1. Disaster at sea: Luxury cruise turns into nightmare.
On board the Costa Concordia, thousands of passengers were dining, drinking, attending a magic show, perhaps trying their luck in the casino. It was Friday night on the luxury cruise liner, sailing in the Mediterranean off the Italian coast with about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members -- a night of entertainment and relaxation. There was annoyance, but no real alarm, when the lights went out -- not at first. Passenger Vivian Shafer said she thought it was part of the magic show. But those on board then heard an ominous scraping sound, and the 951-foot vessel gave a shudder. The ship began to list to one side.
2. All or nothing: Gingrich's 'Armageddon' strategy for South Carolina.
At his campaign events, Newt Gingrich -- the veteran politician who now sees himself as an unlikely political underdog -- blasts the theme song from the 1984 film "The Karate Kid." "Try to believe, though the going gets rough, that you gotta hang tough to make it..." goes the opening stanza from "You're the Best." "Fight 'til the end, cause your life will depend, on the strength that you have inside you." Days before the showdown in the South Carolina, Gingrich is locked in a close race with front-runner Mitt Romney in the most recent statewide poll. He has, in the first two contest states, been beaten down by Romney and his allies but is hoping the South Carolina primary on Saturday won't be the third and final act of his presidential run.
3. FBI asks for help finding body of missing Montana teacher.
The FBI is asking residents in North Dakota and Montana to help find the body of missing Montana teacher Sherry Arnold. The 43-year-old wife and mother was last seen on a morning run more than a week ago. "Based on investigative evidence gathered over the last few days, it is believed that Ms. Arnold may be deceased; her body has not been recovered," the FBI said in a statement Sunday. The agency asked property owners in North Dakota and northeastern Montana to check their land for disturbed soil, and to contact law enforcement if they see anything usual. Two men are in custody in connection to the investigation. Lester Waters and Michael Spell are being held in Williams County, North Dakota, on charges of aggravated kidnapping, Williams Country Sheriff's deputy Steve Thompson said.

1. Iranian supreme leader blames U.S., Israel for scientist's death.
Iran's top cleric has blamed the CIA and Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, for killing an Iranian nuclear scientist, Iran's state broadcaster said. Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who died Wednesday, was the third Iranian nuclear scientist in two years to be killed by what Iran described as a magnetic bomb attached to his car. A fourth survived a similar assassination attempt. Roshan's death shows that "the global arrogance spearheaded by the U.S. and Zionism has reached a deadlock in confrontation with the determined, devout and progressive nation of Islamic Iran," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by the state-run Press TV.
2. Obama seeks authority to streamline government.
President Barack Obama plans to ask Congress on Friday for more power to shrink the federal government, a move designed to claim the political middle ground in an election likely to be dominated by questions about Washington's role in the economy. Obama is set to speak at 11:20 a.m. about his proposal to make the federal government "leaner, smarter and more consumer-friendly," a White House official said. The president's plan would combine several agencies that focus on commerce and trade, including the Small Business Administration, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and the Trade and Development Agency.
3. Romney: Income inequality is just 'envy'.
When asked if there are any fair questions about wealth distribution, Romney replied, "It's fine to talk about those things in quiet rooms and discussions about tax policy and the like." Romney has accused President Obama of promoting the "bitter politics of envy." The president is ramping up his talks about the nation's growing income divide and the shrinking of the middle class. He is focusing on the tax benefits afforded to millionaires and executives. Romney, who is one of those millionaires, is taking a different path. He says he's distancing himself from what he calls "a very envy-oriented, attack-oriented approach."

