo has been with Inter since 2005 and has helped the club to four straight league titles to become a firm favorite with the fans who gave him a rousing farewell. Former Italian international defender Maldini was completing an incredible 24 seasons at Milan. Inter finished top with 84 points with Milan and Juventus on 74, with Fiorentina fourth with 68. In the relegation dogfight, Torino joined Reggina and Lecce in making the drop from Serie A as they lost 3-2 at AS Roma. Bologna beat Catania 3-1 to finish in the 17th place with 37 points, while Torino ended on 34. Bari, Parma and the winner of the promotion playoff will be the newcomers in Serie A next season. | Paolo Maldini plays 902nd and final match for AC Milan in 2-0 win over Fiorentina .
Luis Figo ends his career as champions Inter Milan beat Atalanta 4-2 .
Torino relegated to Serie B with 3-2 defeat to AS Roma . | ebb7a704069b42bb8200940001bea5afa3fc0eb1 |
KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- The leader of Nepal's former communist rebels was named as the country's new prime minister Friday. Prachanda is still the supreme commander of the Maoists People's Liberation Army. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, was elected four months after elections in which his Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) became the largest party in the 601-member constituent assembly. Prachanda received 464 votes of the 577 votes cast, while his rival Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress party received 113 votes. Most of the parties in the assembly voted for the Maoist candidate. A simple majority was enough to be elected the prime minister. Prachanda's victory became certain on Thursday when the third and fourth biggest parties in Nepal's assembly decided to back him. He will now lead a coalition government, although talks are ongoing on about the allocation of ministerial portfolios. The Maoists signed a peace deal with the government in November 2006, joined an interim parliament and government in 2007 and fought multi-party elections in April this year. The Communist Party of Nepal unexpectedly became the largest party in the elections, winning 220 of the 575 elected seats in the assembly. The assembly declared Nepal a republic in May and in July elected Nepal's first president, physician Ram Baran Yadav. Prachanda, 54, entered politics when he was 17 but went underground in 1981, making his first public appearance after 25 years in 2006. The Maoists launched an insurgency to abolish the monarchy in 1996 and the ten-year conflict claimed more than 13,000 lives. According to the peace deal agreed in 2008, the estimated 19,602 Maoist combatants would be integrated into the country's security structure, the process of which is yet to be worked out. Prachanda remains the supreme commander of the Maoists People's Liberation Army. Besides completing the peace process, the new government has to face many challenges including inflation, lawlessness, impunity and ethnic aspirations. | Prachanda, Communist Party of Nepal chairman, won 464 out of 577 votes .
A simple majority was enough to be elected the prime minister .
Assembly declared Nepal a republic in May and July elected first president .
The post of president is largely ceremonial. PM has executive powers . | 38e41acd745e37d4cbdf8f9362366369aadc501f |
(CNN) -- Korean Air was established as a private airline in March 1969. In nearly 35 years, it has grown 150 times and is poised to continue that growth into the next millennium. With a fleet of 124 aircraft, Korean Air is one of the world's top 20 airlines, and operates almost 400 passenger flights per day to 115 cities in 37 countries. Korean Air was named the Best First/Business Class Airline and the Best Frequent Flyer Program in TIME Readers' Travel Choice Awards 2006. In April and July 2007 respectively, the carrier was named the Best Economy Class in the OAG Airline of the Year Awards and the Skytrax 2006/7 World Airline Awards. It is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airlines alliance partnering Aeroflot, AeroMexico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM and Northwest Airlines. E-mail to a friend . | Korean Air was established as a private airline in March 1969 .
It has a fleet of 124 planes and operates almost 400 passenger flights per day .
It is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airlines alliance . | ba3d47bb767a0fc91108049df70c171dbca21c57 |
(CNN) -- An SUV carrying almost two dozen undocumented immigrants crashed in Arizona over the weekend, killing 10 people and injuring several others, state police reported Sunday. This Ford Excursion was packed with 22 passengers inside when it crashed in Arizona late Saturday night. The Ford Excursion crashed at about 11:55 p.m. Saturday in a remote area about 30 miles north of the Mexican border, ejecting almost all the 22 passengers inside, police said in a statement. In addition to the dead, 12 people were hospitalized. The identity of the driver, passengers and owner of the Excursion were not released. | SUV is packed with almost two dozen undocumented immigrants .
Ford Excursion crashes about 30 miles north of Mexican border in remote area .
Almost all of the 22 people jammed inside are ejected from vehicle .
In addition to 10 dead, 12 people are hospitalized . | 4507e1fc11bdd95990cdc7da86b7856e67723361 |
(CNN) -- Eighteen people, including two soldiers, were killed Saturday in a gunbattle between the Mexican army and organized-crime suspects in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco, the Mexican Ministry of Defense said Sunday. Mexican soldiers hold rifles Saturday during a clash with organized-crime suspects in Acapulco. The incident began about 7 p.m., when the soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco "to exploit information obtained through an anonymous tip," the ministry said in a statement. The soldiers were met by gunfire, it said. Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Two soldiers and 16 gunmen were killed, and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said. The gunmen were not identified, but the statement called them "members of organized crime." Authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons, two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 180 charges and eight vehicles, the ministry said. CNN's Arthur Brice and CNN en Español's Luisa Calad contributed to this report. | Mexican soldiers, organized-crime suspects fight in Acapulco, authorities say .
Two soldiers, 16 "members of organized crime" killed; nine other soldiers wounded .
Five people arrested in connection with shootout; authorities seize weapons .
