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(CNN) -- A Saudi Arabian man was arrested after bragging about his sex life on television, local media reported. Mazen Abdul Jawad appeared last week on a show on Lebanese channel LBC, where he went into "graphic details about his sexual conquests," according to Arab News, an English daily. A segment of the show "Red Line" posted on YouTube shows the 32-year-old talking about sex and foreplay. He also discusses losing his virginity to a neighbor while he was 14. In deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, pre-marital sex is illegal and unrelated men and women are not allowed to mingle. A government official told the newspaper that discussing sex in public is a punishable offense that may affect anyone involved in the broadcast. "It is wrong to host people on television to speak publicly about vice and issues against our religion," said Ahmad Qasim Al-Ghamdi, director of Mecca's branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also known as the religious police. "The program presents anomalies and deviancy in society that are unacceptable and immoral, and should be punished according to Shariah." About 100 people have filed a complaint against Abdul Jawad, alleging among other things, that he violated a principle of Shariah law by "publicizing his sinful behavior," the daily said. It is unclear what punishment, if any, Abdul Jawad faces. CNN has been unable to reach Abdul Jawad or the Saudi Ministry of Justice for comment.

Mazen Abdul Jawad appeared last week on a show on Lebanese channel . He gives "graphic details about his sexual conquests," reports Arab News . In deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, pre-marital sex is illegal . About 100 people have filed a complaint against Abdul Jawad; punishment not clear .

(CNN) -- A Saudi court on Wednesday sentenced a man who caused uproar by bragging about his sex life on television to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes, according to Ministry of Information officials. Mazen Abdul Jawad talked openly about his sex life on the controversial show. Mazen Abdul Jawad, a 32-year-old airline employee and divorced father of four, spoke openly about his sexual escapades, his love of sex and losing his virginity at age 14. He made the comments on Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, which aired the interview a few months ago. Saudi authorities shut down LBC offices in Jeddah and Riyadh after airing the interview on an episode of its popular show "A Thick Red Line." Jawad was arrested shortly after the program aired and charged with violating Saudi Arabia's crime of publicizing vice. On the program, Jawad is also shown in his bedroom, where he holds sexual aids up to the camera. The room is decorated with Mickey Mouse and stuffed bears in sexually suggestive positions. The cameras gave audiences a glimpse of the room's nightclub-like chandeliers mixed with seafood-shaped wall sconces, perfume bottles and a book in Arabic, "101 Questions About Sex," that Jawad calls his "reference." Jawad, wearing a red shirt, explained that he put his phone number and details about his car -- a red Mini Cooper -- on his mobile phone's Bluetooth. He says women usually call him to ask if the car is for sale but, he boasts, "some go out with me that same night." The episode ended with him cruising the streets of Jeddah in his car looking for women. The show that aired Jawad's story is as popular as it is controversial in the Middle East. It tackles taboos sometimes never discussed in public. In one instance, a guest admitted he put up his children for sale and tried to justify why he continued to look for the highest bidder even though his kids were begging him to change his mind. Most guests wear sunglasses, wigs and strange clothing to disguise their identities as their lives can be endangered for talking about such taboo subjects. Surprisingly, Jawad did not disguise his identity on the program. Watch report on the uproar over the broadcast » The episode caused an uproar in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, where sharia, or Islamic law, is practiced. Pre-marital sex is illegal, and unrelated men and women are not permitted to mingle. The segment in question has been posted on the video-sharing site YouTube since its initial broadcast last month, and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Speaking about promiscuous acts "is a violation of the sharia regulations on the one hand and against Saudi customs on the other," police spokesman Suleiman Al-Mutawae told Arab News, an English-language daily newspaper in Saudi Arabia. Before Jawad's detention, Arab News reported that he initiated a damage-control campaign, apologized for his comments and was considering filing a complaint against the show's producers for presenting him "in the worst possible manner by taking two hours of footage and condensing it down to a minutes-long segment." Jawad's lawyer could not be reached for comment. The ministry officials spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity.

Mazen Abdul Jawad, divorced father of 4, spoke openly about sex escapades . Saudi authorities shut down LBC offices in Jeddah and Riyadh over broadcast . Episode caused an uproar in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia .

(CNN) -- A Saudi court that sentenced a journalist to 60 lashes for her work on a controversial television show has summoned a second woman affiliated with the TV station. The Saudi information ministry said Sunday that a Jeddah court has asked the second journalist to appear because of her work as a coordinator with the Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. The woman was set to appear on Monday, but the hearing has been postponed because she is ill, said a ministry official, who could not be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media. The show in question, "A Thick Red Line," explores social taboos. In one episode, a Saudi man, Mazen Abdul Jawad, bragged about his sex life. Saudi authorities put him on trial and sentenced him to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes. Soon afterward, the court sentenced journalist Rosanna Al-Yami who worked as a coordinator and guest-booker for the show. In addition to the 60 lashes, Al-Yami is banned for two years from traveling outside Saudi Arabia. While the charges against her include involvement in preparing the program, she was not involved in setting up the episode in which Abdul Jawad appeared, said his lawyer Suleiman Al-Jumeii. Al-Jumeii said that Al-Yami has opted not to appeal the court's verdict. Al-Jumeii doesn't represent the journalist, but said he is keeping tabs on cases dealing with "A Thick Red Line." The lawyer is attempting to pursue an appeal for his client and get his case heard in a special court that only deals with media matters. CNN has attempted to get comments from Al-Yami and her attorney. Abdul Jawad, 32, an airline employee and divorced father of four, spoke openly on the show about his sexual escapades, his love of sex and losing his virginity at age 14. That episode caused an uproar in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, where sharia, or Islamic law, is practiced. Pre-marital sex is illegal, and unrelated men and women are not permitted to mingle. Saudi authorities shut down LBC offices in Jeddah and Riyadh after the interview aired a few months ago. Abdul Jawad was arrested shortly after the program aired and charged with violating Saudi Arabia's crime of publicizing vice.

Second journalist summoned over controverial Saudi television show . Saudi court sentenced journalist another woman, Rosanna Al-Yami, to 60 lashes for her role . Man's sexual boasts on show led to five-year prison sentence . Saudi authorities shut down network's offices in Jeddah and Riyadh after interview aired .

(CNN) -- A Seattle man has been charged with insurance fraud for allegedly sinking his own yacht because of "financial pressure and frustration with the maintenance" of the vessel, authorities said. The Jubilee sank in Puget Sound Bay last year. On March 22, 2008, Brian Lewis, 50, scuttled the Jubilee in the Puget Sound Bay, then rowed a borrowed dinghy back to shore, according to court documents filed in February by prosecutors in King County, Washington. Later that day, Lewis boarded a flight to take him to his job in Kodiak, Alaska, as a petty officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to court documents. Three days later, Lewis filed an insurance claim with USAA Insurance reporting the Jubilee sank accidentally "due to unknown causes." However, due to environmental concerns, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources salvaged the vessel at a cost to the state of $2,866. An inspection found a hole was drilled into the bottom of the Jubilee, and that two main engine sea strainers appeared to have been broken with a hammer. "The vessel appeared to have been deliberately sunk," authorities said in their probable cause affidavit. Confronted by investigators, Lewis admitted he intentionally sank his vessel, saying the financial strain "caused him extreme anxiety and frustration." Lewis told investigators "the engine trouble he experienced caused him to lose his temper. In his rage, he smashed the sea strainers with a hammer and drilled the hole to sink the vessel," the affidavit said. "[He] wanted to clarify that his motive for sinking the vessel was anger and frustration, not greed," it added. Prior to its sinking, the Jubilee had been listed for sale with Mahina Yachts for $28,500. Jack Bateman, a broker with Mahina, remembers the Jubilee as a "beautiful" 1967 Chris Craft Cavalier. He said the Mahina has only seen this type of case one other time in its 30 years of operation. "This is a very rare, not common occurrence" he says. Bateman added that Mahina has yet to see any real distress sales due to the bad economy. The King County Prosecutor's Office has charged Lewis with making a fraudulent insurance claim. Lewis filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2004. Messages left for him were not returned.

Insurance fraud charges were filed against Seattle man accused of scuttling yacht . Brian Lewis filed claim saying Jubilee sank "due to unknown causes" Inspection found hole was drilled into bottom of vessel . Lewis filed told authorities he sank yacht out of anger and frustration .

(CNN) -- A Singapore man undergoing treatment for cancer was detained for four hours by U.S. immigration officials after the drug he was taking caused his fingerprints to disappear. Foreign visitors undergo mandatory fingerprint screening when they enter the United States. Now, the unidentified man's oncologist is asking patients taking the commonly used drug, capecitabine, to carry a doctor's note when they travel to the United States. The oncologist, Eng-Huat Tan of the National Cancer Center in Singapore, described the encounter in a letter published in the current issue of the cancer journal Annals of Oncology. The 62-year-old cancer patient, identified as Mr. S, eventually was allowed to enter the United States and visit relatives after officials determined he did not pose a security threat. According to the oncologist, the patient had neck and head cancer that had spread. He responded well to chemotherapy. To prevent a recurrence, doctors placed him on capecitabine, marketed in the United States as Xeloda. One of the side effects of the drug is hand-foot syndrome. It causes the skin on the hands and feet to peel. With time, the drug can erase fingerprints. "It is uncertain when the onset of fingerprint loss will take place in susceptible patients who are taking capecitabine," the doctor wrote. His patient started on the drug in July 2005. "However, it is possible that there may be a growing number of such patients as Mr. S. ... These patients should prepare adequately before traveling to avert the inconvenience that Mr. S was put through." Foreign visitors undergo mandatory fingerprint screening when they enter the United States.

U.S. immigration officials detain cancer patient who lacked fingerprints . Drug causes skin to peel, sometimes obliterates prints, doctor writes . Physician suggests affected travelers carry notes from doctors .

(CNN) -- A Singapore-flagged container ship hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia was released Monday, according to the European Union Naval Force Somalia. The Kota Wajar, with a crew of 21, was the second hijacked ship released in as many days. A Chinese bulk carrier, the De Xin Hai, and its crew of 25 were released on Sunday, NAVFOR said. Both ships were hijacked in October. NAVFOR said the De Xin Hai and its crew were in good condition and "heading to a safe port." The Chinese carrier was hijacked about 350 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles, NAVFOR said. The Kota Wajar was hijacked about 300 nautical miles north of the Seychelles. Regarding the Kota Wajar, NAVFOR said it was "monitoring the situation." The Canadian warship HCMS Fredericton was providing medical and logistical assistance to the ship, it said. NAVFOR did not say how either ship was released, but the Chinese Marine Search and Rescue Center said the De Xin Hai and crew were rescued, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. The ship is under the protection of a Chinese naval escort fleet, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told Xinhua Monday. The De Xin Hai was carrying about 76,000 tons of coal from South Africa to India when it was hijacked. NAVFOR is "a military operation to help deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia," according to its Web site.

Hijacked Chinese bulk carrier De Xin Hai released off coast of Somalia . Singapore-flagged Kota Wajar also released . The De Xin Hai, with crew of 25, was hijacked in October by pirate group in Indian Ocean .

(CNN) -- A South Carolina sheriff's office is investigating whether Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps smoked marijuana on the University of South Carolina campus. Michael Phelps is facing a criminal investigation into whether he smoked marijuana on a college campus. Authorities will file criminal charges if the investigation determines that they are warranted, a spokesman said Tuesday. "If someone breaks the law in Richland County, we have an obligation as law enforcement to investigate and to bring charges," Sheriff Leon Lott said in a statement. "The Richland County Sheriff's Department is making an effort to determine if Mr. Phelps broke the law. If he did, he will be charged in the same manner as anyone else. The sheriff has a responsibility to be fair, to enforce the law and to not turn a blind eye because someone is a celebrity." Phelps admitted "regrettable behavior" on Sunday after a British newspaper published a photograph of him smoking through a bong. The tabloid News of the World showed Phelps using the bong during what it said was a November party at the University of South Carolina, in Richland County. Both university police and Columbia, South Carolina, police have said they would not pursue charges, according to The State newspaper in Columbia. It was unclear where the party took place, the paper said, or whether it was on the USC campus. "I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment," said Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in a statement Sunday. See the photo on the cover of Star magazine » "I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me," he said. "For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public -- it will not happen again." The U.S. Olympic Committee also issued a statement that said in part, "Michael has acknowledged that he made a mistake and apologized for his actions. We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the kind of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion." In 2004, Phelps was arrested on charges of driving under the influence in Salisbury, Maryland. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months probation. He also issued an apology after that incident. Phelps is one of 12 Olympic athletes who have signed on to "My Victory," an initiative launched last year by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency aimed at keeping competitive sports clean.

Charges will be filed if warranted, sheriff's spokesman says . Tabloid published photo it says was taken at University of South Carolina . Photo shows Phelps with a water pipe used for smoking pot . Phelps apologized over weekend for "regrettable behavior"

(CNN) -- A South Florida teenager accused of killing and mutilating 19 cats excitedly described to police how he dissected cats in class, and where to find cats for experimentation, according to police. Tyler Weinman laughed when police told him they had information he was the cat killer, an arrest document said. When Miami-Dade police told Tyler Hayes Weinman someone was killing cats in the neighborhood, the 18-year-old reacted by laughing, according to a newly released arrest affidavit made public Monday. Most of the cats were found in their owners' yards. "One appeared to be posed with a slit down the middle of its stomach," the affidavit states. On Monday, Weinman pleaded not guilty to more than 40 criminal counts, including multiple charges of felony animal cruelty and burglary. He is out of jail on $249,500 bond and under house arrest wearing an electronic monitor, but is being held for 48 hours for a psychiatric evaluation. The teen's attorney David Macey said there was a "lynch mob" after his innocent client and accused Judge Mindy Glazer of "prejudging" Weinman. "He did not kill the cats," Macey told reporters outside the courtroom. "The individual who committed this crime is still running around out there." The arrest affidavit, which a judge gave prosecutors until Monday to make public, reads like a grisly horror movie and indicates Weinman was knowledgeable of and fascinated with dissection of cats. During questioning, according to the affidavit, a detective told the teenager that police were informed he was involved in the cat slayings. Weinman replied he heard about the cats and that he told his mother. He told police that a school he had been expelled from was the only school in Miami-Dade that taught how to dissect using cats, according to the affidavit. The teenager went on to offer several other bizarre and unsubstantiated trivia, including saying that Mexico is the only source for cats used for dissection and describing their size. Weinman "became excited and animated" as he told the detective about cat dissection research he had discovered on the Internet, the affidavit states. "Weinman was asked to expound on what he meant and he repeated, with noted excitement, 'It just makes a certain sound, a tearing sound," says the affidavit. The detective asked Weinman what tools might be used to commit animal cruelty, and teenager replied, "I don't know, but I'm sure they are very well hidden." How did he think the cats were being captured? The teen answered, "They have to be either tranquilized or poisoned." Weinman came to the attention of authorities in late April, the affidavit states, as cats began to go missing in a suburban Dade County neighborhood called Whispering Pines just outside Miami, Florida. Police had a few times seen Weinman walking and skateboarding in the middle of the night in the area, at least once wearing black clothing and carrying a dark backpack. Detectives stopped the teenager and told him about the dead cats. Weinman responded by laughing, according to the arrest affidavit. He was not held at that time. In May, the teenager was pulled over for a traffic violation and police found a "cutting instrument" on the ground beside his car. According to the affidavit, as an officer questioned the teen, he noticed what appeared to be a cat scratch on his arm. "I got them from a stray cat that I feed at my mom's house," Weinman said. The teen "was eager to show" the scratches and took off his shirt so that photographs could be taken, according to the questioning detective's account, which is detailed in the affidavit. The teenager's divorced parents lived in separate neighborhoods, according to police. His mother resides in Cutler Bay. His father lives in Palmetto Bay, further north of Miami. According to the arrest affidavit, shortly after the teenager talked to police about dissecting cats, he went to live with his father who restricted his son's access to a car. The killings shifted north

Police: Tyler Weinman described research he did on finding cats to dissect . Affidavit: 18-year-old laughed when police asked him about being the cat killer . Weinman is charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty and is on house arrest .

(CNN) -- A Southern California teenager has serious bragging rights: After docking back in his home state late Thursday morning, Zac Sunderland, 17, can claim to be the youngest person to sail around the world alone. The hardest part of a solo voyage is always being tired, Zac Sunderland says. Sunderland was greeted with thunderous applause and congratulations as he arrived at Marina del Rey in his 36-foot sailboat. "It's kind of crazy to have it done now because, I mean, for the past year I've been just fighting for the next ocean, fighting to get back. And now I'm back so it's amazing," he said. The teen acknowledged the 27,500-mile voyage wasn't easy. He told CNN that pirates off the coast of Indonesia gave him quite a scare. "[I] had a boat circle in and ended up calling in the coast watch and they chased them off but, yeah, [I] lucked out there! About an hour and a half of hell." Severe storms also were a problem, he said. Sunderland's Web site says he bought the boat with his own money. His parents had hoped he would find something that would spark a fire in him, a passion that would direct him away from all the negative and harmful influences that are so prevalent in society, but even they were stunned by the scope of his dreams and desires, it says. Watch Sunderland give advice to fellow teens » He was 16 when he left Marina del Rey on June 14, 2008, aboard his boat, Intrepid. Solitude and exhaustion were just a couple of factors that faced him each day. "The hardest constantly was the tiredness," he said. "I mean, you get over the loneliness, but tiredness, it's an ongoing thing. Half the time I haven't slept in 48 hours and it's just hard to get enough rest." Sunderland said he made some good contacts along the way. "It's interesting just thinking back to the different places in the world because I have so many friends in different parts of the world that are like family, you know, and all these different experiences," he said. "It's an amazing year. It seems like yesterday that I was here but in other ways it seems like a hundred years." So what's next? "Yeah, I don't know, just go chill with my friends," he said. "Go skate. Go do something normal for a change, you know." CNN's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.

Zac Sunderland, 17, is youngest person to sail around the world alone . California teen met pirates off the coast of Indonesia . Now, teen wants to "just go chill with my friends"

(CNN) -- A Sri Lankan court sentenced a journalist Monday to serve 20 years in prison for articles that criticized the military, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission. Tamil journalist J. S. Tissainayagam is led from court after being sentenced. "The AHRC is not surprised by this judgment because at the very inception of this case, the AHRC pointed out that this is purely a political case," the commission said in a statement. J.S. Tissainayagam, the editor of a monthly magazine, was arrested in March 2008 for printing articles critical of the Sri Lankan military's treatment of civilians during the country's war on the Tamil Tiger rebel group, according to several human rights groups. The Tamil journalist was held without charge for several months, prompting outrage from human rights and press freedom organizations. He was later charged under the country's controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act. His case has drawn international attention to the plight of press freedom in Sri Lanka, which ended its decades-long war against the Tamil rebels earlier this year. The country's military has been accused of numerous atrocities against civilians during the final months of the 26-year conflict. Sri Lanka has denied the accusations, and routinely rejects calls by human rights groups for independent investigations into its campaign against the Tigers. U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned Tissainayagam in his May 1 statement on World Press Freedom Day: "In every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed: from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, Burma to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Eritrea. Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like J.S. Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka, or Shi Tao and Hu Jia in China." The Asian Human Rights Commission condemned Monday's sentence as "the most glaring proof of the absence of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka." It called on Sri Lanka and the international community "to condemn the judgment and the sentence in Tissainayagam's case and to call for his unconditional release."

J.S. Tissainayagam, editor of a monthly magazine, arrested in March 2008 . Printing articles critical of Sri Lankan military's treatment of civilians during civil war . Tamil journalist was held without charge for several months . Case drawn international attention to the plight of press freedom in Sri Lanka .

(CNN) -- A Sudanese journalist could receive 40 lashings after she was caught wearing trousers. Lubna al-Hussein was arrested with 18 other women this month for wearing indecent clothes. A Sudanese court began hearing Lubna al-Hussein's case Wednesday. It will continue the hearing August 4. At the time of her arrest, she was wearing pants, a blouse and a hijab, she said. Police accused her of wearing trousers that were too tight and alleged that her blouse was too transparent, al-Hussein said. Al-Hussein, who works for a newspaper and the media department of the United Nations mission in Sudan, said she did nothing wrong. She has been released to her home in Khartoum. The crime of wearing indecent attire has only one punishment under Sudanese law, a 40-stroke public flogging, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. "This case is the official retaliation against the reporter for her writings criticizing the Sudanese regime and extremists," the organization said in a statement. Al-Hussein was arrested along with 18 others July 3 after Sudan's "discipline police" accused the women of wearing indecent clothes, al-Hussein said. Six were released, and 10 received the 40 lashes, she said. Al-Hussein and two others fought the charges and hired attorneys, she said. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke out against the decision Wednesday, saying he was "deeply concerned" and would take every effort to protect his staff member. "The flogging is against the international human rights standards," he said. "I call on all parties to live up to their obligations under all relevant international instruments." CNN's Umaro Djau, Talia Kayali and Tracy Doueiry contributed to this report.

Lubna al-Hussein's case is scheduled to continue August 4 . Al-Hussein, 18 others were rounded up this month for wearing indecent clothes . Ten arrestees have received 40 lashes, al-Hussein says . Al-Hussein was told her pants were too tight, her blouse too transparent .

(CNN) -- A Sudanese plane that was hijacked shortly after taking off from Nyala in the country's Darfur region, presumably by rebels, has landed in Kufra, Libya, said Sudan's ambassador to the United States. "I believe since it started in the sovereign state of Darfur. ... It is more likely something to do with the rebels in that area," John Ukec said. About 87 passengers and 10 crew members are thought to be on board, Ukec said. It was unclear how many hijackers were on board. The hijacker or hijackers wanted to land the plane in Egypt, but the Egyptian government refused them permission, Ukec said. However, an Egyptian civil aviation official disputed that. "The hijacked plane never entered Egyptian airspace," said Capt. Shirbeeni, the head of Egypt's civil aviation control. "It never requested to land on Egyptian soil. ... We understand that it had a tank that would allow it to fly for four hours. It flew directly toward Kufra." A reporter from Al-Shuruq, a Dubai-based Sudanese network funded by Sudan's government, said passengers on the plane include some officials from the interim government of Darfur, Sudan's war-torn region. Libya's state-run Jamahirya television, citing civil aviation sources, reported that the hijacked plane landed in Kufra, in eastern Libya. "We are in contact with Libyan officials because of this dangerous event," Murtada Hassam Jumaa, an official with Sun Air airlines, told Al-Shuruq. "We want to resolve this situation as soon as we can in a way where we can guarantee the safety of all our passengers." Asked whether the airline received any threat before the flight took off, he said, "There were no signs of any terrorist or criminal activity on the plane. We checked the plane like we do with all other planes. We followed the regular security checkup. We still don't have any information on what type of weapons were used." Jumaa also said 87 passengers were on board the plane. The hijacking follows a Monday attack involving Sudanese government troops at the Kalma refugee camp, 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from Nyala. It was unclear whether the incidents are related. The United Nations African Mission in Darfur said the government of Sudan reported that its military and police forces were granted a search warrant for drugs and weapons and raided the camp in executing the warrants. UNAMID said 60 government vehicles surrounded the camp. The refugees resisted the government's attempts to enter the camp, however, and "the situation escalated into confrontation and exchange of gunfire, with no indication as to who started it." The gunfire lasted about two hours, UNAMID said. "On the basis of information provided to the UNAMID team while on site, the casualty toll amounted to 64 killed and 117 wounded, of which 49 were evacuated by UNAMID to the Nyala hospital," the organization said in a written statement. Sudanese military and police were heavily armed, the organization said, but the refugees had only sticks, knives and spears. Sudanese security forces reported that they were met by a human shield of women and children, with gunfire coming from behind them, prompting them to return fire. "UNAMID strongly condemns the excessive, disproportionate use of lethal force by the [government] security forces against civilians, which violated their human rights and resulted in unacceptable casualties," the UNAMID statement said. CNN's Hosam Ahmed in Cairo, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Passengers include officials from Darfur's interim government, reporter says . Sudanese plane hijacked shortly after taking off from Darfur region . Almost 100 passengers and crew were aboard plane . It isn't known whether hijacking is related to government gunfight with refugees .

(CNN) -- A Swedish truck and bus maker that assembled trucks in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era has signed "an agreement in principle" with the government to open an assembly plant next year. Swedish truck and bus maker Scania is to reopen a former plant in Iraq. The company, Scania, issued a statement on its Web site confirming the deal to produce 500 trucks ordered by Iraq, with work starting during the third quarter of 2009. The work will be performed in the same Iskandariya factory south of Baghdad where the company's previous operation was housed. The operation comes under the auspices of Iraq's State Company for Automotive Industry. The deal reflects the Iraqi government's efforts to rehabilitate an economy decimated by warfare. "Scania has the necessary qualifications to satisfy the Iraqi government's desire to begin local production quickly. Assembly of the 500 trucks initially ordered is expected to employ about 500 people. The facility will be designed for the production of 3,000 vehicles per year," says Klas Dahlberg, vice president in charge of Scania's sales in the Middle East. The company said Iraq had been one of its largest markets during the 1980s. The Iskandariya factory assembled 3,900 trucks in 1981, Scania said, and many of the trucks assembled there during that era remain in service. The company said a memorandum of understanding signed by both sides specifies that Scania will work with an Iraqi distributor and "will assume responsibility for installation of production equipment as well as employee training." "In collaboration with our Iraqi distributor, we will also invest in the establishment of a service network in the country. Even today, there is a great need for workshops to take care of vehicles that operate in international traffic to Iraq," Dahlberg said.

Swedish truck and bus maker Scania is set to return to Iraq . Company assembled trucks there during Saddam Hussein era . 500 trucks to be made in same factory it had previously used .

