Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Now with 42 Top Stories

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Karzai gives US ‘last warning’ over civilian deaths

by Sardar Ahmad, AFP

Sun May 29, 10:18 am ET

KABUL (AFP) – Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the US military on Sunday to avoid operations that kill civilians, saying it was his “last warning” to Washington after 14 people allegedly died in an air strike.

Reacting to the alleged deaths of 10 children, two women and two men in an air strike on Saturday in the southern province of Helmand, Karzai said such incidents were “murdering of Afghanistan’s children and women.”

“The president called this incident a great mistake and the murdering of Afghanistan’s children and women, and on behalf of the Afghan people gives his last warning to the US troops and US officials in this regard,” his office said, adding that he “strongly condemned” the killings.

AFP

2 Yemen rebel generals: Saleh let Abyan fall

by Jamal al-Jaberi, AFP

45 mins ago

SANAA (AFP) – Dissident generals on Sunday accused Yemen’s embattled president of surrendering Abyan province to “terrorists” after suspected Al-Qaeda militants took its capital, and called for others to defect.

A security official said that more than 200 suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen seized control of the southern city of Zinjibar, Abyan’s capital, in fighting that has left 21 dead.

In “Statement Number One,” the generals led by General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar accused President Ali Abdullah Saleh of “surrendering Abyan to an armed terrorist group” and urged army forces “to join the peaceful popular revolution.”

3 Mladic denies Srebrenica role as thousands protest arrest

by Katarina Subasic, AFP

1 hr 30 mins ago

BELGRADE (AFP) – Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic insists he was not responsible for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, his son said Sunday, as thousands protested in Belgrade against the ex-army chief’s arrest.

Up to 10,000 people heeded a call by ultra-nationalists to attend the rally, police said, and authorities had stepped up security amid fears of street violence.

Earlier Mladic’s son Darko had said his father not only claims that he had nothing to do with the Srebrenica mass killings of 8,000 Muslim men and boys — the worst atrocity in Europe since World War II — but that he actually saved lives.

4 Trucks lose, ships win in warmer Arctic

AFP

2 hrs 59 mins ago

PARIS (AFP) – Global warming will have a devastating effect on roads in the Arctic but open up tantalising routes for shipping, according to a study published on Sunday in the specialist journal Nature Climate Change.

“As sea ice continues to melt, accessibility by sea will increase, but the viability of an important network of roads that depend on freezing temperatures is threatened by a warming climate,” said Scott Stephenson of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Previous research has already pinpointed the Arctic as one of the world’s most climate-sensitive areas.

5 Lockheed Martin says it repelled cyber attack

AFP

1 hr 9 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest defense contractors, was on Sunday investigating the source of a major cyber-attack one week ago against its information network, the company said.

“Lockheed Martin detected a significant and tenacious attack on its information systems network,” the company said in a statement late Saturday night.

The company said the cyber-assault took place on May 21, and that quick action by its security team successfully repelled the attack.

6 Hackers highlight Sony’s need for new ideas

by Hiroshi Hiyama, AFP

40 mins ago

TOKYO (AFP) – As Sony struggles to recover its shredded reputation in the wake of perhaps the largest ever cyber attack, it is facing a more worrying problem, say analysts — it has lost the knack of innovation.

The April hacker thefts of millions of customers’ personal records have been a bruising experience for the Japanese consumer electronics giant, not least because its network security failures have left it with a potential bill of up to $1 billion.

But also under threat is its core strategy of growing online revenues to replace income from appliances where it has been losing ground in areas such as televisions and portable music players.

7 Wheldon wins Indy 500 after last-turn crash

AFP

29 mins ago

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (AFP) – England’s Dan Wheldon captured a dramatic centennial edition of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday after American rookie leader J.R. Hildebrand crashed on the final turn of the last lap.

Wheldon, a 2005 Indy 500 winner now unable to find a full-season ride, was runner-up the past two years and appeared destined for another second-place showing until 23-year-old Hildebrand slammed into the outer wall.

“It’s just an incredible day,” Wheldon said in Victory Lane. “I’m struggling being a part-timer right now. It’s a fantastic achievement being here.”

8 Europe-conquering Barca return home

by Marcelo Aparicio, AFP

26 mins ago

BARCELONA (AFP) – Barcelona’s Europe-conquering heroes paraded in an open-top, double-decker bus through cheering, packed streets Sunday and arrived to a roar of welcome at a bursting Camp Nou stadium.