Soldiers were investigating anonymous tip, says Mexican Defense Ministry . | c88a4a0f6eb06ad55b31073e8a6ed8d985829057 |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- John Travolta, still in mourning over the death of his teenage son earlier this year, issued a rare public statement urging fans to see his latest movie, "The Taking of Pelham 123," which he filmed last year. John Travolta stars as a villainous ex-inmate in "The Taking of Pelham 123," which opens in theaters Friday. "I promise, you won't be disappointed," said Travolta, who plays a deranged ex-inmate who takes hostages on a New York subway. Travolta did not join co-star Denzel Washington in the promotional tour for the movie -- which hits theaters Friday -- because he said his family needed "additional time to reconcile our loss." His son Jett, 16, was found unconscious on January 2 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, local police said. Washington, who plays a subway train dispatcher forced to face down Travolta's character, said he talked to the actor about three weeks ago. "Needless to say, he's struggling," Washington said in an interview last week. Travolta's statement, which can be read on his official Web site, said Washington, director Tony Scott and the producers "stepped up without hesitation to help promote this wonderful film, and their unselfish efforts have allowed my family the additional time to reconcile our loss." Making the movie was "a labor of love," Travolta said. "Tony gave me the freedom to define, and then to become, the ultimate evil mastermind," he said. "This role as an actor gave me the chance to dispense with all moral and ethical limitations, and explore just how bad this character could really be. I believe you will like the result." Much of the movie is a dialogue between Washington and Travolta's character over a two-way radio. Many of the action shots were filmed in New York subway tunnels. | John Travolta releases statement on his Web site about "The Taking of Pelham 123"
Travolta, still mourning son's death, praised colleagues for "unselfish efforts"
Travolta's son Jett died in January during family vacation . | 17d550e0932545400e0cb52b65f7361be4f89a69 |
(CNN) -- Gunmen killed three police officers in Acapulco, Mexico, early Monday morning in attacks on two police stations, the state news agency Notimex reported. Suspected gang members are handcuffed after a gunbattle in Acapulco, Mexico, on Saturday. The attacks came two days after a ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead, including two soldiers. Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters kept watch over the resort town Monday. Along with swine flu fears, the uptick in violence threatens the tourist economy of Acapulco and other popular resort areas. Witnesses told police that just before 6 a.m., gunmen armed with AK-47s stepped out of two luxury vehicles, walked toward the police station in the Ciudad Renacimiento neighborhood and began shooting. Acapulco officers Gilberto Reducindo Salazar and Arturo Tonala Aguilar were killed in that incident, according to Notimex. Shortly afterward, at a second local police station, attackers fatally wounded officer Andres Guzman Casiano, Notimex said. A fourth officer was injured. The Guerrero attorney general's office said the attacks could have been conducted by the same people, as there was a 30-minute gap between them, the state agency reported. It was unknown whether the attacks were connected with Saturday's shootout, which started when soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco on an anonymous tip. They were met by gunfire, according to a statement from Mexico's Ministry of Defense. Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Sixteen gunmen and two soldiers were killed, and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said. After that incident, authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons, two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 180 charges and eight vehicles, the ministry said. | Attacks came 2 days after ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead .
2 soldiers, 16 suspected gang members killed; 9 soldiers wounded Saturday .
Five people arrested in connection with shootout; authorities seize weapons .
Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters kept watch over Acapulco on Monday . | 0ecd4af9312b07986ce4173f28e89b8b1f222171 |
(CNN) -- Come out and join CNN's Fit Nation! Our tour is coming to your city with a digital interactive experience, free Fit Nation gear and a chance for you to be on CNN TV with chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The Fit Nation bus will criss-cross the country starting in July to connect with people who are on ready to commit to a healthy lifestyle. Check the list of scheduled stops below to find out when the tour is coming to a city near you. Upcoming Tour Dates - July 11-13: Taste of Dallas, Dallas, Texas - July 18-20: Bite of Seattle, Seattle, Washington - July 26: Aquatennial River Blast Minneapolis, Minnesota - August 1-3: Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio Do you have a weight loss success story you'd like to share? Send us your story, photos and video. | CNN's Fit Nation launches it's great American road trip this summer .
Meet Dr. Sanjay Gupta and take part in a digital interactive experience . | f5ed1ae6cb51599cd82fe5b0a31dcd02e151afb1 |
Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's "Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull" at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the "Cutting through the Bull" segment of Wednesday night's broadcast. CNN's Campbell Brown says The Huffington Post has audio of an executive talking about the "awards." (CNN) -- And timing is everything when it comes to cashing in during the bailout. The soon-to-be-combined Morgan Stanley and Citigroup's Smith Barney will be doling out bonuses to its financial advisers, even as both firms take $60 billion of your bailout dollars. And it gets better. The bonuses, which could total $3 billion, will be based on the companies' 2008 numbers, which, while bad, will almost certainly be better than this year. How do we all know this? Someone gave The Huffington Post Web site audio from a conference call where, by the way, a Morgan Stanley executive told them not to use the "b" word. Conference audio: "There will be a retention award. Please do not call it a bonus. It is not a bonus. It is an award. And it recognizes the importance of keeping our team in place as we go through this integration." Sounds like a bonus to us. The dictionary describes a bonus as a sum of money granted to an employee on top of their regular pay, usually in appreciation for work done, length of service, or accumulated favors. Semantics aside, the companies have good reason to want to hide the truth. But in the middle of a bailout, we have good reason to call this bonus -- bogus. Jim Wiggins, spokesman for Morgan Stanley, would not confirm the authenticity of the tape, but he did defend their practice of so-called retention programs. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Campbell Brown. | Brown: Banks reportedly giving "retention awards" to employees .
She says awards are bonuses, given by firms accepting bailout money .
Brown says that's wrong, to the tune of up to $3 billion in bonuses . | 196f076f17d582ce5f394d916ad5b26c9b267701 |
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three people were arrested Saturday after chaos broke out at an "America's Next Top Model" audition at a New York hotel, police said. "American's Next Top Model" is hosted and produced by supermodel Tyra Banks. Six people were injured, and two of them sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said. Police said they didn't know what provoked the bedlam, which resulted in three people being charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot in connection to the incident at the Park Central New York hotel in Manhattan. The audition was shut down after the incident, authorities said. Calls to Park Central management were not immediately returned on Saturday. The "Top Model" competition, hosted and produced by supermodel Tyra Banks and aired by the CW network, is in its 12th cycle. | Police: 3 people were arrested Saturday after chaos broke out at a TV show audition .
"America's Next Top Model" audition was being held at a New York hotel, police said .
Two people sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said .
"Top Model" competition is hosted by Tyra Banks and airs on CW network . | b8e054c23466ccbf59c5bd9a117181b3e4b2b594 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Perveen Crawford became Hong Kong's first female pilot in 1995 and is soon to be Hong Kong's first female astronaut when she blasts off to sub-orbital space as a paying customer on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipOne. Po Toi O is in Clear Water Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. The Hong Kong socialite shows us around her city's favorite haunts. For the best seafood in the city, Crawford recommends Po Toi O a small fishing village at Clear Water Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. At the village's two seafood restaurants diners can sample the freshest fish picked from teeming water tanks and enjoy specialties such as fried mantis shrimp with peppery salt and fried rice with sea urchin. There's also a 300-year-old temple in the village and hiking trails abound in the hills around the bay. Po Toi O is a 45-minute drive from Hong Kong Island and can be reached using minibus route 16 from Po Lam and by car along the Po Toi O Chuen road. Another of Hong Kong's hidden gems is the retro-chic China Club on the 13th floor of the Old Bank of China building on Bank Street. The style is 1930s Shanghai with traditional furniture as well as contemporary Chinese art and dazzling views from the balcony. On the menu is traditional Chinese food (monosodium glutamate is completely banned) as well as Western tea, coffee and cakes during the day. China Club, The 13/F, The Old Bank of China Building, Bank Street, Central, Hong Kong. Telephone: 25218888. | Perveen Crawford, Hong Kong's first female pilot, shows us around her favorite spots .
For the best seafood try Po Toi O a small fishing village in the New Territories .
