Saturday, July 31, 2010

Mistaken as an Iranian martyr, then hounded

Mistaken as an Iranian martyr, then hounded


Mistaken as an Iranian martyr, then hounded

Posted:

Zahra Soltani, whom everyone calls Neda, will never forget the day she saw her death announced on television, accompanied by the picture she had posted on her Facebook page. "They said that I was killed during the protests against the presidential elections," she said, shaking her head.


Chelsea Clinton weds longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky

Posted:

Bill and Hillary Clinton have tried to shield their daughter, Chelsea, from the gaze of the public for most of her life. But on her wedding day on Saturday, even as the Clintons sought to shroud the event in secrecy, residents and onlookers decided they were going to celebrate along with them, invited or not.


Toddler survives fall from third floor balcony

Posted:

A three-year-old child was hospitalised after falling from a three storey balcony in Adiyaman City, Southeast Turkey, the Turkish Dogan news agency reported. Bayram Altinkaya was hanging from the balcony of his house when his hands slipped and he fell.


Getting into medical school without hard sciences

Posted:

For generations of pre-med students, three things have been as certain as death and taxes: organic chemistry, physics and the Medical College Admission Test, known by its dread-inducing acronym, the MCAT.


Mexican chefs prepare world's biggest sandwich

Posted:

In what has become a yearly tradition in Mexico City, workers from 45 restaurants on Friday volunteered to prepare a 48-metre (161 feet) long Mexican sandwich, possibly the largest of its kind ever made.


Pakistan flood: More than 800 dead, says official

Posted:

Flooding in Pakistan has killed more than 800 people in a week, a government official said Saturday as rescuers struggled to reach marooned victims and some evacuees showed signs of fever, diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.


Thousands mourn Love Parade victims in Germany

Posted:

Thousands of people paid their respects in the German city of Duisburg on Saturday to the 21 people who died in the Love Parade tragedy a week earlier. Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Christian Wulff were among several hundred mourners in a church service beamed onto big screens in and around Duisburg's football stadium.


Forest fires kill at least 29 in Russia

Posted:

Raging forest fires which engulfed parts of Central Russia during the country's hottest summer on record have killed at least 29 and destroyed hundreds of homes, forcing President Dmitry Medvedev to summon the Army to join the rescue effort.


'Black box' found in Pakistan plane crash wreckage

Posted:

Recovery workers found the "black box" flight data recorder Saturday in the wreckage of Pakistan's worst-ever plane crash, and it appeared to be in good condition, officials said. An analysis of the data on the recorder could provide clues as to why the Airblue flight crashed Wednesday into the hills overlooking the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 155 people onboard.


In Indonesia, an unabashedly sexy celebrity gets political

Posted:

Her left hand flitting between the BlackBerry and Starbucks cappuccino on the table before her, Julia Perez spoke with rising urgency into her cellphone at a shopping mall here one recent afternoon. She took no notice of the passers-by who, sneaking glances her way, found confirmation in her tight-fitting, low-cut dress that it was indeed Julia Perez, the singer, actress, model — and soon, perhaps, politician — whose overt use of sex appeal has won her legions of fans in Indonesia but also condemnation from social conservatives.


The rich and boring need not apply

Posted:

The photographer and blogger Todd Selby had just returned from Tom Sachs's studio in Chinatown. "It was awesome!" Mr Selby said, still excited as he downloaded images of the artist's work space. "That was as close to an ideal scenario as possible."


Way we live now: I tweet, therefore I am

Posted:

On a recent lazy Saturday morning, my daughter and I lolled on a blanket in our front yard, snacking on apricots, listening to a download of E B White reading "The Trumpet of the Swan." Her legs sprawled across mine; the grass tickled our ankles. It was the quintessential summer moment, and a year ago, I would have been fully present for it. But instead, a part of my consciousness had split off and was observing the scene from the outside: this was, I realized excitedly, the perfect opportunity for a tweet.


New trouble for terrorist who helped prosecutors

Posted:

Nine years ago, an Algerian man charged in the failed "millennium plot" to blow up Los Angeles International Airport took an unusual step: he pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Manhattan and became the rare convicted Islamic terrorist to cooperate with the United States government.