1. Attorney general: Barbour tried to rule the state like Boss Hogg.
Remember Boss Hogg, the unethical, greedy commissioner in the 1980s television series "The Dukes of Hazzard?" Mississippi's attorney general sure did when he gave the state's Gov. Haley Barbour a tongue-lashing by comparing him to the fictional character. This came after a judge issued a temporary injunction forbidding the release of any more prisoners to whom Barbour gave clemency or pardoned in a final act before leaving office this week.
2. Rivals turn up heat on Romney after New Hampshire win.
Mitt Romney arrived Wednesday in South Carolina as the clear front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, while his rivals campaigned across the state to try to halt the former Massachusetts governor's momentum after his victory the day before in New Hampshire. CNN projected that Romney's second straight triumph in the first two contests of the nomination process gained him seven of the state's 12 delegates, based on his first-place support from just over 39% of primary voters. Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who finished second with about 23%, picked up three delegates, and former Utah Gov. and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman gained two delegates based on his third-place finish with roughly 17% of the vote.
3. Judge to consider whether to declare Natalee Holloway dead.
An Alabama judge will consider a request Thursday to have Natalee Holloway, the teen who went missing in Aruba in 2005, declared dead. A probate judge may make the decision at a presumption of death hearing in a Jefferson County courtroom in Birmingham Thursday afternoon. Holloway vanished in 2005 while on a graduation trip to Aruba. No one has been charged in the case. Holloway was 18 when she was last seen in the early hours of May 30, 2005, leaving an Oranjestad nightclub with Joran van der Sloot and two other men.

1. GOP race moves south after Romney wins New Hampshire.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won a convincing victory in the New Hampshire primary, the second straight triumph for Romney and one that bolsters his front-runner status to take on President Barack Obama in November. All six Republican contenders head to South Carolina on Wednesday ahead of the next primary. With 95% of precincts reporting, Romney received 40% of the vote in Tuesday's balloting. Texas Rep. Ron Paul received 23% and former Utah Gov. and U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman garnered 17%.
2. Journalist killed in a restive Syrian city.
A French journalist died Wednesday in a mortar strike on a pro-government rally in Homs, the Syrian city that has become the symbol of grass-roots resistance against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The violence comes as international journalists and Arab League monitors viewed the tumult rippling across restive cities. A journalist who witnessed the incident told CNN that a civilian also died in the strike. A Dutch journalist and nine civilians were injured. The dead journalist is Gilles Jacquier of the France 2 TV network, the network confirmed. There are different casualty figures filtering out of Homs. France 2 also said seven people died in the same place.
3. Twinkies will keep coming despite bankruptcy.
The company, based in Irving, Texas, filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. But Halvorson said the company does not plan to lay off any of its employees or close any plants. So the CupCakes and Sno Balls will keep on coming. The company has about 19,000 full-time and part-time employees, including 10,413 hourly workers and 8,436 salaried workers, according to a court filing. About 83% of the employees are union members. The company said that it pays about $63.2 million to its employees per pay period, and that it currently owes them $21 million for services rendered. In its bankruptcy filing, the privately held company said that it owes more than $1 billion to creditors. The debt is spread out among a vast number of creditors - between 50,000 and 100,000, the company said.

1. High-stakes race for second and third in New Hampshire.
It's round two in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, with voting beginning in New Hampshire. While most polling places in the state didn't open until early Tuesday, the first votes were cast just after midnight in the tiny communities of Dixville Notch and Hart's Location. In Dixville Notch, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor and ambassador to China, tied for the lead with two votes each. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas had one vote apiece.
2. Van der Sloot back in Peruvian court to face murder charge.
Joran van der Sloot returns to a Peruvian courtroom on Wednesday, five days after requesting more time to "reflect" on what plea he will make in his murder trial. The 24-year-old Dutch national indicated on Friday that he was willing to make a "confession" in the 2010 killing of Stephany Flores, but that he did "not agree with the aggravating factors" as defined in the murder charge levied against him. Given this statement, the panel of three judges decided to give van der Sloot until Wednesday to make a final decision. There is no jury.
3. American has 20 days to appeal Iranian death sentence.
Amir Mirzaie Hekmati, an American sentenced to death in Iran for espionage, has 20 days to appeal his case, according to Iranian law. "If the sentence is appealed, then the Court of Appeals will hear the case. If not, then the sentence is final," judiciary spokesman Mohseni Ejeie said, according to the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency. The statement was the first by a judiciary official, regarding the trail and the sentence. Hekmati's family has hired a high-profile lawyer with success in negotiating with Tehran to seek his release. "We're prepared to open up a line of communication with the government," attorney Pierre Prosper said. "Our hope is that they will talk with us."

This advertisement showsa positive sterotype. "We Can Do IT!" is said representing all women. The woman showing off her muscle is saying she can handle anything. This is positive picture for all women. 



This presents a negative advertisement because it gives off the wrong impressive then what the point is going for. It honestly looks as if these girls are smoking something off of the table but they are actually sewing a dress. Do girls want a sterotype of smoking a substance off a table when they should be sewing a dress? No, this ad is obsurd.