The retro-chic China Club in Central Hong Kong serves traditional Chinese food . | 1f1d562238e0aa50badb0cedf90dc4266e331336 |
(CNN) -- Actress Mariska Hargitay went to a hospital for tests Wednesday after she "experienced some discomfort" related to the collapsed lung she suffered in January, her publicist said. Mariska Hargitay plays Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." "She is undergoing routine tests and expects to be feeling better soon," Leslie Sloane said in an e-mailed statement. Hargitay stars as Detective Olivia Benson in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." "Production will not be affected," Sloane said. | Mariska Hargitay in hospital for tests related to collapsed lung .
Actress suffered collapsed lung in January .
Hargitay is star of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" | 178553e5464c8537272fa666dcca40dc6e2b2569 |
LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Seven children and two teachers were killed Monday when a bridge collapsed in southern Peru, according to a health department official. Fifty-five others were injured in the incident, which occurred near a school in Peru's Ayacucho province, said Director Maria Torrealba. Further details were not immediately available, nor were the conditions of those injured in the incident. Journalist Maribel Salas contributed to this report . | Fifty-five others were injured in the collapse .
The incident has occurred near a school in Peru's Ayacucho province .
The conditions of those injured in the incident is not immediately available . | 21dddc46484d7e3fdae03d03b2fbfb3ea9f97082 |
ASUNCION, Paraguay (CNN) -- Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo acknowledged Monday that he is the father of a 2-year-old child who was conceived when he was a Roman Catholic bishop. Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo speaks at a news conference in Asuncion on Monday. "It's true that there was a relationship with Viviana Carrillo," Lugo told reporters, citing the mother. "I assume all the responsibilities that could derive from such an act, recognizing the paternity of the child." He said he was making the acknowledgment "with the most absolute honesty, transparency and feeling of obligation." The announcement came in the week after Carrillo had filed suit in a city in southern Paraguay seeking a paternity test. Judge Evelyn Peralta, who is overseeing the case, said she was treating it routinely. "It is a case like any other, which involves the president and nothing more," she said. "It will be processed as it should be." Some Cabinet members interpreted Lugo's acknowledgment of paternity as an indication of the change he has promised to bring about to achieve greater transparency in the public sector. "This is the Paraguay that we want," said Liz Torres, minister of children's issues. "This is the Paraguay of serious change, in which there is no double standard or secrets. It seems to be an example, a very big lesson." But some opposition party members said it appeared that Lugo had practically been forced to acknowledge what happened; that he had not done so willingly. Sen. Julio Cesar Velasquez of the opposition Colorado Party called on the Vatican to excommunicate Lugo. Lugo was laicized last year, around the time he assumed the presidency. Journalist Sanie Lopez Garelli contributed to this report from Asuncion. | Fernando Lugo says he's the father of a 2-year-old conceived when he was a bishop .
Announcement comes in the week after child's mother sued, seeking paternity test .
Some Cabinet members say paternity disclosure reflects government transparency .
But opposition party member calls on Vatican to excommunicate Lugo . | e479b8ecf55f49de45b83d9851332027739a7b58 |
LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- After weeks of enduring cajoling and threats that culminated in a hunger strike by President Evo Morales, Bolivia's congress on Tuesday approved a law allowing him to run for re-election in December. Evo Morales on hunger strike at the presidential palace in Bolivia's capital, La Paz. Bolivia's first indigenous president credited his five-day hunger strike for the decision, which came after an all-night debate. "That effort has not been in vain," the leftist leader said as he approved the law, which calls for general elections to be held on December. 6. The congress also approved a new census, seven parliamentary seats to be reserved for representatives of indigenous villages, and a referendum on autonomy for five resource-rich eastern regions and the eastern province of Gran Chaco. It also set April 4, 2010, for regional and municipal elections. For the opposition, the requirement of a new electoral census and tighter rules regarding who gets to vote was an important victory. "It will give to all of us the assurance that our vote counts, that our vote will not be manipulated and that, therefore, we will define our future and the future of Bolivia," said Oscar Ortiz, a senator with the opposition Democratic Power party. But Jose Antonio Quiroga, a political analyst, predicted that the national electoral court will face big difficulties in deciding how the new census will affect who gets to vote -- both inside and outside the country. "That's an enormous job that must be decided not only by the electoral court, but the Office of Civil Registry, the National Police or perhaps the office of personal identification, which is where I believe the biggest problems will emerge," he said. The approval of the electoral law marked the end not only to days of political tension but to the hunger strike by Morales, who reportedly carried out an 18-day hunger strike in 2002 -- when he was expelled from Congress. | December 6 set as date for country's general elections .
President Evo Morales is expected to win another five-year term .
Morales began a hunger strike to force the congress to approve the election law .
The Congress also approves a new electoral census . | a8c88f6601d733b2586674c6777d26f24fc0abc1 |
(CNN) -- Two high-profile political officials linked to Guinea-Bissau's recently assassinated president were killed Friday, according to a statement from the West African country's interim army chief. The killings raised fears that a military coup may be under way. Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr, left, and interim President Raimundo Pereira are currently out of the country. The military confirmed the killings of former Defense Minister Helder Proenca and presidential candidate Baciro Dabo, saying the men were killed because they were plotting a coup against the current government. The military said several members of the ruling party have been arrested on allegations of taking part in the plot, which included a plan to assassinate the current prime minister and the interim president, according to the statement from interim army chief Zamora Induta. However, the move by the military has raised fears that the military itself is plotting to take over the government, particularly since the arrests and killings took place while Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr., interim President Raimundo Pereira, and defense minister Artur Da Silva are out of the country. President Joao Bernardo Vieira, 69, was assassinated on March 2 during an attack on the presidential palace. The attack happened a day after Gen. Tagme Na Waie, chief of Guinea-Bissau's military, was killed in a bomb explosion in his office. The army and Guinea-Bissau's president clashed in the months prior to Vieira's assassination. Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, has a history of military coups. | Two former allies of Guinea-Bissau's assassinated president killed, military says .
Military says pair were plotting against government; some fear military plans coup .
President Vieira assassinated March 2 in attack on presidential palace .
Former Portuguese colony has a history of military coups . | b6614c5a95c21d0f0ab078e372813da6360019b1 |
(CNN) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales on Sunday pledged to continue his hunger strike until Monday, when Congress -- including the opposition-led Senate -- is set to reconvene. Evo Morales on hunger strike at the presidential palace in Bolivia's capital, La Paz. Morales' speech, televised by a state-run station, was his first formal address to the nation since starting the strike Thursday in the government palace. More than three days into the strike, Morales appeared healthy during his address. The president wants the opposition-led Senate to set a date for general elections that are expected to give him another five-year term. Morales on Friday called on opposition members -- who walked out of the Congress in mid-session late Thursday -- to pass the election law, the government-run Bolivian Information Agency said. The nation's first indigenous president reportedly carried out an 18-day hunger strike in 2002, when he was expelled from Congress. | Evo Morales initiated his hunger strike Thursday in the Government Palace .
Opposition-controlled Senate yet to pass law setting December date for vote .
General election expected to give him another five-year term .