Brandishing the Champions League trophy from their sublime 3-1 victory over Manchester United in London’s Wembley stadium, players made a victorious entry one by one to their home pitch.

The biggest cheer from the 98,000-capacity crowd erupted for man-of-the-match Lionel Messi, who scored the second goal.

9 Messi the master as brilliant Barca win Champions League

by Rob Woollard, AFP

Sat May 28, 9:46 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – Barcelona confirmed their place in the pantheon of football’s greatest sides, outclassing Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley to claim their second Champions League crown in three years.

Goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa secured a deserved victory for the Catalan magicians after England international Wayne Rooney had raised United’s hopes with a well-taken first-half equaliser.

The star of an electrifying team performance was Argentinian striker Messi, the 23-year-old maestro whose brilliant effort on 54 minutes saw him equal Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of 12 goals in a single Champions League campaign.

10 FIFA clear Blatter, suspend bin Hammam

AFP

2 hrs 11 mins ago

ZURICH (AFP) – The FIFA ethics committee suspended one-time presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner on Sunday, while clearing FIFA president Sepp Blatter of corruption.

The committee, chaired by Namibian Petrus Damaseb, heard bin Hammam, Warner and Blatter during a dramatic day that started with bin Hammam withdrawing from the presidential election in which he was Blatter’s sole opponent.

“The FIFA Ethics Committee has reached its decisions,” said Blatter in a statement.

11 Vettel wins first ever Monaco Grand Prix

by Gordon Howard, AFP

Sun May 29, 12:17 pm ET

MONTE CARLO (AFP) – Defending drivers’ world champion German Sebastian Vettel rode his considerable share of good luck on Sunday to claim his first victory at the Monaco Grand Prix after an incident-filled and dramatic race.

On an afternoon of Safety Cars, red flags, lengthy stoppages and multiple collisions, the 23-year-old leader of this year’s title race emerged ahead of the field to enlarge his commanding lead as he steered his Red Bull car to an unexpected, and narrow, victory.

The race had been stopped temporarily after a mass crash which saw Russian driver Vitaly Petrov taken to hospital.

12 Germany hunts source of deadly E. coli

AFP

Sun May 29, 10:38 am ET

BERLIN (AFP) – Germany said Sunday it was pulling out all the stops to locate the exact source of an outbreak of E. coli bacteria poisoning blamed for 10 deaths, which authorities suspect may have originated in Spain.

“Until experts in Germany and Spain are able to positively identify the source of the pathogen, general warnings about vegetables remain valid,” Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

“The relevant authorities are doing all they can to clear this up, nationally and internationally.”

Reuters

13 Suicide blast kills powerful Afghan police chief

By Mohammad Hamed Kunduz, Reuters

Sat May 28, 10:21 pm ET

TALOQAN, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed one of the most powerful men in north Afghanistan on Saturday, underlining the spread of insurgent violence in once peaceful parts of the country and casting a shadow over plans for Afghans to take control of security.

A provincial police chief, at least two Afghan policemen and two German soldiers also died in the attack on political and military leaders, Afghan and NATO officials said.

They were meeting in the capital of northern Takhar province to discuss an operation against insurgents, and at least another 10 people were injured, including the provincial governor, said the governor’s spokesman Faiz Mohammad Tawhidi.

14 Breakaway Yemen army units add to pressure on Saleh

By Samia Nakhoul and Mohamed Sudam, Reuters

Sun May 29, 12:29 pm ET

SANAA (Reuters) – A breakaway military group called on Sunday for other army units to join them in the fight to bring down Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, piling pressure on him to end his three-decade rule over the destitute country.

Opposition leaders separately accused Saleh of allowing the city of Zinjibar, on the Gulf of Aden, to fall to al Qaeda and Islamists militants in order to raise alarm in the region that would in turn translate to support for the president.

Despite global and regional powers demanding he step down, Saleh has refused to sign a deal, mediated by Gulf states, to start a transition of power aimed at averting civil war that could shake the region that supplies the world with oil.

15 Power cuts increase hardship in Libyan rebel mountains

By Matt Robinson, Reuters

Sun May 29, 10:02 am ET

ARRUJBAN, Libya (Reuters) – Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have cut electricity supplies to much of the Western Mountains, threatening water supplies and stepping up a war of attrition with rebels who hold the plateau.

The blackout, which began five days ago, has coincided with an increase in shelling of the rebel command center of Zintan and the town of Arrujban.