(CNN) -- A Swedish wrestler who discarded his bronze medal in a protest during the presentation ceremony has been stripped of the award and disqualified from the tournament in Beijing. A disgruntled Abrahamian drops his bronze medal before leaving the arena during the presentation ceremony. The International Olympic Committee said it was also officially disqualifying Ara Abrahamian, 35, from his event, Greco-Roman wrestling. Abrahamian was beaten in the 84-kilogram class by eventual gold medal winner Andrea Minguzzi of Italy. He complained that "blatant errors in judging" caused him to lose the match and said he felt that he deserved the gold. The Swede shouted at the referee before confronting the judges. During Thursday's presentation ceremony, he took off his medal and left it in the center of the competition mat before walking off. The IOC said Abrahamian violated two rules of the Olympic charter, one that bans any sort of demonstrations and another that demands respect for all Olympic athletes. "The awards ceremony is a highly symbolic ritual, acknowledged as such by all athletes and other participants," the IOC said. "Any disruption by any athlete, in particular a medalist, is in itself an insult to the other athletes and to the Olympic Movement. It is also contrary to the spirit of fair play." Abrahamian never expressed regret or offered an apology, the IOC said. The international weightlifting federation was asked to consider further sanctions against him. His medal was the third stripped at the Beijing Games. On Friday, North Korean shooter Kim Jong Su had his silver and bronze medals taken away after failing a doping test. Also expelled for doping violations have been Spanish cyclist Maria Isabel Moreno and Vietnamese gymnast Thi Ngan Thuong Do. Abrahamian's case is not the first of its kind. A weightlifter at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was stripped of his bronze medal after rejecting it during the medal ceremony. Ibragim Samadov, competing in the light heavyweight category for the Unified Team of the former Soviet Union, was upset with his performance and refused to have the medal placed around his neck and only accepted it in his hand. He then put it down and walked off. Samadov later apologized, but the IOC upheld its decision to disqualify him, and he was later banned for life by the sport's governing body.

Swede Ara Abrahamian disqualified from Olympics, stripped of bronze medal . He discarded the medal at the presentation ceremony in protest of judging . IOC says he violated rules banning demonstrations, requiring respect . His medal was the third stripped at the Beijing Games .

(CNN) -- A Taiwanese fishing vessel that was seized by pirates and anchored off the Somali coast for nearly 10 months was released Thursday night, the European Union Naval Force Somalia reported. The Win Far 161 was held off the coast of Harardheere until the pirates left the ship and allowed its commander to retake control, the naval force said. The vessel was hijacked April in the Somali Basin, about 184 miles north of the Seychelles islands. The vessel reported that all 28 crew members were safe. The boat was operating outside the EU NAVFOR area of operation and was therefore not registered with the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa, authorities said. The coordination center helps protect merchant ships from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and off the Horn of Africa. The ship's owner reported that the crew was released with food, fuel and water. The ship headed out to sea, where it was being monitored by EU NAVFOR. EU NAVFOR escorts Somalia vessels carrying humanitarian aid from the World Food Program to protect them in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.

Taiwanese fishing vessel was held for 10 months off coast . Vessel reports that all 28 crew members are safe . Ship headed out to sea, being monitored by European naval forces .

(CNN) -- A Tampa judge denied bail Wednesday for a Florida man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 3-month-old child, who authorities say was thrown out of a moving car. Police say infant Emanuel Murray died after his mother's ex-boyfriend threw him from a car on a Florida interstate. Richard Anthony McTear Jr., 21, was arrested Tuesday, hours after a confrontation at his former girlfriend's apartment in which he snatched the infant, Emanuel Wesley Murray, the Hillsborough County sheriff's office said. The child's body was found about 4 .am. Tuesday on the side of Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida, by a local television photographer on his way to work. The photographer, WTVT's Jason Bird, said he stopped when he spotted something by the roadside "It had to be a baby doll but it was too big to be a doll," Bird told CNN affiliate WFTS in Tampa. "I almost passed out, I started shaking," said Bird. A preliminary autopsy determined the child died of blunt trauma to the head, the county medical examiner's office said. Police were called to the apartment of McTear's former girlfriend about 3:15 a.m. Tuesday. The mother, Jasmine Bedwell, 17, told investigators that McTear had hit her several times and threatened "to kill the both of y'all," the sheriff's department said in a statement announcing the charges. McTear threw a car seat containing the child across the room during the fight, causing the boy to fall onto the apartment's concrete floor, investigators said. He then picked up the boy and drove off in his blue Chevrolet Impala, throwing the child out while on the interstate, the sheriff's department said. Video on CNN affiliate WFLA TV showed McTear being led out of a Tampa police squad car after his arrest. He ducked his head as TV cameras surrounded him on his walk into a police building. When asked by reporters if he had thrown the child out of the car window, McTear answered, "It's a dirty game. A dirty game." McTear is not related to the child, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter. McTear is facing additional charges of burglary with battery, felony battery, aggravated child abuse and kidnapping, the sheriff's department said.

Richard Anthony McTear Jr. threatened "to kill the both of y'all," baby's mother says . McTear, 21, threw child across room, then out of car, authorities say . A motorist found the baby boy on Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida, around 4:30 a.m. McTear, who was not related to boy, faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping .

(CNN) -- A Tennessee man -- accused in a fatal attack at a military recruiting center in Arkansas in June -- wants to plead guilty and claims to have ties to al Qaeda in Yemen in a letter he wrote to the judge presiding over his case. In the handwritten letter dated January 12, Abdul Hakim Muhammad said he did not want a trial and insisted the shooting was "justified" under jihad. "This was a jihadi attack on infidel forces that didn't go as plan," he wrote. "Flat out truth." It was not immediately clear whether the judge, Herbert Wright Jr., would accept the plea. Muhammad's lawyer, Claiborne Ferguson, called the letter "highly inappropriate." "If my client had the intention of pleading guilty, it is misguided and misinformed as to Arkansas law," Ferguson said from Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday. "He can't plead guilty to a capital crime." That response is why Muhammad said he decided to bypass his lawyer with a letter to Wright. He wrote that he believed it was "a lie" that he could not plead guilty. Muhammad, formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe, is charged with killing Pvt. William Long, 23, and wounding Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18. The attack happened on June 1 at a recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas. In June, Muhammad pleaded not guilty to one count of capital murder and 16 counts of engaging in a terrorist act. Before pleading not guilty, Muhammad waived his Miranda rights and gave a video statement indicating political and religious motives, authorities said. He "stated that he was a practicing Muslim ... that he was mad at the U.S. military because of what they had done to Muslims in the past," Detective Tommy Hudson wrote in a police report at the time. Muhammad told police "he fired several rounds at the soldiers with the intent of killing them," according to Hudson's report. In his letter to the judge, Muhammad claimed he had links to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen, a group that has claimed responsibility for the attempting bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas Day. "My lawyer has no defense," he wrote. "I wasn't insane or post traumatic nor was I forced to do this act. Which I believe and it is justified according to Islamic laws and the Islamic religion jihad -- to fight those who wage war on Islam and Muslims." CNN's Charley Keyes contributed to this report.

Attorney: Man suspected in 2009 recruiting center shooting writes to judge, pleads guilty . In letter, Abdul Hakim Muhammad claims to have ties to al Qaeda in Yemen . Muhammad accused of killing soldier, wounding another on June 1 in Little Rock, Arkansas .

(CNN) -- A Texas Rangers fan who fell over a railing while trying to catch a ball will have a place at Rangers Ballpark next season after the team erects a statue in his memory. Shannon Stone, a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood, Texas, fell to his death July 7. His 6-year-old son Cooper witnessed the accident. "The statue, which is tentatively to be named Rangers Fans, is expected to be in place for the 2012 season," the Texas Rangers announced in a statement Monday. It will depict Stone and his son attending a Rangers game. "The full-size bronze statue is likely to be located outside the home plate gate of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington," the Rangers said. The tragedy took place in the second inning of the ill-fated game. Star outfielder Josh Hamilton tossed a souvenir ball into the stands after a batter hit a foul ball. Stone stuck out his glove and reached for the ball, but lost his balance and flipped over the railing of the outfield seats. He fell about 20 feet and crashed head-first into an area near a scoreboard. Stone died of blunt-force trauma, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner. Rangers President Nolan Ryan, a Hall of Fame pitcher, has said the club would review the height of railings at the stadium, even though they already exceeded the city's code limits. The team has set up an account accepting donations in Stone's honor with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. Donated money has been earmarked to help the Stone family. The Rangers have donated an undisclosed sum, according to the team's website. Stone's widow, Jenny, said she appreciates Ryan and the Rangers during the family's time of loss. "Shannon and Cooper had a special relationship, and we are touched and grateful that it will be memorialized at one of their favorite places," she said in the statement. "Our hope is that this statue will not be a symbol of our family tragedy but rather a reminder of the importance of a family's love -- love of each other, love of spending time together, and love of the game." CNN's Sara Pratley contributed to this report.

Shannon Stone and his son will be depicted in a bronze statue, the Rangers say . Stone, 39, died in July after falling over a railing at Rangers Ballpark . He was trying to catch a ball tossed into the stands .

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

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

(CNN) -- A Texas grand jury indicted polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs on sexual assault charges, and five of his followers also face a variety of charges, state Attorney General Greg Abbott said. Members of the polygamous FLDS revere jailed leader Warren Jeffs as their prophet. Jeffs was charged in the Tuesday indictment with sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony. A conviction on the charge could mean a maximum penalty of five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine of $10,000, said Dirk Fillpot, a spokesman for the attorney general. Jeffs, 52, is the so-called leader and "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which broke off from mainstream Mormonism in the 1890s over the practice of polygamy. The FLDS openly practices polygamy at its Yearning for Zion Ranch outside Eldorado, Texas, and in two towns straddling the Utah-Arizona state line: Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona. Jeffs is accused in the indictment of assaulting a child "younger than 17 years of age and not legally married to the defendant" in January 2005. The alleged victim, whose name is redacted on the document, "was a person who the defendant was prohibited from marrying or purporting to marry or with whom the defendant was prohibited from living under the appearance of being married" under Texas law. The indictments, which were handed down by a grand jury in San Angelo, Texas, also charge four of Jeffs' followers with single counts of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 17. One of the four also faces a count of bigamy. A fifth follower is charged with three counts of failure to report child abuse. The Texas attorney general's office was cooperating with other agencies to ensure the five others would be taken into custody, Fillpot said. Their names have not been made public, and only Jeffs' indictment has been released. Jeffs has been in custody since August 2006, when he was arrested during a routine traffic stop after spending several months on the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives list. Jeffs is serving two consecutive sentences of five years to life in prison on accomplice to rape charges in Utah for his role in the marriage of a sect member to his 14-year-old cousin. He is being held Arizona while he awaits trial on similar charges. It was not immediately clear when Jeffs would be brought to Texas. Authorities seized more than 400 children in April during a raid on the Texas ranch. The children were returned to their families after the Texas Supreme Court ruled the state had no right to remove the children and lacked evidence to show they faced imminent danger of abuse. In May, DNA samples were taken from Jeffs as part of a criminal investigation into allegations that he "spiritually" married four girls ranging in age from 12 to 15, authorities said. A search warrant seeking the DNA samples said marital records -- known as bishop's records -- from the ranch show that Jeffs married a 14-year-old girl on January 18, 2004, in Utah. The records showed that Jeffs "married" two 12-year-olds and a 14-year-old at the YFZ Ranch, according to the search warrant. One of the 12-year-olds, believed to have married Jeffs on July 27, 2006, was sexually assaulted by Jeffs later that day, the search warrant said. The warrant made reference to pictures of Jeffs with his alleged underage brides. In one photograph, the warrant states, he is kissing one of the 12-year-olds. In another, he is shown with a 15-year-old wife at the birth of their child in October 2004. Authorities had said the DNA samples would determine whether he is the father of the children born to underage mothers. FLDS spokesman Rod Parker, who is vacationing in Colorado this week, had no immediate comment on the indictment Tuesday. "As far as an indictment of Warren Jeffs, I'd want to know a little more before I start talking about it," he said. On Thursday

NEW: Jeffs faces anywhere from five years to life on new charge in Texas . Jeffs charged with the sexual assault of a child, a first-degree felony . Five of his followers face charges ranging from assault to failing to report child abuse . Prosecutors say Jeffs married underage girls, had intimate relations with them .

(CNN) -- A Texas inmate escaped from a prison van near Houston after pulling a gun on two guards who were transporting him between prisons, according to a Texas prison statement Monday. Arcade Joseph Comeaux Jr., 49, ran away with the guards' guns and wearing one of their gray correctional officer uniforms, the statement from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. Comeaux was serving a life sentence for indecency with a child, aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, it said. The escape happened near Baytown, Texas, about 25 miles east of Houston, it said. He was being taken from the Estelle prison in Huntsville to the Stiles prison in Beaumont, a 150-mile drive, when he "brandished a firearm and directed the officers to stop the vehicle," the statement said. "He took the officers' weapons and apparently handcuffed them together in the back of the transport vehicle," it said. Police found the handcuffed guards unharmed in the vehicle at 10 a.m. CT, the statement said.

Man was serving life sentence for sexual assault, indecency with a child . He was being moved between prisons when he escaped near Houston . Authorities say he ran off with guards' guns, wearing one of their uniforms .

(CNN) -- A Texas inmate in a wheelchair, who escaped on foot from two armed guards as he was being transferred between prisons, is now on the U.S. Marshals' list of the 15 most-wanted fugitives. Arcade Comeaux Jr., 49, "produced a weapon and fired upon two correctional officers, took them hostage and forced them to drive to Baytown, Texas," the U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement. He then put the officers in the back of the van and took their weapons and one of their uniforms, the statement said. Comeaux was serving three life sentences for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He escaped Monday during transport from Huntsville, Texas, to Stiles, Texas. The 6-foot, 200-pound man was shackled and in a wheelchair, "which he had claimed was needed for mobility," Michelle Lyons, director of public information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville, said in a statement. About 45 minutes into the trip, as they were driving through Conroe, 40 minutes north of Houston, the prisoner pulled out a pistol and ordered the guards to drive south to Baytown, east of Houston. He fired once, but hit no one during the escape about 9 a.m., officials said. Law enforcement officers found the unharmed officers an hour later. Comeaux was being transferred so he could be near John Sealy Hospital in Galveston for treatment of the supposed paralysis he had suffered during a reported stroke, officials said. At least $16,000 in reward money has been offered for information leading to Comeaux's rearrest and a task force of more than 100 investigators is searching for him, focusing on the Houston area, where he grew up and has family. His escape has led the man who oversees Texas' criminal justice system to call for a shakeup of the prison system. "I just think enough's enough," said Sen. John Whitmire, the Texas Democrat from Houston who is chairman of the state Senate's Criminal Justice Committee. "We need a complete shakeup of the leadership of our prison system and/or an outside review by third parties," he told CNN by phone Wednesday. "We just can't have security breaches of this nature." Whitmire said the guards had failed to pat down Comeaux while he was in his wheelchair and before they began the trip. "Sure enough, he has a firearm," he said. "The question is, are there others (in the prison system)? I think you have to assume that there are until you find out differently." So far this year, more than 900 cell phones have been confiscated from the 112 locations that house the state's 158,000 prisoners. "It's pretty rampant," he said. "I want the director to come forward and tell us what it's going to take" to solve the problem, he said. John Moriarty, inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said such lapses are highly unusual in the state's penal system. "We have no open gun investigations other than this one," he said. "The last one was several years ago." Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston, who has been in the job since 2005, did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

Arcade Comeaux Jr. was in wheelchair when he pulled gun on officers . Comeaux forced officers to drive him to Baytown, Texas, where he fled on foot . State senator calls for shakeup in state's penal system .

(CNN) -- A Texas inmate who escaped last week -- on foot even though he was thought to need a wheelchair -- has been recaptured, the U.S. Marshals Service said Monday. Arcade Comeaux Jr., 49, was carrying two loaded pistols when he was arrested without incident at 7:40 a.m. at a business in Houston, Texas, said U.S. Deputy Marshal Alfredo Perez. "[Comeaux] was cold, wet, tired and hungry. He had had enough," Perez said. "He was tired of running." The arrest was made by two Houston police officers responding to a suspicious-person call about a man who matched Comeaux's description. Comeaux was sitting in the lobby a northeast Houston business, apparently in search of warmth and shelter, when officers approached, according to Houston officer Adrian Rodriguez. "As soon as we saw him, we knew it was him," Rodriguez said at a news conference Monday afternoon. Comeaux was serving three life sentences when he escaped on November 30 while being transferred by two armed guards from Huntsville to Stiles. He produced a weapon and forced the two correctional officers to drive instead to Baytown, near Houston, where he handcuffed them together in the back of the van, took their weapons and one of their uniforms and ran away, officials said. Perez said authorities haven't confirmed whether the two pistols found on Comeaux Monday are the guards' weapons, "but they look to be the same." Perez said the marshals service had fielded hundreds of calls of sightings by citizens over the past week, and were responding to a Crimestoppers tip in the same area when they saw Comeaux taken into police custody. More than $30,000 in reward money had been posted by law enforcement agencies for information leading to his arrest. Comeaux was being transported Monday afternoon back into the custody of the Texas prison system, Perez said. Comeaux, who was on the marshals' list of 15 most-wanted fugitives, was serving time for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when he escaped. The 6-foot, 200-pound man was shackled and in a wheelchair, which he had said was needed for mobility, according to Michelle Lyons, director of public information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Huntsville. Some 45 minutes into the transfer trip, as they were driving through Conroe, 40 minutes north of Houston, the prisoner pulled out a pistol and ordered the guards to drive south to Baytown. He fired once, but hit no one, officials said. Law enforcement officers found the unharmed officers an hour later. Comeaux was being transferred so he could be near a hospital in Galveston for treatment of the supposed paralysis he had suffered during a reported stroke, officials said. Comeaux's criminal record dates back more than three decades. In 1979, he received three 10-year sentences for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, and burglary of a building with the intent to commit theft, all in Harris County. He was released on mandatory supervision in 1983, but he was returned to prison in 1984 after being convicted of indecency with a child and sentenced to 20 years. In June 1991, he was released on mandatory supervision but returned as a violator four months later. Paroled in December 1993, he was returned as a parole violator a year later. In February 1996, he was again paroled, but was returned to prison in June 1998 with a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault. Though he had been in prison since, his criminal record didn't end. In July 1999, he used his wheelchair to pin his wife against a wall during a contact visit and stabbed her 17 times with a homemade knife, said John Moriarty, inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He also stabbed another prison visitor who tried to intervene; both victims survived. For that, Comeaux was convicted on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and received two additional life sentences. He now will face additional felony charges. His escape led the legislator whose committee oversees Texas

NEW: Arcade Comeaux Jr. was "cold, wet, tired and hungry," official says . NEW: Police say Comeaux had two pistols, was captured without incident . Comeaux escaped last week while being transported between prisons . He escaped on foot although he was supposedly paralyzed, officials say .

(CNN) -- A Texas man convicted of murdering a San Antonio police officer before turning his gun on his wife was put to death Thursday evening, soon after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his last-minute appeal. The time of death for Frank Martinez Garcia was 7:02 p.m. CT (8:02 p.m. ET), said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Becky Blanton. Garcia was 28 on March 29, 2001, when San Antonio police officer Hector Garza responded to a call about a domestic disturbance at the home Garcia shared with his parents, his wife, Jessica, and their children. Garza, 49, died first after being shot three times by Garcia, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said on its website. Garcia's wife died after he shot her six times. He also fired several shots at others outside the home, wounding his wife's uncle, according to authorities. The couple's 5-year-old daughter witnessed the murders, according to the Department of Criminal Justice. The office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott stated, on its website, that Garcia -- who had been arrested with gang members in 1992 -- also fired his weapon at the vice principal of a nearby elementary school, hitting the front door of the school. Garcia eventually surrendered to police, later admitting in a formal written statement that he had intentionally killed both the police officer and his wife, according to the attorney general. A Bexar County grand jury indicted him in September 2001 for capital murder. During his trial, jurors saw photos from inside Garcia's home showing him and his wife brandishing weapons. Prosecutors also noted that his wife Jessica sought help from a battered women's shelter in 1994, after alleging physical and emotional abuse, while her co-workers had seen marks and bruises on her. In February 2002, Garcia was convicted and sentenced to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction two years later. And in 2007, the same court denied his application for habeas corpus relief -- in other words, claiming the state didn't have a right to hold him -- according to the attorney general. A U.S. district court turned down a similar petition in 2009, and a U.S. Circuit of Appeals court rejected his appeal the following year. In March 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court denied his writ of certiorari review, a legal term related to a higher court reviewing a lower court's decision. CNN's Bill Mears and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.

Frank Martinez Garcia was convicted of murdering his wife and a police officer . He also wounded a relative and fired at a nearby elementary school . The U.S. Supreme Court turned down his last-minute appeal Thursday .

(CNN) -- A Texas woman accused of killing her toddler daughter and dumping the body in Galveston Bay has been found guilty of murder by a jury in Galveston, Texas. Kimberly Dawn Trenor received a life sentence without possibility of parole in the murder of her daughter. Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 20, showed no emotion as the verdict was read late Monday. Trenor had pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in the case, but pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge. She received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The body of Trenor's daughter, Riley Ann Sawyers, was found in October 2007 in a large blue plastic container on an uninhabited island in Galveston Bay. Two-year-old Riley Ann's case drew national attention after a fisherman found her body. Authorities didn't know her identity, and police dubbed her "Baby Grace." After authorities distributed composite sketches of the girl nationwide, Sheryl Sawyers, the girl's paternal grandmother, contacted police from her Ohio home to say the drawing resembled her granddaughter. DNA testing confirmed the child's identity. According to an affidavit, Trenor told police Riley had been beaten and thrown across a room and that her head was held under water before she died on July 24, 2007. Another piece of evidence shown to the jury during the trial was a page of Trenor's journal where she talked of beating the child, according to CNN affiliate KTRK. "I just kept hitting her with the belt again and again. I don't know how long, but I remember her trying to get away and me knocking her back down," the journal said. Trenor's husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, 25, also faces capital murder and evidence tampering charges, but is being tried separately. A court date has not been set in that case.

Body of Kimberly Dawn Trenor's daughter found on Galveston Bay island in 2007 . Police dubbed girl "Baby Grace" before her identity was known . Trenor wrote in journal about beating toddler . Trenor's husband to face murder charges in separate trial .

(CNN) -- A Texas woman tearfully recounted the death of her foster child at the hands of a schoolteacher during a congressional hearing Tuesday looking into the use of seclusion and restraints in U.S. schools. The House Committee on Education and Labor heard testimony Tuesday on a report looking at school abuse. The hearing came on the heels of a report issued by the investigating arm of Congress that documents widespread abuse of techniques use to restrain or discipline special-education students. The Government Accountability Office report was prepared for the House Committee on Education and Labor, which heard testimony from parents, investigators and experts who described traumatizing punishment of special-needs children. The violent acts -- from hours of isolation in locked rooms or closets to the use of handcuffs and pinning children on the floor -- often led to serious injuries and even death, witnesses said. Committee Chairman Rep. George Miller, D-California, called the testimony "startling." "This is just unacceptable," he said. "This punishment is way out of bounds of what I believe are the social norms of this society." Toni Price of Killeen, Texas, told committee members that her 14-year-old foster child, Cedric, died in March 2002 when his eighth-grade teacher's disciplinary actions went too far. His death was one of the cases investigated by the GAO -- and the teacher, who is now working in a Virginia high school, has been placed on leave as a result of the congressional investigation. Price said Cedric was experiencing behavioral problems in school and on that particular day he stopped working at 11 a.m. His teacher withheld his lunch. Around 2:30, still without having eaten, Cedric tried to leave the classroom. Her voice shaking and tears welling in her eyes, Price said the teacher, whom she described as over 6 feet tall and weighing 230 pounds, forced the boy in a chair and restrained him. Price said Cedric, a small boy, struggled, so the teacher put him face down and sat on him. "I can't breathe," he said. "If you can speak, you can breathe," the teacher said, according to Price's testimony. Shortly after that, Cedric stopped struggling, and then stopped moving altogether. The teacher continued to restrain him as an aide wiped drool off his face, Price said. They then sat him up in the chair but Cedric slumped over and slid off, Price said. He was dead before Price could get to the school. "If I treated Cedric that way at home, I'd be in jail," Price told lawmakers. Cedric's death was ruled a homicide, Price said, but the teacher never faced trial. She was placed on a Texas registry of individuals found to have abused children but, despite the listing, she now teaches at a public high school in Virginia, Price told the committee. Tuesday morning, the American Association of School Administrators told the committee that the teacher involved in Price's death had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. The school system acted after the GAO referred its findings to the state school board, the organization reported. Price questioned why the crimes of pedophiles are public but teachers who torture children are free to continue working without disclosure of their past actions. Government auditors examined hundreds of allegations of abuse, the GAO report said. In 20 of those cases, it said, children died after being put in restraints. In four of those, the restraints were found to have resulted in the children suffocating. GAO investigator Greg Kutz told the House committee Tuesday that he lacked data to quantify the problem, but in the 2008 school year, investigators discovered 33,000 instances of seclusion, restraints or other punishments in Texas and California alone. Despite the problem, Kutz said, no federal regulations exist on the treatment of the more than 6 million children classified as having "special needs," conditions including autism and Down syndrome. At the state level, the laws are widely divergent -- 19 states have no laws at all. Auditors found that eight

New GAO report shows abuse of techniques used to restrain special-ed kids . House Education and Labor Committee hears testimony from parents, investigators . Chairman Miller, D-California, called the testimony "startling" Government auditors examined hundreds of allegations of abuse .

(CNN) -- A Toyota Prius was not the cause of a March 9 crash in Harrison, New York, said authorities citing "black and white" results in their investigation. Harrison, New York, Police Capt. Anthony Marraccini revealed at a news conference Monday that evidence extracted from the wrecked 2005 Prius' data recorder showed no indication of brake compression as the car headed toward a stone wall. Rather, the accelerator was pressed 100 percent, authorities said. Marraccini said the data, which he described as "black and white," was collected in a cooperative effort between Harrison police, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Toyota. "Toyota has been very cooperative," said Marraccini. "There's no possibility of any distortion of this data," he continued. "These are the facts that surround this." A housekeeper was driving the car at the time of the accident. She told police the vehicle accelerated on its own as she eased forward down her employer's driveway, causing her to crash into a stone wall on the other side of the road. The incident, which did not involve other vehicles nor injuries to anyone, drew attention because the 2005 Prius was part of Toyota's November recall to address the risk of pedal entrapment in the floor mat. But police said early on that floor mats were not a factor in this accident. A recall to address a sticky accelerator problem did not include the Prius. Monday's announcement corroborates a NHTSA statement from early in the investigation, explaining that "information retrieved from the vehicle's onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open." The statement suggested at the time that the driver may have been stepping on the accelerator, instead of the brake as she told police. "We do see these accidents on occasion," Marraccini said Monday. "I think with all this hype about Toyota, people are just looking to point fingers," he said. Marraccini said that he spoke with the housekeeper about the findings of the investigation, but she remains "very passionate about her statement." "When a driver believes they are on the brake pedal, they believe it. But there is no indication of that," Marraccini said. Toyota spokesman Wade Hoyt called the investigation "thorough" and "conscientious," and praised authorities for their "really outstanding piece of detective work." CNN's Dana Garrett contributed to this report.

The wrecked 2005 Prius' data recorder showed no indication of brake compression. Police say there was no indication the driver engaged the brake. Police say the data was collected in a cooperative effort with NHTSA and Toyota.