Morales is the South American nation's first indigenous president . | 0bdc0ca2c32a8f32b0ada06c81505e018fbb9a35 |
(CNN Student News) -- May 15, 2009 . Where in the World? You've heard many different places mentioned this week on CNN Student News. Show you know your news by identifying the location described in each clue. Write your answers in the space provided. Click here for a PDF version of this Newsquiz. 1. This country, whose general election lasts for a month, is considered the world's largest democracy. * . * . 2. Russia celebrated its defeat of Nazi Germany with Victory Day parades in this city. * . * . 3. Journalist Roxana Saberi was freed from imprisonment in this country. * . * . 4. Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to visit this country in nine years. * . * . 5. This is the location on the earth's surface directly above where an earthquake begins. * . * . 6. A small team from Operation Blessing helped this earthquake-ravaged town in China's Sichuan Province rebuild. * . * . 7. Graduating seniors at Dillard University, Xavier University and other colleges in this U.S. city were displaced as freshmen due to Hurricane Katrina. * . * . 8. This Afghan capital's only college for music has reopened. * . * . 9. Controversy surrounds a scheduled commencement speech by President Barack Obama at this Catholic university. * . * . 10. According to a report by RealtyTrac, this state led the U.S. in foreclosures in April. * . * . | You've heard many different places mentioned this week on CNN Student News .
Show you know your news by identifying the location described in each clue .
Write your answers in the space provided . | 7e77c51d97ead7a22778b5ffa275988389725e0e |
(Entertainment Weekly) -- If you're interested in actor Marlee Matlin, you'll want two questions answered before deciding whether to read her memoir, "I'll Scream Later": . Actress Marlee Matlin appears on CNN's "Larry King Live" to talk about her sexual abuse. 1. What does she say about her relationship with William Hurt, her former lover and costar in "Children of a Lesser God," for which Matlin won a Golden Globe and an Oscar in 1987? 2. Why does she want to scream? The answer to the first is easy: Yes, yes, good Lord, yes, Matlin can't stop talking about Hurt and their passionate, turbulent, at times violent relationship. For instance, "We made amazing, mind-blowing love. And we fought." Good to know. And also, "No matter what triggered our fights, they were made far worse by his drinking and my drug use." Got it. Mr. Hurt no doubt sends his regards. The answer to the second is more complicated -- something to do with Matlin's being deaf in a hearing world, and being headstrong and wild, and receiving news of her Oscar nomination while dealing with drug addiction (at the age of 21) at the Betty Ford Center. This memoir, dutifully wrestled into order by L.A. Times film critic Betsy Sharkey, is more ramble than holler, but Matlin clearly enjoys making some noise. EW Grade: C+ . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . Copyright 2009 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | Marlee Matlin's memoir "I'll Scream Later" says plenty about William Hurt .
Book more muddied when it comes to why she wants to scream .
For a ramble, it isn't bad, but EW gives it a C-plus . | f3c235ed08eb9caf00da936de972d7912bba73ae |
(CNN) -- After several delays, NASA said Friday that space shuttle Discovery is scheduled for launch in five days. The space shuttle Discovery, seen here in January, is now scheduled to launch Wednesday. Commander Lee Archambault and his six crewmates are now scheduled to lift off to the International Space Station at 9:20 p.m. ET Wednesday. NASA said its managers had completed a readiness review for Discovery, which will be making the 28th shuttle mission to the ISS. The launch date had been delayed to allow "additional analysis and particle impact testing associated with a flow-control valve in the shuttle's main engines," the agency said. According to NASA, the readiness review was initiated after damage was found in a valve on the shuttle Endeavour during its November 2008 flight. Three valves have been cleared and installed on Discovery, it said. Discovery is to deliver the fourth and final set of "solar array wings" to the ISS. With the completed array the station will be able to provide enough electricity when the crew size is doubled to six in May, NASA said. The Discovery also will carry a replacement for a failed unit in a system that converts urine to drinkable water, it said. Discovery's 14-day mission will include four spacewalks, NASA said. | NASA now says that space shuttle Discovery is scheduled for launch Wednesday .
Shuttle is set to lift off for the International Space Station at 9:20 p.m. ET .
The launch date had been delayed to allow additional testing .
Discovery's 14-day mission will include four spacewalks . | 696731f0ed7cc4a1551cbe2934a1b51feb60df98 |
DINGLE, Ireland (CNN) -- Fewer tourists and relatively warm temperatures may be reason enough to put Ireland on your list of winter travel destinations, especially Dingle Peninsula, once ranked by National Geographic Traveler as "the most beautiful place on Earth." Winter offers tourists a chance to explore Ireland's west coast unhindered by bothersome crowds. The peninsula, on Ireland's west coast, includes the oceanside town of Dingle, which boasts more than 1,000 full-time residents. Winter visitors will avoid the area's hundreds of thousands of summertime tourists. Boats crowd Dingle's popular marina, bringing fresh seafood catches of the day. Some of the marina vessels also will ferry visitors to see Fungie, a locally famous dolphin who has lived in the waters outside town since 1984. See breathtaking photos of Dingle » . Outside Dingle, numerous vacation cottages are available to rent, including homes in the village of Dunquin. In winter, rates are drastically cut, and rental period dates may be more flexible. Most shops and restaurants have shorter hours during winter, and traditional music is found in some of the pubs on the weekends. As with most of Ireland, pubs abound, even in the smallest villages. A beer (preferably Guinness) and some hearty pub grub are a perfect way to cap a day of exploring the wintry sights of the peninsula. Because Ireland sits near the warm waters of the Atlantic Gulf Stream, the Emerald Isle has an average temperature of 46 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius) during December, January and February. But pack smart and bring layers of clothing, including warm sweaters and jackets, because winter weather often means rain on Ireland's western shore. | Dingle, Ireland, called "most beautiful place on Earth" by National Geographic .
Escape summer crowds by traveling to Dingle Peninsula during winter months .
Cottage rentals are cheaper in winter, and periods are more flexible .
Winter temperatures in western Ireland average 46 degrees F (7 Celsius) | 01cd6515607eee6ef4f01964a56960ab1b34b290 |
(CNN) -- The government is delaying legal action against Pennsylvania landowners who haven't yet agreed to sell their land for a memorial to victims of United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, federal officials said Friday. This plot of land is scheduled to house the permanent United Airlines Flight 93 memorial. The government has been negotiating with several landowners since 2003 in an effort to purchase their properties near Shanksville where the hijacked jet crashed into a field, killing everyone aboard. If final efforts at negotiations are unsuccessful, officials intend to use eminent domain to acquire the property. That right allows governments to take private property for public use without an owner's consent, after paying a fair price for the land. The government is seeking to buy 166 acres in western Pennsylvania to complete the area needed to build a memorial on 2,200 acres. "The (National Park Service) will negotiate with the landowners to reach agreement. If agreement is not reached, eminent domain remains as a backstop to acquire these lands," said Kendra Barkoff, spokeswoman for the Department of Interior. See plans for the proposed Flight 93 Memorial . Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, met with landowners and some 9/11 victims' relatives Friday in Somerset County, where the plane crashed into a field. "The goal remains to finish phase one of the memorial by September 10, 2011," Barkoff said. "We'll try to negotiate with the families, but eminent domain has always been and will continue to be the last resort." Landowner Randy Musser told CNN he is encouraged that the government is recognizing that the negotiations aren't working. While the threat of eminent domain stills seem to be on the table, "it finally seems like the lines of communication are open," Musser said. Producers Eric Fiegel and Terry Frieden contributed to this report. | Government may use eminent domain to seize land needed for 9/11 memorial .