A Reuters reporter in Zintan heard about a dozen rockets strike the outskirts of the town Sunday. He said they did not appear to have landed in a populated area and there were no reports of casualties.

16 Egypt eases travel restrictions for Gaza travelers

By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters

Sat May 28, 6:27 pm ET

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) – Egypt eased travel restrictions for residents of Gaza Saturday, eroding a blockade of the Palestinian territory imposed by Israel to isolate its Islamist Hamas rulers.

Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979 but whose interim military rulers want to improve relations with Palestinians, allowed nearly 300 Gazans to enter its territory at the Rafah crossing in the first hour after it opened.

By the end of the day, 450 travelers had crossed into Egypt. Only 23 were turned back because of Egyptian security concerns, a Palestinian border official said.

17 Belgrade protest against Mladic arrest turns violent

By Aleksandar Vasovic, Reuters

5 mins ago

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbian nationalists attacked police in Belgrade on Sunday at a rally where about 10,000 protesters demanded President Boris Tadic and his government quit over the arrest of Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladic.

Mladic, indicted for genocide in the 43-month siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war, was found on Thursday in a village 100 km (60 miles) northeast of Belgrade after 16 years on the run.

Supporters of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party and of similar organisations were brought in by bus from across the country. Many came straight from Sunday soccer matches.

18 Ireland may need more EU/IMF cash: minister

By Carmel Crimmins and Angeliki Koutantou, Reuters

Sun May 29, 10:15 am ET

DUBLIN/ATHENS (Reuters) – Ireland may have to ask for another loan from the European Union and International Monetary Fund because it will struggle to return to debt markets to raise funds next year, a government minister said on Sunday.

In comments to The Sunday Times newspaper, Transport Minister Leo Varadkar became the first cabinet member to cast doubt in public on Ireland’s ability to raise cash on the bond market because of punishing yields demanded by investors.

“I think it’s very unlikely we’ll be able to go back next year. I think it might take a bit longer … 2013 might be possible but who knows?” Varadkar was quoted as saying.

19 Israel’s Fischer biding his time on IMF bid: source

By Steven Scheer, Reuters

Sun May 29, 6:51 am ET

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer will test the waters before deciding whether to become a candidate to head the International Monetary Fund, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

“He will be talking to decision-makers throughout the world the next two weeks and then make a decision,” the source told Reuters. “If there will be more and more voices and more and more support from different countries, he would consider it.”

The deadline for submitting official bids for the post is June 10.

20 Ice melt to close off Arctic’s interior riches: study

By Timothy Gardner, Reuters

Sun May 29, 1:05 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Global warming will likely open up coastal areas in the Arctic to development but close vast regions of the northern interior to forestry and mining by mid-century as ice and frozen soil under temporary winter roads melt, researchers said.

Higher temperatures have already led to lower summer sea ice levels in the Arctic and the melting has the potential to increase access for fishermen, tourists and oil and natural gas developers to coastal regions in coming decades.

The melting has also led to hopes that shorter Arctic shipping routes between China and Europe will open.

21 Blatter cleared, top FIFA officials suspended

By Mike Collett, Reuters

1 hr 40 mins ago

ZURICH (Reuters) – FIFA’s ethics committee cleared president Sepp Blatter of any wrongdoing as two of soccer’s most senior officials were suspended on Sunday in the worst corruption scandal to blight the sport’s governing body.

Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam, who hours earlier had ended his campaign to unseat Blatter, was temporarily suspended along with Jack Warner, president of the CONCACAF region covering north and central America and the Caribbean.

Blatter was cleared of any breach of FIFA’s statutes following an emergency sitting of the independent committee, freeing him to stand unopposed for a fourth term in charge of world soccer’s governing body in Wednesday’s election.

AP

22 Clashes erupt in Belgrade to protest Mladic arrest

By JOVANA GEC, Associated Press

55 mins ago

BELGRADE, Serbia – Protesters throwing stones and bottles clashed with baton-wielding riot police Sunday in Belgrade after several thousand Serbian nationalist supporters of jailed war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic rallied outside the parliament building to demand his release.

By the time the crowds broke up by late evening, about 100 people were arrested and 16 minor injuries were reported. That amounted to a victory for the pro-Western government, which arrested Mladic on Thursday, risking the wrath of the nationalist old guard in a country with a history of much larger and more virulent protests.

Rioters overturned garbage containers, broke traffic lights and set off firecrackers as they rampaged through downtown. Cordons of riot police blocked their advances, and skirmishes took place in several locations in the center of the capital.

