Lockerbie bomber...

Lockerbie bomber dies in Libya

May 20, 2012 from http://news.smh.com.au

The death of the only person convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing which killed 270 people should not prevent a public inquiry into his trial, Britain's press says.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi died on Sunday, almost three years after the Scottish government freed him from jail on compassionate grounds following his prostate cancer diagnosis.

Megrahi was found guilty of blowing up Pan Am flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, which killed all 259 people on board along with 11 people on the ground.

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'Ring of Fire'

Solar Eclipse: Millions Look Up for 'Ring of Fire'

Published May 20, 2012

Fox News Latino

TOKYO –  For one night, millions of eyes look up to the 'Ring of Fire.'
Millions around the world are set to watch the annular solar eclipse, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, which will be visible to wide areas across Asia Monday morning, parts of the western United States and even some parts of Mexico will catch a glimpse.
Parts of eastern Asia were being treated to a solar spectacle as the moon slid across the sun, creating a

Anti-NATO protesters clash with Chicago police

Anti-NATO protesters clash with Chicago police; arrests reported

5/20/2012By Matt Pearce

Anti-NATO protestors clashed with riot police in Chicago on Sunday afternoon when some demonstrators refused to leave an intersection they had occupied.

It’s not immediately clear how the clashes around Michigan Avenue and Cermak Road began. After some military veterans threw away their medals in a protest before 5 p.m., demonstrators were told they could leave on buses parked to the west. A WGN-TV reporter said black-clad anarchists chanted, “Don’t move west” and “Shut down NATO.”

The foreign dignitaries were meeting at McCormick Place, a few blocks away and out of sight of the disturbance.

Iraq buys U.S. drones ...

Iraq buys U.S. drones to protect oil

5/20/2012 By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

BAGHDAD - The United States has agreed to sell unarmed surveillance drones to Iraq's navy as part of an effort to help protect that nation's oil exports amid growing tensions in the Persian Gulf and to strengthen U.S.-Iraqi ties.

"They understand the importance of the mission to protect its oil platforms," said Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, who heads the U.S. Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq.
The office, which operates out of the U.S. Embassy and manages U.S. military sales programs in Iraq, confirmed the sale of drones but declined to say the model or number of drones that are part of the contract.

Romney: Obama is...

Romney: Obama is undermining NATO

May 20, 2012 By Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY

CHICAGO--As leaders from the 28 NATO member countries descend this morning on the city's lakefront for the most-widely anticipated meeting of the alliance in years, Mitt Romney is accusing President Obama of undermining NATO.

Both Democratic and Republican administration have long been concerned that NATO could be heading toward military irrelevance as only three of the members meeting their pledge spend at 2% of gross domestic product on defense. But Romney argued in op-ed in the Chicago Tribune that Obama deserves particular blame.

parent star.

New-found exoplanet is evaporating away

5/20/2012 by Emma Woollacott 

MIT and NASA scientists believe they've found a planet, 1,500 light years away, that appears to be disintegrating from the heat of its parent star.

The planet circles its parent star every 15 hours — one of the shortest planetary orbits ever observed, implying it orbits very close to its star.

This would heat it to about 3,600 degreesFahrenheit, and cause rocky material at the surface of the planet to melt and evaporate, forming a wind that carries both gas and dust into space.

Dense clouds of the dust trail the planet as it speeds around its star - explaining why the star dims every 15

"Good" Cholesterol

Some "Good" Cholesterol May Be Bad For Heart

Featured Article
Academic Journal
Main Category: Cholesterol
Also Included In: Heart Disease;  Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 20 May 2012 

It appears that in some cases, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the so-called "good" cholesterol, does not protect againstheart disease, and may even be harmful. A new study suggests a subclass of HDL that carries a particular protein is bad for the heart.

Sabathia, Yankees ...

Sabathia, Yankees go for series win over Reds

5/20/2012
(Sports Network) - After suffering his first loss of the season, CC Sabathia aims to continue his success in interleague play as the powerful left-hander takes the mound this afternoon for the New York Yankees in the conclusion of a three-game series vs. Cincinnati.
Sabathia, who was dealt a loss at Baltimore on Tuesday, is 20-7 with a 3.42 ERA in 41 career interleague starts, owning the most such wins on the Yankees staff. He has won six of his last seven interleague starts since 2010, going 6-1 over the stretch. Additionally, he's 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 11 career games against the Reds.
Also coming off his first defeat of the year, Johnny Cueto gets the ball for Cincinnati. The righty, who gave up five earned runs in a 6-2 loss at Atlanta Tuesday, has faced the Yankees twice, going 1-1 with a 1.50 ERA.

Johnson wins All...

Johnson wins All-Star race

Keselowski takes 2d at Charlotte

By Jenna Fryer

Associated Press / May 20, 2012

CONCORD, N.C. - It’s not often a race car driver intentionally cruises slowly at the back of the field.

Jimmie Johnson did it for roughly 60 laps Saturday night, and it earned him a cool $1 million payday.