(CNN) -- A Turkish television show is offering contestants what it claims is the "biggest prize ever" -- the chance for atheists to convert to one of the world's major religions. The TV show offers converts to Islam the chance to visit Mecca. The show, called "Tovbekarlar Yarisiyor," or "Penitents Compete," features a Muslim imam, a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi and a Buddhist monk attempting to persuade 10 atheists of the merits of their religion, according to CNN Turk. If they succeed, the contestants are rewarded with a pilgrimage to one of their chosen faith's most sacred sites -- Mecca for Muslims, Jerusalem for converts to Judaism, a trip to Tibet for Buddhists and the chance to visit Ephesus and the Vatican for Christians. Ahmet Ozdemir, deputy director of Turkish channel Kanal T, which will air the show from September, said the program aimed to "turn disbelievers on to God." "People are free to believe anything they want. Our program does not have a say," he said, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. Contestants will be judged by a panel of eight theologians and religious experts prior to going on the show to make sure their lack of faith is genuine. But the show has been condemned by Turkish religious leaders. The head of the country's supreme council of religious affairs, Hamza Aktan, told CNN Turk that it was "disrespectful" to place different faiths in competition with each other and accused Kanal T of using religion to boost ratings. "To do such a thing for the sake of ratings, not only with Islam but with all religions is disrespectful," said Aktan. "Religion should not be the subject of this type of program." Although Turkey has a predominantly Muslim population and culture, religion is a sensitive subject because of the country's staunchly secular constitution which outlaws most displays of faith in public life. Last year the Islamist-influenced government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clashed with the country's constitutional court when judges overturned the efforts of Erdogan's AK Party to lift a ban on female students wearing headscarves at public universities. Aylin Yazan at CNN Turk contributed to this story.

Turkish TV show features imam, Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi, Buddhist monk . Religious leaders attempt to persuade atheists to "convert" to their faith . Show has prompted criticism from religious groups who say it is "disrespectful"

(CNN) -- A U.N. official said Monday that the global economic crisis is hurting efforts to clear land mines in Afghanistan, one of the world's most heavily mined countries. An Afghan soldier inspects a land mine in Herat, western Afghanistan. Haider Reza, program director of the U.N. Mine Action Center for Afghanistan, said more than 82,000 anti-personnel mines were cleared in Afghanistan last year. But he said the $500 million needed to meet the goal of clearing all mines by 2013 is under threat. "We are at a very critical point, and this country and people cannot afford to see a devastating situation where not much money will come," Reza said, in remarks included in a U.N. news release. More than 4 million people live in "mine-contaminated" areas in Afghanistan, the U.N. says. The clearance of explosives is considered of key importance for the country's development. The anti-personnel mines and 900 anti-tank mines cleared this past year constitute more than 20 percent of mines cleared from the country since 1989, the United Nations said. The Ottawa Convention on land mines specifies that Afghanistan must be completely cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance by 2013. The Afghanistan Compact, the partnership between the Afghan government and the international community, is calling for "70 percent of explosive-infested land to be cleared by 2011." "If the resources flow into the program, we have the technical capacity and we can do the job," said Reza, who is reaching out to new donors, such as Persian Gulf nations. "God forbid that the security situation throughout the country, especially in areas where we have to do the job, deteriorates to the extent that would not allow our de-miners to do their job. Otherwise, I am very confident we will make it," he said.

$500M needed to meet the goal of clearing all mines by 2013, official says . U.N.: 82,000 anti-personnel mines were cleared in Afghanistan last year . More than 4 million people live in "mine-contaminated" areas in Afghanistan . U.N. official: "If the resources flow into the program, we can do the job"

(CNN) -- A U.N. special investigator called for the resignation of top Kenyan officials and sweeping changes in the country's security forces to end reported widespread killings by police across the African nation. The report urged President Mwai Kibaki to publicly acknowledge his commitment to ending the killings. "The special rapporteur concluded that police in Kenya frequently execute individuals and that a climate of impunity prevails," Philip Alston said in a report a recently submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "Most troubling is the existence of police death squads operating on the orders of senior police officials and charged with eliminating suspected leaders and members of criminal organizations." The report calls for the resignation of Kenya's attorney general and the immediate replacement of the police commissioner. It also says Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki should publicly acknowledge his commitment to ending unlawful killings by the police. The Kenyan government expressed its "deep displeasure" with the report, questioning the special investigator's "approach, conduct and method of work." "The government expresses grave concern regarding the allegations contained in the report by the special rapporteur," said Alfred Mutua, a spokesman for the Kenyan government. "His questioning of the very basis of the Kenyan state and, in particular, its institutions is totally unacceptable and impinges on Kenya's sovereignty." Alston also accused government security forces of torturing and killing hundreds of men in a March 2008 crackdown on a militia in the Mt. Elgon district, in western Kenya. And he said there was compelling evidence that what he called police death squads were operating in Nairobi and Central Province with a mandate to "exterminate" suspected Mungiki gang members. "These are not "rogue" squads, but police who are acting on the explicit orders of their superiors," he said. The Mungiki militia, which is loyal to Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe, began as a religious sect, but over the years has morphed into a gang that runs protection rackets -- particularly in the slums. The U.N. investigator suggested Kibaki acknowledge the alleged police killings and commit to stop them. He also advocated creating an independent civilian police oversight body, and said the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court should investigate violence after the 2007 election. He urged the government to create a witness protection program as well. Alston, who investigates human-rights problems around the world for the United Nations, traveled to Kenya at the government's invitation. He stayed for 10 days in mid-February while 100 interviews were conducted in the U.N. member nation. There is hope for Kenya despite his criticism, Alston said. "While the existing situation is bad, it is far from intractable," the report says. "If it so chooses, Kenya can significantly reduce the prevalence of unlawful killings."

Report: Police death squads operate on the orders of senior officials . Calls for resignation of attorney general, replacement of police commissioner . Philip Alston accuses security forces of killing hundreds of men in 2008 crackdown . Kenya questions investigator's "approach, conduct and method of work"

(CNN) -- A U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber caught fire Friday after a landing at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, U.S. military officials said. A sweep-wing B-1 bomber, similar to this one, caught fire after landing Friday in Qatar, the U.S. military says. The crew evacuated safely, the officials said. They said the fire began while the plane was taxiing after landing about 9:10 p.m. at al-Udeid, the headquarters of U.S. military air operations for the Middle East. Officials said the fire on the bomber was contained. A military board of inquiry has been appointed to investigate the incident, they said. The officials said initial reports said the plane crashed at the headquarters of the U.S. military's air operations for the Middle East. The B-1B Lancer is widely used by the U.S. military to bomb targets over Iraq and Afghanistan. Learn more about B-1 bombers » It carries a host of satellite and laser-guided bombs and is able to remain over targets for long periods of time to assist in close-air support for troops on the ground. In December 2001, a B-1 crashed while returning from a bombing run over Afghanistan to a British base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Originally designed to speed nuclear bombs into Cold War Russia, the B-1 was retooled to become a long-range bomber able to carry more conventional bombs, allowing it to hit more targets over a wider area. Al-Udeid, about 20 miles south of Qatar's capital of Doha, has the military's longest runway in the Middle East. About 3,300 U.S. troops, mostly Army, are stationed at the base. E-mail to a friend

NEW: Bomber burned after landing at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar . NEW: Crew was able to evacuate aircraft safely, military says . Al-Udeid Air Base has the military's longest runway in the Middle East .

(CNN) -- A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent was killed Saturday when he was struck by a car driven by a suspected narcotics smuggler, officials said. Luis Aguilar, 32, who was assigned to the Yuma, Arizona, border patrol station, died Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner W. Ralph Basham said in a statement. "Agent Aguilar's death serves as another stark reminder of the risks our front-line agents and officers face each day," Basham said. Aguilar was trying to place spike strips in the path of two vehicles believed to have illegally entered the country from Mexico when one of the vehicles hit him, agent Michael Bernacke, a spokesman for the agency's Yuma sector, told The Associated Press. Both vehicles drove back across the border into Mexico, the AP said. The fatal incident occurred in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area near Andrade, California, Basham said. Andrade is just over the California state line from Arizona. The area is popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts but also is frequently used by smugglers carrying people or drugs, the AP said. Aguilar is survived by his wife and two children, along with his brother, who is also a border patrol agent, a Homeland Security Department statement said. "I am outraged by this tragic loss," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Saturday. "I have spoken to the Mexican ambassador, who gives me both his condolences and deep assurance that their government will be resolute in tracking down the perpetrators and bringing them to swift justice." Federal, state and local authorities are working with Mexican police and military authorities to apprehend the suspected killers, he said. E-mail to a friend

Officials: Luis Aguilar, 32, was placing spike strips to stop the smugglers . Border agents believe two cars involved had entered the U.S. illegally . The incident occurred over the California state line from Arizona . Both vehicles drove back across the border and into Mexico .

(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 .

(CNN) -- A U.S. senator is calling for a federal probe into the system of background checks for employees at nuclear plants after learning that a suspected al Qaeda member from New Jersey worked at five such sites. "We simply cannot tolerate at any time having someone with terrorist ties working at a nuclear plant, period," Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a written statement Saturday. "It seems like common sense, but clearly we need to tighten up the system." The FBI said earlier this week that it is investigating Sharif Mobley, a 26-year-old from Buena, New Jersey, as a suspected member of al Qaeda. Mobley also is accused of shooting and killing a security agent and severely injuring another while trying to flee the Republican Hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, last weekend, a law enforcement source said last week. Mobley's father said Saturday, "My son is no terrorist." He would not comment further. Mobley worked at nuclear plants operated by PSEG Nuclear for different contractors from 2002 to 2008, doing routine labor such as carrying supplies and assisting with maintenance activities, company spokesman Joe Delmar said Thursday. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it was working with the FBI to determine whether Mobley had access to any sensitive areas of the nuclear plants where he once worked, spokeswoman Holly Harrington said. "It's important to note that for him to even be in the plants, he'd have to undergo a background and criminal history check," she said. She said Mobley worked at five plants between 2002 and 2008 in "labor [and] maintenance kind of positions." Schumer said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector general should conduct an "immediate and thorough review" of its procedures for background checks on new and transfer employees. The senator said the monitoring of current employees needs improvement. He said the current background checks include an examination of criminal and employment histories, a psychological assessment and behavioral observation. However, "the NRC delegates the authority to complete background checks, which results in a certain degree of disparity in how checks are carried out, and what information is ultimately covered," Schumer's statement said. He said the checks are not required to cover such information as past travel and ties with other countries. Yemeni counterterrorism forces rushed to the scene and captured Mobley, who had barricaded himself in a hospital room, said Mohammed Albasha, a spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, on Thursday. Mobley remains detained in Yemen after the incident at the hospital. Yemeni authorities detained him and 10 other al Qaeda suspects this month in a "successful security sweep" in Sanaa, the capital, Albasha said. Mobley had been transported to the hospital over the weekend for medical treatment, Albasha said. He would not elaborate. CNN's Susan Candiotti, Carol Cratty, Jeanne Meserve, Mike M. Ahlers and Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report.

Senator calls for probe into background check system for nuclear plant workers . Suspected al Qaeda member Sharif Mobley did routine labor at nuclear plants from 2002 to 2008 . Mobley is accused of killing security agent while trying to flee a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen . Background checks include criminal, employment histories; psychological assessment .

(CNN) -- A U.S. serviceman was among six victims of an early morning shooting at a Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, strip club Wednesday, officials said. Unidentified gunmen entered the Amadeus club in the border city across from El Paso, Texas, just after midnight and fatally shot six men, Chihuahua state attorney general's office spokesman Arturo Sandoval said. An additional person was injured, he said. Two of the victims were identified as employees of the strip club, a waiter and a security guard, the spokesman said. Another was identified as an American citizen and member of the U.S. Air Force, Sandoval said. A statement from Holloman Air Force Base, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, confirmed that the airman was based there, and identified him as Staff Sgt. David Booher, 26. The gunmen appeared to have targeted the victims, Sandoval said. "Everything indicates that these people were looking for these men," he said. Investigators recovered more than 30 shells from the scene. Because of drug-related violence, particularly in border cities, Juarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military. At Fort Bliss in El Paso, for instance, a memorandum prohibits its soldiers from traveling into the Mexican state of Chihuahua, where Ciudad Juarez is located. More than 2,000 killings have been recorded in Juarez this year. CNN's Mayra Cuevas-Nazario, Mike Mount, Dave Alsup and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report.

Air Force Staff Sgt. David Booher shot with 5 others in Ciudad Juarez . Gunmen appeared to have targeted the victims, Mexican spokesman says . Juarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military because of drug violence .

(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier convicted of murdering an Iraqi family spoke out for the first time Thursday, issuing a public apology for his crimes. Former U.S. soldier Steven Green got life in prison after being convicted of murdering four Iraqis. Steven Green, who escaped the death penalty this month, told relatives of the victims that he is "truly sorry for what I did in Iraq." "I helped to destroy a family and end the lives of four of my fellow human beings, and I wish that I could take it back, but I cannot," Green said, reading a statement at a victim impact hearing. "And, as inadequate as this apology is, it is all I can give you." The family refused to accept the apology. Green was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Kentucky of raping a 14-year-old girl and murdering her, her parents and her 6-year-old sister in the town of Yusufiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, in 2006. A jury could not reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty, which means the judge is required under law to impose a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Green will be sentenced September 4, but the victim impact hearing was held Thursday so surviving members of the al-Janabi family could testify before they return to Iraq. They decried Green's sentence and testified about how the heinous crime had shattered their lives and how it will haunt them always. Green said that he knows "you wish I was dead, and I do not hold that against you. If I was in your place, I am convinced beyond any doubt that I would feel the same way." He added, "I know that I have done evil, and I fear that the wrath of the Lord will come upon me on that day. But, I hope that you and your family at least can find some comfort in God's justice." The wailing family matriarch, Hajia al-Janabi, lunged at Green as she left the witness stand, denouncing him as a coward, a criminal and a stigma on the United States, according to Louisville's Courier-Journal newspaper. Security officers restrained the distressed woman, the newspaper said. Another family member, Mahdi al-Janabi, said Green had lost the ability to distinguish between terrorists and Iraqi civilians. Green was tried in a civilian court in Paducah, Kentucky, because he had been discharged from the Army by the time his crimes surfaced. He was the last of five soldiers who served in the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to be convicted for the crimes and their subsequent cover-up. The others -- Spec. James Barker, Sgt. Paul Cortez, Pfc. Jesse Spielman and Pfc. Bryan Howard -- received sentences ranging from 27 months to 110 years, with the possibility of parole in 10 years in the most severe cases. Green said he now sees the Iraq war as "intrinsically evil, because killing is intrinsically evil." He was sorry, he said, that he ever had anything to do with either.

"I wish that I could take it back," says man convicted in 2006 attack . Steven Green must serve life in prison without parole . Surviving family members testify against Green at hearing . Matriarch lunges at Green while leaving witness stand .

(CNN) -- A U.S.-flagged ship that played a central role in a bloody hijacking drama last spring was attacked again Wednesday, a busy day for piracy in the dangerous waters off the east coast of Africa. It was the first time a security team aboard a major merchant ship repelled a pirate attack, a top U.S. Navy officer said. But a defensive weapon that emits a loud noise did not work, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said in a briefing. "They tried to employ [a long-range acoustical device] and it did not have the effect," said Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, which is responsible for the area favored by pirates. He said he did not know why the device did not work. The Maersk Alabama came under automatic weapons fire from pirates about 350 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, the European Union's anti-piracy force said, but fought the attackers off. The failed attack came on a day of dramatic piracy events: The captain of a ship hijacked Monday was confirmed to have died, even as his ship was used to attack another, and a Spanish prosecutor demanded an investigation into reports that a ransom had been paid for a ship released Tuesday. The failed attack Wednesday targeted the same ship that was hijacked in the Indian Ocean in April. Its captain, Richard Phillips, was held hostage on a lifeboat for five days before U.S. Navy snipers shot three pirates dead. A fourth pirate was arrested, and Phillips was rescued. This time, private security guards on the Danish-owned ship fended off the pirates, EU and U.S. naval sources said. Security had been beefed up on the vessel since the attack in April, Maersk spokesman Kevin Speers told CNN. The ship's owners did not immediately respond to a CNN question about whether Phillips is still captain of the ship. Somali pirates vowed revenge for the killing of their compatriots by the U.S. Navy in April, but it was not immediately clear if the Maersk Alabama was targeted intentionally or if the latest attack was a coincidence. No casualties were reported on the ship, but pirates on land in Somalia feared the pirates who attacked the Maersk Alabama may have been killed or wounded, or may have drowned, they told a local journalist. There has been no contact with them since they attacked the Maersk Alabama, a pirate in the central Somali town of Harardhere said. Their last communication came while they were battling the security guards on the cargo ship, the pirate said. Pirates on land also exchanged gunfire -- with one another. They fought among themselves Wednesday over a multimillion-dollar ransom they received for releasing a Spanish fishing boat, said a local journalist in contact with the pirates. "There was a heavy exchange of gunfire between some of our friends" one pirate told the journalist, speaking of the other pirates. "They fought over the 3 million euro ($4.5 million) received as a ransom from the Spanish boat." At least two pirates were wounded in the gunfight in Harardhere, a pirate stronghold in central Somalia, the local journalist told CNN. Those two pirates are in critical condition and have been transferred to the town of Galka'yo. The Alakrana, the Spanish fishing vessel, was freed Tuesday along with its 36 crew members, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said. It had been held for 47 days. Zapatero did not say how the ship was freed. Spanish media -- including CNN sister station CNN+, which cited a source it said was close to the negotiations -- reported that a ransom had been paid. A top prosecutor in Madrid on Wednesday called for an investigation into the reported ransom. National Court prosecutor Jesus Alonso sent a written request for the ransom investigation to Judge Santiago Pedraz, asking that the financial web involved in the alleged payment be untangled, including commissions paid to intermediaries in the negotiations, CNN+ reported from the courthouse. The prosecutor also called on the judge to take testimony from all the ship's 36 crew members. Various government ministers have sidestepped questions about whether a ransom was

NEW: Captain of Virgin Islands-flagged ship, hijacked Monday, confirmed to have died . Maersk Alabama, after April hijacking in which pirates died, thwarts attack Wednesday . Other pirates apparently fight over ransom money from Spanish vessel hijacking . Top prosecutor in Madrid calls for investigation into reported ransom .

(CNN) -- A United Nations court convicted a former governor of Rwanda to life in prison for his role in a 1994 genocide that left about 800,000 dead in the central African country. An estimated 800,000 people -- mainly Tutsis -- were killed in Rwanda in 1994. Tharcisse Renzaho was found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The verdict, delivered Tuesday, is the third judgment on charges of genocide delivered this year by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The U.N. court is holding hearings in Arusha, Tanzania, where it is based. Renzaho was governor of the capital, Kigali, and a colonel in the Rwandan Armed Forces in 1994 during the country's genocide, when extremist militias made up of ethnic Hutus slaughtered ethnic Tutsis across Rwanda. It began in April of that year and within 100 days, an estimated 800,000 people were killed. The court found that Renzaho ordered soldiers, police and militias to set up roadblocks to identify Tutsi civilians to be executed. It found he ordered the distribution of weapons to people who then killed Tutsis. Renzaho also supervised a selection process at a refugee site where about 40 Tutsis were abducted and killed, the court found. Renzaho participated in an attack at the Sainte Famille church in which more than 100 Tutsis were killed. People across Rwanda sought refuge in churches all over the country as the genocide unfolded. He also made remarks encouraging the sexual abuse of women, according to the court, and was found criminally liable for the rapes that followed. The genocide ended when Tutsi-led militias backing Rwandan President Paul Kagame ousted the Hutu government supporting the massacre. Renzaho was arrested in September 2002 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His trial began in January 2007 and closed in September that year after hearing from 53 witnesses, including Renzaho. Throughout the trial, Renzaho maintained his innocence and said he had no association with the militia. Renzaho's lawyer blamed the case on political interference by the Rwandan government. Renzaho has the right to appeal the verdict. The decision is the third judgment on charges of genocide delivered this year by the tribunal. Emmanuel Rukundo, a former military chaplain, was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The court found Rukundo had a history of contempt for Tutsis and his fellow clergymen, and that he ordered the killings of Tutsi civilians. Callixte Kalimanzira was sentenced to 30 years in prison for genocide and incitement to commit genocide. The court found that Kalimanzira, a senior civil servant who at one point worked with the Interior Ministry, participated in various massacres of Tutsi civilians and actively encouraged other crimes against them. Prosecutors at his trial said he beat some Tutsis to death and called for the elimination of all Tutsis, including pregnant women and their babies.

Tharcisse Renzaho guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes . 3rd genocide judgment this year by International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda . Renzaho governor of Kigali in 1994 during the country's genocide . Court: Renzaho ordered roadblocks to identify Tutsi civilians to be executed .

(CNN) -- A University of Memphis football player was shot and killed on campus Sunday night, prompting administration officials to cancel classes and plead for anyone with information to come forward. Police said defensive lineman Taylor Bradford, 21, apparently was shot around 9:45 p.m. (10:45 ET) Sunday. The 5-foot-11-inch, 300-pound junior apparently then got into his car, drove a short distance and hit a tree near the campus residence hall area. Bradford, of Nashville, Tennessee, was pronounced dead at Regional Medical Center. The university locked down the residence halls and canceled classes for Monday as an "early precaution" against the possibility there was an armed attacker on campus, university President Shirley Raines said. Raines said the school did not activate its newly installed emergency public address system because university police determined the campus was not in imminent danger. Witnesses told police they saw people they suspect were the assailants fleeing the scene, Raines said. University police said the Memphis Police Department's homicide bureau is assisting in the investigation. Officials said they hope that surveillance cameras in the area will yield clues. Memphis Director of Police Services Larry Godwin said that because such crimes are rare on the university campus Bradford "may very well have been targeted." "We're looking at everything," he said. "We're hoping that someone will step forward with some information to point us in the right direction." Residence halls reopened early Monday, and classes are expected to resume Tuesday. On Monday, offices at the university were open so students could have access to counseling and talk with faculty and staff, said university spokesman Curt Guenther. Raines said she and head football coach Tommy West met with Bradford's parents and other family members to express their condolences. West said Bradford was "very popular within our team, very popular on our campus. Very upbeat, very up-tempo personality. Always smiling, always talking. Very well-liked on this campus." Bradford, a marketing major, transferred to the University of Memphis from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, according to the Univeristy of Memphis football team's Web site. The University of Memphis had 20,562 students last fall and about 2,500 employees, according to the school's Web site. On September 21 two students at Delaware State University were wounded in shootings. There will be a moment of silence at Tuesday night's scheduled football game against Marshall University to honor Bradford. E-mail to a friend

NEW: Coach says the 21-year old was a popular student . University of Memphis football player Taylor Bradford, shot dead . Initial investigation suggests attack was not random, police say . Classes canceled Monday but are expected to resume Tuesday .

(CNN) -- A Utah man with chronic health problems died Wednesday from complications associated with swine flu, a local health official said. If confirmed, it would be the ninth U.S. fatality associated with the flu outbreak. Memorials appeared at the door of I.S. 238 in Queens, New York, this week after the death of an administrator. The man, who was from around Salt Lake City, was between 18 and 25 years old and "had chronic medical conditions that may have contributed to severe complications from influenza," said Gary Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. Also on Wednesday, health and education officials in New York announced that 21 of the city's public schools had been closed after an increase of reports of students with flu-like symptoms. A school administrator in Queens died after being hospitalized with the H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu. Nineteen of the schools closed at the recommendation of the Health Department are public and two are private, the city's Education Department announced in a news release. In addition, two private schools in Manhattan -- St. Davis Academy and Horace Mann -- have decided on their own to close after a number of students exhibited flu-like symptoms, according the schools' Web sites. In the city's news release, city Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden repeated what has become a familiar refrain: "We continue to see a rising tide of flu in many parts of New York City. As the virus spreads, we will look to slow transmission within individual school communities by closing individual schools." Late last week the city closed 11 schools in Queens and one in Brooklyn after confirming cases of the virus at Intermediate School 238 in Queens and unusually high levels of flu-like symptoms in the others. Mitchell Wiener, an assistant principal at I.S. 238 who died Sunday after being hospitalized with the disease, had an underlying condition, according to Frieden. The death in Utah was the first associated with the swine flu, or H1N1, virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked eight U.S. deaths to the flu outbreak, but had not confirmed a link to H1N1 in the Utah death as of Wednesday evening. The outbreak has sickened at least 10,176 people and caused at least 80 deaths -- mostly in Mexico, according to the World Health Organization. The actual number of people affected may be higher, as it takes time for national governments to confirm cases and report them to the global body. In the United States, at least 5,710 cases of swine flu have been reported, according to recent figures from the CDC. Utah officials echoed national agencies in saying that the swine flu has largely behaved like typical seasonal influenza, which usually is fatal only among the very old, the very young or people with other health problems. In New York, 19 of the schools closed at the recommendation of the Health Department are public and two are private, it and the city's Education Department announced in a news release. In addition, two private schools in Manhattan -- St. Davis Academy and Horace Mann -- have decided on their own to close after a number of students exhibited flu-like symptoms, according the schools' Web sites. In the city's news release, city Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden repeated what has become a familiar refrain: "We continue to see a rising tide of flu in many parts of New York City. As the virus spreads, we will look to slow transmission within individual school communities by closing individual schools." Late last week the city closed 11 schools in Queens and one in Brooklyn after confirming cases of the H1N1 virus, commonly called swine flu, at Intermediate School 238 in Queens and unusually high levels of flu-like symptoms in the others. An assistant principal of Intermediate School 238 died Sunday after being hospitalized with H1N1. Frieden has said the administrator, Mitchell Wiener, had an underlying condition. CNN's Deb Brunswick contributed to this report

NEW: New York City has closed 21 schools since virus confirmed, health officials say . Utah reports first death associated with swine flu, or H1N1, virus . If confirmed by the CDC, it would be the ninth U.S. death linked to the outbreak . WHO: At least 10,176 people have been sickened and 80 have died worldwide .