Hijacked United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania .
Federal officials say they hope to have first phase of memorial complete by 2011 . | b40e823c3233b41947a100f5c584438b0f915ac8 |
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India's lower house of parliament elected a woman as its speaker Wednesday, a first in the male-dominated chamber's history. Meira Kumar was nominated by the ruling Congress party. Meira Kumar is also a member of the "untouchable" Dalit class, the lowest rung in the centuries-old caste system in the country. The speaker conducts the proceedings of the house. She will preside over 543 elected members, of which 58 are women. Kumar, 64, was elected to the position unopposed. She was nominated by the ruling Congress party but also had the backing of the alliance led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Women play a prominent role in the politics of India, the world's largest democracy. The South Asian country of 1.1 billion people has a female president, Pratibha Devisingh Patil. And four of the country's political parties, including the Congress Party, are led by women. Hindus believe there are five main groups of people. The last group is the Dalits. They're considered impure and are often forced to work in menial jobs. They drink from separate wells and use different entry ways to come and go from buildings. Dalits number about 250 million in India, about 25 percent of the population, according to the Colorado, U.S.-based Dalit Freedom Network. India's constitution outlaws caste-based discrimination, and barriers have broken down in large cities. Prejudice, however, persists in some rural areas of the country. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this report. | Meira Kumar a member of the Dalit class -- lowest rung in centuries-old caste system .
She will preside over 543 elected members, of which 58 are women .
Kumar, 64, was elected to the position unopposed . | 95ff1ffa9f650f9c6f3056d38e2a58d136fa77ae |
(CNN) -- A man shot and killed his wife and two of their children and then killed himself in central Florida on Sunday night, authorities said. Troy Ryan Bellar shot and killed his wife, Wendy, and two of their children, sheriff's officials say. Troy Ryan Bellar, 34, used a high-powered rifle with a scope to shoot his 31-year-old wife, Wendy, when she tried to leave their home, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Two of the couple's children -- 5-month-old Zack and 7-year-old Ryan -- also were killed, but a 13-year-old got away, with the father chasing and firing after him, officials said. "It is beyond my understanding why a man would shoot and kill his 5-month-old baby boy, his 7-year-old baby boy, try to kill his 13-year-old son, shoot his wife and then turn the gun on himself," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "There is no explanation for that." The shootings happened in Lakeland, Florida, just east of Tampa. When the shooting began, the couple's son, Nathan, ran out of the house and down the street -- with his dad chasing him through the garage and firing several shots, authorities said. Nathan was unhurt and will be placed with family members. Investigators do not know what led to the shooting, but believe it was preceded by "some kind of domestic disturbance," a statement from the sheriff's office said. Bellar was arrested twice in Polk County: for aggravated assault in 1994, and for driving under the influence in 1999. His wife was arrested in March for battery domestic violence. | Bodies of gunman, wife, 2 children found at Lakeland, Florida, home, officials say .
Boy, 13, was chased down street, fired at, but got away unharmed, officials say .
Gunman used a high-powered rifle with scope, authorities say . | 41e73af437e99be62879852e256ee3907eb839c9 |
(CNN) -- Facetime with Abdalla Salem El-Badri, Secretary General of OPEC . Abdalla Salem El-Badri, Secretary General of OPEC, says $40 a barrel is not enough for oil producing countries in the current economic climate. In a TV exclusive, Abdalla Salem El-Badri, Secretary General of OPEC, talks to Marketplace Middle East on how $40 per barrel is not enough for oil-producing countries, and the ongoing search for the right balance for the consumer and the producer. The Secretary General says the Organization is prepared to trim more production if demand continues to fall and urges Non-OPEC producers to do the same. In focus: London Philharmonic Orchestra . Ever think you'd hear of a Qatar, Abu Dhabi or Dubai Philharmonic Orchestra? Well, it won't be long before you do. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is selling its brand to the Middle East. Can they succeed? Or will they hit the wrong note amidst the global downturn? Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 . | Abdalla Salem El-Badri, Secretary General of OPEC, talks exclusively to MME .
El-Badri is prepared to trim production if demand falls any further .
Plus, The London Philharmonic Orchestra is selling its brand to the Middle East .
Can an orchestra succeed in this region? | 6177976db1bcc9699662894a574b194fac9a657b |
(CNN) -- Facetime with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum . Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines talks strategy and adresses rumours about the airline. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines is at the center of Dubai's aviation industry. As the world witnesses an unprecedented economic downturn, Emirates has embarked on a $4 billion expansion plan. MME speaks to Sheikh Ahmed to find out about his strategy, and address rumors about the airline itself. In focus -- Risky business . Northern Iraq holds great potential, which is largely underdeveloped and the country is thirsting for investors. But, there are risks, with the potential for conflict on three fronts. There are other risks too, according to Herish Mohammed, Head of the Board of Investment of the Kurdish Controlled Region -- an ancient banking system, lack of insurance policies and corruption. But as one American entrepreneur put it -- it's not just about the money, it's about the adventure. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: . Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 . | Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates Airlines .
Al-Maktoum, who is at the heart of Dubai's aviation industry, on the economic downturn .
Plus, the huge investment potential in Northern Iraq, despite the risks . | 0b298eb6aa9e30c8df62d45ce1e5b7f4ff0fcef1 |
(CNN) -- Facetime with Saad Hariri, Leader of Future Movement . Saad Hariri is the leader of Lebanon's majority party, Future Movement. Lebanon's economic growth may have slipped from an estimated 7 percent to 4 percent so far this year, but according to politician and businessman Saad Hariri, the country should largely escape the effects of the global slowdown. The leader of Lebanon's majority party talks to MME about the credit crisis, its impact on remittances, and how he believes peace in the Middle East is the only way to bring political and economic stability to his country. In focus -- The Land Grab . The Gulf might have oil, but it has a shortage of arable land. A year ago, food prices skyrocketed and there were shortages of all kinds -- even for basics, such as bread. The shortage caught the region flat-footed, and now food security is a top concern for many countries. It has prompted the likes of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to use their petro-dollars to buy farmland in Africa and Asia to feed their people. In the long run, could this search for food security also develop sustainable agricultural businesses and local jobs in the process? Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: Friday: 0815, 1945 Saturday: 0545 Sunday: 0715 . | The leader of Lebanon's majority party discusses the impact of the credit crisis .
Hariri explains why peace in the Middle East is needed to stabilize Lebanon .