1. Iran sentences American to death in spy case.
Iran has sentenced an American ex-Marine to death for espionage. A court convicted Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of "working for an enemy country," as well as membership in the CIA and "efforts to accuse Iran of involvement in terrorism," the semi-official Fars news agency reported Monday. The sentence came down five months after Hekmati's arrest. Iran's state-run news agency IRNA, on its English website, said the court found him "caught red-handed in armed struggle against God" and "corrupt on Earth." "In the proceedings Hekmati said he had the motivation to infiltrate (the) Iranian intelligence system on behalf of the CIA," the IRNA report said. Hekmati's parents said they were "shocked and terrified" by the news.
2. Rivals turn up heat on Romney as N.H. primary closes in.
With one day to go until the New Hampshire primary, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is facing attacks from all sides. Romney, who is making his second bid for the GOP nomination, kicks off a full day of campaigning Monday by speaking at a chamber of commerce breakfast in Nashua, New Hampshire. Romney has what amounts to home-field advantage as polls indicate the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts holds a large lead over the rest of the Republican White House hopefuls.
3. Syrians mourn protesters amid tension.
Tens of thousands turned out Monday for funerals in the Syrian capital of Damascus, holding up pictures and lining the streets in tearful processions. At one funeral, crowds chanted, "overthrow Assad, overthrow the regime!" as they blamed the man's death on government forces. At a separate funeral in the same city, another crowd mourned a man, chanting slogans supporting President Bashar Al-Assad and blaming the death on opposition forces.

1. Romney camp rips Santorum on spending.
GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney's campaign stepped up its criticism of conservative challenger Rick Santorum Friday, continuing to hit the former Pennsylvania senator on his spending record while in Congress. For his part, Santorum was slated to hold three "Faith, Family and Freedom" town hall meetings in New Hampshire, now four days away from its first-in-the-nation primary. Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, and Ron Paul also had a series of events scheduled in the state. Romney holds a large lead in New Hampshire in most polls, but as a result is facing sky high media-driven expectations next Tuesday. The other candidates are believed to be scrambling for a second place finish that can provide a degree of momentum heading into the January 21 South Carolina primary.
2. 26 dead in Syrian 'terrorist' blast, state media says.
A suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of the Syrian capital Friday, killing at least 26 people and wounding dozens, Syrian state media reported. The incident took place in the al-Midan quarter of Damascus. Casualties included mostly civilians and some law enforcement personnel, the Syrian Arab News Agency said. It's the second such strike in Damascus in two weeks. Car and suicide bombings have long common in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But this development in Syria, similar to strikes on government security targets two Fridays ago, stokes fears that the troubled country is headed into a new level of civil conflict.
3. State media: Iran to hold military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran plans to conduct military drills in the Strait of Hormuz in February, state media said Friday.
The announcement comes amid tensions about the strategically important waterway. Dubbed "the Great Prophet," the drills will be different from previous ones, a commander with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps told Press TV. It was unclear how the drills will be different.

1. Romney faces renewed conservative criticism.
GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney faced a fresh round of conservative criticism Thursday as New Hampshire's top newspaper urged Republicans to back rival Newt Gingrich and resurrected charges that the former governor helped pave the way for President Barack Obama's health care reforms. "Gingrich's record of conservative accomplishment is unparalleled and his beliefs and vision are passionate and clear," wrote Joe McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader. Romney, in contrast, was "governor of the most liberal state in the country and managed to beat Obama at delivering Obamacare."
Conservatives must rally around Gingrich "or face the very real prospect of having Barack Obama walk all over" Romney, McQuaid argued.
2. 60 slain in Iraq bombings.
Attackers killed at least 60 people in Iraq on Thursday in strikes that targeted Shiites and renewed fears of sectarian violence, authorities said. The deadliest attack was a suicide bombing targeting Shiite pilgrims just west of the southern city of Nasiriya. It killed at least 36 and wounded 72 others, police and Interior Ministry officials said. A series of blasts in Baghdad left 24 dead and dozens wounded, an Interior Ministry official said. The violence raged as Shiites made a pilgrimage to the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, leading up to Arbaeen, one of the holiest days of the Shiite calendar. It arrives next week and marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who was killed in a seventh century battle in the Iraqi city.
3. Detroit automakers are (finally!) making profits.
Analysts are in widespread agreement in forecasting better industrywide sales in 2012 and beyond. They see sales rising from 12.8 million in 2011 to between 13.5 million to 14 million this year and close to 15 million by 2014 or 2015. "In terms of profitability and outlook, this is the best conditions we've had for the U.S. auto industry in a long, long time," said Jesse Toprak of TrueCar. From 1999 to 2007 the industry enjoyed sales of between 16 million to 17 million vehicles. Like the housing bubble, this auto-sales bubble was also fed by cheap credit.  But even with robust sales the automakers began to suffer. A refusal to fix Detroit's inefficient corporate culture and costly labor agreements were bleeding profits.