(CNN) -- A Vietnamese woman caught cooking a tiger carcass was sentenced to two and a half years in jail, state media reported Thursday. There are reportedly only about 100 tigers, prized by so-called medicine men, left living in Vietnam. A Hanoi court convicted Nguyen Thi Thanh, 41, for "violating regulations protecting rare wild animals." She was arrested last September after police raided a house that she rented in the capital city of Hanoi and found dead tigers, bear arms, monkey bones and elephant tusks. Officers found Thanh and three accomplices cooking tiger carcasses, the Thanh Nien daily reported. The three men received suspended sentences, ranging from 24 to 30 months, the daily said. The woman told police she sold the animals' bone marrow for 6.5 million Vietnamese dong ($400) per gram to traditional medicine men, according to reports at the time. Such medicine men think tiger bones and other parts can cure arthritis and other joint ailments, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Tigers are universally threatened, with only about 100 still living in Vietnam, the World Wildlife Fund said. The southeast Asian country has banned trafficking in endangered animal parts. Last year, the Vietnamese government unearthed 38 cases of illegal trafficking that involved 503 endangered animals, local media said at the time. E-mail to a friend

Vietnamese woman caught cooking a tiger carcass jailed for two and a half years . Nguyen Thi Thanh, 41, convicted for violating regulations protecting rare wild animals . Police found dead tigers, bear arms, monkey bones and elephant tusks in her flat .

(CNN) -- A Virginia judge on Tuesday approved an $11 million settlement from the state to the families of victims killed or injured in last year's Virginia Tech shootings. Parents of wounded Virginia Tech students comfort each other on Tuesday. The 24 victims included in the settlement were among the 32 killed by Seung-Hui Cho's April 16, 2007, shooting rampage. The settlement also compensates 18 people injured. "The commonwealth has endeavored to meet the needs and concerns of the victims, including family members, through both monetary and non-monetary provisions," said Chief Deputy Attorney General William C. Mims. Of the remaining eight deceased victims, families of two chose not to file claims and two other claims are unresolved. The other four will be brought forward at a later date, Mims said. The settlement also includes provisions that allow the families to occasionally meet with the governor and Virginia Tech officials to review legislation and improvements made at the campus in response to the tragedy. The families had pursued wrongful death and personal injury claims against the state after an August 2007 report by an independent panel concluded that more timely and more specific information from university officials might have saved lives. University officials were criticized for not immediately warning students and staff after two students were found dead in a dormitory at 7 a.m. on the day of the killings. Police said they initially believed the two had been involved in a romantic dispute, but later determined they were Cho's first victims. It was almost 9:30 a.m. before authorities sent an e-mail to students and staff notifying them of the shootings and warning them to be cautious. About 9:50 a.m., Cho, 23, began shooting people in Norris Hall, an engineering and classroom building. While criticizing the university response, the panel -- which included former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge -- also said quicker action by school officials may not have made a difference. The report also noted that campus and state agencies might have taken a different approach to Cho had his middle- and high-school records followed him to Virginia Tech. Problems with Cho reportedly began to surface well before the shootings. The records detailed his mental health issues, including a tendency to react to depression with violence.

24 victims included in settlement were among 32 Seung-Hui Cho killed in April 2007 . Of the other 8 victims, families of two chose not to file claims; two are unresolved . Agreement allows families to be updated on campus security improvements .

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

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

(CNN) -- A Washington woman who hid a sedated monkey under her blouse on a flight from Thailand was convicted of violating wildlife laws for smuggling the monkey into the United States, prosecutors said Tuesday. Authorities rescued the monkey from Gypsy Lawson's fake womb. Gypsy Lawson, 28, and her mother, Fran Ogren, 56, were convicted of smuggling and conspiracy to smuggle the monkey in violation of the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws. Lawson hid the young rhesus macaque monkey under a loose-fitting blouse on a flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Los Angeles, California, International Airport, pretending she was pregnant, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Washington said. Permits are required to possess rhesus monkeys and many other species of animals. Such permits are granted for research, enhancement and conservation purposes. Additionally, transporting such species into the United States requires a customs declaration. Lawson and Ogren had neither. "These defendants purposely undertook a course of action which could well have endangered many citizens, as well as the life of the animal in question," said U.S. Attorney James McDevitt. Rhesus monkeys are known to carry viruses and parasites that can be transmitted to humans, said Paul Chang, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent. "This particular animal tested negative," he said. Chang said the monkey has been placed with a rescue center for abandoned primates, "but it could have been living out its life with its family in its native habitat." Authorities found journals and handwritten notes describing the mother and daughter's attempts to find a monkey small enough to smuggle back to the United States. The journal also described the pair's "acquisition of a small monkey and their experimenting with different medicines to sedate the monkey for their journey home," McDevitt's office said. Authorities also found photographs of Lawson at two airports and on an airplane in which she is wearing loose-fitting clothing and appears to be pregnant. "The journal confirms that she and her mother smuggled the monkey into the United States by hiding it under her shirt, pretending she was pregnant in order to get past authorities," the statement from McDevitt's office said. Co-defendant James Edward Pratt, 34, already has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of possession and transportation of prohibited wildlife. He will be sentenced in January. Sentencing for Lawson and Ogren is scheduled for March 3, 2009. The smuggling conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of court supervision after release. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of court supervision after release. Flight itineraries show the pair flew from Spokane, Washington, to Bangkok on November 4-5, 2007, with stops in Seattle, Washington, and Inchon, South Korea. They returned on a direct flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles, California, on November 28, 2007.

Gypsy Lawson, 28, faked pregnancy to hide sedated monkey under her blouse . Lawson, mother convicted of conspiracy, smuggling for taking monkey from Thailand . Prosecutors say they found notes between women planning the smuggling . Smuggling conviction carries maximum 20-year sentence .

(CNN) -- A barn fire that killed two men and dozens of horses in Ohio on Saturday shows no sign of criminal intent, authorities said. The Ohio State Fire Marshal said the cause of the fire, at the Lebanon Raceway near Cincinnati in southwestern Ohio, is undetermined. "However, investigators have ruled out criminal intent," it said in a written statement. The ages and identities of the men are not yet known. Initially, officials reported that 65 horses perished, but later put the number at 43. The state fire marshal said that preliminary information from the men's autopsies may be available by Sunday. The fire began in the northwest corner of the barn, according to the state fire marshal's office. It would not release the specific origin of the fire because of the investigation. The Warren County Fair Board -- which operates the track -- confirmed the men's deaths and the destruction of the barn, but couldn't say how many horses were killed. It said in a statement that harness racing scheduled for Saturday night has been canceled. Firefighters from 11 departments, which received the call just before 5 a.m., cleared debris and extinguished hot spots during the day. For more than 50 years, the Warren County Fair Board has been operating the county fair grounds, which includes "a harness racing track and supporting facilities that are leased for harness racing meets to two harness racing clubs," according to the statement issued by a fair board attorney, Bill Schroeder. Schroeder said the fire was first noticed by a neighbor and that the barn, harness-racing carriages, and other racing equipment have been destroyed. Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to other barns, officials told CNN affiliate WHIO-TV. State and local fire officials are working to determine what sparked the fire. Follow CNN affiliate WHIO's local coverage Follow CNN affiliate WLWT's local coverage Another barn fire at the fairgrounds killed 35 horses in 1988, Warren County Commissioner Pat South said, according to the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun newspaper.

NEW: Ohio State Fire Marshal: "Investigators have ruled out criminal intent" Death toll comes down from earlier reports of 65 . Two men who died are still unidentified; autopsies will be conducted Sunday . 11 departments respond to fire just before 5 a.m.

(CNN) -- A big part of being president is making decisions, and one of the key decisions a would-be president can make is who he or she marries. Cindy McCain has a master's degree in special education. She is part owner of her father's business. It's not like deciding whether to press the nuclear button, but first ladies in the United States can wield enormous influence in politics and in society. They're not elected. They're not paid. There's no precise job description. But whether it's an elegantly dressed Jacqueline Kennedy giving Americans a tour of the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt speaking on civil rights or Hillary Clinton saying "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies," first ladies are praised, criticized, adored and scorned -- but never ignored. The two women poised for the job, 54-year-old Cindy McCain, wife of Republican Sen. John McCain, and 44-year-old Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, come from strikingly different backgrounds. Watch the different styles of potential first ladies » McCain is the only child of a wealthy Arizona businessman, James Hensley, founder of Hensley & Co., a major distributor of Budweiser beer. Her stake in the business is estimated to be at least $100 million. She refused to release her full tax returns, saying "I am not the candidate," but later provided summary pages of her 2006 taxes without details. Cindy McCain has a master's degree in special education. She met John McCain in 1979 when he was the U.S. Navy's liaison to the Senate. He was 18 years older than she. He divorced his wife and married Cindy in 1980. The McCains have four children, including a daughter adopted from an orphanage in Bangladesh. A tall, striking blonde with blue eyes, Cindy McCain has had health issues including a near-fatal stroke in 2004 and a battle with prescription drugs that she says is behind her. In an interview with CNN, McCain said her priority in life is charity. "I've been internationally involved in many, many things," she said. "Land mine removal, children's health care, poverty around the world -- and I will continue that." On the campaign trail, always dressed impeccably, she stays "on message" but did take a swipe at Michelle Obama after her statement, "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country." "I don't know about you," McCain said in February, "...I'm very proud of my country." Michelle Obama has a blunt style and a wry, quirky sense of humor that goes over well with supporters. She doesn't mince words. In an interview with CNN, she said, "I think race is always -- still, in this country, it's always on the table." Michelle Obama was raised in a working-class family in Chicago, Illinois, but educated at some of America's elite universities: Princeton and Harvard Law School. She was hired by a top-flight law firm in Chicago and met Barack Obama when she was assigned to mentor him. They married in 1992 and have two young daughters. Michelle Obama cuts an impressive figure -- tall, slim and dressed in Jackie-Kennedy-like sheath dresses. If her husband is elected, she will make history as the first African-American first lady. She has given insights into her husband's domestic behavior: He doesn't pick up his socks. Cindy McCain praises her husband as a fighter who won't give up. Will we learn more of substance? Their husbands offer starkly different views of what they would do in office and Americans often look to their first ladies as a window into the thinking of the president. We're all ears.

First ladies can wield enormous influence . Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain have sharply different backgrounds . But both are well-educated and successful in their own careers .

(CNN) -- A biker who posted videos of himself on YouTube performing stunts and speeding at up to 210 kph (130 mph) has been jailed after inadvertently confessing his misdemeanors to police. Sandor Ferenci posted video of himself online performing high-speed stunts. Sandor Ferenci, 28, was approached by police after a motorist saw him speeding on his powerful motorcycle and noted his registration number. When they called at his house in Oxfordshire, England, he unwittingly asked if they had seen his YouTube video -- prompting officers to search the Internet, where they found uploaded video of his hazardous riding. Ferenci was Monday sentenced to 12 weeks' jail after admitted two counts of dangerous driving at Oxford Crown Court. Judge Terence Maher told Ferenci that he had carried out "lunatic and grossly irresponsible maneuvers at considerable speed," according to CNN affiliate ITN. Ferenci's video footage, filmed by a friend from various angles including a footbridge, was shown to the court. In it the biker is seen performing wheelies, tire-smoking wheelspins and skids on his Yamaha R6 road bike as well as high speed undertaking maneuvers. Prosecutor Brian Payne said it was impossible to gauge Ferenci's exact speed in the video, but police estimated he was driving up to 210 kph, ITN reported.

Biker jailed for 12 weeks after posting YouTube stunts video . Police estimates put his speed at up to 210 kph (130 mph) Ferenci admitted two counts of dangerous driving .

(CNN) -- A bill moving through Congress is intended, on its surface at least, to do something relatively simple: Crack down on the illegal pirating of movies, music and other copyrighted material. But a major online backlash has evolved, with everyone from lawmakers to Web-freedom advocates to some of technology's biggest players calling it a greedy and dangerous overreach that could have a chilling effect on free speech and innovation. Google, Yahoo and Facebook are among the Web heavyweights who have joined the chorus against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which backers hope to have ready for a vote by the end of the year. Its intent is to help put a stop to foreign websites that illegally post, and sometimes sell, intellectual property from the United States. Federal law-enforcement agencies would be empowered to shut down those sites, and cut off advertising and online payments to them. "The Stop Online Piracy Act helps stop the flow of revenue to rogue websites and ensures that the profits from American innovations go to American innovators," Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, chairman of the powerful House Judiciary committee and the sponsor of the plan, said when the bill was introduced last month. "The bill prevents online thieves from selling counterfeit goods in the U.S., expands international protections for intellectual property, and protects American consumers from dangerous counterfeit products. " Its supporters include some powerful lobbying groups, including the Motion Picture Association of America, the pharmaceutical industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. On the other side are Web-freedom advocates, who were quick to say the effort goes too far. And this week, in the wake of a Wednesday hearing on the plan, that discontent grew louder and more widespread. "Our government is tampering with its basic structure so people will maybe buy more Hollywood movies," says an animated video by Kirby Ferguson, the New York filmmaker behind the Web video series "Everything Is a Remix," that is making the rounds online. "But Hollywood movies don't get grassroots candidates elected. They don't overthrow corrupt regimes, and the entire entertainment industry doesn't even contribute that much to our economy. The Internet does all these and more." Perhaps tellingly, that video was made in response to an earlier bill proposed in the Senate, which has since been put on hold by its sponsor. Ferguson has since added a message at the end of the video saying the issue has "gotten much worse." Some critics fear that enforcement of the act is ill-defined and could allow federal authorities to go after sites that don't set out to illegally broadcast or sell content. For example, advocates say, YouTube has housed important content, like video of political unrest in places like Egypt and Iran where government crackdowns had otherwise blocked media access. But YouTube also is home, albeit against its will, to music videos, movie clips and other content posted without the intent of its creators. Under SOPA, they say, a fledgling YouTube could have been shut down because of those posts. This week, a letter opposing the House and Senate bills was sent to Congress, signed off on by AOL, eBay, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Twitter, Yahoo and Zynga. "We support the bills' stated goals -- providing additional enforcement tools to combat foreign 'rogue' websites that are dedicated to copyright infringement or counterfeiting," the letter reads. "Unfortunately, the bills as drafted would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities, private rights of action and technology mandates that would require monitoring of websites. "We are concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our nation's cybersecurity." To coincide with Wednesday's committee hearing, many websites devoted themselves to drawing attention to the debate. Blog platform Tumblr blacked out images in users' posts with a message urging users to "Stop The Law That Will Censor The Internet!" A post on Tumblr's

Bill to fight online piracy being hit by huge Web-freedom backlash . The Stop Internet Piracy Act is intended to protect U.S. intellectual property . Web-freedom advocates say it's too broad and could be used to shut down legit sites . Google, Facebook are among Web fixtures opposed to the plan .

(CNN) -- A biology professor charged with killing three faculty members at the University of Alabama in Huntsville fatally shot her brother more than 23 years ago, but she and her mother claimed the shooting was accidental, according to documents released Sunday. Amy Bishop Anderson was 19 when she fatally shot her brother, Seth, on December 6, 1986, in Braintree, Massachusetts, according to a Massachusetts State Police report released Sunday. She was never charged in that shooting. Anderson was charged this weekend with capital murder in Friday's on-campus shooting deaths of her colleagues. She could face the death penalty. The state police report in the 1986 shooting, released by the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Massachusetts, gives an account similar to a Boston Globe story published on December 8, 2008. Delahunt was district attorney at the time; staffers said he was in the Middle East on Sunday and unable to comment on the case. Earlier this weekend, Braintree police said records from that shooting were missing, and that the department's log indicated the shooting was accidental. However, Police Chief Paul Frazier said he didn't agree with the Globe's account. The Globe's story stated that Anderson asked her mother how to unload a round from a 12-gauge shotgun and that Anderson -- then known as Amy Bishop -- accidentally shot her brother while she was handling the weapon. The article cited then-Police Chief John Polio as the source. According to the state police report released Sunday, Braintree police told state police that "indications were that Amy Bishop had been attempting to manipulate the shotgun and had subsequently brought the gun downstairs in an attempt to gain assistance from her mother in disarming the weapon" when it went off, shooting her brother, Seth, in the chest. But, Frazier said Saturday, "it is a far different story I believe than what was reported back then. I cannot tell you what the thought process was behind our releasing her at the time." An officer then involved in the case who is still working for the department told him that Anderson shot her brother during an argument, Frazier said. The officer said Anderson allegedly fired a shot in her bedroom without hitting anyone, argued with her brother, shot him and then fired another round in the home before fleeing, according to Frazier. Frazier said the teen was arrested after pointing a weapon at a vehicle near the house in an attempt to get the driver to stop, but it drove on. But during the booking process, then-Chief Polio called and told the officers to release her, Frazier said. He said her mother was at the time a member of the Braintree Personnel Board. In a telephone call with CNN, Polio, now 87 and retired, denied ever calling in the order. He said detectives including lead investigator Capt. Theodore Buker -- who has since died -- had interviewed Anderson and her mother, Judith, who is identified in the state police report as J. Bishop. Buker told him that the shooting appeared accidental and the two men agreed she should be released to her mother, Polio said. A request was then filed with Delahunt's office to conduct an inquiry, but Delahunt never did so, he said. The state police report, however, said that Buker met with a state police investigator and determined that "due to the testimony of the members of the Bishop family, and in particular the testimony of J. Bishop, relevant to the facts concerning the death of Seth Bishop that no further investigation ... was warranted," the report concludes. Seth Bishop's death was listed as accidental and the investigation was concluded. Delahunt spokesman Mark Forest told CNN the state police and medical examiner concluded the death was accidental, and an autopsy was also conducted. "The investigative reports ... did not recommend any further action," he said in an e-mail. Those reports were turned over to state and local authorities, including the district attorney's office, he said. Anderson's mother witnessed the shooting, the state police report said. Investigators waited 11 days to

Police report: Anderson, then 19, and her mother claimed brother's '86 death was accidental . Anderson charged with killing three faculty members at Alabama university Friday . Anderson was never charged in her brother's 1986 death . Police chief says argument preceded '86 shooting; state police report says accidental .

(CNN) -- A bird struck an Arkansas hospital's helicopter Saturday, tearing a hole into the aircraft's nose and prompting the pilot to land early, according to officials and pictures taken after the landing. A medical helicopter landed near Forrest City, Arkansas, on Saturday after striking a bird. The chopper's pilot made a "safe landing" in that state after hitting a bird while returning to Baptist Health Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital spokesman Mark Lowman said. "I think the pilot just made a judgment call to set it down," Lowman said of the landing, which happened at 6:15 p.m. Saturday near Forrest City, Arkansas. Video footage taken by CNN affiliate WREG showed a bird hanging out of a hole torn into the paneling on the chopper's nose. Part of the helicopter's windshield also was broken. The pilot was slightly injured during the landing, and the other two crew members on board were uninjured, Lowman said. Federal aviation officials are investigating, and the helicopter is not expected to be grounded for long, he said. The helicopter was returning from a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where the crew had taken a patient. The incident came two days after a US Airways jetliner was forced to land in New York's Hudson River, apparently after striking a flock of birds. Shortly after the jet took off from New York's LaGuardia airport on Thursday, the crew reported seeing a flock of birds. Seconds later, the cockpit voice recorder captured the sounds of loud "thumps" and both of the plane's engines failed. The pilot, C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, landed the Airbus A320 in the Hudson, where all 155 people aboard were rescued.

Bird hits Arkansas hospital's helicopter, forcing pilot to land early . Copter's pilot suffers minor injuries during landing . Incident comes days after birds apparently forced jet to land in Hudson River .

(CNN) -- A bit of music history was lost Friday morning when flames gutted the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia. The Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, smolders after firefighters put out a morning blaze. The 19th-century building was a cornerstone in the alternative rock music scene that gave the world the B-52s, R.E.M. and the Indigo Girls, said Doc Eldridge, president of the local Chamber of Commerce. The theater, in downtown Athens near the University of Georgia campus, suffered heavy damage from the fire, which was discovered at 7 a.m., according to Athens-Clarke County government spokeswoman Sandy Turner. "The facade is still there, but it's very bad," she said. "From the big names to the no names, countless of musicians and groups have left their mark on the Athens music scene from the stage of the Georgia Theatre," Eldridge said. iReport: Photos of theater burning Sheffy McArthur was a University of Georgia student when he and two friends converted the movie theater into a music venue in 1978. "The B-52s paid us to play there, imagine that," McArthur said. Sea Level, a blues-jazz-rock group that grew from the remnants of the Allman Brothers Band, played the first show in the theater in January 1978, McArthur said. It became the place "for alternative music, instead of cover-type stuff for real artists to play," he said. Wilmont Greene took over the theater five years ago and began renovations. R.E.M., which formed in Athens in 1980 and became one of the first popular alternative bands, played in the 600-seat theater in the group's early days. In recent years, the theater served as host for album release parties and benefit shows by R.E.M., which is based in a building just down the street. "All of us here certainly wish Wilmont Greene and his staff the best of luck and Godspeed in their efforts to rebuild the Athens landmark," an R.E.M. statement said.

Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, gutted by fire Friday morning . Historic theater known for playing host to notable bands, including R.E.M. Theater was the place "for alternative music," said first owner .

(CNN) -- A blast of Arctic air Tuesday morning has much of the nation -- from the Great Lakes to Oregon and down to Texas -- in its cold, icy grip. Snow covers a golf course in Summerlin, Nevada, near Las Vegas, on Monday. The temperature at International Falls, Minnesota, was 26 below zero at 8 a.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. To the south in Minneapolis, below-zero temperatures were leaving roadways covered in black ice, sending drivers spinning into numerous accidents, CNN affiliate KARE-TV reported Tuesday. Black ice, nearly invisible on roads, can form when car exhaust freezes on snow-covered pavement in sub-zero conditions, KARE said. Twin Cities drivers could find a little hope in the day's forecast high -- 4 degrees above zero by the afternoon. Temperatures hovering as low as 23 below zero have parts of Montana frozen in their tracks, according to CNN affiliate KFBB-TV. The forecast high Tuesday for Great Falls: 5 degrees. But regions of the nation far from Montana, and not as well equipped to deal with wintry weather, are also caught in the cold blast. Watch the mess in Portland, Oregon » WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, predicts the temperature will barely get above freezing, to 36 degrees, on Tuesday. A winter weather advisory is in effect for northern Texas. In Las Vegas, Nevada, residents saw a rare snow accumulation. Snow-covered grounds were a treat for iReporter Rena Moretti, who's lived in Las Vegas on and off for about 10 years. "It's unbelievable. If it snows it never sticks. I've never seen it like that," she said. Watch snow delight skiers but frustrate motorists in Nevada » In Denver, Colorado, where the temperature was minus 4, KMGH warned residents to expect more snow, with 2 to 3 feet expected in some parts of the Rocky Mountains. Watch ice cause havoc on Colorado roads » While the snow is forecast to end Tuesday, the cold air mass should stick around all week. The station also warned commuters that driving would be a mess Tuesday morning. In Omaha, Nebraska, the frigid weather had shelters sending out crews looking for the homeless, according to KMTV. Watch blizzards shut down North Dakota » "We've had people that have been trying to make it here ... either have been too intoxicated or just too cold and just fallen down and haven't been able to make it," says Siena Francis House worker and guest Jerry Rayburn. According to the National Weather Service, the entire state of Iowa could be in for heavy snowfall Tuesday. Chicago, Illinois, no stranger to cold weather, is expecting a high of 22 degrees with snow, according to WGN. Meanwhile, on a frontal boundary, West Virginia and western Tennessee are on the alert for possible freezing rain, the weather service reports. And KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas, said freezing rain and sleet were moving across the state. In New England, socked by a powerful ice storm last week, temperatures were warming back up into in the 40s and 50s, WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts, reported. But electricity may not be restored to some customers until the weekend, the station reported. One town, Lunenberg, Massachusetts, said school students would be getting an extended Christmas break, with classes not resuming until the new year, WCVB reported. Debris-clogged roads were blamed. "They're passable for vehicles and emergency vehicles, but they're not passable for buses. That represents a danger, so, we can't get the kids safely to school, even if we were able to open school," School Superintendent Loxi Joe Calmes said, accoding to WCVB. Meanwhile, a cold, wet storm blew into Southern California. Twenty-four-hour rainfall totals were 1.44 inches at Los Angeles International Airport, almost 1 inch in Palm Springs, and an inch in San Diego, the weather service reported Tuesday morning. iReporters share their

NEW: Black ice plagues Minneapolis in sub-zero temperatures . NEW: Storm-struck Massachusetts city closes schools until new year . Large swath of the United States beset by very low temperatures . Even places such as Las Vegas, Nevada, and Dallas, Texas, in wintry grip .

(CNN) -- A body found Monday beside a North Carolina road is that of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, who was reported missing a week ago, police said Tuesday. The official cause of death was undetermined as of Tuesday afternoon, Fayetteville police said in written statement. An announced afternoon media briefing was rescheduled for Wednesday morning. Earlier Tuesday, police said additional charges are expected in connection with the case and any charges will be made public as soon as they are filed. Shaniya's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, has been charged with human trafficking and other offenses. Davis was "prostituting her child," police spokeswoman Teresa Chance said after Davis' arrest over the weekend. Another suspect, Mario Andrette McNeill, has been charged with kidnapping in the case. Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, made a tearful appeal before reporters Tuesday afternoon, asking that "everybody makes it a point not to ignore, to look past a situation where a person, a child, or anybody might be in danger ... so that we don't have another tragedy like Shaniya." He said authorities have given him limited information, but he was to meet with them later. "It's not the result I wanted, it's not the result any father or family would want for their children," he said. "But God has a greater calling for all of us." Shaniya's mother reported her missing from their Fayetteville home in a mobile home park on November 10. According to police, surveillance video taken that day from a hotel in Sanford shows Shaniya in the company of McNeill. "The investigation at this point indicates that Shaniya Davis was alive at the time she left the Sanford hotel," police said in the statement Tuesday. The road where the body was found is near Sanford, which is about 30 miles northwest of Fayetteville. Shaniya's half-sister, Cheyenne Lockhart, said on HLN's "Nancy Grace" Monday that she found it difficult to believe Davis had treated her daughter so poorly. "She seemed like the sweetest woman. She didn't come from much, but ... she had the sweetest voice, she had the sweetest personality, and especially toward me. I would never think that she would do anything like that," said Lockhart, who shared a father with Shaniya. Their father said Shaniya went to her mother's home on October 9. CNN's Gabriel Falcon contributed to this report.

NEW: Grieving father, speaking to media, urges people not to ignore children in peril . Shaniya Davis, 5, was reported missing last week . Mother Antoinette Nicole Davis faces human trafficking, other charges . Davis was "prostituting her child," police spokeswoman says .