Johnson used a calculated strategy - he drove hard for the first and last segments, and coasted for the three in between - to join Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon as the only three-

Mark Zuckerberg Marries

Mark Zuckerberg Marries Priscilla Chan in Surprise Ceremony

By ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb) and DEAN SCHABNER

May 20, 2012

Newly minted billionaire Mark Zuckerberg had an important status update Saturday evening: Married.

The 28-year-old tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, the recently graduated Dr. Priscilla Chen in a private ceremony at the couple's home in

Northeast Italy biggest quake

Northeast Italy shaken by biggest quake there since the 1300s

The 6.0-magnitude temblor left at least four dead and cracked bell towers, crumbled church facades, and caved in roofs in the region around Bologna early Sunday.

By Luca Bruno, Associated Press / May 20, 2012

SANT'AGOSTINO DI FERRARA, ITALY

One of the worst quakes to hit northeast Italy in hundreds of years rattled the region around Bologna early Sunday, killing at least four people, collapsing factories and sending residents running out into the streets, emergency services said.

The magnitude-6.0 temblor struck at 4:04 a.m., with its epicenter about 22 miles north of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of 3.2 miles, the US Geological Survey said.

Civil defense agency official Adriano Gumina said the quake was the worst in the region since the 1300s. It left bell towers cracked, chunks of church facades lying in the streets, and roofs caved in.

Agency chief Franco Gabrielli put the death toll from quake damage at four — all overnight-shift factory workers who died as buildings collapsed in three separate locations. In addition, he said, two women died — apparently of heart attacks possibly sparked by fear, shortly after the quake rocked the area.

Homestead Act offering free land

U.S. marks 150th anniversary of Homestead Act offering free land

OMAHA, Nebraska | Sat May 19, 2012 7:45pm EDT
(Reuters) - The United States on Sunday marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Homestead Act, the law that gave away 270 million acres of land and transformed the vast American interior.

Representatives from 30 states will take part in a ceremony at the National Monument of America in the Nebraska town of Beatrice, representing the states where nearly 2 million people each received 160 acres of free land under the program.

The monument is the site of what is considered the nation's first claim under the act by Daniel Freeman, a Union Army scout, on January 1, 1863.

First tropical storm

First tropical storm of the season forms off S.C

5/19/2012 By Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY

RALEIGH, N.C. —The first tropical storm of hurricane season formed off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

A ship near the center of the storm reported pressure data that indicates the storm's wind speed is 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in a 7 p.m. advisory. That speed is about 15 mph stronger than originally reported.
On Saturday evening, Tropical Storm Alberto was 130 miles east of Charleston and 120 miles south of Cape Fear, N.C. It was moving at about 3 mph to the southwest.
National Weather Service meteorologist Sandy LaCorte in Wilmington said the system will continue moving to the southwest before reversing course and heading northeast over the next several days. She said the center of the storm is not expected to get close to the Carolinas' coast.
LaCorte said Alberto will produce increased waves at beaches in the Carolinas. There is a high risk of

Chelsea beats Bayern Munich

Chelsea beats Bayern Munich for Champions League title

5/19/2012

Didier Drogba scores in the 88th minute to draw the English club even, 1-1, and later scores the winner in a penalty-kick shootout.

Associated Press
May 20, 2012
MUNICH -- Didier Drogba tied the match with a header in the 88th minute, and then scored the decisive goal in the shootout as Chelsea beat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League final, 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw Saturday.

Will Smith is latest star to slap someone on red carpet

Posted at 04:07 PM ET, 05/19/2012

In other news. . .: Will Smith is latest star to slap someone on red carpet (video)

By The Reliable Source
Red carpets — so stressful! Last fall it was Omar Sharif slapping a pesky fan at a film festival in Qatar. Now it’s Will Smith, who was caught on video swatting at a reporter who, he said later, had tried to kiss him on the lips at a “Men in Black 3” premiere in Moscow. “What the hell is your problem, buddy?” Smith says in the instantly-viral clip as he pushes him away and then cuffs the man lightly on the cheek with the back of his hand. What kind of reporter would try to kiss an A-lister on the red carpet? Turns out it was Ukrainian TV journalist Vitalii Sediuk, reports the AP — the same guy who caused a botanical incident last fall when he foisted a bouquet upon Madonna at the Venice Film Festival; her eye-rolling whisper, “I absolutely loathe hydrangeas,” was caught on a live mic and also went viral. So, Vitalii Sediuk — watch out for that guy, stars. See video. . . 

China Approves Google ...

China Approves Google Acquisition of Motorola Mobility

By Marc Ferranti, IDG News    May 19, 2012 6:50 pm

Chinese regulatory authorities have approved Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, paving the way for the deal to close within the week, company officials confirmed Saturday.

The companies announced last August that they had entered into an agreement for Google to acquire mobile phone and tablet maker Motorola Mobility for about US$12.5 billion.

"We are pleased that the deal has received approval in all jurisdictions," Motorola spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson said Saturday. "We expect to close early next week."