23 Companies look for power way, way up in the sky

By JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 1:52 pm ET

BOSTON – The world’s strongest winds race high in the sky, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of reach as a potentially potent energy source.

Flying, swooping and floating turbines are being developed to turn high-altitude winds into electricity.

The challenges are huge, but the potential is immense. Scientists estimate the energy in the jet streams is 100 times the amount of power used worldwide annually.

24 Memorial to 9/11 preaches vengeance and tolerance

By TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 12:34 pm ET

PHOENIX – Matthew Salenger etched 54 phrases in a circular piece of steel, building Arizona’s Sept. 11 memorial one story at a time. He wanted everyone’s story to be told.

Phrases like “10:28 a.m. WTC North Tower Collapses” stated undisputed facts. Then there was “Must Bomb Back” and its polar opposite: “You Don’t Win Battles of Terrorism With More Battles.” Gary Bird, a businessman and Arizona’s sole Sept. 11 victim, was listed. So was a Sikh who was killed in a hate crime outside Phoenix, four days later.

Salenger thought that all of those thoughts could coexist peacefully on a public memorial. He was wrong.

25 Wheldon wins stunning Indy 500 when leader crashes

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer

53 mins ago

INDIANAPOLIS – JR Hildebrand was one turn away from winning the Indianapolis 500 and within sight of the checkered flag when the 23-year-old rookie made the ultimate mistake.

Leading by almost 4 seconds with a lap to go, Hildebrand skidded high into the wall on the final turn, and Dan Wheldon drove past to claim an improbable second Indy 500 win Sunday in his first race of the year.

“It’s a helpless feeling,” Hildebrand said.

26 Airline fuel bills today are anything but peanuts

By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ, AP Airlines Writer

2 hrs 7 mins ago

NEW YORK – To fly someone from New York to Los Angeles and back, airlines spend close to $330 these days – just on fuel.

That’s a 48 percent increase from last year and the main reason vacationers face record costs to fly this summer. To offset their single biggest expense, airlines have hiked fares seven times this year and raised fees for checking bags and other services.

This has only added to the frustration of most casual fliers who see $59 fares advertised but are quoted prices well above $300 when they actually try to book. Americans’ expectations of a cheap vacation are being destroyed by the reality of $100-a-barrel oil.

27 Lockheed attack highlights rise in cyber espionage

By CHIP CUTTER and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

5 mins ago

NEW YORK – This cyber attack didn’t go after people playing war games on their PlayStations. It targeted a company that helps the U.S. military do the real thing.

Lockheed Martin says it was the recent target of a “significant and tenacious” hack, although the defense contractor and the Department of Homeland Security insist the attack was thwarted before any critical data was stolen. The effort highlighted the fact that some hackers, including many working for foreign governments, set their sights on information far more devastating than credit card numbers.

Information security experts say a rash of cyber attacks this year – including a massive security breach at Sony Corp. last month that affected millions of PlayStation users – has emboldened hackers and made them more willing to pursue sensitive information.

28 Ala. town hit by tornadoes bans FEMA trailers

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 3:03 pm ET

CORDOVA, Ala. – James Ruston’s house was knocked off its foundation by tornadoes that barreled through town last month and is still uninhabitable. He thought help had finally arrived when a truck pulled up to his property with a mobile home from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Then he got the call: Single-wide mobile homes, like the FEMA one, are illegal in the city of Cordova.

The city’s refusal to let homeless residents occupy temporary housing provided by FEMA has sparked outrage in this central Alabama town of 2,000, with angry citizens filling a meeting last week and circulating petitions to remove the man many blame for the decision, Mayor Jack Scott.

29 Who benefits most from weight-loss TV shows?

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer

Sun May 29, 11:57 am ET

LOS ANGELES – Despite all the “Biggest Loser”-type shows on TV, all the pounds shed by their contestants and all the weight-loss products purchased by viewers, America continues to be the Biggest Gainer.

At least 10 weight-loss shows are airing these days, and on “The Biggest Loser” alone, this season’s three top finalists dropped a combined 365 pounds. Yet the rest of us are just getting chubbier, with obesity rates in the United States now the highest of any industrialized nation. In fact, more people are obese today than when “Loser” premiered in 2004.

So why aren’t these reality shows helping in the fat fight?