(CNN) -- A body found in a wooded area Tuesday is believed to be that of 11-year-old William McQuain, who went missing more than two weeks ago, Montgomery County, Maryland, police said. Search dog handlers found the body of a young African-American male in Clarksburg, Maryland, just after 9 a.m. Tuesday, police said in a statement. The scene was still being processed Tuesday morning, and police spokeswoman Rebecca Innocenti had no information on when a positive identification would be made. An Amber Alert was issued for the boy after his mother, Jane McQuain, 51, was found dead in the bedroom of her Germantown home October 12. She had been stabbed and beaten, according to police. Her son was not there, and her Honda CRV was gone, but police later recovered it. Police said the boy was last seen September 30 at his home. Authorities said Jane McQuain had been dead for about 10 to 12 days when her body was found. The discovery was made after a friend contacted police and said he had not been able to contact her and was concerned. Curtis Lopez, 45, was arrested last week in Charlotte, North Carolina, in connection with Jane McQuain's death. He waived extradition to Maryland on Monday. Police said Lopez was McQuain's husband and was often at her residence, although he did not appear to live there. Witnesses reported seeing him loading items into McQuain's vehicle recently, police said. Authorities obtained a surveillance tape from the morning of October 1 showing Lopez "entering and re-entering" a storage unit in Germantown with the boy, the police statement said. "At that time, William McQuain appeared to be in a playful mood and showed no signs of distress." "The clothing that William McQuain was wearing in the video is similar to the clothing found on the body that was located," the statement said. The body is believed to have been in its location since October 1, authorities said. CNN's Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

William McQuain, 11, has been missing for more than two weeks . McQuain's mother was found dead at her Maryland home October 12 . A search dog team found the remains in a wooded area, police say .

(CNN) -- A broad band of severe thunderstorms Sunday sparked heavy rain and hail and prompted tornado warnings from Florida to Virginia, with multiple twisters reported in North Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. At least eight unconfirmed tornadoes were spotted along North Carolina's I-85 corridor between Charlotte and Greensboro, with overturned mobile homes, toppled trees and downed power lines left by the storms, the weather service said. "It's been a very active evening for most of central North Carolina," said Julia Jarema, spokeswoman for North Carolina Emergency Management. The storms caused scattered power outages throughout the state, but because of the multiple bands of storms "things are changing so rapidly we haven't been able to confirm numbers," Jarema said. Video showed a portion of metal roofing was ripped off an industrial building in Belmont, North Carolina, west of Charlotte, littering nearby trees with clumps of yellow insulation. Multiple mobile homes were overturned in Linwood, North Carolina, outside of Lexington, and at least three people were reported injured, said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. A video posted on YouTube purportedly showed flashes of snapping power lines as a huge funnel cloud loomed over High Point, North Carolina, near Greensboro. At least 20 homes were reported damaged in the area, the weather service said. High Point emergency management officials were going house to house checking for possible injuries, according to a fire department spokeswoman. News14: Tornado touches down in Charlotte Local law enforcement reported another tornado north of Greensboro, North Carolina, the weather service said. The storm was also producing 70 mph winds and hail as large as baseball or tennis-ball size, Jeras reported. "As daylight comes we'll know really more about what kind of damage we are facing," Jarema said.

NEW: Eight unconfirmed tornadoes spotted along North Carolina's I-85 corridor . Metal roofing ripped off an industrial building west of Charlotte . Tornado damaged 20 homes near High Point, North Carolina . Tornado in Mecklenburg County damaged a mobile home, toppled trees .

(CNN) -- A bus carrying Chinese tourists overturned Friday near Hoover Dam, killing at least seven people and injuring at least nine, an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman said. Authorities work on the crash scene Friday on U.S. 93 in White Hills, Arizona, near Hoover Dam. The accident happened at 4 p.m. on U.S. 93 at mile marker 27, about 27 miles south of Hoover Dam, said Lt. James Warriner. The dead lay in body bags on the roadway near the bus, which was on its side across both lanes and onto the shoulder of the highway. Initial reports from the scene indicated rescuers had difficulty communicating with the passengers, all of them Chinese nationals. Five of the injured were taken to Kingman Regional Medical Center, where one was in critical condition and four were in serious condition, said Ryan Kennedy, executive director of operations. Rick Plummer, a spokesman for University Medical Center in Las Vegas, said the hospital received five victims by helicopter, one who died, two in critical condition and two in serious condition. Watch authorities work the crash scene » The north-south highway at the crash scene in White Hills, Arizona, was shut in both directions. Officials said the bus was heading from Las Vegas to Arizona. Hoover Dam is near the border of the two states. View a map of the crash site » Among the injured was a motorcyclist who was hurt avoiding the bus, said National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz.

Bus passengers were Chinese nationals, officials say . The dead lay in body bags on the roadway near the overturned bus . Tour bus overturns on U.S. Route 93, heading from Las Vegas to Arizona . Hospital says as many as 15 victims being flown to Las Vegas .

(CNN) -- A bus carrying high school band students tipped over Saturday on Interstate 94 northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing one person. The bus that was carrying school band members rests upright after it crashed Saturday in Minnesota. Three people were critically injured, authorities said. A second bus traveling with the one that crashed wasn't affected, according to a report posted on the Web site of the Pelican Rapids School District. The students from Pelican Rapids High School were returning from a band trip to Chicago, Illinois, when the accident happened near Albertville, Minnesota, the Minnesota Highway Patrol said. Forty-eight people, including the driver, were on the westbound bus that tipped over about 6 a.m., the Minnesota Highway Patrol said. Everyone on that bus was taken to hospitals for treatment or evaluation, the school district said. Watch rescuers work at the scene » Pelican Rapids is in west-central Minnesota. The cause of the accident is being investigated. E-mail to a friend

Bus carrying high school students tips over on Minnesota interstate . One person killed, three critically injured, authorities say . Two buses from Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, were on way home from Chicago, Illinois .

(CNN) -- A bus carrying members of a Marine Corps Reserve unit overturned at an Alabama military base Sunday, leaving 23 Marines injured, four of them critically, the military said in a news release. A bus overturned Sunday in Alabama, injuring 23 Marines, the military said. The passengers, members of E Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division, had been taking part in a training exercise at Fort Rucker, an Army post outside Ozark, Alabama. They were departing the range at 9:20 a.m. when the accident occurred. The unit is made up of reservists from Tallahassee, Florida, and Bessemer, Alabama. The injured were from First and Headquarters Platoons out of Bessemer, a Birmingham suburb. By mid-afternoon, 11 of the injured had been released to their unit from the hospital. Pictures of the wreck were provided to the news media by the military. Ozark is about 175 miles south of Birmingham. E-mail to a friend

Bus carrying Marine Corps Reserve unit overturned at Alabama military base . 23 Marines have been injured; four critically, the military says . E Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division, was involved . The accident happened Sunday morning, officials said .

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

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

(CNN) -- A cadaver dog searching the home where a missing 11-month-old Missouri girl was reportedly last seen indicated a positive "hit" for the scent of a body, according to documents released Friday. The information was included in an affidavit, dated Tuesday, police filed to request a search warrant of Lisa Irwin's Kansas City home. Baby Lisa was reported missing at 4 a.m. October 4, after Lisa's father, Jeremy Irwin, came home from work to find the door unlocked, the lights on and a window that had been tampered with. Lisa's mother, Deborah Bradley, said she last saw Lisa at 6:40 p.m. the night before. "The cadaver dog indicated a positive 'hit' for the scent of a deceased human in the area of the floor of Bradley's bedroom near the bed," the affidavit read. It also said that interviews with people involved in the case "revealed conflicting information" and that Bradley told police she did not initially look for her baby behind the house because she "was afraid of what she might find." A judge approved the search warrant, which allowed investigators to comb the house and barred the family from returning home. The warrant was executed on Wednesday. Police took clothing, blankets, a toy, rolls of tape and a tape dispenser from the home, documents showed. The attorney for Lisa's parents said the release of the affidavit Friday was "unfortunate," as it could derail the search for the missing girl. Joe Tacopina described his clients as "very shaken up and they refuse to believe anything except that she is out there and alive." He said Lisa's parents are "terrified, not for themselves, but for the welfare of their daughter." The attorney also stressed cadaver dogs are just meant to be an investigative tool, and cannot be considered a basis for legal action against his clients. The family's private investigator, Bill Stanton, called the information contained in the affidavit "interesting." "I'm eager to get the facts (and) I hope it leads to finding baby Lisa," he said. Earlier in the week, Bradley said in an NBC interview that she was drunk the night the infant disappeared and that she had last seen the baby about four hours earlier than initially reported. Bradley told NBC she is afraid she will be arrested. Police have accused her of killing Lisa, she said, and told her that she failed a lie detector test. "I was the last one with her," a tearful Bradley said. "And from judging on how the questioning went, that's kind of a fear that I have. And the main fear with that is, if they arrest me, people are going to stop looking for her. And then I'll never see her again, and I'll never know what happened." Asked how much she had been drinking that night, Bradley said, "enough to be drunk." But she rejected the notion that she could have harmed her daughter while under the influence of alcohol. "No, no, no," she told NBC. "And if I thought there was a chance, I'd say it. No. No. I don't think alcohol changes a person enough to do something like that." Asked whether he had questions about Bradley, Jeremy Irwin told NBC, "No. There's no question to be had there. I know who she is. I know the kind of mother she is." Irwin said it's possible someone could have entered the house without Bradley hearing, as the couple's bedroom is on the opposite corner of the house from Lisa's room and Bradley sleeps with a fan at high speed. Lisa is described as being 30 inches tall with blue eyes and blonde hair, according to police. She weighs between 26 and 30 pounds and was last seen wearing purple shorts and a purple shirt with white kittens on it. The missing girl has two bottom teeth and a "beauty mark"

NEW: Parents "refuse to believe anything except that she is ... alive," attorney says . "Baby Lisa" is said to have been seen last on October 3 . Police have searched the Kansas City home where she lives . They took clothing, blankets and rolls of tape .

(CNN) -- A call for Smurfs brought together 1,253 dressed-up-in-blue people in County Monaghan, Ireland. A 4,703-pound cheesecake rolled out in Mexico City. A 7-year-old Michigan boy made a ball of plastic wrap that's 11 feet across. Anthony Victor of India has hair measuring 7.12 inches sprouting from the center of his outer ears. Meanwhile, in Ellensburg, Washington, 13-year-old Brenden Adams is having a hard time fitting into cars. At 7 feet 4.6 inches, Adams -- who as a kindergartner was taller than his teacher -- has made it into the Guinness World Records 2010 book, released Thursday, as the tallest teenage boy. It's a stature he said was earned simply because his 12th chromosome split in half. And while the height has its perks -- "You don't get picked on as much" -- he wishes strangers wouldn't stare. "I'm another person, just like everybody else," said Adams, who doesn't play basketball -- two knee replacements insured that -- and prefers to hang out with friends, camp and ride dirt bikes. The tallest teenage boy is one of about 4,000 records listed in this year's book -- a number that accounts for a mere 10 percent of all the mind-blowing stats that make up the Guinness World Records database, said Stuart Claxton, a spokesman for the organization that began publishing feats in 1955. See more world record holders From the obscure (Most balloons inflated with a nose? 308) to the old standbys (Lucia Zarate, who died in 1890, still holds the record for lightest adult at 4.7 pounds), it's the reference-book gift that keeps on giving. So why would someone set out to spend the most time in a bumper car (record: 24 hours), or solve the most Rubik's Cubes in one hour (record: 185)? "It's an innate part of our psyche as human beings to explore how far we can push the boundaries," said Claxton, who's been with Guinness World Records since 2000. "We're intrigued by extremes in our daily life" and by "the things we're not familiar with." iReport.com: Follow updates on "Le Grande Bebe" Jake Lonsway of Bay City, Michigan, was only 6 when high school students in his area set out to assemble the largest group of people wearing Groucho Marx glasses. A snowstorm killed the attempt, but the idea of setting a record became an obsession for the young boy, his mom Julie Grames said. "I told him, 'We'll get a bunch of books, and we'll see if there's anything we can do,' " she said. Building a ball of plastic wrap was where they landed. And what started with a softball-sized ball grew and grew and grew into a 281-pound monstrosity, earning Lonsway, now 9, a spot in this year's record book. "It does take up a nice corner of the garage," Grames said with a laugh. And when people comment on how "cool" it is, she said her husband's response is always the same: "You want it? Take it." iReport.com: Massive chess board with human pieces Claxton, of Guinness, has seen everything from the innocuous to the extreme and dangerous. He's watched a motorcycle rider crash -- and survive -- trying to outdo the ramp-to-ramp distance jump, just one of the "pushing the envelope" moments that helped him "realize just how out there the world of record breaking can be," he said. Some images might be hard to take in at first. "Over 1,000 piercings in the human body is something you have to get used to looking at," Claxton said. And while the most tattooed man -- 99 percent of his body is covered -- "may not be my cup of tea," he said that when it comes to categories there's something for everyone. Lee Redmond, 68, of Salt Lake City, Utah

1,253 Smurfs gather in Ireland, find place in Guinness World Records 2010 book . Released Thursday, the record book lists 4,000 eyebrow-raising tidbits . "I'm another person, just like everybody else," tallest teenage boy says . Woman who grew fingernails for about 30 years loses them in car accident .

(CNN) -- A cancer treatment that comes in a pill is as effective as the standard chemotherapy for lung patients who had previously been treated for their cancer, according to a study released Thursday. The intravenous chemotherapy treatment had more severe side effects than the pill in this study. Results of a large clinical trial were published in the British medical journal The Lancet. The trial was designed to compare Iressa, a daily pill, to Taxotere, an IV-chemotherapy drug that's administered every three weeks. This international study included more than 1,400 patients for whom standard chemotherapy had been ineffective. "Iressa and Taxotere have same survival outcomes," according to Dr. Edward Kim, lead author of the study and assistant professor in M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology in Houston, Texas. The study was paid for by the maker of Iressa, AstraZeneca. Kim says the Food and Drug Administration mandated that the pharmaceutical company conduct this clinical trial. In the study, patients taking Iressa had an average survival of 7.6 months, and 32 percent survived one year, compared with patients getting the chemotherapy drug Taxotere. Their survival was an average of eight months; 34 percent of patients survived one year. Kim says this is the largest study in lung cancer comparing an oral therapy with chemotherapy. Dr. Bruce Johnson, a lung cancer specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, who was not involved in this research, says, "this study did what it intended to do in showing equivalency. I can't imagine any clearer evidence." One significant difference between the two drugs is in side effects. Patients taking Iressa mainly experienced skin rashes and/or mild diarrhea. Patients on Taxotere had many more severe side effects, including hair loss, numbness in hands and feet, severe diarrhea, a drop in blood cells and nausea. Given the difference, "the single pill trumps chemotherapy," said Dr. Paul Bunn, who heads the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Research and also was not involved in the clinical trial. Johnson says that 5 to 10 percent of patients taking Taxotere will drop out every three weeks because of side effects. Kim points out that if the two treatments have the same survival benefit but one has fewer side effects and is easier to take, doctors want their patients to have the option for this treatment. Currently, no new lung cancer patients can get Iressa, because doctors are no longer allowed to prescribe it. In 2003, Iressa got fast-track FDA approval as a treatment for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, specifically for patients in whom standard chemotherapy had failed. The approval was based on two small phase II clinical trials that showed Iressa was able to shrink tumors by about 10 percent, which led the FDA to believe that the drug would lead to a "positive effect on survival or benefits." More on Iressa from the FDA When the FDA gives a drug accelerated approval, it requires that the manufacturer continue testing it to determine whether there's a clinical benefit to the patient. If further studies can't show this type of benefit, the FDA has the power to withdraw that drug from the market. But a year later, results were revealed from a larger, phase III clinical trial that compared Iressa with placebo in patients for whom chemotherapy was ineffective. "Iressa was better but not statistically significant," said Bunn, who also directs the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Given this information and because another lung cancer pill -- Tarceva -- had shown a survival benefit, the FDA decided that " it is not reasonable to start new patients on Iressa." Since 2005, the FDA allows only those already getting Iressa prescribed or those enrolled in clinical trials that were under way at the time to continue taking Iressa. All three lung cancer experts CNN spoke with regularly see patients and have treated them with Iressa or the other available lung cancer drugs. All said they couldn't predict whether the FDA would allow new patients to be treated with Iressa based on this and

Study compared pill Iressa and IV-chemotherapy drug Taxotere . Patients taking Iressa mainly experienced skin rashes and/or mild diarrhea . Patients on Taxotere had many more severe side effects, including hair loss . Experts: Unknown whether FDA will allow new patients to be treated with Iressa .

(CNN) -- A cancerous tumor in 13-year-old Danny Hauser's chest has shrunk significantly since he was ordered by a court last month to resume chemotherapy treatment, a family spokesman said. Danny Hauser, 13, was headed for a clinic in Mexico until an arrest warrant was issued for his mom. But the Hauser family attributes much of his progress to the complementary use of vitamins and minerals to boost his immune system, Dan Zwakman said. "The family is doing it on their own, with the doctor's knowledge," Zwakman said. "Everybody is pleased that the tumor is shrinking, of course. The goal is to get rid of the cancer, but they'd rather be doing it without the chemo." Danny's case made national headlines last month when he and his mother, Colleen, fled Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, for Mexico to seek alternative cancer care despite a court order that he undergo chemotherapy. They eventually returned after an arrest warrant was issued for Colleen Hauser. But had they made it to their destination -- the Rubio Clinic in Tijuana, according to Zwakman -- they would have joined the ranks of an estimated hundreds of other cancer patients who head south of the border each year for cancer care. "Their intentions started long ago with Colleen. She's been involved in natural healing for many years now. She believes the world was created with everything needed to sustain and heal life," Zwakman said. Despite controversial origins and consistent bad press in the United States, Tijuana's border clinics continue to attract people like the Hausers, who are in search of more holistic approaches to cancer treatment. Because little data exist on how many clinics are operating, it's unclear how many American cancer patients visit Mexico each year, said Stephen Barrett, a patient advocate who runs the Web site, http://www.quackwatch.com/. "If they answered, you could not be sure they were telling the truth. They might have an incentive to raise the number," he said in an e-mail. "To make matters more complicated, many of the 'cancer' clinics also see people who don't have cancer." The concept of complementary and alternative cancer treatment has slowly been gaining acceptance for more than a decade in the United States, with the creation of entities including the National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine. "Clinicians and researchers have realized that it's important to conduct methodologically sound studies to help guide patients to understand what's safe and what's effective," said Dr. Ted Gansler, medical director of health content for the American Cancer Society. But no one recommends that alternative treatment be used to replace conventional care, such as chemotherapy or radiation, he said. "The important thing to remember is there is no recommended alternative to conventional treatment, and the reason is because if it worked, it would become conventional," he said. As far as Tijuana's border clinics are concerned, the American Cancer Society cautions that "methods promoted in Mexican border clinics are not consistent with scientific understanding" of cancer and its treatment. "Although these clinics often claim great success in advertisements and books, they have not published convincing evidence in medical journals to support those claims," the ACS says in a section on its Web site called Questionable Cancer Practices In Mexico. "Patients traveling to the Tijuana area for treatment appear to be subjecting themselves to costly and potentially hazardous regimens, especially if they postpone standard medical care." Loose regulatory standards in Mexico allow Tijuana's clinics to thrive, many offering expensive treatment in luxurious, spa-like settings, complete with fresh meals, exercise classes and emotional and spiritual counseling. Many herbs and dietary supplements used in border clinics are not considered dangerous; they just have not been put through the rigorous clinical trials required for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve them for use as cancer treatments. Others, like the antioxidants carotene, lycopene and vitamins C, E and A, have produced inconsistent results in large-scale trials and are still being researched. Still others, like laetrile,

Tumors have shrunk in teen who was ordered to resume chemotherapy . Family credits alternative treatments he's getting in addition to chemo . Many clinics is Mexico promise cancer healing through alternative therapies . Expert: If alternative therapies really cured cancer, they'd be standard treatment .

(CNN) -- A celebrity gossip Web site has caught Maria Shriver a third time apparently violating California's law against using a cell phone while driving. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says "swift action" will be taken on wife Maria Shriver's driving "violations." Web site TMZ posted a 17-second video Tuesday showing the California first lady apparently speaking into a cell phone while turning a corner in Brentwood in a black SUV. She puts the phone down part way through the video, but it's not clear whether she did so because she had finished her conversation or because she noticed cameras following her. The site also photographed Shriver allegedly chatting while driving on Sunday and on June 12. Shriver's husband, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, last year supported and signed into law a ban on using handheld communication devices while driving. Enforcement of the ban began July 1, 2008; it carries a $20 fine for a first violation; $50 for each subsequent offense. A similar law banning texting while driving took effect January 1 this year. Watch Shriver driving while on her cell phone By the end of September, the California Highway Patrol had issued tickets for about 150,000 cell phone infractions, said Chris Cochran, spokesman for the California Office of Traffic Safety. No one keeps track of infractions cited by county and local departments, he said. See where laws limit cell phone use in cars » Shriver has not been cited. In Los Angeles County, where Brentwood is, the Superior Court has set the cost at about $93 for the first ticket and $201 for the next one, meaning Shriver would owe at least $300 in fines and court fees had she been caught by police, CNN affiliate KTLA-TV reported. On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger sent a Twitter message to TMZ editor Harvey Levin: "Thanks for bringing her violations to my attention. There's going to be swift action." What that action might entail was not specified. Shriver on Wednesday issued an apology: "I'm sorry," she said in a statement. "I will be donating my favorite old cell phone to my Women's Conference partner Verizon through their HopeLine program that helps domestic violence shelters. I invite anyone else who wants to recycle their old phone to join me. That's my version of swift action with a higher purpose." The traffic office referred questions about Shriver to the governor's office, which declined to comment. "We don't really think that hand-held bans have a whole lot of impact," said Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association in Washington. The association urges drivers not to use phones, including hands-free devices, while driving, but does not support laws banning them, he said. The attention to Shriver "alludes to a bigger problem, and that's the fact that everybody does it," Adkins said. "Not only are public officials doing it, but we have to educate the highway safety community. ... Cops frequently are on their cell phones when they drive. "The Shriver case really underscores the scope of the problem. We have a lot of educating to do." Shriver's most recent alleged violations come on the heels of AAA Northern California's "Heads Up Driving Week," during which the auto club urged motorists to get in the habit of driving without distractions such as cell phones, fast food and tuning the stereo. "We hope that by driving distraction-free for a week, people can pick up the habit for life," AAA spokesman Matt Skryja said in a news release. Seven states and the District of Columbia ban all handheld cell phone use by drivers. Several other states allow localities to set their own limits on cell phone use.

NEW: Shriver apologizes and says she will donate her cell phone to charity . California Highway Patrol issues 150,000 cell phone tickets in first year . Gossip site catches Shriver apparently violating cell phone law; she's not cited . California first lady's gaffes point to bigger problem, safety advocate says .

(CNN) -- A central Maine police chief said Friday that authorities now believe there was "foul play" in the disappearance two weeks ago of a 20-month-old girl. Ayla Reynolds was last seen December 16 when her father, Justin Dipietro, said he put her to bed. Dipietro -- who has insisted that he has "no idea what happened to Ayla" -- later reported the girl missing. Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey previously has said authorities were confident that someone took Ayla from the house. But in his comments Friday, issued in a statement, Massey went a step further in saying the case "has evolved from the search for a missing child to a criminal investigation." Given this shift, the Maine State Police will now take over as the lead in the investigation from Waterville police, according to Massey. "We base our conclusions on evidence gathered by investigators during the past two weeks," the police chief said. Maine state police did not respond immediately to a call Friday from CNN seeking comment on their new role in the investigation. Jessica Reynolds, the missing girl's aunt, told CNN on Friday that authorities said they "can't tell us right now" about what evidence spurred the change, claiming they were told "it isn't done being processed." "We believed from the beginning that Ayla didn't walk out (of the house) on her own," Reynolds said. "Why it took 14 days for police to say this, I don't understand. "Time is ticking. The statistics may be that she's not going to come home alive, but, there's also a chance that whoever has her will bring her back safely ... Whoever has her will be found eventually." Police said Wednesday they had received 370 leads, and Massey said Friday that investigators and searchers had spent "many thousands of hours looking for Ayla (and) evaluating evidence." A $30,000 reward -- coming from anonymous private citizens and business leaders -- was offered earlier this week for information that leads investigators to the girl. Ayla is described as having blond hair, being about 2 feet, 9 inches tall, and weighing 30 pounds. She was last seen wearing green pajamas with white polka dots and the words "Daddy's Princess" across the front. When she disappeared, the girl had her arm in a soft cast. The toddler's mother, Trista Reynolds, told HLN's Nancy Grace that she'd raised Ayla for 18 months and Dipietro became involved after "I needed to go and get a little bit of help for myself." She told HLN she underwent rehab. The father had sole custody of the girl when she disappeared. On December 15, the day before Ayla went missing, Reynolds filed a complaint seeking sole custody. The 23-year-old mother told HLN she didn't tell Dipietro she was going to court because he was "vindictive" and "verbally abusive." For his part, Dipietro, 24, has said he would never do anything to hurt Ayla. "I have to believe that Ayla is with somebody, and I just want that person to find the courage to do the right thing and find a way to return her safely," the father said in his statement Wednesday. "The truth is the truth and when the case is solved it will be out there. Until then, please try to remain positive and hopeful as I remain confident that Ayla will return safely." Jessica Reynolds said Friday that she and her sister, Trista, are frantic in their efforts to find Ayla. "She's extremely intelligent," she said of her niece. "She makes everybody smile when they see a smile on her face." CNN's Ross Levitt and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.

The case has "evolved" from a missing child case to a criminal probe, police chief says . Ayla Reynolds' father says he hasn't seen the girl since putting her to bed December 16 . He says he has "no idea what happened" to the 20-month-old girl .

(CNN) -- A close aide to Pakistan's Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud said he is breaking ties with him and confirmed reports that Mehsud was behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 at a campaign rally. Qari Turkestan Bhitaini, a self-proclaimed right-hand man of Mehsud, said Mehsud was behind the December 27, 2007, assassination of Bhutto, Pakistan's Express TV reported. Bhitaini said he is breaking ties with Mehsud because he blames the Taliban chief for killing scores of innocent Muslims in recent attacks in Lahore. The Pakistani government and CIA officials have said in the past that Mehsud was responsible for Bhutto's death. Bhutto, 54, was heading the opposition to then-President Pervez Musharraf when she was assassinated during a campaign rally in Rawalpindi ahead of parliamentary elections. The Pakistani government, who has struggled to control terrorism, is waging a military offensive against the Taliban in the country's North West Frontier Province.

Report: Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud responsible for Benazir Bhutto's slaying . Mehsud's former aide makes allegations, blames him for killing Muslims . Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 at campaign rally .

