360 º News Channel

New Star Wars VII to be filmed in England

2013-05-10T22:09:00.002-07:00

(Reuters) - Filming of the new "Star Wars" movie will take place in England, returning the franchise to its British roots, Disney's Lucasfilm said on Friday.
"We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of 'Star Wars' as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that," Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, said in a statement.

The six previous "Star Wars" films were all partly filmed in the UK at famed studios including Pinewood, Elstree and Shepperton.
Disney announced three new "Star Wars" films in October 2012, when it purchased George Lucas' Lucasfilm company for $4.05 billion.
The news was welcomed by the British finance minister, George Osborne, who tweeted on Friday: "Great news for our creative industries. May the force be with us."
"Star Wars: Episode VII" will be made by director J.J. Abrams, and will further boost the British film industry that has been regenerated by the popular James Bond and Harry Potter film franchises.
The "Star Wars" franchise has grossed more than $4.4 billion at the worldwide box office since the first film was released in 1977.
"Star Wars: Episode VII' is scheduled to be released in 2015.

A bus carrying a high school girls softball team overturned

2013-05-10T22:01:00.001-07:00

School bus overturns in western Ky., students hurt

By DYLAN LOVAN

In this photo provided by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, emergency crews respond to the scene of an overturned Union County school bus on U.S. 60 at Silver Mine Road near Smithland, Ky., Friday, May 10, 2013. The bus was carrying the Union County High School girls' softball team and had 28 people aboard when it overturned. 25 of those on board were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. State Police Trooper Richie Wright said one patient was airlifted from the scene, but it was not due to serious injuries. (AP Photo/Kentucky Transportation Cabinet)
Kentucky State Police work to reconstruct the wreck of a Union County school bus on U.S. 60 at Silver Mine Road near Smithland, Ky. Friday, May 10, 2013. The bus was carrying the Union County High School girls' softball team and had 28 people aboard when it overturned. 25 of those on board were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. State Police Trooper Richie Wright said one patient was airlifted from the scene, but it was not due to serious injuries. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee)
A Union County school bus involved in wreck on U.S. 60 at Silver Mine Road near Smithland, Ky., is prepared for towing Friday, May 10, 2013. The bus was carrying the Union County High School girls' softball team and had 28 people aboard when it overturned. 25 of those on board were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. State Police Trooper Richie Wright said one patient was airlifted from the scene, but it was not due to serious injuries. (AP Photo/Stephen Lance Dennee)

SMITHLAND, Ky. (AP) — A bus carrying a high school girls softball team overturned Friday in far-western Kentucky, injuring several students.
Kentucky State Police say the school bus was carrying the Union County High School girls' softball team and had 28 people on board when the accident occurred on U.S. 60 just before 5 p.m. CDT, in Livingston County, along the Ohio River.
The bus ran off the right shoulder, then swerved to the other side of the road, rotating 180 degrees before rolling on to its side, State Police Trooper Richie Wright said Friday night.
Wright said 25 of those on board were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. One patient was airlifted from the scene, but it was not due to serious injuries, Wright said.
"When you have 25 injured, that takes a lot of resources from a lot of counties," Wright said. "By the time they had that many patients, they needed the helicopter to take one to the hospital."
Officials expressed relief that more of those on board weren't seriously injured.
"Boy, they really dodged the bullet on this one," Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official Keith Todd said.
Wright said he was unsure if a bend in the road near the crash scene caused the bus to go off the shoulder. Some passengers had to be extricated from the bus with emergency mechanical cutting tools. Four of the passengers on the bus were adults and the rest were students, Wright said.
Police were diverting traffic several miles from the scene on US 60. State police were planning to do an accident reconstruction before reopening the road to traffic Friday night.
The bus was on its way to Smithland for an evening softball game, and overturned about three miles from the city near the Illinois border. The Union County team was scheduled to play Livingston Central High School at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to its schedule on the school's website. The team's roster lists 15 players and five coaches.
Injured people from the scene were being taken to two Paducah hospitals and Livingston County Hospital, Wright said.
Emergency responders from three surrounding counties were called to the scene.
The crash happened to occur just a few days before the 25th anniversary of one of the deadliest school bus crashes in U.S. history, which happened near Carrolton, Ky., on May 14, 1988. Twenty-seven people, including many children, died in that fiery crash after a bus was struck by a drunk driver on Interstate 71.