Fearing a food shortage, the Gulf countries are buying land in Africa and Asia . | 5ea2e43c0b356a9b2e1e56c94f1b4ba48c11bb47 |
(CNN) -- In focus: OPEC quota cuts . OPEC, which pumps 40 percent of the world oil, is set to announce this week plans to cut its output when it meets in Oran, Algeria. CEO Naguib Sawiris is expanding his mobile phone services into North Korea, an area where few businessmen venture. The cut in crude is hoped to stabilize prices and will be the third cut in quotas since September. So what's behind the supply cuts? Is it just a matter of price stability? Or is OPEC trying to protect the cost of future investments? Facetime with Naguib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom . Amidst the economic downturn, one company is venturing into markets where others fear to tread. Orascom launches its mobile phone services in North Korea this week. CEO Naguib Sawiris tells MME about the company's ambitious expansion plans and the effects of the international financial crisis. Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: . Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815 . | OPEC, which supplies 40 percent of world oil plans on cutting more output .
This is the third cut since the fall and is supposed to stabilize prices-will it?
Or is OPEC just looking out for its own interests?
Plus, CEO Naguib Sawiris talks about his North Korea expansion plans . | 8bfdb7cfbcb3ac5732e9170f30a49a2673fb273a |
OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- A former transit police officer charged with murder was released from custody Friday after posting a $3 million bail. Video shows Johannes Mehserle shoot Oscar Grant III in the back as another officer knelt on him. Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Oakland to protest the release of Johannes Mehserle, 27, charged with killing an unarmed man on New Year's Day. iReport.com: Watch the protest . The former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer's release funds came from unknown sources, Alameda officials told CNN. Video taken by a bystander showed Mehserle pulling his gun and fatally shooting Oscar Grant III, 22, in the back as another officer kneeled on Grant. Mehserle may have intended to draw and fire his Taser instead of his gun, according to a court filing by his attorney. In January, protests turned violent after a judge decided to allow bail for Mehserle's release. A preliminary hearing in the case is set for March 23, authorities said. CNN's Jackie Castillo contributed to this report. | Former BART officer accused of murder posts $3 million bail .
Johannes Mehserle charged with murder of Oscar Grant III .
Mehserle may have intended to use Taser instead of gun, attorney says . | 88a68ba405416463fee10345cc99d1f89bc6cd56 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Teratomas of the brain are very rare and comprise less than 1 per cent of all brain tumors. Teratomas have been the subject of intense fascination among scientists because of their sometimes strange qualities -- some have been reported to contain hair, teeth, bone and, very rarely, more complex organs such as eyeballs. Thoughts about the origin of these tumors have attracted much debate. CNN spoke with Dr. Thomas L. Ellis, senior neurosurgeon at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in North Carolina, United States, about the tumors sometimes known as "the monsters". He explained some quick facts: . • "Teratoma" comes from the Greek word "teraton," meaning "monster". • Teratomas are seen most commonly in children and young adults. • Teratomas are made up of tissue from all three germ layers -- mesoderm, ectoderm, and endoderm -- that occur during the formation of an embryo. • Although teratomas can occur during embryonic development, most arise much later in life. • Teratomas occur most often in the midline of the brain, therefore often obstructing and putting pressure on critical areas of the brain. This can lead to loss of basic functions, but this loss can be temporary -- until the tumor is removed or reduced in size. • Teratomas are commonly very solid and rubbery making them resistant to dissection with standard instruments. | Teratomas of the brain are very rare tumors -- less than 1% of all brain tumors .
"Mature" teratomas sometimes contain highly developed tissues like teeth and hair .
"Teratoma" comes from the Greek word "teraton," meaning "monster". | 3c9ecd19b5bad365a8bcb90445d9d18f7453a4a5 |
(CNN) -- An outbreak of the deadly ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted neighboring Angola to close its border with that country, Angola's state news agency reported Tuesday. Angolan Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem announced the "suspension of migratory movements" at the country's north-eastern border Sunday, the Angop news agency reported. The World Health Organization reports 41 suspected cases of the deadly fever in Congo since November 27. Thirteen people have died, and 183 cases are under observation. Two people are being held in quarantine. The handling of dead monkeys may be the source of the outbreak, the WHO suspects, according to Angop. Diosdado Nsue-Micawg, the WHO representative in the Angolan capital of Luanda, said the health agency does not know the source of the virus, but fears that hunters and women who visit the forest might have been in contact with infected monkeys. The outbreak is centered in the western Kassi province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been reporting intermittent cases of the disease since 1976, according to Angop. | Democratic Republic of Congo has reported intermittent cases of ebola since 1976 .
World Health Organization reports 41 suspected cases, 13 deaths, since Nov. 27 .
As a result of the outbreak, neighboring Angola has closed its northeastern border . | fe6f12b7bd00fc593ef7290930a9731d30c3b77d |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- An American Airlines Boeing 757 made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport an hour after taking off because the crew smelled smoke in the cockpit, a fire department official said. Inflatable chutes extend from a jet that made an emergency landing Tuesday in Los Angeles. American Airlines spokesman John Hotard said there was evidence of smoke in the cabin, but he could not say if it was visible or just an odor. Flight 31 was headed from Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii. There were 188 passengers and seven crew members aboard. When it landed, the pilot ordered an emergency evacuation. Passengers evacuated by inflatable slides. Watch passengers slide down chutes » . "It was split-second, 'Go, go, go. Don't take any bags with you. Just go, get off,' " said passenger Julie Brown. "And we just walked to the exit door, and there's that huge slide." Five passengers had minor cuts and bruises, Hotard said. Hotard said the flight was the first of the day for the aircraft, and there were no reports of problems with it in the past 30 days. The pilot requested an emergency landing as a precaution, Hotard said. Watch as official tells what happened » . American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said most passengers would take an afternoon flight to Hawaii, although he added that a "handful" of passengers were not continuing to Honolulu. He did not specify why. CNN's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report. | Honolulu-bound American jet lands at Los Angeles International Airport .
Pilot requests emergency landing after smoke in cabin reported, official says .
Passengers slide down inflatable chutes to get out of cabin; minor injuries reported . | bc69d883d88d09888054ac9a1b4ebd29626b7871 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi Security Forces captured 66 people believed to be connected to al Qaeda in Iraq terror cells, the U.S. military said Thursday. Members of the Iraqi Security Forces are working in Iraq to capture terrorists and insurgents. The suspects were captured during separate operations in northern Iraq this week, according to a military news release. The suspects included 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq and 21 suspected terrorists from an umbrella group of al Qaeda in Iraq known as The Islamic State of Iraq, the statement said. The suspects are believed to be part of terror cells responsible for bombings, torturing of civilians, conducting attacks and warning insurgents about upcoming Iraqi and U.S. military operations, the military said. One of the suspects is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July. "These operations show the ability of Iraqi Security Forces to repeatedly capture criminals who undermine the security of Iraq," said Lt. Col. Neil Harper, a U.S. military spokesman. | Suspects blamed for bombings, civilian torture, warning insurgents about operations .