(CNN) -- A coalition of top musicians, including R.E.M. and Pearl Jam, want to know if their music was used by the U.S. military as part of controversial interrogation methods at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Ruhal Ahmed, left, shown at a 2007 news conference, says he had to listen to hours of music at Guantanamo. The artists have endorsed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests, which were filed Thursday morning, asking the U.S. government to declassify documents that would reveal which artists' work was used on detainees at U.S. prison facilities and military detention centers, including the one at Guantanamo Bay. The National Security Archive, a Washington-based independent research institute that advocates "for the right to know," filed the requests on behalf of the Close Gitmo Now campaign, which launched this week, the archive's senior analyst Kate Doyle said. The multimillion-dollar national grassroots Close Gitmo Now campaign is aimed at pressuring members of Congress to support President Obama's endeavor to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. It is supported by a coalition of retired generals and liberal activists. The requests are based on the testimony of former Guantanamo prisoners and guards, as well as declassified documents, that identified music from 35 artists -- ranging from AC/DC tunes to the theme from Sesame Street -- used in the interrogations of detainees, Doyle said. See a list of bands and songs involved (PDF) "We do know that songs and bands' work has been used to abuse detainees, we know that," she said. She added that any information that the National Security Archive obtains "will add to the profile of this case." The requests are being filed with "a dozen different agencies and components of the Department of Defense," Doyle said. They ask for any documents "concerning the use of loud music during detention and/or as a technique to interrogate detainees at U.S.-operated prison facilities used in its War on Terror at Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan during 2002-the present," according to a copy of the FOIA request obtained by CNN. It is unclear if any of the artists plan to pursue legal action, but Doyle said she'd be "surprised if some of them weren't thinking about it." Many of the artists supporting the campaign are no strangers to political activism, but this cause has hit close to home for some of them. "We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends' music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge is horrific," the American rock band R.E.M. said in a statement posted on CloseGitmoNow.org. "It's anti-American, period." Several former Guantanamo detainees have filed lawsuits against the U.S. government, saying they were tortured with numerous techniques, including loud music. "It's very scary to think that you might go crazy because of the music, because of the loud noise," said Ruhal Ahmed, one of the former detainees who has filed a lawsuit. He said he had to listen to hours of headbanging music while held prisoner at Guantanamo in 2003. The Pentagon has not responded directly to the allegations of torture involving music, but it has said that its policy has always been to treat detainees humanely. Loud music has not been used at Guantanamo since the fall of 2003, following a Department of Defense review of detention operations and interrogation techniques, according to Maj. Diana Haynie, a Joint Task Force Guantanamo spokeswoman. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has asked a federal prosecutor to examine whether the interrogations violated the law, and the White House said Obama will leave any decision on charges to the Justice Department. And the Obama administration announced it would put the FBI in charge of a special unit set up to question suspected terrorists under White House oversight. CNN's Tricia Escobedo contributed to this report

Freedom of Information Act requests seek to reveal what music used at facility . Former prisoners say heavy metal, rock, children's tunes were part of interrogations . Numerous artists endorse "Close Gitmo Now" campaign, FOIA requests . To learn friends' music was used in such a way is "horrific," rock band R.E.M. says .

(CNN) -- A college student in Nigeria has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for scamming an Australian woman out of $47,000 online by pretending to be a widowed white businessman desperately in love with her. A court in Ikeja in southwest Nigeria ruled that Lawal Adekunie Nurudeen will also have to pay back the 56-year-old woman, even if it meant selling the two plots of land and the Honda Prelude he bought with her money. Nurudeen was an engineering student when he met the woman online in 2007, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria's anti-corruption police. The woman lamented that she was looking for a husband but had been disappointed in the men she had met. "The convict, who is married with three children, instantly applied and told the victim that she had met Mr. Right," the commission said in a statement. Nurudeen pretended to be a 57-year-old British engineer working with a multinational company in Nigeria. He told her his wife and only child had died in a road accident in Lagos, the former capital of the country. "He sent the picture of a white man to the victim to foreclose any suspicions," police said. The woman agreed to marry him. A few weeks later, Nurudeen called the woman pretending to be a doctor. He told her that her fiance had been in an accident and needed money for treatment. The woman obliged, the commission said. Nurudeen let two weeks pass. He then called the woman again, thanking her profusely for her kindness and telling her that he would like to visit her in Australia. He asked her for airfare, cash for customs clearance and other incidentals, police said. Authorities did not say how Nurudeen was caught. But he duped the woman of $47,000 before his arrest, the commission said. Scammers in Nigeria have gained a reputation for using the Internet to con foreign nationals out of money. Some of the scams have earned the name "419" after the clause in the Nigerian criminal code that deals with obtaining property under false pretense.

Police: Nurudeen was engineering student when he met the woman online in 2007 . Nurudeen pretended to be a British engineer working in Nigeria . Authorities do not say how he was caught .

(CNN) -- A college student who survived a boat sinking with four others said Monday that a safety officer who died on their boat was a hero for staying behind and pushing him out. Texas A&M student Steven Guy, left, and instructor Steve Conway talk about their boat capsizing. Steven Guy, a Texas A&M University sailor, said Roger Stone saved him and another sailor by helping them to safety. "He is my hero," Guy said. "He saved me. If it wasn't for him, I would not be here." The group never saw Stone after he pushed the two men out of a hatch in the boat, the mariners said. Stone, the boat's second safety officer, was found dead by the Coast Guard on Sunday afternoon. The two men said they spent a day in open water after their vessel sank in the Gulf of Mexico. The survivors -- four university students and a safety officer -- told the Coast Guard they were forced off their sailboat after it took on water and capsized early Saturday. The five survivors were found and airlifted to land around 2 a.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard said. The group had to get out of the rapidly sinking sailboat so quickly, they could get only four safety vests for five people, safety officer Steve Conway said Monday. They had to huddle in the water to keep each other afloat, he said. Watch the rescue and see Conway describe the ordeal » "With five people and four life jackets, we had to watch the person without the life jacket closely," he said. "These young men did a tremendous job. They pulled themselves through. They had a fierce will to live." R. Bowen Loftin, CEO and vice president of Texas A&M at Galveston, expressed condolences to the Stone family in a letter posted along with status updates on the school's Web site. "We hope they can take some comfort in knowing all five survivors of this tragic accident credit Mr. Stone with heroic efforts that were instrumental in making possible their survival," Loftin said on the site. "We now know that Roger Stone died a hero in the classic sense of the word." Conway said that as the group huddled in the water, they saw rescue jets go by three times before they were spotted. "It is really discouraging when a plane comes out and flies over and leaves," he said. Coast Guard Lt. Justo Rivera, who was flying the aircraft that rescued the men, told CNN affiliate KHOU that a flashlight helped save them. While conducting search patterns, Coast Guard members spotted the light through their night vision goggles, Rivera said. It was being held by one of the men. He said that because the Coast Guard was searching such a vast area, the flashlight was "instrumental" in the rescue. "It's your proverbial needle in a haystack," Rivera told KHOU. During the 26-hour wait, the group was nibbled by curious reed fish and circled by a fish with triangular fin that extended from the water like a shark's fin. "They bumped up against us and kind of nibbled on our clothes," Conway said. "You don't know how big the thing is and how hungry it is. I was always aware of the risk of sharks." The group's sailboat, named the Cynthia Woods, was one of about two dozen boats heading from Galveston, Texas, to Veracruz, Mexico, for the annual Veracruz Regatta race, which began Friday.

Sailors say Roger Stone stayed behind to get others to safety . The five survivors were found and airlifted to land around 2 a.m. Sunday . Safety officer Steve Conway: Sailors all "had a fierce will to live"

(CNN) -- A collision involving two big-rigs and a car Wednesday caused an explosion that sent flames and clouds of smoke billowing and collapsed a highway overpass just north of Detroit, Michigan. Fire rages at the site of a tanker crash and overpass collapse on I-75 north of Detroit, Michigan, Wednesday. One of the tankers was traveling on the Interstate 75 about 8:30 p.m. in Hazel Park, near the Nine-Mile overpass, when the collision caused an explosion, said Lt. Shannon Simms of the Michigan State Police. It was headed northbound, said Bill Shreck of the Department of Transportation. Hazel Park is about 10 miles north of downtown Detroit. The explosion erupted upward, causing the overpass, carrying two lanes in each direction, to collapse, Simms said. Watch footage of fire » Firefighters put out the blaze late Wednesday and were able to locate all three drivers of the vehicles involved in the crash. The three suffered minor injuries. One of the tankers was filled with thousands of gallons of fuel, Simms said. "I just saw a huge ball of flame go up when I was at the red light, just went up in flame," said witness Mary Greib. "I took off running." Said another witness, who did not want to be identified: "We had a woman in a light-colored, midsized vehicle of some sort that was hesitant to pass the tanker. A number of vehicles were attempting to go around her in different directions." He said he was one of them, and passed her on the right, after which the explosion occurred. "We are not sure what happened," he said. Vince Brennan said he was on the eighth floor of a nearby building when he heard the explosion coming from where "a vicious curve" exists on the highway. "I heard a whole bunch of boom, boom, boom," he said. He ran to the window and looked down on a McDonald's restaurant. "You couldn't even see it, it was so black with smoke," he said. "The flames had to be 30, 40 feet in the air."

Collision involving two big-rigs and a car erupts in a fiery explosion . Force of explosion causes overpass to collapse onto I-75, police say . Three drivers involved in crash escape with minor injuries . Witness who saw huge ball of flame "took off running"

(CNN) -- A conference of Islamic prosecutors in Iran worked Wednesday to draft an indictment against Israeli leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. Palestinian women walk past a building destroyed during Israel's campaign in Gaza. The charges stem from Israel's late-December offensive into Gaza against Hamas militants. The Israeli military has been accused of using excessive and indiscriminate force in civilian areas. Israel is "a regime that only understands the language of violence and force," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the gathering, in calling for the prosecution of Israeli "criminals." "I am confident that there will come a day when all Zionist criminals will be brought to justice," he said on the second day of the conference in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The Iranian president regularly rails against Israel and has called for the Jewish state's elimination. Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said: "The day when this conference will start dealing with human rights in the countries that are members of this organization will be the day that their claims concerning Israel will be deserved to be heard, not before. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, let alone commit suicide bombings." "The accusations themselves are nothing more than the hysterical, hostile coverage of the media in these countries and not based on solid facts," he continued. Human Rights Watch, in a report released last month, said there was evidence that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza by firing white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas. Israel has rejected that claim. Israel also has said that the offensive was to defend against repeated rocket attacks by Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday its forces "operated in accordance with international law" during recent fighting in Gaza, but said there were a few incidents in which "intelligence or operational errors" occurred. This is the conclusion of probes that emerged from Operation Cast Lead, in which Israel was broadly criticized for its actions in Gaza. Phosphorus shells can be used to create a smokescreen for troops. In creating the diversion, the element ignites when exposed to oxygen and can cause severe burns. The Israeli offensive was launched December 27 and ended January 17 with a cease-fire. Of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict, 1,440 were Palestinian, including 431 children, a U.N. report recently said. Thirteen Israelis died -- three civilians and six soldiers were killed by Hamas, and four soldiers were killed by friendly fire -- the report said. A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister called the U.N. report an example of the "one-sided and unfair" attitude of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which had requested it. The two days of meetings in the Iranian capital have included more than 200 senior judicial officials from the Organization of the Islamic Conference -- an association of 56 states. The organization might ask the U.N. International Court of Justice to charge Israeli leaders with crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. The court would not be obligated to act.

Islamic prosecutors draft indictment against Israeli leaders over Gaza offensive . Iranian President Ahmadinejad says "Zionist criminals" should face justice . Human Rights Watch says evidence Israel committed war crimes . Israeli spokesman says claims are "hysterical, hostile... not based on solid facts .

(CNN) -- A controversial bill that California legislators say would allow the early release of more than 27,000 inmates from crowded prisons will be taken up by the state Assembly on Monday. Inmates at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, interact in a gym modified to house them in August 2007. The Senate on Thursday passed the corrections package 21-19, after Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, assured senators the changes would protect the public from the most violent offenders. The legislation also would direct more resources toward parolees, he said. Senate Republicans say the bill would undermine public safety. All 15 Senate Republicans voted against the measure. Both houses of the legislature are controlled by Democrats. Consideration of the bill comes as California faces a mid-September deadline for reducing its prison population by about 40,000 inmates. A special panel of three federal judges issued the order, contending the crowded prison system violates prisoners' constitutional rights. The judges said they will make the reductions themselves if the state fails to act. The measure would save the financially strapped state $524.5 million, according to a statement from Steinberg's office. When coupled with budget revisions that lawmakers made in July, the total corrections savings would be $1.2 billion, he said. That is the amount that Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants as part of his efforts to cut state spending and balance the budget. Republicans said the bill would lead to the release of about 27,000 prisoners, while Democrats estimated it would reduce the prison population by 27,300 in the 2009-10 fiscal year and 37,000 during fiscal year 2010-11. "It is undeniable that the real failure of our criminal justice system is that it fails to distinguish between violent offenders and nonviolent offenders," Steinberg said. "Of course, we want to keep violent criminals off our streets and out of our communities, and this reform package is a necessary step to do that because it concentrates our incarceration efforts on the violent criminals and ensures that nonviolent offenders have more contact with parole officers," he said. Some nonviolent offenders could serve shorter sentences. According to Steinberg, each parole officer in California is responsible for about 70 parolees, many of whom recommit crimes and go back to jail. If the legislation is passed, the ratio would be reduced to 45 to 1, he said. "They [parole officers] cannot adequately supervise those who are the most at risk and those who are the most risk to the public safety," Steinberg said. With a lesser workload, the officers also can make more home visits and arrange more meetings with the people they supervise, the lawmaker said. Senate Republicans called the legislation a threat to public safety. "Among the inmates who could be eligible for early release under the Democrat plan include felons convicted of human trafficking, stalking, identity theft, violent child abuse and threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction," the Republican Caucus said in a written statement. "Unfortunately, this proposal exploits a fiscal crisis in order to advance a dangerous liberal agenda that seeks to undo successful anti-crime laws," said Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta. GOP lawmakers in the Senate also strongly opposed the creation of what they described as "an unelected and unaccountable sentencing commission that would be given broad authority to alter important public safety laws." The legislation would establish a 16-member Sentencing Commission that would put in place new sentencing guidelines by July 1, 2012. Unless vetoed by the legislature and governor, the guidelines would become effective January 1, 2013. The 13 voting members of the commission would include the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, a judge appointed by the chief justice, the state public defender and the secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. A crime victim would be among the three ex-officio members. California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, issued a statement early Friday morning, explaining that the assembly recessed around midnight and will reconvene Monday. On Thursday and into Friday morning, she said in

California Senate OKs bill to allow early release of 27,000 inmates . State Assembly will take up measure, which would save $524 million, on Monday . Democratic Senate official says changes would protect public from violent offenders . Senate Republicans call the legislation a threat to public safety .

(CNN) -- A controversial comment by the top U.N. envoy to Somalia "motivates" those who have carried out recent fatal attacks against journalists in the war-torn country, the head of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) said Wednesday. Friends and relatives prepare to bury Said Tahlil, a journalist killed on February 4. Earlier this month, the U.N. special representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, compared the role of Somalia's media with the infamous Rwandan radio station that was used to incite participation in the 1994 genocide in that country. A day after his remarks, suspected Islamist gunmen shot and killed Said Tahlil Ahmed, the director of independent HornAfrik Radio in Mogadishu, in broad daylight in the Somali capital. Ould-Abdallah's statement "motivates the criminals and warlords who have been committing unpunished crimes against journalists to keep on their merciless war against media," according to Omar Faruk Osman, head of the NUSOJ. It also "raises serious questions regarding the willingness of (Ould-Abdallah) to help protect Somalia's endangered media professionals," Faruk Osman said. He called on the U.N. official to "immediately withdraw allegations against Somali media and make (a) public apology." "If the U.N. ambassador does not meet our demand, it only confirms a hidden and dangerous agenda by the U.N. official," he said. Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Ould-Abdallah to "immediately retract" his statement. In a February 3 Voice of America interview, Ould-Abdallah reacted angrily to allegations that African Union troops the day before had indiscriminately fired on Somali civilians after their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb. HRW has also called for an independent investigation into that incident, which killed at least 13 -- most of them civilians. "What happened is to divert attention from what is going on here and, as usual, to use the media to repeat Radio Mille Collines, to repeat the genocide in Rwanda," Ould-Abdallah said in the VOA broadcast. Faruk Osman said that while not all Somali journalists are perfect, "they are working in an extraordinarily difficult environment by the fault of politicians, and toothless diplomats." "The comparison with Radio Mille Collines is insulting, ignorant and dangerous, as that radio had become a legitimate military target in Rwanda," the NUSOJ secretary-general added. On Saturday, another Somali journalist, Hassan Bulhan Ali, was stabbed five times in the stomach and heart during a tribal reconciliation meeting in the central town of Abudwaq, according to NUSOJ. Bulhan, 38 and director of Radio Abudwaq -- was critically wounded. "Somali journalists have paid an enormous price to continue reporting on the crisis in Somalia," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW's Africa director. "The U.N. should be making every effort to support independent Somali media and civil society at this critical time, not comparing journalists to war criminals." Somali radio stations in Mogadishu recently agreed to take steps to avoid broadcasting any messages of incitement, according to Shabelle Media. The stations agreed not to air live sermons by Muslim clerics or live news conferences or interviews by insurgent groups in an effort to avoid promoting their political agendas, according to the Shabelle report. The statements will instead be recorded and "checked and edited," before they are broadcast, it said. CNN regularly works with Somali journalists who are employed by Shabelle Media. The Committee to Protect Journalists lists Somalia as the seventh most deadly nation in the world for journalists, with 11 Somali journalists killed since 2007, including Said Tahlil Ahmed and another this year. Members of the news media work under duress there amid a war between a weak transitional government and insurgents, the committee said.

Somali journalists say U.N. envoy's quote motivates attacks on them . He appeared to compare Somali journalists with Rwandan radio staion during genocide . Journalists want an apology and the remark retracted . Rwandan radio was used to encourage participation in genocide in 1994 .

(CNN) -- A controversial exhibition featuring preserved corpses having sex opened Thursday in Germany's capital. Gunther von Hagens' controversial "Body Works" shows have traveled throughout the world. Part of his traveling "Body Works" exhibition, "The Cycle of Life," is showing at Berlin's Postbahnhof and features 200 human bodies at various life stages -- from conception to old age, including embryos and fetuses taken from historic anatomical collections. In one exhibit a male body is lying on his back with a woman sitting astride him with her back towards his head. Torsten Woehlert, spokesman for Berlin's Culture Ministry, told CNN that there has already been a number of complaints from the public in the press, though none have come to the ministry itself. He said: "As it is not against the law, only against good taste, there is not much the government could do anyway." Conceived by Gunther von Hagens -- dubbed Dr. Death in Germany -- the exhibition displays the bodies with their muscles, nerves and tendons on show using a preservation technique he pioneered called plastination. This process involves replacing all body fluids and soluble fat with specially manufactured plastics. On his Web site, the anatomist describes the exhibition's purpose and goal "to reveal and expose the anatomical structure of the human body and its function, in a unique lesson, and to teach us about the complexity of the human body, its anatomy, and the importance of leading a healthy way of life." What do you think? He added that the source of the exhibition is from donors -- people, who during their lifetime, declared their willingness, by informed consent, to display their bodies at the exhibition for the "benefit of education, health and the awareness of the wide public to the different systems of the human body." When asked about the coupling of sex and death, von Hagens told Germany's Bild that "death and sex are both taboo topics. I'm bringing them together. Death belongs to life." He added that "without sex no life would exist." Von Hagens' work has divided opinion in the past, with critics often doubting his scientific motives and accusing him of shocking people to gain publicity. His public autopsy in 2002 for British broadcaster Channel 4 -- the first in the UK for 170 years -- received hundreds of complaints. The authorities also threatened to arrest him after declaring the procedure illegal. Von Hagens justified his actions as "demystifying the post mortem examination," and likened the medical profession to "medieval priests who would not allow ordinary people to read the Bible," The New Scientist reported.

Cycle of Life features 200 human bodies at various life stages . One exhibit shows male body lying on back with a female sitting astride him . Von Hagens: Exhibition to teach us about the complexity of the human body . Von Hagens performed first UK public autopsy in 170 years in 2002 for television .

(CNN) -- A controversial policy that limits the amount of time NATO troops can hold Afghan detainees is under review by U.S. Defense Department officials, a spokesman for the department told CNN. The review of what's known as the "96-hour rule" is under way as CNN questioned whether the policy was putting soldiers in danger. Under the rule, NATO troops have 96 hours to either turn over detainees to Afghan authorities or release them -- a rule put in effect to avoid Abu Ghraib-like offenses. "We are currently reviewing the 96-hour rule, but have yet to make decisions about how we wish to proceed in light of some of the obvious problems associated with it," Geoff Morrell, deputy assistant secretary of defense, told CNN in a statement. "As soon as we have something concrete to say about our way ahead with respect to this aspect of detainee operations, we will of course share it with the Afghan government, our allies in the fight and, of course, the public at large." NATO forces fighting in Afghanistan have operated under the 96-hour rule since December 2005. But soldiers interviewed by CNN said it could put them in danger because it forces them to release detainees in a short time span. The rule, contained in a directive outlining International Security Assistance Force detention policies, resulted from consultations with U.S. military and Afghan commanders, said James Appathurai, spokesman for NATO. CNN's Abbie Boudreau's blog: At the 96th hour "We have to balance the requirement for protecting our soldiers with the reality that Afghanistan is a sovereign country, that there must be limits on the time we can detain Afghans before handing them over to Afghan authorities," Appathurai said. "The Afghan authorities can also talk with detainees to extract information. It is not as though the interrogation needs to end when we hand them over to the Afghan authorities." Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. Central Command, however, said he was not convinced that 96 hours was enough time -- particularly for high-value targets. "Ninety-six hours is not enough if you are going to ensure that they stay behind bars, obviously," he told CNN after a question and answer session in Atlanta. "Again, there has to be a process by which the individuals that need to be detained are detained, or that if they're handed off to Afghan officials that there's confidence in the system working." Appathurai announced the rule in December 2005. At CNN's request, NATO compiled statistics on what has happened to detainees since the agency began keeping such records in 2006. Under the 96-hour rule, about one in four detainees has been released. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who was in Afghanistan last year and who is a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, said the rule puts soldiers in danger. "The one story I hear told over and over and over again [is] 'Senator Graham, this policy makes no sense. It is putting our folks at risk for no higher purpose. It needs to change,'" Graham said. "So the level of frustration is now turning to anger, and quite frankly, here's what's going to start happening -- we're going to take less prisoners. They're going to start shooting these folks." Graham said he is not satisfied about how the rule was first implemented. "I've been asking for months now, 'Who the hell made this rule up? Why did you pick 96 hours versus 80 hours or a hundred hours? What's the source document? What analysis went into whether or not this is an effective tool to deal with problems that we have in Afghanistan?'" he said. "I can't get anyone to tell me how this thing was formed, whose idea it was and how it became policy." The case of Roger Hill, a former Army captain who received a general discharge for his role in the questioning of 12 detainees, prompted CNN's investigation of the 96-hour rule. Those 12 men had worked

Roger Hill, a former Army captain, was discharged after a mock execution of Afghan detainees . NATO has 96-hour rule for detention of suspects . U.S. military is reviewing policy; some say suspects get released too soon . The full investigation on AC 360 tonight at 10 p.m. ET .

(CNN) -- A convicted sex offender who was sentenced to death for killing a 9-year-old Idaho boy is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges related to the killing of a 10-year-old California boy. Joseph Edward Duncan III will answer charges in the 1997 abduction and murder of Anthony Martinez. Joseph Edward Duncan III is expected to appear in court in Riverside County, California, to answer to charges in the 1997 abduction and murder of Anthony Martinez, said a spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's office. Investigators have charged Duncan with murder in Anthony's death. Law-enforcement officials also are investigating whether Duncan, who committed his first sexual offense at the age of 12, can be tied to other crimes, according to CNN affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles, California. Martinez was kidnapped on April 4, 1997 from an alley near his home in the city of Beaumont, the station reported; the boy's naked body was discovered a little over two weeks later. Duncan has confessed to killing Martinez and crushing the boy's head with a rock, KTLA reported, citing court documents. Authorities reportedly discovered the boy's body by following vultures to a remote section of a nearby canyon. The body was partially buried under a pile of rocks and bound with duct tape, according to KTLA. Duncan, a high school dropout and drifter, was sentenced to death last August for the torture and murder of Dylan Groene, a 9-year-old Idaho boy. He was convicted of kidnapping Dylan and his then 8-year-old sister before torturing them at a remote campsite and fatally bludgeoning members of their family. In 2007, Duncan pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping counts in state court for the hammer-attack murders of three other Groene family members. If convicted of murdering Martinez, Duncan can be sentenced to death again.

Joseph Duncan committed his first sexual offense at the age of 12 . He was sentenced to death last August for the murder a 9-year-old boy . Duncan could be sentenced to death a second time if convicted again .

(CNN) -- A cop killer and child molester who has been on the U.S. Marshals Service's 15 most-wanted fugitive list for nearly four years was captured early Wednesday, authorities said. Paul Clouston, 73, was taken into custody at a men's group home in Merced, California, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Connolly. Agents with the fugitive task force "observed a man resembling Clouston seated in a chair and reading a newspaper," said the Marshals Service in a statement. "He provided a false name three times before he said, 'I'm Paul Clouston and I'm tired of running,' " Connolly told CNN. "We always say we go after the worst of the worst, and it doesn't get much worse than this type of predator, " Connolly added. "We're happy he's off the streets." Connolly said a viewer tip to the TV program "America's Most Wanted" led agents to the killer. Clouston murdered a police detective in Buena Park, California, in 1972. He was convicted a year later. After serving 10 years in prison for the slaying, Clouston was released in 1982. In 1991, he was indicted on 17 counts of sexually abusing children in the Williamsburg, Virginia, area, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Clouston pleaded guilty to the charges and was sent back to prison. He was paroled in 2005 but was placed on the fugitive list after he failed to register as a convicted sexual offender in Virginia. "The capture of Paul Clouston is a testament to the effectiveness of our 15 most wanted list and the partnerships we maintain with other law enforcement agencies," said John F. Clark, director of the U.S. Marshals Service in a statement. "It also speaks volumes to the value of someone doing the right thing and reporting a suspicious individual."

Fugitive Paul Clouston, 73, taken into custody at men's group home in California . Clouston convicted, served time for killing police detective . Clouston became fugitive when he failed to register as convicted sex offender . Viewer tip to TV's "America's Most Wanted" led agents to Clouston, official says .