30 Afghan official: NATO airstrike kills 14

By SOLOMON MOORE and MIRWAIS KHAN, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 9:38 am ET

KABUL, Afghanistan – A NATO airstrike targeting insurgents inadvertently hit two civilian homes in the volatile southwestern Helmand province, killing 12 children and two women, an Afghan government official said Sunday.

Dawood Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial government, said the alliance launched the airstrike late on Saturday in retaliation for an attack earlier in the day on a U.S. Marine base in Helmand’s northwest district of Nawzad. He said NATO hit two civilian houses, killing five girls, seven boys and two women.

NATO spokesman Maj. Tim James said a joint coalition and Afghan delegation was traveling Sunday to the site to investigate. He didn’t confirm the airstrike and provided no details about it or the attack on the Marines.

31 Shuttle astronauts bid farewell to space station

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

Sun May 29, 10:44 am ET

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The astronauts on NASA’s next-to-last shuttle flight floated out of the International Space Station on Sunday and then closed the hatch behind them, after one final round of warm wishes and embraces.

All that remained was space shuttle Endeavour’s undocking late Sunday night and its two-day trip home.

Shuttle commander Mark Kelly said the 1 1/2 weeks of joint flight went well. He was the last to leave the space station, lingering for a few seconds with the three space station residents.

32 Syrian tanks attack towns that held protests

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 11:05 am ET

BEIRUT – Syrian government troops backed by tanks attacked three central towns Sunday in an attempt to stop round-the-clock protests there against President Bashar Assad’s regime, killing at least five people and wounding scores of others, activists and a rights group said.

Activists said a school employee was killed and several students hurt, four seriously, when a shell exploded near a school bus.

Security forces in several other parts of the country fired on crowds holding overnight demonstrations, causing casualties, activists said.

33 Messi’s Barcelona beats Man United 3-1 in final

By STUART CONDIE, AP Sports Writer

Sat May 28, 8:17 pm ET

WEMBLEY, England – The debate is over now. Barcelona is on the list of soccer’s all-time greatest teams.

Led by another dominant performance from Lionel Messi, the Catalan club beat Manchester United 3-1 on Saturday to earn its third Champions League title in six seasons and No. 4 overall.

“I feel privileged,” Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. “You always want to win, but the way we have won is what I am most proud of. This is the way we want to play football.

34 Married couples in less than half of US households

By NIGEL DUARA, Associated Press

Sat May 28, 6:23 pm ET

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three mornings a week, when Becky Leung gets ready for work, her boyfriend is just getting home from his overnight job. When her mother drops hints about her twin sister’s marriage, she laughs it off. And when she thinks about getting married herself, she worries first about her career.

Leung, 27, cohabits in a Portland, Ore., townhome with her boyfriend but has no plans yet to wed, a reflection of the broader cultural shift in the U.S. away from the traditional definition of what it means to be a household.

Data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau shows married couples have found themselves in a new position: They’re no longer the majority.

35 Mich. governor gets his way without hazing

By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN, Associated Press

2 hrs 59 mins ago

LANSING, Mich. – David Hecker wasn’t sure what to expect when he showed up at the Capitol earlier this year for a meeting with Rick Snyder, the new Republican governor he had worked to defeat in the 2010 election.

But what he found surprised him: Snyder in an open-necked shirt, ready to talk in detail about a proposal that Hecker’s American Federation of Teachers Michigan group had made about teacher tenure and evaluations.

Hecker said it was clear Snyder had analyzed the lengthy email he’d sent on the subject. An hour later, “We walked out saying, `Well, you know, we’re going to be able to have a dialogue with this administration,'” the union president said.

36 Ga. pastor looks ahead after settling lawsuits

By ERRIN HAINES, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 4:16 pm ET

LITHONIA, Ga. – The crowd still cheered for Bishop Eddie Long as he took the pulpit Sunday, but gone was the air of defiance that defined his appearance eight months ago when he rallied his congregation to battle amid lawsuits accusing the megachurch pastor of sexual misconduct.

Just days after settling the lawsuits filed by four young men who used to attend New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, the message was one of progress and prosperity to the several hundred gathered. The choir opened the two-hour 8 a.m. service with the gospel hymn “Moving Forward,” which began: “I’m not going back, I’m moving ahead. Here to declare to you my past is over.”

Long addressed a far smaller group than the one gathered back in September, when he compared himself to the Bible’s ultimate underdog and vowed to fight like David versus Goliath against accusations that he abused his spiritual authority and coerced four young men into sexual relationships with gifts including cars, cash and travel. Then, thousands of supporters and observers packed the 10,000-seat sanctuary, which took on the atmosphere of an arena.