Hysen Sherifi, 29 Sentenced to four life terms

2013-05-10T21:58:00.001-07:00

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina man was sentenced Friday to four life terms for plotting to behead federal witnesses whose testimony helped convict him for his role in an earlier plot to slaughter U.S. servicemen and their families.
Hysen Sherifi, 29, was one of six Raleigh-area Muslims convicted in 2011 of planning to attack the Marine base in Quantico, Va., and overseas targets.
Shortly after starting his 45-year prison sentence in the terror case, Sherifi approached another inmate to help him hire a hit man to behead government informants and FBI agents. He recruited his younger brother Shkumbin Sherifi, 23, and former special education teacher Nevine Aly Elshiekh, 48, to help pay the hit man and organize the murders.
But the inmate whose help Sherifi sought turned out to be yet another government informant. FBI agents then staged an elaborate sting that involved secretly videotaped meetings with a woman posing as the go-between for a fictional hit man named Treetop and doctored photos that appeared to show the corpse of a beheaded witness in a shallow grave.
Federal prosecutors recommended leniency for the two coconspirators, who pleaded guilty last year and agreed to testify at the elder Sherifi's trial on nine felony counts.
Citing their extensive cooperation, U.S. District Senior Judge Earl Britt sentenced the younger Sherifi to 3 years in prison, while Elshiekh got 3 1/2 years. They had faced as much as 10 years each.
Before Hysen Sherifi was sentenced, he lectured the judge about Islamic teachings.
"The Koran is the truth that invalidates all other religions," said Sherifi, who declined a court-appointed lawyer and represented himself at trial. "If you do not submit, he will severely judge you, and on the day of judgment you will enter hellfire."
"That it?" asked Britt, who has served more than three decades on the federal bench. The judge then tacked the four life sentences onto the end of Sherifi's earlier 45-year prison term, along with another 50 years on top of that.
"There can be no doubt Mr. Sherifi, the defendant in this case, meets the definition of a terrorist," Britt said. "He was the genesis of this conspiracy. He was the mastermind, though I'm hesitant to use that term because it affords him more credit than he is due."
Noting that the defendant was unsuccessful in killing anyone, Britt said Sherifi's worst transgression was destroying the lives of his little brother Shkumbin and Elshiekh, with whom he had carried on a romantic dalliance from behind bars.
Elshiekh, a U.S. citizen whose parents emigrated from Egypt, was a respected teacher of special-needs children who was also active as a youth leader at her Raleigh mosque.
According to court testimony, she had just undergone a painful divorce from a cheating husband when she began attending Sherifi's 2011 terrorism trial. She later began visiting him regularly in jail.
Dr. Emily Keram, a forensic psychiatrist hired by the defense, testified that Elshiekh was molested as a child by an uncle in Egypt and then trapped in an arranged marriage to a "con man" who later abandoned her to marry another woman.
Elshiekh was prescribed several psychiatric drugs that impaired her ability to reason and made her pliable to the will of others, the psychiatrist said.
At Hysen Sherifi's direction, Elshiekh gave a collection of gold jewelry given to her by her ex-husband to the younger brother, who pawned the pieces to raise the $5,000 he believed was needed to hire the hit man to execute the first victim.
Elshiekh claimed she had no idea what the money was for until she followed her paramour's direction to meet with a woman in a parked car. The woman, an informant for the FBI, showed Elshiekh a photo of one of the targeted witnesses and asked her to confirm that was the first man to be killed.
Though she then knew what the money was for, Elshiekh continued on with the plot for another 20 days until her arrest.
In her early court appearances, Elshiekh wore a headscarf and a black dress that fully covered her arms and legs. On Friday, her long hair trailed down her back and she wore western clothes.
In a tearful apology before the court on Friday, she accepted responsibility for what she had done.
"I wish I could turn back time, but I can't do that," she told the judge. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt."
Wearing shackles and a black Chicago T-shirt, Shkumbin Sherifi declined to address the judge before sentencing.
The Sherifis are ethnic Albanians who fled Kosovo in 1999 during a brutal sectarian war with Serbs and ended up as refugees in Raleigh. Though Hysen gravitated toward a militant strain of Islam, his younger siblings acclimated more readily to life in America. Shkumbin went so far as to record an amateur rap album.
Among those testifying Friday was one of the government witnesses Hysen Sherifi wanted dead. Melvin Weeks was a U.S. Army soldier serving in Kosovo after the war when he met the older Sherifi, who was visiting his grandparents.
Weeks, a Muslim, said Sherifi praised Osama bin Laden and showed him jihadist videos that included a hostage being beheaded. Though an American bombing campaign had saved the ethnic Albanians from genocide just a few years earlier, Weeks said Sherifi called for holy war against the very nation that gave his family a new home.
"In my opinion, he is a devil manifested here on Earth, walking among us," the former soldier said.

