The warning labels illustrate negative health effects of smoking.
Bishops pressed to keep child safety plan intact
The head of the child protection committee for U.S. Roman Catholic bishops insisted Wednesday that no significant changes were needed in the church’s abuse prevention policy despite recent revelations that two dioceses allowed priests accused of misconduct to remain in jobs where they had access to young people.
Author’s trial nears end in Ariz. sweat lodge case
A self-help author killed three people by ratcheting up the heat in an Arizona sweat lodge ceremony and ignoring pleas to help those who were passed out on the dirt floor, vomiting or having trouble breathing, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday as she urged them to convict James Arthur Ray of manslaughter.
Secrets of woman with 5 dead husbands die with her
To the outside world, Betty Neumar was a diminutive Georgia grandmother who operated beauty shops, attended church and raised money for charity. But when North Carolina investigators in 2008 reopened a 25-year-old murder case, they discovered that Neumar had left behind a decades-long trail of five dead husbands in five states.
Soap opera goes socially conscious on Skid Row
Usually “The Bold and the Beautiful” revolves around a plush Beverly Hills mansion, but the soap opera’s formula took an unusual detour, trading make-believe luxury for the true-life streets of Skid Row in shows that not only portrayed stories of fictional homeless people but also told the unscripted stories of real ones.
Duncan working on ‘plan B’ for US schools
Frustrated by what he called a “slow motion train wreck” for U.S. schools, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he will give schools relief from federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind law if Congress drags its feet on the law’s long-awaited overhaul and reauthorization.
Somalia confirms al-Qaida mastermind’s death
Somalia’s president congratulated government soldiers for killing the al-Qaida mastermind behind the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed said Sunday that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed was hiding in Somalia and was responsible for violence in the Horn of Africa nation. Ahmed showed reporters documents, pictures and videos he said government troops recovered from Mohammed.
Bin Laden’s No. 2: Muslims will destroy America
Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s deputy, warned Wednesday that America faces not individual terrorists or groups but an international community of Muslims that seek to destroy it and its allies. He was delivering a 28-minute videotaped eulogy to slain al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Wolf killed after escaping Minnesota Zoo enclosure
An endangered Mexican gray wolf was shot and killed Wednesday after it escaped from its enclosure at the Minnesota Zoo. The wolf got out on to the zoo’s Northern Trail and ran toward the bison and prairie dog exhibits. The area was evacuated, the wolf was tracked down and then shot by trained zoo staff because it was considered a danger to people.
Minnesota girl who helped others now in need
Megan Wegge twice donated her long, blond hair to “Locks of Love” and started her own business to raise money for pediatric cancer research. Now diagnosed with a rare form of cancer herself, she and her mom are temporary residents of Bloomington, Ind., preparing for a form of radiation treatment available in nine places in the country.
Millions displaced by natural disasters last year
About 42 million people were forced to flee their homes because of natural disasters around the world in 2010, more than double the number during 2009, according to a report presented by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. That was an increase from 17 million displaced people in 2009. More than 90 percent of the disaster displacements were caused by weather-related hazards.
Army’s 101st pays high price for Afghan surge year
The soldiers of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division came to Afghanistan confident that their counterinsurgency expertise would again turn a surge strategy into a success. Now they are headed home uncertain of lasting changes on the battlefield but certain of one thing: 131 of their number died during the deployment.
Pope in Zagreb backs Croatia’s bid to join EU
Pope Benedict XVI strongly backed Croatia’s bid to join the European Union as he arrived in the Balkan nation Saturday, but said he could understand fears among euroskeptics of the EU’s “overly strong” centralized bureaucracy.
Brother Ali joins tornado benefit
Hip-hop artist Brother Ali, The New Standards and “American Idol” finalist Paris Bennett are among artists joining a benefit concert for victims of the North Minneapolis tornado.
Somali suicide bomber from Minnesota, militants say
The man who carried out a suicide bomb attack on a base in Mogadishu this week was a Somali-American from Minneapolis, according to the militant group al-Shabab. Abdullahi Ahmed, 25, was the suicide bomber who attacked an African Union peacekeeping base in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, on Monday, killing three, Al-Shabab said on its website.