1. Official: Los Angeles arson suspect under investigation in Germany.
A German man due to appear in a Los Angeles court Wednesday in connection with one of the worst arson sprees in the city's history is also under investigation for arson and fraud in his home country, a prosecution official in Germany said. Harry Burkhart, 24, was arrested in Los Angeles early Monday after a string of 52 fires -- mostly in parked cars -- since Friday. He faces an arraignment hearing Wednesday morning. No one was hurt in the fires, but property damage costs are likely to reach $3 million, authorities said. On Wednesday, a German official said Burkhart was also under investigation in relation to a fire in Neukirchen, near Frankfurt.
2. Preston: Short sprint or long haul to GOP nomination?
With a narrow loss, Rick Santorum scored a stunning victory and now heads to New Hampshire, hoping this momentum sets him up as the anti-Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Santorum, who lost to Romney by eight votes in the Iowa caucuses early Wednesday, is following a well-worn path on his march as the new political battleground shifts from this Midwestern state to New Hampshire. It is an uphill battle for Santorum, who faces a better-funded rival in Romney and questions about his own viability as a general election candidate.
3. Syrian rebels eye 'huge operations'.
The Free Syrian Army plans to kick off "huge operations" this week against "vital interests" of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the force's commander said Wednesday. "We prepared ourselves for this stage," Col. Riad al-Asaad told CNN in Turkey. "We can't force him off with the peaceful demonstrations, so we are going to force him by arms to leave." The anti-government resistance movement, which emerged over the summer, comprises defectors from the massive and better-equipped Syrian army. The fledgling force is flexing its muscles amid international fears of a civil war that would destabilize both Syria and the greater Middle East.

1. House Republicans scrap direct vote on Senate payroll tax plan.
Congress showed little sign Tuesday morning of resolving its partisan standoff over the payroll tax-cut extension as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives refused to hold a vote on a Senate proposal, and leaders in the Democratic-controlled Senate insisted they won't go along with a new House plan. As the clock ticked down on a particularly acrimonious legislative year, nobody seemed to know how to break the logjam. The Senate voted 89-10 in favor of a two-month tax-cut extension on Saturday, but that short-term compromise has slammed into a conservative roadblock in the House, where rank-and-file Republicans are fuming over the short-term nature of the plan, among other things.
2. S. Korea expresses sympathy to N. Korean people.
The South Korean government expressed its sympathy to the people of North Korea following the death of Kim Jong Il, South Korea's unification minister said Tuesday. In a televised press conference, Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik also said Seoul will not send a government delegation to North Korea. However, the South will allow bereaved family members of the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the late Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Mong-hun to visit the North in return for a visit by North Korean delegates to the funerals of the two South Korean figures.
3. Women march in Cairo to protest violence.
Egypt's capital remained engulfed in tension on Tuesday, as security forces and protesters clashed and demonstrators at a "Million Women" march railed against the regime and assaults on citizens. Security forces wielding batons, firearms and tear gas attacked defiant protesters Tuesday on the fifth consecutive day of clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square, witnesses told CNN. Sherif Barakat, a businessman, heard machine gun fire early in the morning and saw the unrest from the balcony of his home above Tahrir Square. He saw security forces charge, firing tear gas and beating people with batons.