New Jersey - Gunman in house with 3 children

2013-05-10T21:55:00.001-07:00

New Jersey police: Gunman barricaded in house with 3 children

By CNN Staff

Police surround the scene where a gunman barricaded himself with three children in Trenton, New Jersey.

(CNN) -- A gunman who had barricaded himself and three children in a home in Trenton, New Jersey, on Friday was communicating with police, but the standoff continued into the night, authorities said.

"We have state police on the scene, a SWAT team and a hostage negotiator present," said Lt. Mark Kieffer of the Trenton police department. "We evacuated the surrounding blocks. And we're talking to him now."

The situation began in the afternoon, police said, but it was not immediately clear how it started or how old the children are, or their relationship to the man

Nurse saves man who fell on railway - Video

2013-05-10T06:58:00.002-07:00

Brisbane nurse saves man who fell onto railway tracks - video

A trainee nurse in Australia rescues a man who fell onto railway tracks at a Brisbane station. CCTV footage shows the 56-year-old man stumbling onto the train line as onlookers scramble to save him. Queensland Rail employee Jill Lyten put in the call to stop all rail traffic on the line, but it was a trainee nurse who climbed onto the tracks to rescue the man

Harry honors military mothers

2013-05-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

Prince Harry honors military mothers as he commences US tour

The first day of Prince Harry's US tour saw him join children at the White House ahead of Mother's Day celebrations

Prince Harry, a self confessed big kid at heart, soon joined in helping the children. Photograph: Wpa Pool/Getty Images

Prince Harry joined Michelle Obama in honoring America's military mothers today as he began his tour of the US.
Harry's first day in America saw him visit the White House for a reception with the First Lady and a group of youngsters making mementos for their "moms".
The Prince has returned to America for the first time since he sparked outrage by being photographed naked during a break in Las Vegas last year.
His visit places great emphasis on honouring the sacrifices made by UK and US troops and highlighting the efforts of those seriously wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq to rebuild their lives.
During the seven-day tour Harry will attend the Warrior Games, a Paralympic-style sporting championship for injured servicemen and women, support British interests and promote his own charities.
With Mother's Day traditionally held on the second Sunday of May in America, the children were busy making presents in President Barack Obama's official Washington home ahead of the weekend's celebrations.
Around 50 children worked in the famous building's state dining room creating goody bags for their mums filled with bouquets of roses, edible salted dough jewellery and baked crisps as Harry and Mrs Obama watched.
But the Prince, who is a self confessed big kid at heart, soon joined in helping the children.
The royal was a surprise guest whose attendance had been kept secret from the 170 invited mothers, grandmothers and children.
The White House was the memorable venue for Diana's famous dance with Hollywood star John Travolta during a gala dinner in 1985 hosted by President Ronald Reagan and attended by the Prince of Wales.
It was the Princess' first official visit to the US and the royal couple's trip sparked off "royal fever" amongst many Americans.
Mrs Obama and Dr Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, hosted the event in honour of military mothers.
It was part of their Joining Forces project, a nationwide initiative launched in 2011 to encourage Americans to support and provide opportunities for the military and their families.
Earlier Harry's support of a landmine clearance charity was praised when he visited an exhibition highlighting the organisation's vital work.
Harry made the trip to Capitol Hill in Washington to see a moving photographic display which is raising awareness about the efforts of the anti-landmine charity the Halo Trust.
Fiona Willoughby, wife of Guy Willoughby, Halo's chief executive officer, took many of the pictures on display.
Mrs Willoughby, the Trust's marketing manager, said the photographs, taken from 2009 to earlier this year, catalogued the story of landmines - showing an amputee landmine victim, Halo staff clearing ordnance and finally land free from mines being used.
Countries featured in the images include Sri Lanka, where a protracted and bloody civil war ended in 2009, southern Angola and Afghanistan.
Speaking about the Prince who is the patron of Halo's 25th anniversary appeal, Mrs Willoughby said: "Having Prince Harry attend our exhibition makes it a global issue.
"People have forgotten about it and we think Prince Harry following in his mother's footsteps is a worthy cause and will raise the profile of what we are doing.
"He's a soldier. He's been to Afghanistan so he understands landmines, he understands conflict and the landmine clearance that's needed."