A Google spokeswoman confirmed the deal was approved early Saturday and that it should close within the week.

G-8 leaders agree to

G-8 leaders agree to boost growth, protect oil supplies

5/19/2012 By Richard Wolf, USA Today

CAMP DAVID, Md. – Leaders of the world's major economic powers agreed Saturday to boost their emphasis on economic growth and job creation, and they vowed to seek the release of oil reserves if needed to compensate for reduced imports from Iran.

Agreements on those and other issues — including the need for a political transition in Syria that even its ally, Russia, apparently did not dispute — emerged as victories for President Obama as he hosted the Group of 8 summit amid the bucolic ambience of the presidential retreat.
"I think the surroundings gave us an opportunity to hold some intimate discussions and make some genuine progress," Obama said from the tree-shaded driveway of Aspen Cabin, the president's home here, at the end of the two-day summit.
"The direction the debate has taken recently should give us confidence. Europe has taken significant steps to manage the crisis," the president said. "There's now an emerging consensus that

never seems to come

Europe's stricken banks wait for a rescue that never seems to come

5/19/2012 by Heather Stewart

There are four weeks to go before the Greek elections – and, it seems, even longer to wait before a German change of heart on bailing out lenders. But fearful markets, and hard-pressed electorates, may not be patient much longer

For battle weary euro politicians, four long, tough weeks lie ahead between now and the next round of Greek elections, which could see recession-hit voters restating their determination to reject the savage austerity measures that are the price of Greece's latest €130bn (£105bn) bailout.

I'll Have Another

I'll Have Another captures Preakness Stakes

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY5/19/2012

BALTIMORE – I'll Have Another captured a thrilling Preakness Stakes on Saturday to give him victories in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, and will try to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the coveted title when he runs in the Belmont Stakes on Jun 9.

I'll Have Another reprised his Kentucky Derby victory at Pimlico, staying off the pace most of the race, then running down speedy Bodemeister, who led from the start, passing him right near the finish line to win the 137th running of the Preakness by a neck at sun-splashed Pimlico Race Course.
"I can't even put it into words, it's just incredible" said I'll Have Another's trainer Doug O'Neill. "What a ride. (Jockey) Mario (Gutierrez) was so patient. We're thinking Triple Crown, baby. Come on, why not.

Chen Guangcheng arrives in U.S.

Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng arrives in U.S.

By Lisa Mascaro and Barbara Demick
May 19, 2012

WASHINGTON — After years of detention and a bold escape to the U.S. Embassyin Beijing, blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng arrived in the United States, a bittersweet moment in a harrowing journey that had touched off a diplomatic crisis and poses continued challenges for U.S.-Chinese relations.

The human rights leader and his family were whisked quickly and suddenly out of Beijing, as Chen expressed gratitude but also concerns about the safety of the relatives he was leaving behind in China. He arrived Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

Chen has emerged as a political hero among Chinese dissidents and some U.S. officials for his activism in China — where his name is banned from the Internet — a status that became magnified after his

G8 summit leaders gather

Eurozone dispute brews as G8 summit leaders gather

18 May 2012

bbc news.uk

Claims that German Chancellor Angela Merkel suggested debt-stricken Greece vote on whether it should stay in the eurozone have sparked a row.

The Greek allegation, which Berlin denies, comes as President Barack Obama welcomed G8 leaders to a dinner at Camp David, opening a summit expected to be dominated by the eurozone turmoil.

Mr Obama said talks on Saturday would promote a "strong growth agenda".

Investors fear a Greek eurozone exit could trigger a fresh global crisis.

Talks With Iran...

Heading Into Talks With Iran, U.S. Sees Hopeful Signs

By MARK LANDLER

Published: May 18, 2012

WASHINGTON — American negotiators, heading into a crucial round of talks with Iran over its nuclear program next week in Baghdad, are allowing themselves a rare emotion after more than a decade of fruitless haggling with Tehran: hope.

With signs that Iran is under more pressure than it has been in years to make a deal, senior Obama administration officials said the United States and five other major powers were prepared to offer a package of inducements to obtain a verifiable

Justin Verlander

May 18, 2012

Justin Verlander loses no-hitter in the ninth

By Scott Boeck, USA TODAY

Detroit's Justin Verlander came within two outs of his third career no-hitter Friday night in a 6-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh's Josh Harrison singled up the middle with one out in the ninth to spoil the bid by the reigning American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner.

Harrison played the spoiler roll on Sunday against the Houston Astros when he had a walk-off hit in the 12th inning.

BOX SCORE:  Tigers 6, Pirates 0

Verlander struck out 12 ans walked two and

A Greek Exit?

A Greek Exit? Euro Zone May Be Ready

5/18/2012

By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM | New York Times

WASHINGTON — It is increasingly conceivable that Greece may leave the euro zone, not just because of its own political dysfunction but also because the consequences of such an exit for the rest of the Europe and the global economy no longer seem quite so scary.

The foot-dragging and brinkmanship of the last few years have won the other members of the currency