1. Deadly Iraq war ends with exit of last U.S. troops.
Early Sunday, as the sun ascended to the winter sky, the very last American convoy made its way down the main highway that connects Iraq and Kuwait. The military called it its final "tactical road march." A series of 110 heavily armored, hulking trucks and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles carrying about 500 soldiers streamed slowly but steadily out of the combat zone. A few minutes before 8 a.m., the metal gate behind the last MRAP closed. With it came to an end a deadly and divisive war that lasted almost nine years, its enormous cost calculated in blood and billions.
2. Blizzard sweeps out of the Southwest.
A powerful blizzard roared out of the southwestern United States early Monday, threatening residents from Arizona to Kansas with a foot or more of snow. Combined with strong winds and icy roads, the snow could make driving during the holidays dangerous across the region. Snow, falling at a rate of up to two inches an hour, is expected in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, the National Weather Service said. The snow is forecast to start battering northeast New Mexico on Monday morning. State emergency personnel and transportation crews there are on call, officials say, ready to act if and when the storm hits hard.
3. North Korea's Kim Jong Il dies; South goes on high alert.
Seoul put South Korean forces on high alert and Pyongyang urged an increase in its "military capability" as the death of North Korea's enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il spurred fresh security concerns in the tense region.
The 69-year-old "dear leader" of the reclusive communist state died of a heart attack on Saturday, state news outlets reported Monday. The ruling Worker's Party proclaimed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, "the great successor," indicating he would assume his father's post. In the South, across one of the world's most heavily fortified borders, President Lee Myung-bak canceled the rest of his Monday schedule and put all members of South Korea's military on "emergency alert," his office said. The two nations never signed a peace treaty following the Korean War of the early 1950s, leaving the two nations technically at war.

1. Star witness describes Penn State shower scene.
Former Penn State star quarterback and now star witness Mike McQueary testified Friday that he believes he saw Jerry Sandusky molesting a boy in a locker-room shower in 2002. Sandusky, a longtime assistant football coach at the school, has since been accused of more than 50 counts involving sexual acts with 10 boys since 1994. McQueary testified that he walked into a locker room and heard someone in the shower.
2. Thousands of children abused in Dutch churches over 65 years, inquiry says.
Thousands and thousands of children suffered from sexual abuse in the Dutch Roman Catholic Church over more than six decades, and about 800 "possible perpetrators" have been identified, an independent Commission of Inquiry said Friday. "Several tens of thousands of minors have experienced mild, serious and very serious forms of inappropriate sexual behavior. Victims have often suffered for decades from the effects of abuse and have received acknowledgment of the fact," the panel says in its report. "This has caused problems for them, their immediate family and their friends, who require attention and sometimes professional counseling."
3. Russia seizes radioactive objects from flight to Iran.
Russian authorities seized radioactive material from the luggage of a passenger on a flight from Moscow to Tehran on Friday. The luggage, belonging to an Iranian citizen, contained 18 metal objects packed in individual steel cases, Russia's Federal Customs Service said in a statement. The agency said the material, the radioactive isotope sodium-22, can be obtained in a nuclear reactor. Initial tests showed that radiation levels of the objects were 20 times above normal, the customs service said.

1. Paul's serious challenge in Iowa could rock the GOP race.
What if Ron Paul rocked the political establishment, silenced the naysayers and spoiled the party for Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney by winning the Iowa caucuses? "I think I have a good chance," the Republican presidential candidate told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" on Wednesday. "I'm not saying that I'm not... working on a daily basis, you know, I'm assuming I'm going to win this thing," Paul said. "I'm assuming we're going to do very, very well and have a much better showing than anybody has given us credit for the past year."
2. Syrian defectors tell of orders to kill and torture protesters.
"At one point we killed eight people in 15 minutes. The protesters were unarmed. They didn't even have rocks! That's when I decided to defect. I threw away my gun and ran towards the protesters." "About 1,500 protesters came.....They requested the release of an injured protester who was inside the hospital. They held olive branches. They had no arms. There were 35 army soldiers and about 50 mukhabarat personnel at the checkpoint. We also had a jeep with a mounted machine-gun. When the protesters were less than 100 meters away, we opened fire."
3. Putin points to U.S. role in Gadhafi's killing.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused U.S. drones and special forces of involvement in the death of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in comments Thursday. He also attacked U.S. Sen. John McCain over a warning that Russia might follow the same path as Libya, suggesting McCain was not of sound mind following his time as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. Putin's comments were prompted by a question during his traditional year-end question-and-answer program, broadcast live by state media.