Suspects include 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq, 21 from the Islamic State of Iraq .
One of the suspects is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July . | c7816bbe007f9a24cec53b793ac210082d45fb49 |
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Beginning December 1, Mexico City plans to hand out free medicine to elderly men with erectile dysfunction, the local government said. Medications such as Viagra, Levitra or Cialis reportedly will be offered under medical supervision. "Everyone has the right to be happy," said Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, governor of the federal district that encompasses the Mexican capital. "We have to protect people -- senior citizens above all," he said in a statement Thursday. "Many of them are abandoned and lack money. They don't have medical services, and a society that doesn't care for its senior citizens has no dignity." The government said it plans to offer Viagra, Levitra or Cialis -- medication used to treat erectile dysfunction -- under adequate medical supervision. It cited figures saying that 70 percent of elderly men suffer from the condition. To obtain the medicine, men must first undergo a "very, very detailed" medical check to screen for and possibly treat ailments such as hypertension and diabetes, the government said. Centers in Mexico City also will offer a variety of treatment to elderly men and women. | Elderly men in Mexico City must undergo medical screening first .
Free medicine will be out handed out to those with erectile dysfunction in December .
"Everyone has the right to be happy," official says .
Figures show 70 percent of elderly men suffer from condition, local government says . | bb147bfbd327a208aa3a7ee65bb7b903441788b8 |
(CNN) -- Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, the hero pilot who safely landed a full passenger jet in the Hudson River, was once again honored with cheers and applause Tuesday during a ceremony for him hosted by the governor of his home state. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger a flag and license plate. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, first lady Maria Shriver and other dignitaries greeted Sullenberger at the state Capitol rotunda in Sacramento. Taking a break from difficult negotiations over a troubled state budget, the governor presented Sullenberger with a jacket with the state seal, a California state flag that had flown over the state Capitol, a proclamation and a "California Hero" license plate. "Today is a very important day," Schwarzenegger said. "There are legislators upstairs that are negotiating and working on a budget -- [we] need a great hero in a state capitol." The Sullenberger family lives in Danville, California. Sullenberger's response was understated -- as it has been at other ceremonies, including a New York City Hall event when he was given the key to the city by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "On behalf of the other four crew members of Flight 1549 and also on behalf of the many thousands of aviation professionals whose daily devotion to duty keeps air travel safe, I gratefully accept this recognition," he said. Sullenberger and his crew safely landed the damaged airplane, believed to have hit a flock of birds, in the Hudson on January 15. All 155 passengers aboard the US Airways flight survived. CNN's Scott Thompson contributed to this report. | California governor honors U.S. Airways pilot Capt. Chesley Sullenberger .
Schwarzenegger: "We need a great hero" in state legislature like Sullenberger .
Sullenberger safely landed flight 1549 in the Hudson River in New York .
Sullenberger accepts recognition on behalf of crew members, others . | 433bc6c1d2622cca547936a55a15809c228f49df |
(CNN) -- Just after 7 a.m. Tuesday in the fifth district of Kabul, Afghanistan, a suicide bomber struck a bus carrying Afghan police and civilians. Afghan I-Reporter S. Samimi sent this photo of a bus struck by a suicide bomber on Tuesday. At least 10 people were killed, including four children. I-Reporter S. Samimi was in his car on his way to work, only 100 meters from where the blast went off. He jumped from his car, unsure of what had happened. Samimi asked people around him what was going on. Finally, the truth dawned on him. Samimi, 23, grabbed his camera and made his way to the site of the attack. He said it was difficult taking pictures because his whole body was shaking. It was the first suicide bombing he had ever witnessed. Hands and limbs were scattered about the ground. Within minutes a crowd of hundreds had gathered around the bus, some of them family members of victims. "People were screaming and crying," Samimi said. "The situation was so bad. So tragic. I am so sad about it." Samimi said security guards were quickly on the scene and ordered him to stop taking pictures. He said at that point he was ready to leave. Samimi, who works as a secretary, said he was too shaken to concentrate on the job. "I couldn't work well, because my condition was so bad after having seen a scene like that for the first time. It was so tragic." He said he returned home to learn that one of his neighbors, a policeman, had been killed in the bombing. "I saw his family screaming and crying over his death," he said. He talked about the bombing with his family. "They were so sad when they heard about what had happened and when they saw my pictures. People in the neighborhood are still crying." Samimi explained why he sent his photographs to CNN. "The world should see what's happened in Afghanistan. The situation is not good in Afghanistan at the moment." E-mail to a friend . | On Tuesday, a suicide bomber struck a bus in Kabul, Afghanistan .
Samimi, a 23-year-old resident of Kabul, witnessed the bombing .
He shares photos, first-hand account of the tragic situation .
I-Report: Send photos, video of breaking news situations near you . | a80d2959846819d5ac9dca4bae9c6838d3b88be4 |
(CNN) -- The Sri Lankan government said Thursday it has made more inroads into the remaining territory held by ethnic Tamil Tiger rebels after troops seized their command center in the north of the country. Sri Lankan workers bury the bodies of some 38 suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed in recent fighting. The defense ministry's announcement, also reported by the country's Lankapuvath national news agency, could not be independently verified. Military jets pounded the rebel's "transit camp" in the district of Mullaittivu Wednesday evening, the agency said. The defense ministry said rebels were firing at and killing civilians who were trying to flee the fighting. "In the face of humiliating defeat, LTTE terrorists are tailoring a civilian tragedy," it said on its Web site. The LTTE, or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, are commonly known as the Tamil Tigers. They have fought for an independent homeland for the country's Tamil minority since 1983 in a civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. In recent days, the military has made significant progress in its campaign to recapture rebel strongholds. Earlier this month, troops regained control of the northern town of Elephant Pass, the point at which mainland Sri Lanka links to the northern Jaffna peninsula. It had been in rebel hands for more than nine years. The re-capture enabled the government to use a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula to move troops and supplies. Previously, it was done by air and sea. | Sri Lanka news agency says government jets bombarded rebel transit camp .
Defense ministry says rebels killing civilians .
Reported capture is latest in a series of claimed government successes . | ba1dd3ba6cdc5a8adcf14e5ce9197268358ec599 |
(CNN) -- The leading champion of democracy in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, emerged from house arrest Wednesday to meet with political supporters, a diplomatic source told CNN. Activists display a portrait of detained democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in Myanmar. Military leaders in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, let Suu Kyi leave her house to meet with senior leaders of the National League for Democracy, the source said. The meeting comes after the U.S. State Department criticized Myanmar for arresting 10 democracy activists. "The United States condemns the regime's decision to press criminal charges against ten Burmese pro-democracy activists ... for the peaceful expression of their political beliefs," the department said in a statement Tuesday. The department noted that the 10 were charged with crimes that can carry lengthy sentences. "If the regime were serious about engaging in a peaceful transition to democracy, it would stop arresting and prosecuting Burma's democratic leaders, and instead engage them in a genuine dialogue." The military government in Myanmar held Suu Kyi under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2002. It restricted her travel afterward and put her back under house arrest in 2003. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. The regime in Myanmar used force to suppress a pro-democracy movement a few months ago. The government admitted that its crackdown killed at least 10 people, but human rights groups said they suspect the number is much higher. The government also acknowledged arresting several hundred people after democracy protests led by Buddhist monks. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report . | Aung San Suu Kyi emerged from house arrest to meet with political supporters .