(CNN) -- A couple of years ago, my daughter and I were playing the classic board game "Life," and her little car reached the roadblock at which everybody -- absolutely everybody -- gets married. Needless to say, given a new set of striking statistics last week that showed a record low of 51% of American adults are married, "Life" was designed many decades ago. The study by the Pew Research Center further found that 40% of births these days are to unmarried mothers, and a similar percentage of Americans say marriage is becoming obsolete. My daughter Liliana, who was 8 when we were playing the board game, tossed off this remark as she stuck the tiny blue husband pin into her car: "When I grow up, I don't think I'll get married. I think I'll just get some sperm." How we reap what we sow! Liliana was old enough to know the story of her own origins, and it goes like this: When I turned 39, still single, I resolved to become a mother on my own and bought eight vials of donor sperm. But then I met her father, Sprax, and he agreed to help me have a baby the old-fashioned way. We went through many ups and downs, even splitting up for a couple of years, but finally realized that we loved each other, got back together and went on to have her baby brother. When Liliana was almost 4, we got married. So there I was -- the former single mother by choice, the typical Massachusetts type who deeply believes that there are a hundred great ways to make a family and that life can also be wonderful without one -- and I found myself responding to my daughter: "That would be fine if you just get some sperm, sweetheart, but you know, being married is actually really nice, too." What happened to me? What happened to the independent woman who, by the time she married for the first time at age 44, felt no particular need for a piece of paper from City Hall? It is this. Day in and out, through lunch-packing and play date-making and bath-running, I am struck by a surprising truth: Though the raising of our children constitutes the central activity of our family, it is the love between Sprax and me that constitutes its ineffable core. That sounds like a traditional religious point of view, but we are not religious. I've come to this understanding simply as an observer of my own heart and the family dance. It is, apparently, just an emotional fact of life -- at least, of our life. What baffles me is that I was perfectly able to have Liliana without being in a committed, loving relationship with Sprax, and our semi-family life was really quite happy in that formation. We all got along; Sprax would visit two or three times a week; Liliana got plenty of love and structure. But since he and I reunited, our bond has become the family's invisible center, the axis of its spokes. I did not need a husband. But I need him. LZ Granderson: Love and marriage are not the same thing So fine, but what difference do the formal "bonds of matrimony" make? Usually you hear people talk about commitment, but I can't imagine any greater commitment than sharing children who are still going to need raising for quite a few years. No, what marriage means to me is acceptance, an "absolute yes" that makes it bearable to be seen at your worst -- exhausted or flu-ridden or carried away by an ugly bout of selfishness. That "yes" launches the creation of an entity, a union, that exists apart from the daily ebb and flow of difficulties and joys. It is nothing but an abstraction, but, to my amazement, it is the most beautiful thing in our lives. So this is my marital equivalent of "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus": "Yes,

Carey Goldberg says study shows marriage statistics down but rate of unmarried moms up . She says she'd bought sperm to have baby, then met man who agreed to reproduce with her . She says they had ups, downs, split, got back together, had another baby and got married . Goldberg tells her daughter: It's fine to stay single, but marriage is one of the best things in life .

(CNN) -- A couple years ago, a Microsoft researcher named Gordon Bell embarked on a personal experiment: He would wear a video camera around his neck all the time and keep this "life recorder" always turned on, so it would record everything he did. It was like an external memory drive for his brain, he wrote in a book called "Total Recall." Sounds pretty sci-fi, right? Not so much. The "real-time sharing" updates Facebook announced Thursday aim to do something quite similar -- only for the Internet instead of in real life. Before we get into the details and implications, here's a "real-time" example of how the updates, which are rolling out in the coming weeks, will work: As I write this, I'm listening to the band LCD Soundsystem on an Internet music service called Spotify. Because I've updated my Facebook page (here's a TechCrunch article on how to do that if you're interested) and because I've logged in to Spotify with my Facebook identity, every song I listen to is automatically shared to Facebook. Suddenly, my listening experience isn't private. It's public. All my Facebook friends are watching. And judging. Chances are this will affect people's behavior online. If you're a closet fan of Lady Gaga or Bjork or Enya (I'm all three), then you'll just have to stop listening to those potentially mockable artists -- either that, or all your Facebook friends will be chiming in with comments: "OMG, you're listening to that?!" In the old world of Facebook, I would have to click that I "liked" a song for it to show up on my Facebook profile page. That's something you have to think about: "OK, I really like this song, and I really want all of my friends to know that I'm listening to it right now." Now, sharing is both passive and automatic. It's a choice you make in advance -- one time -- and never again. And so it goes with all kinds of the new "real-time" apps. Since I've logged in to Yahoo! News with Facebook, every time I read an article on that site, it goes to my Timeline. The same is true for Hulu and TV shows. And for the Internet game "Words with Friends." When I play a Scrabble-style word in that game, it will show up on Facebook, along with an image of the current playing board. For Facebook, this is obviously a good thing. The site's goal -- as postulated in "Zuckerberg's Law" -- always has been to get people to share more and more information about themselves. That's bound to happen in this new auto-share era. It's also ostensibly good for makers of Facebook apps. In a presentation in San Francisco on Thursday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said he was initially skeptical of the deal, since it would give Facebook so much information about Netflix's customers' preferences for movies and TV shows. He decided it was smart, however, after he used the real-time app integration for himself and decided it was so addictive that it would doubtlessly result in more people watching more videos on Netflix -- a good thing for him, of course. But the benefits for Facebook users are less clear. Tech bloggers and analysts worry these automatic, real-time updates will kick off a new level of oversharing. If you were sick of hearing about what your aunt had for breakfast and who your co-workers had "friended" on Facebook, wait until you know every single song they've listened to and every single movie they've watched. "It's not hard to imagine Facebook sharing more than doubling after the f8 launches," Liz Gannes wrote at the blog AllThingsD. "Millions of tiny little actions are going to move from implicit to explicit. You can start to see why Facebook enabled its 'ticker' news feed earlier this

Facebook unveils "real-time" features . The changes will roll out over coming weeks . New apps will post to Facebook automatically, if approved . The result: Facebook is watching your every online move .

(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 .

(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 .

(CNN) -- A court hearing is scheduled Thursday in the case of a northern California couple accused of abducting Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for more than 18 years in a ramshackle backyard compound. Phillip Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, 54, are charged with 29 felony counts in the kidnapping of Dugard, who was 11 when she was snatched in 1991 from the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California. The couple has pleaded not guilty. The hearing, scheduled for 1 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) at the El Dorado County Superior Court, is a procedural matter about witnesses in the case. Authorities say the Garridos held Dugard in a hidden compound behind their home for 18 years. She was 29 when she was found in August at the Garridos' home in Antioch about 120 miles from her house. Garrido, a registered sex offender on parole at the time of his arrest, is accused of fathering two daughters with Dugard during her captivity. Dugard now lives in seclusion with her mother, Terry Probyn, and Dugard's two daughters. Earlier this month, Judge Douglas Phimister denied a request by the Garridos to be able to see each other while they remain jailed. Instead, the judge ruled, the couple can have one five-minute phone conversation this month and in June. He also said that officials can monitor the calls. The judge did not offer a reason for denying the request. The prosecution had opposed the motion on security grounds. Authorities maintain Dugard does not want to speak to Garrido or his attorneys and have tried to keep her location a secret. In March, Dugard made her first public statement since the arrests of her alleged captors. "Hi, I'm Jaycee. I want to thank you for your support, and I'm doing well," Dugard said in a home video released exclusively to ABC News. "It's been a long haul," said Dugard, "but I'm getting there." The video showed Dugard baking cookies with her mother and playing with her dogs. "We released this video so that you can see that we are happy and well -- when we have more to share, we will," Probyn said in the home video. "As a mother I am pleading for our privacy in this very public story."

New hearing concerns a witness in the kidnapping case . Phillip and Nancy Garrrido are accused of snatching Jaycee Dugard off street . Dugard was 12 at the time, was kept captive 18 years . Judge earlier ruled Garrido's can't see each other in jail .

(CNN) -- A court in Saudi Arabia has granted an 8-year-old girl a divorce from her 47-year-old husband, after twice denying the divorce request previously, local media reported Thursday. The marriage sparked condemnations around the world from human rights groups and U.S. and other government officials when it first came to light in December. Local media, which is highly regulated by the Saudi government, reported that the court in the city of Onaiza approved the divorce decree Thursday, and the divorce is final. A source at the court told the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan that the divorce "came after a series of pleas made by a number of officials in the region to the husband." CNN efforts to reach court officials, the husband and the girl's father have been unsuccessful. According to the attorney for the young girl's mother, the father of the girl had arranged the marriage between his daughter and a close friend of his to settle his debts with the man. When the mother went to court to try to get the marriage annulled, Saudi judge Habib al-Habib rejected the request on a legal technicality. The judge ruled that the mother -- who is separated from the girl's father -- was not the child's legal guardian and therefore could not represent her in court, according to the mother's lawyer, Abdullah al-Jutaili. However, the judge required the girl's husband to sign a pledge that he would not have sex with her until she reaches puberty, al-Jutaili said. The lawyer said in the original marriage agreement, the father of the girl stipulated that the marriage would not be consummated until she was 18. The judge also ruled that the girl could file a petition for a divorce when she reached puberty, al-Jutaili said. The young girl lives with her mother, the attorney said, and was never told that she was married. When the initial petition to annul the marriage was rejected, the mother appealed the verdict to an appeals court in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The appeals court declined to certify the original ruling, in essence rejecting al-Habib's verdict, and sent the case back to him for reconsideration. Under the complicated Saudi legal process, the appeals court ruling meant that the marriage was still in effect but that a challenge to the marriage was ongoing. Earlier this month, the original judge refused for a second time to annul the marriage. Soon after that decision, Saudi Arabia's justice minister told Al-Watan that he planned to enact a law that will protect young girls from such marriages. The law will place restrictions on the practice to preserve the rights of children and prevent abuses, Justice Minister Mohammed Al-Issa was quoted as saying. Additionally, al-Issa said there would be a study of a system that will include regulations for the marriage of minors and everything related to such unions, the newspaper reported. No details on the restrictions or regulations were mentioned. The minister did not say whether child marriage would be abolished. Responding to the justice minister's comments and the possibility of a new child marriage law, al-Jutaili told CNN at the time, "this is what we requested from day one, and we know that Saudi officials are working so hard on resolving this issue." Al-Jutaili believes that such a law would help not only his defendant but many other Saudi minors facing a similar problem. In Washington Monday, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns called the marriage a human rights abuse. "Child marriage is, unfortunately, still common in much of Saudi Arabia and we have voiced our concern about this practice at the highest levels," he told a conference on U.S.-Saudi relations. "We were encouraged by reports that the Justice Ministry had begun to review the legal age of marriage." After the divorce was denied for a second time, the head of the United Nations Children's Fund issued a statement expressing concern about the case. UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman said, "the right to free and full consent

Child bride wins divorce hearing at third attempt, local media reports . Her case attracted attention of the U.N. and governments around the world . Her father reportedly arranged the marriage to settle his debts . Saudi justice minister says he plans law to protect young girls from such marriages .

(CNN) -- A court in Zambia has acquitted a newspaper editor who was tried on obscenity charges for mailing photographs of a woman giving birth. Chansa Kabwela, the editor of the Post, wanted to highlight the conditions in which women were being forced to give birth during a hospital strike last summer. She mailed pictures to government ministers of a woman delivering a baby in a hospital parking lot. But Zambian President Rupiah Banda described the photos as pornographic and Kabwela was ordered arrested. On Monday, a judge in the capital Lusaka ruled there was no evidence the photos were obscene or could corrupt public morals. He dismissed the case. Kabwela was out of the office Wednesday and could not immediately be reached. But as she exited the courtroom, she told Reporters Without Borders that she was relieved. "My victory is also a victory for all those who suffered during the health sector strikes," she said. "I am happy the court acquitted me. I had no intention of causing anyone any harm. The letter I wrote to the vice-president was very clear. I just wanted to draw his attention to the situation in the hospitals." The month-long nurse's strike in June was over pay and benefits. It shut down hospital wards, turning away hundreds of patients. At the time, a woman's husband snapped pictures as she gave birth in the hospital parking lot after being denied admission. The baby later died, said the Committee to Protect Journalists. The husband gave the photos to the Post who deemed them to graphic to publish. Kabwela then included them in a letter she wrote to the vice president, the health minister and several non-governmental organizations urging that the strike be settled. Soon afterward, Banda ordered police to take action against Kabwela. Journalism advocacy groups believe Banda retaliated against the newspaper because of its frequent criticism of his policies. At least six members of the newspaper's staff have been physically or verbally attacked by leaders of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy since the year began, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

Chansa Kabwela wanted to highlight conditions in which women were being forced to give birth during a hospital strike . She mailed pictures to government ministers of a woman delivering a baby in a hospital parking lot . Zambian President Rupiah Banda described the photos as pornographic and Kabwela was ordered arrested .

(CNN) -- A crew member on a U.S.-flagged cargo ship captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is suing his employers, claiming they sent him into pirate-infested waters without adequate protection, his attorney said Monday. Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse has been charged with piracy in federal court in New York. Richard Hicks of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, a crew member on the Maersk Alabama, filed suit Monday against Waterman Steamship Corp. and Maersk Line Limited, according to the attorney, Terry Bryant. A spokeswoman for Mobile, Alabama-based Waterman Steamship Corp. said she did not know about the suit and did not immediately comment. A spokeswoman for Maersk Line Limited did not immediately return a call from CNN seeking comment. The Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates April 8. Hicks, working as chief steward and preparing food for other crew members, heard over the loudspeaker that pirates were on board, and he and other crew members gathered in the ship's engine room for nearly 12 hours, according to a news release from Bryant. "The engine room was dark and hot, maybe 130 degrees," Hicks said in the news release. "We were all cramping up with heat stroke symptoms when we were able to take a pirate hostage and tried to negotiate the return of our captain." The pirates promised to exchange Capt. Richard Phillips for the pirate hostage, but reneged on that agreement, the news release. Phillips offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the freedom of his crew. He was held on a lifeboat until U.S. Navy snipers on a nearby ship fatally shot three pirates, rescued Phillips and arrested a fourth pirate. The ship's owners -- the two companies -- knowingly exposed their employees to danger and took no steps to provide appropriate security and safety for the crew, Bryant alleges. "Waterman Steamship Corp. and Maersk Line Limited chose to rely on the United States military and taxpayers to provide after-the-fact rescue operations," Bryant said in the news release. "This choice caused substantially more cost and risk to human life than what would have been incurred by defendants had they provided appropriate levels of security in the first place." Hicks is seeking at least $75,000, and "reserves the right to amend this pleading for a certain amount in the future, as it is too early to determine the maximum amount of plaintiff's damages," according to the suit. Hicks is still suffering from injuries as a result of the incident and is afraid to return to work, the news release said.

Suit alleges crew sent into pirate-infested waters without protection . Representatives of ship's owners have yet to comment . Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates April 8 . Plaintiff Richard Hicks, of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, was the ship's steward .

(CNN) -- A crowd plunders buildings crumbled by last week's earthquake, hauling off water, food, candles and anything else recoverable. Suddenly, a pickup truck hauling a half dozen armed policemen squeals to a halt. The mob scatters as the police officers in military style camouflage fire shots in the air and apprehend a few stragglers, some with a kick or a punch. Such scenes occurred with increased frequency Monday in Port-au-Prince, the devastated Haitian capital, as frustrated survivors resorted to scrounging and looting due to a lack of relief aid. The rising tension raised questions about the ability of the Haitian National Police to maintain order and its tactics in doing so. While the United States is sending thousands of troops to assist in relief efforts, U.S. officials say the Haitian police are responsible for security on the streets, with backing from U.N. peacekeepers. "The first line of law and order here is, number one, the Haitian police, number two, the U.N. forces," U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten said Monday. "The U.S. forces are standing by to provide security as needed." That seems to be an overwhelming task for the Haitian National Police (HNP), a force of about 9,000 that is the impoverished Caribbean nation's lone security apparatus. Latest updates | Full coverage National Police Chief Mario Andresol told CNN Monday that the department has been severely affected by the earthquake, with thousands of officers injured, killed or unaccounted for. The Port-au-Prince force of 4,000 has dropped to about 1,500, he said. Complicating matters even further, roughly another 4,000 "bad guys" are on the run, Andresol added, after the 95-year-old, badly overcrowded National Penitentiary in the capital collapsed and the inmates escaped. "Today, we have double work," Andresol said, adding that the police department is bring in troops from other parts of the country. "There are not enough, so we are trying." Bill Clinton, the former U.S. president who is the U.N. special envoy to Haiti, said Sunday that 40 percent of the Haitian police force has reported for duty since the January 12 temblor. It was unclear how many other police officers died and how many were struggling with the overwhelming hardships from such widespread destruction. First formed in 1995, the civilian police force took over security from a disbanded military known for loyalty to dictators instead of the state, noted Brian Concannon Jr., director of the non-profit Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti. A lack of money and other resources over the years, along with continued instability including a 2004 coup, has left the police force under-funded, under-trained and full of former soldiers prone to operating outside the law, Concannon said. For example, he cited summary executions of suspected criminals as a problem since the 2004 coup, along with police involvement in gangs or other criminal activity. In addition, a dysfunctional judicial system undermines the ability of the police force to deal with chronic crime problems in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere, according to Concannon. High-resolution photos of damage | Google map Progress has occurred in recent years, as the government simultaneously tried to remove "bad apples" from the police force while expanding the number of policemen on the streets, Concannon said. "Although the HNP's efforts resulted in significantly increased levels of physical security and policing effectiveness, in many cases the HNP could not prevent or respond to gang-related and other societal violence due to an insufficient number of officers and inadequate equipment or training," said a 2008 report on Haiti by Concannon's group. Now the earthquake will set back the reform effort. "There's no doubt the Haitian national police took a significant blow in this disaster," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley said Monday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told CNN on Monday that he would ask for an additional 2,000 U.N. troops and 1,500 U.N. police officers to bolster the 3,000 U.N. police and soldiers currently deployed in Port-au-Prince -- among the 9,000

U.S. ambassador: Haitian police represents "first line of law and order," then U.N. forces . "U.S. forces are standing by to provide security as needed," ambassador adds . National police chief says thousands of officers injured, killed or missing . Police department is bring in troops from other parts of Haiti, police chief adds .

(CNN) -- A crusading Sri Lankan journalist shot dead last week knew he would be killed -- he said so in a dramatic, posthumously published column touching a raw nerve in his war-torn island nation. A candlelight vigil in the Sri Lankan capital in memory of slain journalist Lasantha Wickrematunga. Lasantha Wickrematunga, editor-in-chief of The Sunday Leader, was gunned down execution-style January 8 but spoke from the grave three days later when the newspaper published "And Then They Came For Me." That posthumous column anticipated his slaying by government forces and defended the craft of journalism in his country, a profession under fire during its bitter civil war. "Diplomats, recognizing the risk journalists face in Sri Lanka, have offered me safe passage and the right of residence in their countries. Whatever else I may have been stuck for, I have not been stuck for choice. But there is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre and security. It is the call of conscience," Wickrematunga wrote. "People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it's a matter of time before I am bumped off." Wickrematunga wrote that he was twice assaulted and his house was fired upon. "Despite the government's sanctimonious assurances, there was never a serious police inquiry into the perpetrators of these attacks, and the attackers were never apprehended. "In all of these cases, I have reason to believe the attacks were inspired by the government. When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me," he wrote. Sri Lankan President Mahindra Rajapaksa, asked about threats to journalists, voiced assurance that no journalist or media institution had cause to fear any threats or attacks by the government, according to a statement on the government's official Web site. Watch Sri Lanka's foreign minister discuss press freedom » "The government had no interest whatever in seeking disgrace through any attacks on the media," he said, and he assured media leaders that the culprits would be captured and brought to justice, the statement said. Hostility against journalists and their institutions has been high as the Sinhalese-dominated government forces work to eradicate the last vestiges of Tamil Tiger separatists in the Jaffna peninsula, the rebel-held northern region. The 25-year-old civil war has left more than 65,000 people dead. Sunanda Deshapriya, spokesman for Sri Lanka's Free Media Movement, said harassment of journalists has been common, and cited these examples from the past year: two journalists killed, another journalist shot at, more than 50 reports of intimidations and threats, 12 media personnel arrested, 16 journalists physically assaulted, one tortured, one assaulted in an abduction attempt, the circulation of a list with 27 journalists targeted for killings, the proposal of a censorship law, and the naming of some journalists as terrorists or terrorist supporters. On January 6, 15 masked gunmen entered Maharajah TV studios outside the capital, Colombo. The journalism watchdog group Committee to Protect Journalists said the attackers shot at and destroyed broadcast equipment, held staff members at gunpoint, and attempted to burn down the station's facilities. CNN on Wednesday interviewed the head of Maharajah TV, Chevaan Daniel, about the incident. Afterward, Sri Lanka's defense secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, called for the arrest of a person who had talked to CNN, Deshapriya said. CPJ said the government-run media has criticized Maharajah TV for its coverage of a suicide bombing in the capital and "undermining" a presidential victory speech after government troops took Kilinochchi -- which had been the de facto capital of the Tamil Tigers movement. Government officials have condemned strikes on Colombo and have ordered probes. Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program director, said that "far too often the government or its unofficial allies have been prime suspects behind attacks on journalists and media organizations," despite government condemnations and investigations. As the civil warfare first unfolded, Tamil journalists were targeted, Dietz said. But in the past year and a half, mainstream journalists, such as those who raise

Lasantha Wickrematunga gunned down execution-style January 8 . Posthumous column anticipated his slaying by government forces . Govt.: Says no journalist, media institution should fear attack by government . Civil war with Tamil Tigers has killed more than 65,000 .

(CNN) -- A day after three Connecticut asset managers claimed the largest Powerball jackpot in the state's history, a public relations executive acting on their behalf issued a statement denying there was a fourth participant who wanted to remain anonymous. Throughout the day Monday there had been published reports that the three men who appeared with the winning check were only collecting on behalf of a client of their investment firm. "While there has been much speculation and quite a bit of misinformation over the last 24 hours, this Trust, with its three trustees, has been established to manage the winnings in the most practical and expedient way possible so that we can achieve our strategic goal of helping those who can best benefit from these funds," said public relations executive Gary Lewi. "And to be clear, there are a total of three trustees and there is no anonymous fourth participant." The statement goes on to say that the financial advisers will set up a trust that will have as its focus -- among other things -- care for U.S. veterans and those returning home from deployment. Within 10 days the trust will distribute $1 million to selected veterans relief organizations within the tri-state region, Lewi said. Co-workers Tim Davidson, Brandon Lacoff and Greg Skidmore claimed the prize from the November 2 drawing, which netted them more than $100 million, at a presentation by the Connecticut Lottery Corp. Ranjit Singh, the manager of the Stamford BP gas station where the winning ticket was purchased, told CNN's Mary Snow that he is sure it was Tim Davidson who purchased the ticket. "I do recognize him, I cannot forget the face." Singh also said he remembers that he pushed Davidson to buy a ticket. The jackpot was $254 million, had the winners taken a multiyear payout. They opted instead for a one-time cash payout that totaled $103.6 million after taxes, according to Connecticut Lottery spokeswoman Linda Tarnowski. It was the 12th-largest jackpot in Powerball history, according to Anne Noble, president of the Connecticut Lottery. "Everybody is extremely excited -- these numbers are huge," said the trio's attorney, Jason Kurland. "This is going to benefit many people." Kurland spoke on behalf of three winners, all asset managers at start-up firm Belpointe Asset Management in Greenwich, Connecticut. He said that the men will donate "a significant amount" of the winnings to charities in the state. Davidson bought the $1 ticket at a gas station in Stamford, Kurland said. After realizing they had a winning ticket the following morning, the three co-workers formed the Putnam Avenue Family Trust, each becoming a trustee. "They have become their dream client," Kurland said. Skidmore was the only one of the three winners to speak at Monday's press conference. "It feels good," he said. CNN's Mary Snow and Leigh Remizowski contributed to this report.

The three winners didn't represent a secretive client, a spokesman says in a statement . Winners set up a trust fund mainly to benefit veterans causes, spokesman says . $1 million will be distributed to selected groups in the next 10 days, says Gary Lewi . The $254 million Powerball jackpot was the largest ever to be won in Connecticut .