1. CDC: Health reform extends coverage to young Americans.
About 2.5 million young people have received health insurance coverage as a result of health care reform measures that President Barack Obama signed into law last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. About 2.5 million more people, aged 19 to 25, have health insurance than had it before the law took effect because of a provision that lets young adults remain on their parents' insurance plans through age 26, the agency's National Center for Health Statistics said. "Moms and dads around the country can breathe a little easier knowing their children are covered," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.
2. Google joins fight against slavery.
Google Inc. announced Wednesday that it's providing $11.5 million in grants to 10 organizations working to end modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission, one of the grant recipients, called the move a "game-changing investment." IJM is a Washington-based human rights agency that works to rescue victims of slavery and sexual exploitation in about a dozen countries. "This is the largest corporate step up to the challenge that is beginning to apply direct resources to the fight against slavery," Haugen said.
3. Alleged sex abuse victims suing Syracuse, Boeheim.
Two men who accused a former Syracuse University assistant basketball coach of sexual abuse have filed a defamation lawsuit in a New York court against the university and its longtime head basketball coach, Jim Boeheim, their attorney announced Tuesday. Bobby Davis and his stepbrother, Mike Lang, have alleged that Bernie Fine repeatedly abused them when they were children. The former assistant coach has not been charged with a crime and has maintained his innocence, saying the allegations are "patently false in every aspect." Boeheim initially supported Fine, accusing Lang and Davis of fabricating their accusations of Fine's alleged misconduct.

1. Sandusky prepared to fight child rape charges, attorney says.
Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of sexually abusing boys, remains "totally prepared and committed to proving his innocence" after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday, his attorney said. "We're ready to defend. We've always been ready to defend," attorney Joe Amendola told reporters outside the Centre County Courthouse after the brief court hearing. "Today's waiver has nothing to do with conceding anything. There have been no plea negotiations. There will be no plea negotiations. This is a fight to the death. This is the fight of Jerry Sandusky's life."
2. Ahmadinejad: Iran has 'been able to control' U.S. drone.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that his country has "been able to control" the U.S. drone that Iran claims it recently brought down, Venezuelan state TV reported. "There are people here who have been able to control this spy plane," Ahmadinejad told VTV. "Those who have been in control of this spy plane surely will analyze the plane's system. Furthermore, the systems of Iran are so advanced also, like the system of this plane." Ahmadinejad did not elaborate or specify what precisely he meant when he referred to people "who have been able to control" the drone. He spoke in Farsi, which VTV translated into Spanish. The Farsi portion of the interview was not audible.
3. Prosecutor considers charges after Xavier-Cincinnati brawl.
Four University of Cincinnati basketball players suspended for their involvement in a nationally televised brawl between the Bearcats and their crosstown rivals at Xavier University apologized Monday to their fans and their community and said they were "embarrassed" by their actions. Athletic Director Whit Babcock and Coach Mick Cronin also apologized. They said the team will work "diligently" to regain the respect and trust of the university.

1. Obama, Iraqi prime minister meet amid U.S. troop withdrawal.
President Barack Obama met Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as the United States prepares to complete withdrawing virtually all of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year. The two leaders are expected to discuss cooperation between their countries in the wake of the ongoing troop withdrawal, which is scheduled to be finished by December 31. Some analysts fear violence could spike as groups struggle over power, and that the decreased U.S. presence could allow Iran to increase its influence.
2. Justices accept Arizona's appeal over controversial immigration law.
The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether Arizona can enforce its controversial immigration law, over the strong objections of the Obama administration. The justices made the announcement in a brief order Monday. Federal courts had blocked key parts of the state's Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, known as SB 1070. Arizona had argued illegal immigration was creating financial hardships and safety concerns for its residents and that the federal government has long failed to control the problem. The administration has countered immigration issues are under its exclusive authority and that state "interference" would only make matters worse.
3. NATO-bound trucks attacked, burned in Pakistan.
Armed militants on motorcycles in southwest Pakistan ambushed and set ablaze a convoy of tankers contracted to NATO forces in Afghanistan on Sunday night, police said. The gunmen opened fire after forcing the convoy of eight oil tankers to stop in an area 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, police official Abdul Qadir said. The militants killed one of the truck's drivers and set the tankers on fire before they escaped, Qadir said.