37 Tech mogul pays bright minds not to go to college

By MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 3:41 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Instead of paying attention in high school, Nick Cammarata preferred to read books on whatever interested him. He also has a gift for coding that got him into Carnegie Mellon University’s esteemed computer science program despite his grades.

But the 18-year-old programmer won’t be going to college this fall. Or maybe ever.

Cammarata is one of two dozen winners of a scholarship just awarded by San Francisco tech tycoon Peter Thiel that comes with a unique catch: The recipients are being paid not to go to college.

38 VA infection issues lead to 13,000 veterans’ tests

By DAN SEWELL, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 3:07 pm ET

DAYTON, Ohio – Herman Williams came home safely after fighting in the jungles of Vietnam as a Marine. He was shocked to learn four decades later that his military service had again placed him in jeopardy – this time, because he got a tooth pulled.

Williams is among 13,000 U.S. veterans who have been warned in the last two years that their blood should be tested for potentially fatal infections after possible exposures by improper hygiene practices at five VA hospitals in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee. This Memorial Day finds the Department of Veterans Affairs under political fire and numerous veterans upset after enduring fear and uncertainty over their health.

“I was scared to death,” Williams said.

39 In Vt., engorged Lake Champlain slowly tortures

By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 1:53 pm ET

COLCHESTER, Vt. – Minnows swim in the driveway, and big, fat carp are now breeding in the 2-foot floodwaters that cover the street. Some days, the only way Buzz Hoerr can get out of his home is by rowboat, paddling 200 feet to a grassy spot across the street where he and others park their cars to keep them dry.

The vessels are pulled up on driveways and lawns of the handful of houses that are still occupied – the ones with sandbags surrounding them, pumps draining water, unholy piles of driftwood and tree limbs pushed up onto lake-facing patios.

For Hoerr and hundreds of others forced to cope with unprecedented flooding, this is the new normal on Lake Champlain.

40 SC nuclear plant becoming 1st in US to go digital

By JEFFREY COLLINS, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 12:44 pm ET

SENECA, S.C. – The digital revolution is finally reaching America’s nuclear power plants.

Sometime in the next few weeks, technicians will finish installing digital controls for the operating and safety systems of a nuclear plant reactor in western South Carolina, a move being closely watched by other nuclear complexes.

In a nation where a digital blender can be bought for about $30 at Walmart, the Oconee Nuclear Station reactor will be the first of the 104 reactors in the United States not controlled with the same analog technology that brought the world cassette tapes and slide rules.

41 Conn. looks to cut costs by making workers healthy

By SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 12:07 pm ET

HARTFORD, Conn. – Instead of imposing higher co-pays and rolling back health insurance coverage for state employees, Connecticut officials want their workers to get a colonoscopy to help cut costs.

They also want them to get a mammogram and an annual physical, and to take their diabetes medication.

“If we keep people healthier, costs will go down, workers will pay less and the employer will pay less,” said Dan Livingston, the labor attorney who helped to negotiate a tentative concession and labor savings agreement with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration on behalf of 45,000 unionized state employees.

42 Man celebrates 85 years of living with diabetes

By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER, Associated Press

Sun May 29, 11:31 am ET

LOS ANGELES – When Bob Krause turned 90 last week, it was by virtue of an unflagging determination and a mentality of precision that kept his body humming after being diagnosed with diabetes as a boy.

A leading diabetes research center named the San Diego resident the first American known to live 85 years with the disease, a life that has paralleled – and benefited from – the evolution in treatment.

Krause’s wife of 56 years, his family and friends were to celebrate his longevity Sunday with a party and a medal from the Joslin Diabetes Center to commemorate his 85-year milestone.

4 comments

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    • on 05/30/2011 at 00:23
      Author
    • on 05/30/2011 at 00:34

    I mean other than races, parades and speeches, I thought the rest of the world stopped for a three day weekend

    • on 05/30/2011 at 00:39

    will this end the insane idea of sending the World Cup to Qatar?  

    • on 05/30/2011 at 05:36

    “We are leaving tomorrow.  Do not let the door hit us in the ass, and when the Taliban come to kill you, do not open the door for us.”  Then I would bug out so fast that by Independence Day not even one American, except possibly for the embassy, would be left there.

    I think that Karzai is a crooked as crooked is, and have absolutely NO sympathy for him.  Let him stew in his own, now unprotected, juices.

    Warmest regards,

    Doc

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