(CNN) -- A day before Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was busted by federal investigators on corruption charges, he dared authorities to tape his phone calls if they thought he was guilty of anything. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, shown here in 2003, was known as a tireless campaigner. "If anybody wants to tape my conversations, go right ahead, feel free to do it," Blagojevich said Monday outside a Chicago window factory where workers were protesting their layoffs. His comment came in response to a reporter's question about corruption allegations. Authorities had indeed bugged the governor's campaign office and tapped his home phone, catching him talking about alleged plans to sell the U.S. Senate seat left empty by President-elect Barack Obama. During his political career, Blagojevich made headlines. A native Chicagoan, he was thought of as a charismatic guy who always liked to ingratiate himself to the working man. But he was never considered a natural politician, particularly when he first began exploring a run for the governorship in 2002. His father, Rade Blagojevich, was a Yugoslavian immigrant who came to America after World War II. The elder Blagojevich worked in a steel mill to support his family, which was then living on the city's then-downtrodden northwest side. As a boy, Blagojevich held odd jobs -- shining shoes, delivering pizzas -- and worked in Alaska for two summers in his teens. He used the money to enroll in Northwestern University, a prestigious school in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. He went on to law school at Pepperdine University, then went back to Chicago after graduation to be a lawyer. Blagojevich later joined the State's Attorney Office in Cook County -- the county in which Chicago is located -- and built a reputation for prosecuting domestic violence cases. During his time as a lawyer, where Blagojevich grew to enjoy the increasing public spotlight, he began flirting with the idea of running for office. He met his wife, Patricia Mell, in 1988 at a political fundraiser for her father, well-known Chicago Alderman Richard Mell. Blagojevich started working in the father's office, married Patricia Mell and had a daughter, Amy. They had another daughter a few years later. He served in the Illinois House from 1992 to 1996, representing the North Side Chicago district before moving on to Congress in 1997. During his three terms in Congress, he helped bring $240 million in federal funds to the Chicago Transit Authority and an additional $10 million to help protect Lake Michigan's shoreline. He grabbed headlines in 1999 when he traveled to Yugoslavia with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to negotiate the release of three American soldiers. Blagojevich met with then-President Slobodan Milosevic, who later faced a war crimes tribunal but died of a heart attack before the proceedings were concluded. Blagojevich set his sights on the governorship in 2002 with an aggressive appeal to the workaday Illinoisan. He portrayed himself as a regular guy who wanted to do right by the middle class. Tirelessly campaigning, knocking on doors and running down-home-flavored television ads, Blagojevich jokingly told voters not to worry about pronouncing his last name right. Just call me Rod, he said. At one point, a staunch supporter of his Republican opponent, Michael P. Flanagan, marveled to the Chicago Sun-Times that he was impressed by the number of appearances Blagojevich was making during the campaign. "He is one of the most energetic guys in politics today," Flanagan said in a Sun-Times profile. "If he was an athlete, they would test him for amphetamines. He would come up clean -- but they would test him." Blagojevich was able to leverage a string of endorsements from popular figures like Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. He also got the support of the Service Employees International Union, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In the 2002 governor's race, Blagojevich rode to victory 7 points ahead of opponent Jim Ryan. Blagojevich commenced his re-election campaign in 2006 by

The son of a Yugoslavian immigrant has working-class roots in Chicago . Blagojevich worked in State's Attorney Office before serving 3 terms in Congress . He became known for his energy, political clout before joining 2002 race for governor . Blagojevich appealed to middle class Illinoisans with ads suggesting "call me Rod"

(CNN) -- A deadly car bomb attack on a busy market in Peshawar Wednesday continued a bloody trend of atrocities in Pakistan during October. Ten attacks have been carried out so far this month, resulting in nearly 400 deaths, according to security expert Will Geddes, chief executive of International Corporate Protection. Geddes gives CNN his assessment on the latest attack and the challenges facing the Pakistan forces. Why Peshawar and why now? No one's actually releasing any statement, but I would say it's a retaliatory action to the seizing of Kotkai, a town in the South Waziristan district by Pakistani troops almost two weeks ago on October 17. The Taliban is setting off devices and suicide bombs in other parts of the country to draw attention away from Waziristan to make it harder for them. Because obviously troops will be deployed to the areas perceived to be the greatest threat. It's a pretty smart tactic on behalf of the Taliban. Why did the attackers target the marketplace Meena Bazaar? It's indiscriminate. It's the purest essence of terrorism. It is to absolutely instill fear and terror into the general populace. Whether that works effectively and advantageously for them in the longer run, I don't think so. Because ultimately it will be the local community who will be feeding intelligence back to Pakistani intelligence service, the Inter-Services Intelligence. If you alienate that community by targeting them then you're not winning the support of people who are potentially going to hide you out or not disclose your whereabouts, your location or your operations. It is a risky tactic. It is showing the arrogance of the Taliban. They don't care who they target -- they just want to terrorize the whole nation. How much can be read into the timing of the attacks? It coincides with Hillary Clinton being in the country. It's fundamentally saying: "You've got a high-ranked world leader who's a guest in the country, and we're showing you we're still kicking your backside," for lack of better words. It's really to make President Zardari lose face, as well as to continue the turmoil across the country and to show to the international community that the Taliban is winning. It is the latest in a series of deadly attacks this October. Why is the Taliban so active now? The Taliban are always more active up in the mountains in the autumn months because it's far harder for the enemy to be successful. It is colder, the terrain's harder. The Taliban are experts at fighting in mountainous regions. The Taliban will generally come down on to the flats during the summer months and during the winter months they retreat back up into the mountains. What would conditions be like on the ground? It would be very cold, very brutal. It would be tough, tough terrain for any military forced to try to fight against the Taliban. They are kings of their castle in many respects in those regions. Can you see the fighting intensifying between now and the end of the year? The Pakistan military will find it incredibly hard going to battle against them as the winter months progress. There is very possibly going to be some kind of withdrawal, maybe the closer we get to the end of the year, because it starts becoming more and more brutal before the early months of the year. It's like Afghanistan; you don't want to be down there in January or February. However the government can't lose face and they can't seem to be losing. Is there anything the government can do to halt the spate of suicide attacks? If you have got sorties from the Taliban coming down into Islamabad and Karachi and undertaking attacks there, it's very difficult to intersect. Quite often what you may have is a group that is working in Karachi and Islamabad who will be the resource; they'll be the ones doing the reconnaissance, looking at the various targets and then the suicide bombers would likely come down to be briefed by the local team and pointed to the explosives, wherever they might be. It demonstrates their

Car bomb in Peshawar market killed at least 100 people, injured many more . Of recent attacks by the Taliban, Geddes says: "It's the purest essence of terrorism" Pakistani forces fighting Taliban militants in increasingly difficult conditions . Geddes: Taliban employing risky tactic of terrorizing nation with indiscriminate attacks .

(CNN) -- A diabetes test that measures a person's average blood glucose control over the preceding two to three months is being recommended as the new diagnostic tool for the condition. Diabetics have too much glucose in their blood when the condition is uncontrolled, and must monitor it. A committee of international experts recommended the test, called the the A1C assay, at the American Diabetes Association's 69th Scientific Sessions over the weekend. The report could instigate a change in the way diabetes is diagnosed, the American Diabetes Association said. The A1C assay, which has been used for nearly 30 years to determine how well a patient controls diabetes, is a more stable, reliable diagnostic tool than the techniques currently in use, the authors of the report said. "This committee that I chaired is recommending that this be used as widely as possible to diagnose diabetes instead of the blood sugar test," said Dr. David Nathan, director of the Diabetes Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and chairman of the committee. The A1C test, which consists of a simple blood test, is also more convenient than the two tests commonly used for diabetes -- the fasting plasma glucose and the oral glucose tolerance test -- the authors said. In the fasting test, the patient does not eat for about 12 to 14 hours before a blood test. In the tolerance test, the patient drinks a sweet solution and has blood drawn two hours later. In addition, Nathan said, "It probably is better related to the development of eye disease with diabetes, and therefore probably serves as a better diagnostic tool." The international committee was assembled by the American Diabetes Association, International Diabetes Federation and European Association for the Study of Diabetes, but those organizations have not officially endorsed the report. "Basically, the American Diabetes Association supports the concept, supports the use of the A1C to diagnose diabetes, and just has to look at the implications of it, and the implementation of it," said Richard Kahn, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association, who was part of the committee. Using A1C in diagnosis would be particularly useful for determining whether patients have type 2 diabetes, which is more difficult to diagnose than type 1, said Dr. William Bornstein, assistant professor of endocrinology at Emory University, who was not part of the committee. "This will be beneficial to the population in terms of helping us more clearly diagnose folks who are at risks for complications and help them manage that earlier," Bornstein said. Still, controversy likely will arise over the use of the A1C in diagnostics because of the long, established track record of using the other two methods, Bornstein said. iReport.com: Boxing champ talks about diabetes struggle How it works Humans cannot live without having sugar called glucose in their blood. Too much glucose, however, attaches to a variety of proteins in the body and harms them. Uncontrolled diabetes is characterized by too much glucose in the bloodstream. This excess glucose then glycates with -- or sticks to -- a protein called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's cells. The A1C test measures the percentage of glycated hemoglobin in the blood, which is a reflection of average blood glucose control, according to the American Diabetes Association. A1C is a better measure of the problem that diabetes causes than glucose-based tests, at least for monitoring, said David Schoenfeld, professor of biostatistics at Harvard University. He and colleagues, including Nathan and a large group of international researchers, studied the relationship between A1C and average blood glucose. While many diabetics monitor their average blood glucose levels daily, at the doctor's office the patient receives a measurement in terms of hemoglobin A1C, Schoenfeld said. He and researchers created a chart to convert these two measurements, so that patients would not have to interpret two different numbers and feel confused. They concluded in a 2008 paper that, for most patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, A1C levels can be expressed as average glucose. The international committee concluded that an A1C level of 6.5 percent indicates that a person has

Committee says A1C test is more reliable and convenient than other tests . Tests in use now are fasting plasma glucose and oral glucose tolerance test . A1C test is currently used for monitoring patients' control of diabetes . Expert: Report may cause controversy because of track record of using current tests .

(CNN) -- A diamond unearthed in the southern African nation of Lesotho could yield one of the largest and highest quality round polished diamonds, according to a statement Monday from company that found it. A mining company unearthed this 478-carat diamond in the southern African nation of Lesotho. Experts in Antwerp, Belgium who analyzed the 478-carat stone determined it to be of the highest color grading available for a white diamond, said a statement from Gem Diamonds Ltd., the company that found the stone. "What makes it more remarkable is the color and quality of this stone," said diamond consultant Neil Buxton. "It's a D color, which is the highest possible graded color you can get, and we believe there is a chance -- a very good chance -- of getting a 100-carat plus" round stone with the highest color and clarity rankings. The company said such a stone would "to the best of our knowledge" be "the first one in history." Watch more on the diamond » The diamond, which was found in September, ranks as the 20th largest rough diamond ever found, but is not the biggest ever taken from the Letseng Mine, which is co-owned by Gem Diamonds Ltd. and the Kingdom of Lesotho, a country of 2.1 million that is surrounded by South Africa. Two bigger stones -- 603 and 493 carats -- were found in the mine in 2006 and 2007, respectively, the company said. A 601-carat diamond was mined there in 1960, it said.

Diamond could yield one of the largest and highest quality round polished stones . 478-carat stone determined it to be of the highest color grading available . Diamond found in Letseng Mine, in Lesotho .

(CNN) -- A diary reported to have come from a top Colombian guerrilla leader killed last year says key officials in Ecuador accepted money from the rebels and had connections with Mexican drug gangs. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, has been at war with the government for decades. The money was meant to finance Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's 2006 election campaign, Marxist rebel Raul Reyes is said to have written in a diary allegedly obtained after his death. Ecuador denies the allegations and has asked the Organization of American States to investigate. "The president of the republic did not know anything about this and never sent any emissary to finance his electoral campaign," Interior Minister Gustavo Jalkh said at a news conference Wednesday. Ecuadorian officials released excerpts from the diary Thursday. Wednesday's revelation was the second instance in two weeks tying Correa to donations from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Last week, Colombian media broadcast a 2008 video in which guerrilla leader Victor Julio Suarez Rojas, widely known as Mono Jojoy, said the rebels donated money to Correa's campaign. The guerrilla group also had conversations with Correa's emissaries and has reached "some accords, according to documents that we have," Suarez said in the videotape. Correa denied those allegations, asking the nation's civil service commission to investigate. FARC issued a statement Tuesday denying that the rebels have "given money to any electoral campaign of any neighboring country." The guerrillas accused the United States and Colombia of manipulating the Suarez video to make Correa look bad. FARC has been at war with the Colombian government for more than 45 years. In the latest allegations, Reyes, FARC's second-in-command until his death in March 2008, identifies the Ecuadorians who had contacts with the rebels as former head of security Gustavo Larrea, former under secretary for governing Ignacio Chauvin, retired Col. Jorge Brito and dentist Luis Ayala. "Larrea, Brito and Dr. Ayala, I am sure, move among the Mexican drug cartels and, in order to have free reign, collaborate with the CIA," Reyes wrote, according to the state-run Notimex news agency in Mexico. "For them, I am the true loot, and turning me over would be their major deal." Ecuadorian Interior Minister Jalkh and Foreign Minister Fander Falconi declined Wednesday to confirm the diary's authenticity, attributing to it "neither truth nor falseness." Instead, they said they turned it over to the Organization of American States so that the hemispheric body can verify its authenticity. Ecuadorian officials also turned a copy over to the nation's attorney general. The 20-page diary goes from July 2007 to February 23, 2008, seven days before a Colombian bombing attack killed Reyes at his camp inside the Ecuadorian border. In addition to Reyes, the attack killed 24 people, including four Mexicans and an Ecuadorian. As a result, Ecuador broke diplomatic relations with Colombia in March 2008. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an ally of the leftist Correa, also strongly objected to the attack and sent tanks to his country's border with Colombia in March 2008. On Tuesday, Chavez froze relations with Colombia and recalled Venezuela's ambassador after Colombia revealed that the FARC had gotten hold of shoulder-launched anti-tank grenades that Sweden sold to Venezuela 20 years ago. Reyes' diary portrays a rebel leader who feels trapped and betrayed. "No matter how much Nacho [Ignacio] Chauvin insists, as well as correspondence from Larrea, I don't see any convenience in staying at the Angostura camp that I occupied as a result of Col. Brito," Reyes wrote. "I know that Larrea is behind all this." Writing about the Angostura camp on the border with Colombia, Reyes said, "This place is a trap. They have me tied up here under the pretext that I should receive the international delegations. All this stuff is very false." He goes on to doubt the people who come to see him at the jungle base. "The revolutionaries who

FARC leader reportedly wrote about donating to Rafael Correa's 2006 campaign . "Trusting Correa was suicide," Raul Reyes allegedly wrote before death last year . Ecuador denies allegations, asks the Organization of American States to investigate . FARC denies giving money "to any electoral campaign of any neighboring country"

(CNN) -- A disgruntled employee shot to death the owners of a store in Boulder, Colorado, and then may have turned the gun on himself, police said Tuesday. Police found Sean Griffin, 40, and his wife Staci Griffin, 41, dead in a back room of the Boulder Stove & Flooring on Monday morning. Also dead was Robert Montgomery, 50. Montgomery had a 9 mm Smith & Wesson handgun in his hand and appeared to have suffered a single gunshot wound, said police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley. The Griffins sustained multiple wounds. Montgomery told friends and wrote in a journal that he was upset over a recent change in sales commission and bonus policy at work, Huntley said. He purchased the gun on May 7, she said. Police said Montgomery had been employed at Boulder Stove & Flooring since 2003. A salesman and a customer were inside the store when the gunshots rang out at 11:09 a.m. They jumped in the customer's vehicle, drove away and called 911, Huntley said. Police arrived minutes later to find the three dead. An autopsy will determine whether Montgomery was the shooter, but Huntley said police suspect him after finding the same kind of Cor-Bon 9 mm ammunition at his house that was used in the shooting. Police said they found 13 spent shell casings around the scene of the shootings with one round still in the chamber of the gun. No rounds were left in the magazine, they said. At his home, they found a box of Cor-Bon 9 mm ammunition with 14 rounds missing. Investigators said they found a second magazine in Montgomery's backpack loaded with 10 rounds of Eagle brand 9 mm ammunition. At his home, they found an empty box of Eagle 9 mm ammunition.

Police find three dead in Colorado store . Employee was upset over pay policies . Gun purchased just days before shootings .

(CNN) -- A dispatcher who took a 911 call regarding a domestic argument at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area home knew that there were weapons in the home but did not notify responding officers, three of whom were fatally shot, an official said Tuesday. Eric Kelly, from left, Paul Sciullo III and Stephen Mayhle were shot to death responding to a 911 call. The officers died Saturday in a gunbattle as they were responding to the call, authorities have said. "It was pure human error and a terrible thing that occurred," Bob Full, chief of emergency services for Allegheny County, told CNN affiliate WTAE. "In this particular case, our call-taker did not follow through with the appropriate training that she had received and [make] the appropriate notation that there were weapons in the house." The bodies of the Pittsburgh police officers -- Stephen Mayhle, Paul Sciullo III and Eric Kelly -- are scheduled to lie in repose at Pittsburgh's city-county building Wednesday before a public memorial is held Thursday. Richard Poplawski, 22, is in custody in connection with the shootings. He was hospitalized over the weekend after being shot in the leg during the gunbattle and standoff with police that lasted four hours. Police have not disclosed where he is being held. They said he would be charged with three counts of homicide, aggravated assault and other charges. Poplawski's mother, Margaret, called 911 about 7 a.m. Saturday to report that her son was "giving her a hard time," according to a criminal complaint filed in the case. She told police she awoke to discover that "the dog had urinated on the floor" and awakened her son "to confront him about it," and the two argued. Margaret Poplawski told her son that she was calling police to remove him from the home, the complaint said. During that call, according to WTAE, the dispatcher asked Margaret Poplawski, "does he have any weapons or anything?" referring to her son. The woman replied, "Yes." She paused and then said, "they're all legal." "OK, but he's not threatening you with anything?" the dispatcher asked. WTAE reported that Margaret Poplawski did not answer directly but said, "look, I'm just waking up from a sleep, and I want him gone." Full pointed out that the call was a "casual conversation" and that although "there's no excuse for it whatsoever ... gathering from the casual nature of the call, the call-taker took an inference that [the caller] was not threatened and that guns or weapons were not involved. And it never was relayed to the police officers." Authorities said the responding officers, Mayhle and Sciullo, were shot as they arrived at the home. Kelly was shot later as he arrived to help them. Police believe that Poplawski, wearing a bulletproof vest, fired more than 100 rounds at officers with an AK-47, another rifle and a pistol, authorities said Saturday. The dispatcher has been placed on paid administrative leave, Full said. "You can only imagine how fragile this individual is. This young lady came to work that day ... she had no intentions on ever letting this go." The woman is being assisted through the county's employee assistance program, he said. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said in a statement that, although he has commended the county 911 center many times, Saturday's events "revealed a flaw in the 911 system." "We now know that the 911 dispatcher was made aware that guns were present ... and that this information was not communicated to the officers," Ravenstahl said, according to WTAE. "Before responding to the call, the officers should have had the benefit of knowing that the actor owned firearms. We will never know if Saturday's events would have gone differently had the officers known." Ravenstahl said he has asked the center's management to develop a plan of action "to address flaws in the system and to ensure that this type

Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III were shot to death Saturday . 911 dispatcher failed to tell officers about guns in Pittsburgh home . Official says dispatcher may have believed guns weren't involved in dispute . Dispatcher is on paid administrative leave .

(CNN) -- A double amputee sprinter has won the right to be eligible to compete at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing after sport's highest court backed his appeal against a ban imposed by athletics authorities. Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorious competed in two able-bodied athletics meetings in 2007. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that South African Oscar Pistorius, who runs on prosthetic blades, is eligible to compete against able-bodied athletes. Pistorius, 21, who lost both legs below the knees when he was a baby, runs on shock-absorbing carbon-fiber prosthetics that resemble bent skis -- earning him the nickname "Blade Runner." Pistorius, a Paralympic Games champion and world record holder, had lobbied the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to allow him to compete at the Olympics this August, but after extensive tests the IAAF ruled in January that his J-shaped prosthetics qualify as technical aids, which are banned in IAAF-governed sports. The IAAF does allow athletes with prosthetics to compete in able-bodied sports, as long as the IAAF believes they do not give the athlete an unfair edge. But Friday's ruling by the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland, overturned that verdict. In a statement, it said that its panel had "not been persuaded that there was sufficient evidence of any metabolic advantage in favor of a double-amputee" using Pistorius' blades. Appeals of court decisions are allowed, but on very limited grounds. But the CAS said it did not exclude the possibility that future scientific tests could be developed which might enable the IAAF to prove that the blades provided Pistorius with an advantage over able-bodied athletes. The South African won gold in the 200 meters, and bronze in the 100 meters at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. He holds the Paralympic world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meters. Since Athens, he has competed in two able-bodied races in which he finished second and last, respectively. Pistorius will have emphasized to the court the disadvantages he feels he has by running with prosthetics, CNN World Sport's Don Riddell said. "There are disadvantages when it's windy, when it's raining, (and) it takes him longer to get up to speed at the start," Riddell said. "He will be hoping that they take everything into consideration and not just rule on how much spring his prosthetic limbs give him." In November, the IAAF carried out tests on Pistorius over two days at the German Sport University in Cologne to determine if his prosthetics, known as Cheetah limbs, could be considered a technical aid. A team of more than 10 scientists used high-speed cameras, special equipment to measure ground-reaction forces, and a three-dimensional scanner to record body mass. The scientists concluded Pistorius was able to run with his prosthetic blades at the same speed as able-bodied sprinters with about 25 percent less energy expenditure. Pistorius' blades gave him an energy return nearly three times higher than the human ankle joint offers in maximum sprinting, they said. Riddell described Friday's ruling in Pistorius' favor as "groundbreaking," and said it raised questions about the future of paralympic sports. "What does this do to the future of the Paralympics if he's allowed to run in the able-bodied Olympics? Is he actually doing a disservice to other Paralympic athletes? Does it cheapen the Paralympic Games?" Riddell asked.

Court of Arbitration for Sport backs double amputee sprinter in Olympic bid . IAAF had ruled that Oscar Pistorius' prosthetic blades give him unfair advantage . South African, 21, hopes to compete at this summer's Beijing Olympics . Pistorius holds paralympic world records at 100, 200, and 400 meters .

(CNN) -- A double from Bundesliga top scorer Mario Gomez saw Bayern Munich win 2-1 at 10-man Stuttgart on Sunday to open up a three-point lead at the top of the German table. Stuttgart took a sixth minute lead when Christian Gentner's superb volley gave Manuel Neuer no chance in the Bayern goal. But the home side were ahead for just seven minutes, with Bayern equalizing when Gomez found the net from a tight angle after Rafinha had crossed the ball in from the right. Gladbach defeat leaves Bayern on top Stuttgart's hopes of victory were dealt a huge blow when defender Cristian Molinaro earned two yellow cards in just five first half minutes, the second for a challenge on Arjen Robben. And the visitors made their man advantage count 12 minutes after the break when Gomez rifled home Philipp Lahm's pass for his 15th league goal of the season. Bayern lie on 34 points from their 16 games, three clear of Borussia Dortmund and Schalke at the top of the table. Champions Dortmund lost ground when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Kaiserslautern in Sunday's other match. Japanese winger Shinji Kagawa had given Dortmund a first half lead but the visitors leveled on the hour mark with a stunning volley from Olcay Sahan. Borussia Moenchengladbach are a further point behind in fourth place after their shock 1-0 defeat at Augsburg on Saturday, while Werder Bremen remain in touch a further point behind after thumping Wolfsburg 4-1 on Saturday.

Mario Gomez scores both goals as Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 2-1 in Bundesliga . The result puts Bayern three points clear of Dortmund and Schalke at the top of table . Champions Dortmund held 1-1 at home by Kaiserslautern in Sunday's other match .

(CNN) -- A double strike from Welsh winger Gareth Bale helped Tottenham to a 3-1 English Premier League win over QPR on Sunday, a result that lifts them up to fifth place in the table and keeps their unbeaten run going. Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart was also on target for Harry Redknapp's side, who have not lost in 11 matches since their 5-1 home defeat by Manchester City back in August. Bale put the home side ahead in the 19th minute when he fired home an angled drive after a long ball from the back was headed on by Emmanuel Adebayor. And a rampant Tottenham doubled their advantage 13 minutes later when Van der Vaart picked up a mis-hit shot from Ledley King to place the ball inside the far post. QPR fought back after the break and halved the arrears on the hour mark when Jay Bothroyd nodded home from close range. But Tottenham sealed their victory with a superb goal 18 minutes from time, with Aaron Lennon and Bale exchanging a series of passes outside the box before Bale curled home a shot that gave keeper Paddy Kenny no chance. Manchester City still blaze a trail at the top of the table, with nine wins and a draw from 10 matches. They lie on 28 points, five clear of rivals Manchester United. Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham are all level on 19 points but Chelsea have played a game more and unbeaten Newcastle will move up to third position if they get at least a draw against Stoke on Monday night. Meanwhile, in Sunday's two German Bundesliga matches, Lukas Podolski netted twice in a 3-0 win over 10-man Augsburg. Poland midfielder Slawomir Peszko added a third for the home side, while the visitors had Torsten Oehrl sent off for a dangerous tacle with 14 minutes remaining. The win moves Cologne up to 11th place in the table with five wins and five defeats, but Augsburg are second bottom with just one win and eight points. Hamburg are just one point and one place above Augsburg after they drew 1-1 with Kaiserslautern on Sunday. The home side had Slobodan Rajkovic sent off in the 21st minute for elbowing Kaiserslautern captain Christian Tiffert and the visitors went ahead seven minutes before half-time through Pierre De Wit. But Peru striker Jose Paolo Guerrero levelled for the hosts in the second-half, although the point was enough to lift Kaiserslautern up a place to 13th in the table.

Welshman Gareth Bale scores twice as Tottenham defeat QPR 3-1 on Sunday . Rafael Van der Vaart also on target as Spurs go up to fifth in the table . The result means Tottenham are unbeaten in their last 11 matches in all competitions .

(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 .

(CNN) -- A family friend of a U.S. soldier captured by the Taliban said his friends and family want Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl to "stand tall, stand firm." Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl in a video made by his captors, members of the Taliban. "Bowe, if you see this, know that we love you and we are praying fervently for you and prayers are going up for you from all over the world," Tim Baker told CNN affiliate KTVB-TV in the soldier's hometown of Ketchum, Idaho. "To all of our valiant men and women, know that the American people believe in you, support you and are 100 percent behind you, and we thank God every day that you have our back." In a video released Sunday, apparently made by his captors, Bergdahl spoke of being "scared I won't be able to go home." "It breaks our heart," Baker said. "It's like having one of our own kids in this situation." Watch friend's comments about Taliban captive » The Bergdahl family is not speaking with media, but Baker said prayer is helping. "Prayer means that we are extremely powerful because God is not limited by where we are when we pray. He is there with Bowe, and so we know that he is protecting him and is with him, so we don't feel powerless against these people," Baker said. "We feel very empowered." Bergdahl, 23, was captured June 30 from Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. The Taliban has threatened to kill Bergdahl if foreign troops continue targeting civilians in the name of search operations in Ghazni and Paktika provinces, Taliban commander Mulvi Sangeen said by telephone Friday after being contacted by CNN at an undisclosed location. NATO-led forces in Afghanistan and the U.S. military have repeatedly denied targeting civilians. U.S. forces in Afghanistan are doing everything possible to free Bergdahl, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference they were disgusted at the video that Bergdahl's captors released. "My personal reaction was one of disgust at the exploitation of this young soldier," Gates said. In the 28-minute video, Bergdahl becomes emotional when he speaks of his family -- his parents, siblings, nieces and nephew -- and the girlfriend he hopes to marry. "I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America, and I miss them every day that I'm gone," he says. "I miss them, and I'm afraid I might never see them again and that I'll never be able to tell them I love them again. I'll never be able to hug them. "I'm scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner," he said. However, his captors are treating him "like a guest," he said. Asked by his captors if he had any message for Americans, the soldier said, "To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it's like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home. Please, please bring us home so we can be back where we belong and not over here." It was not clear whether some or all of Bergdahl's remarks were scripted by his captors. Watch excerpt from the video » The last few minutes of the video show him eating a meal. The Bergdahl family expressed how they are feeling to Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling. "We've been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and concern towards Bowe and our family. As you know, the situation is extremely difficult for everyone involved. We'd like to remind all of you our sole focus is seeing our beloved son Bowe safely home. "Please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and prayers, and we ask for your continued acceptance of our need for privacy in this

NEW: U.S. Defense Secretary Gates: U.S. forces doing everything to find Bergdahl . Friend to soldier: "Know that we love you and we are praying" Soldier from Idaho says he's frightened he won't be able to see family again . U.S. military: Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, was captured June 30 in Afghanistan .