1. Euro failure is 'luxury we can't afford,' Sarkozy warns.
European leaders must band together to save the euro this week, the leaders of the eurozone's two biggest economies said Thursday, even as the head of the European Central Bank was warning of more bad economic times ahead. Failure to reach an agreement at a summit in Brussels, Belgium, is a "luxury we cannot afford," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said. "This is our duty. We have no other choice," he said, warning that the European Union would not get a second chance. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said countries had to put their "national egotisms" aside and find a joint solution to the continent's debt crisis.
2. Sandusky remains in jail after arrest on new charges.
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky remained in jail early Thursday morning on additional child sex charges involving two more alleged victims, bringing the total to 10. Sandusky was arrested Wednesday and charged with four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, allegedly involving two men who were boys at the time of the encounters. His attorney, Joe Amendola, said his client was unable to post the $250,000 bail before Thursday because he didn't have time to make arrangements ahead of time.
3. Putin accuses U.S. of encouraging Russia election protests.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin blamed the United States Thursday for encouraging opposition protests that have broken out since parliamentary elections Sunday. His accusation followed comments by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week on Russia's election in which she called for a "full investigation" of apparent irregularities. The United States had "serious concerns about the conduct of the election," she said, at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe Tuesday.

1. Questions raised about Romney's disposal of records.
New questions are being raised about Mitt Romney's last days as governor of Massachusetts and the way he handled records of his administration. Those same questions are following Romney on the campaign trail, raising concerns by some about how transparent he would be if elected president. The office of Romney's successor, Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, sent CNN documents showing that Romney's administration spent nearly $100,000 in state funds to completely replace computers in his office, just before Patrick assumed the governorship in January of 2007. The documents are two lease agreements for the computers. The first one, from 2005, shows the state paid just over $107,000 for the computers. That agreement was supposed to last three years.
2. European nations could lose powers, EC head's memo says.
European nations could be penalized by being stripped of some powers if they fail to manage their budgets, according to a memo from European Commission President Herman Van Rompuy leaked Tuesday. The confidential memo, sent out to leaders ahead of the final European Council meeting of the year at the end of the week, comes only a day after the leaders of Germany and France agreed in Paris on a new fiscal pact they say will help prevent another debt crisis. But Van Rompuy's proposals, details of which were obtained by CNN, are perhaps even stricter than those of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
3. Gorbachev calls for new Russian elections.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, called Wednesday for new parliamentary elections in Russia over concerns about vote fraud. "Mikhail Gorbachev is very concerned about how the situation in Russia is developing," spokesman Pavel Palezhchenko told CNN. "People don't believe that the will of the people is reflected in the results." He confirmed a report by the Russian news agency Interfax, which quoted the former Communist party general secretary as saying the elections were unfair and new elections were needed.

1. Dozens killed in rare Afghanistan attack.
Twin suicide bombings killed dozens Tuesday in Afghanistan, most of them in a mass-scale sectarian attack on Shiite worshippers unlike anything the country has seen in its decade-long war. The terrorist attacks in the cities of Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif killed 58 people and wounded scores of others, officials said. A suicide bomber detonated a device at a Shiite shrine in Kabul as worshippers were marking the Shiite holy day of Ashura, Afghan Health Ministry spokesman Kargar Norughli said. Fifty-four people were killed and 150 were wounded, said Afghan Health Ministry spokesman Kargar Norughli.
2. Two black holes most massive ever found, astronomers say.

Black holes: They're the most destructive monsters in the universe. We already knew they can be powerfully massive. Now scientists say they've found the most massive ones yet, as reported in the journal Nature.

How big? The mass of each is about 10 billion times the mass of our sun. The previous black hole record holder, first measured in 1977, has a mass of about 6 billion suns. And for each black hole, the "event horizon" – basically areas from which nothing can escape their gravity – is about five times the distance between our sun and Pluto.
3. Family mourns death of 7-year-old Georgia girl.
Relatives mourned Tuesday the death of a 7-year-old girl whose body was found in a Dumpster outside her Georgia apartment building three days after she went missing. Police believe Jorelys Rivera was abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered at the apartment complex in Canton, about 40 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Director Vernon Keenan said Monday. "My world collapsed. I couldn't believed that they robbed her from me," her father, Ricardo Galarza, told CNN affiliate WAPA in Puerto Rico. "They destroyed my soul. They took a piece of my heart," her grandmother, Wanda Ivette Rivera, told the same network.