Junta allowed her to meet senior leaders of the National League for Democracy .
Meeting comes after the U.S. criticized Myanmar for arresting 10 democracy activists . | 3adecc1cb641dcda2985db4ec8fd05f161f492b9 |
(CNN) -- A court has lifted a ban on identifying a man charged with one of a number of deadly wildfires that scorched southeastern Australia this month. A dirt track runs through the burnt out forest in the Kinglake region of Victoria state. The man, 39-year-old Brendan Sokaluk, did not appear in Monday's hearing in Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the Australian Associated Press reported. An order banning the publishing of Sokaluk's street address or his image remains in place. Public passions are running high in the aftermath of the fires that have killed scores of people. One T-shirt says, "The bastards who lit Victoria's fires should: Burn in hell." Sokaluk is suspected of lighting a fire on February 7. He was charged with arson causing death, intentionally or recklessly lighting a bush fire, and possessing child pornography, Victoria state police said last week. The fire Sokaluk is accused of setting killed at least 21 people in Gippsland. See map of fire-hit areas » . Sokaluk's identity had already been revealed on social networking sites before the court lifted the suppression order on his name. There were 12 Facebook groups carrying details about Sokaluk, with one attracting more than 3,600 members. Watch more on arrest » . Robbie Shenton, who has joined one such group, told CNN: "The judicial system had no right to suppress his name or photograph." Melbourne's Age newspaper reported Police had contacted Facebook seeking removal of Sokaluk's details. The death toll in a string of fires across Victoria climbed to 189 on Monday, police reported. The number of fires burning had dropped to six, from about a peak of about three dozen, the Country Fire Authority said. Watch a survivor tell his story » . Meanwhile, more than 150 detectives were working on the arson investigation, authorities said. The fires have destroyed more than 1,800 homes and displaced about 7,000 people. Priyanka Deladia contributed to this report. | Court lifts ban on identifying man charged with starting deadly wildfire .
Brendan Sokaluk, 39, did not appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court .
Order banning publishing of Sokaluk's address or image remains in place . | 6792c8a2394d64873106a7f43087225d0ff22123 |
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Lebanon on Sunday to pledge U.S. support for the country and its push for free elections. Lebanon President Michel Sleiman greets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday. "The people of Lebanon must be able to choose their own representatives in open and fair elections, without the specter of violence or intimidation, and free of outside interference," Clinton said during an unannounced visit to Beirut. It was Clinton's first time visiting the country since taking office. Lebanon is preparing for legislative elections in June that analysts say could bring the militant group, Hezbollah, to power. The Obama administration backs the unity government of Sleiman, while Syria is allied with Hezbollah. "Both of us are committed to supporting President (Michel) Sleiman's efforts to build a peaceful, prosperous, sovereign and democratic Lebanon." Clinton is expected to meet with Sleiman and lay a wreath at the tomb of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a bomb attack in 2005. Many Lebanese, as well as the United States, accused Syria of orchestrating the assassination of Hariri, an outspoken opponent of Syria. Damascus denied responsibility. But massive popular protests after Hariri's death led to the pullout of thousands of troops that Syria maintained in Lebanon from the 1970s. A senior state department official said Clinton's visit is intended to reassure Lebanon that the United States will not forgo its support of the country as it opens dialogues with Syria and Iran. "Beyond the election, we will continue to support the voices of moderation in Lebanon, and the responsible institutions of the Lebanese state they are working hard to build," Clinton said. CNN's Jill Dougherty contributed to this report. | Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes unannounced visit to Lebanon .
Clinton says people of Lebanon should vote "without the specter of violence"
Clinton also reassures U.S. support of Lebanon in ongoing talks with Syria, Iran . | bce5740a024852f16c19be9faf1448326f1ef4c7 |
(CNN) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir landed in Qatar on Sunday for an Arab League summit, a move that could put him at risk of arrest on war crimes charges leveled by a U.N. tribunal. Omar al-Bashir is the subject of an ICC arrest warrant over allaged war crimes in Darfur. Al-Bashir met with Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, after arriving in Doha, Qatar's capital. Earlier this weekend, al-Thani criticized the timing of the arrest warrant issued in early March by the International Criminal Court, arguing it has undercut his government's efforts to resolve the long-running conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. "We believe that peace and justice should go hand in hand to settle the conflict in Darfur, or for that matter, any other conflict," al-Thani told Arab League foreign ministers Saturday in remarks carried by the Qatar News Agency. "But we also believe that justice cannot be reached in the absence of peace." The March 4 arrest warrant is the first issued for a sitting head of state by the world's only permanent war crimes tribunal, based at The Hague in the Netherlands. But the ICC has no arrest powers of its own, and depends on its 106 member states to take suspects into custody. Qatar is not a member of the tribunal. Sudan refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the ICC, and has made no efforts to hand over two other officials indicted by the court. Al-Bashir has called the charges an attempt by Western powers to recolonize Sudan. The court accuses al-Bashir of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity in his government's campaign against rebels in Darfur, in western Sudan. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict. Qatar had been mediating talks between Sudanese officials and representatives of one of the rebel factions, who signed a confidence-building agreement in February. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report. | Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrives in Doha, Qatar .
Move puts him at risk of arrest for war crimes .
International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrant over Darfur campaign . | 648ddd4d6db13f11a45b53ebaf4c0d5b68197aaa |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- What to do with 50,000 used, possibly smelly and dirty prison mattresses that need to be disposed of every year? Discarded mattresses pile up alongside trash in London in January of this year. Britain's Prison Service won praise Thursday for its innovative solution to the problem: recycle the mattresses for carpet underlay, or break them down for fencing or even roof tiles. Most of the mattresses are sent to landfills. There are enough of them each year to fill 30 double-decker buses, the National Audit Office said Thursday. The Prison Service wanted to find a better way to dispose of the mattresses -- a "zero-waste" solution that also cost less money, the NAO said. It worked with suppliers and launched a competition to find the best solution. They ended up coming up with several proposals to reuse the mattresses, and the Prison Service is now testing them out, the NAO said. Thursday's report highlighted several other examples of ways that government departments have used innovation to their advantage. "We have selected them as good examples of innovative approaches which have lessons for how innovation can be managed in government," the report said. | UK's prison system wins praise for recycling mattresses .
Prison mattresses sent to landfills could fill 30 double-decker buses .
UK's Prison Service sought a "zero-waste" solution to tossed mattresses . | ebfef9108eca197d600887bb03fc9abf4f000ab5 |