Bill Clinton makes public appearance on Chelsea’s wedding eve

Posted:

Bill Clinton made a long-anticipated appearance in the upstate New York village where his daughter is getting married, drawing crowds of onlookers on Friday afternoon as preparations continued largely out of sight for the grand and secretive occasion.


Pakistan’s ISI calls off UK visit

Posted:

Pakistan's ISI has reportedly cancelled the visit of its officials to Britain after British Prime Minister David Cameron's remarks against terror camps on Pakistani soil.


CNN.com Recently Published/Updated

CNN.com Recently Published/Updated


Dozens arrested at Russia protests

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:32 PM PDT

Russian authorities arrested at least 135 opposition protesters, including a leading Kremlin critic, at rallies demanding freedom of assembly, state media said.

Russian wildfires leave 28 dead, thousands homeless

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:22 PM PDT

At least 28 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by wildfires sweeping through western Russia, authorities said Saturday.

Police: Man killed by North Korean land mine in South Korea

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 09:26 PM PDT

An explosion of an apparent land mine that drifted from North Korea killed one fisherman and injured another, police said Sunday.

Chelsea Clinton weds longtime beau in New York

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:43 PM PDT

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky were wed Saturday "in a beautiful ceremony at Astor Courts," a 50-acre estate in Rhinebeck, New York, according to her parents.

Report: North Korean landmines found in South Korea

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:30 PM PDT

South Korean military officials say investigators found eight land mines made by North Korea near the border between the two countries, state media reported Saturday.

Protesters push Iran to free U.S. hikers

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:30 PM PDT

Protesters held rallies across the United States and abroad Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of what many called the "unfair" detention of three American hikers seized by Iranian forces near the Iraqi border.

Crews bringing California wildfire under control

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 07:20 PM PDT

More favorable weather conditions Saturday helped firefighters in their bid to contain the roaring Crown Fire, one of several in southern California.

Accomplice helped convicted murderers escape, Arizona authorities say

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 07:02 PM PDT

Three convicted murderers who broke out of a Kingman, Arizona, prison got some help from a female accomplice who was on a visitation list for one of them, authorities said Saturday.

Team breaks North Atlantic rowing record

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 06:14 PM PDT

Proving that records are meant to be broken, even after 114 years, a British-led rowing team Saturday won bragging rights for crossing the North Atlantic.

Online gaming law set to take effect in China

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 05:27 PM PDT

China's first law to be initiated against the vastly growing online gaming industry is set to take effect Sunday, state-run media reported.

Brazil's president offers asylum to imprisoned Iranian woman

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 03:37 PM PDT

Brazil's president has offered asylum to an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning, state-run media reported Saturday.

Waters will choose House ethics trial, source says

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 03:07 PM PDT

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California has chosen to face a House ethics trial rather than accept a finding of wrongdoing by the House ethics committee, according to a source familiar with the process.

Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 02:48 PM PDT

A senior Hamas member was killed during Israeli air strikes in Gaza, Hamas security forces said Saturday.

4 killed in Iraqi bombings, closing out deadliest month in 2 years

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 02:41 PM PDT

Four people died in a double bombing in Baghdad on Saturday -- the same day Iraqi authorities released monthly data showing the highest number of civilian deaths and detentions so far this year.

Farah completes long distance double

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 02:40 PM PDT

Briton Mo Farah became the first man in 20 years to claim the long distance double at the European athletics championships with victory in the 5,000 meters in Barcelona.

House votes to remove oil spill liability cap

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 02:12 PM PDT

The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday which would lift the current $75 million liability cap for oil spills while imposing new safety standards for offshore drilling.

Sufi group backs more African Union troops in Somalia

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 01:48 PM PDT

A Somali militant group wanting to rid the war-torn country of an al Qaeda-linked movement welcomed Saturday the African Union's decision last week to expand its peacekeeping presence in the country.

Death toll from week of flooding in northeast China rises to 47

Posted: 31 Jul 2010 01:40 PM PDT

The death toll from a week of flooding in northeast China's Jilin Province has risen to 47 while another 45 people remain missing, state-run media reported Saturday.