Gang stole $45m from cash machines across globe

2013-05-10T06:55:00.002-07:00

Gang stole $45m from cash machines across globe in hours, say prosecutors

'Virtual criminal flash mob' used bogus swipe cards loaded with data from hacked bank databases to commit thousands of thefts

Seven people are being held in connection with a case US prosecutors describe as a 'massive 21st-century bank heist'. Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP

A gang of criminals stole $45m (£29m) in a matter of hours by hacking their way into a database of prepaid debit cards and then draining cash machines around the globe, US prosecutors have said.
Seven people were being held on Thursday in connection with the case, which prosecutors said involved thousands of thefts from machines using bogus magnetic swipe cards carrying information from Middle Eastern banks. The fraudsters moved quickly, working in cells to loot financial institutions around the world.
US attorney Loretta Lynch called it "a massive 21st-century bank heist".
One of the suspects was caught on surveillance cameras, his backpack loaded down with cash, authorities said. Others took photographs of themselves with giant wads of notes as they made their way up and down Manhattan.

Here's how it worked:

Hackers got into bank databases, eliminated withdrawal limits on prepaid debit cards and created access codes. Others loaded that data on to any plastic card with a magnetic stripe – old hotel key card or expired credit card worked fine as long as they carried the account data and correct access codes.
A network of operatives then fanned out to rapidly withdraw money in multiple cities, authorities said. The cells would take a cut of the money, then launder it through expensive purchases or ship it wholesale to the global ringleaders.
It appears no individuals lost money. The thieves plundered funds held by the banks that back up prepaid credit cards, not individual or business accounts, Lynch said.
She called it a "virtual criminal flash mob", and a security analyst said it was the biggest cash machine fraud case she had heard of.
There were two separate attacks, one in December that reaped $5m (£3.2m) worldwide and another in February that brought in about $40m in 10 hours in about 36,000 transactions. The scheme involved attacks on two banks, Rakbank in the United Arab Emirates and the Bank of Muscat in Oman, prosecutors said.
The plundered machines were in Japan, Russia, Romania, Egypt, Colombia, Britain, Sri Lanka, Canada and several other countries. Law enforcement agencies from more than a dozen countries were involved in the investigation.
The accused ringleader in the US cell, Alberto Yusi Lajud-Pena, was reportedly killed in the Dominican Republic late last month, prosecutors said.
An indictment accused him and the other seven New York suspects of withdrawing $2.8m in cash from hacked accounts in less than a day.
Such cash machine fraud schemes are not uncommon.
Some of the fault lies with the ubiquitous magnetic strips on the back of the cards. Much of the world has abandoned them in favour of chip and pin cards. But because US banks and merchants have stuck to cards with magnetic strips, they are still accepted around the world.
Lynch would not say who masterminded the attacks globally, who the hackers are or where they were located, citing an ongoing investigation.
Lajud-Pena was found dead with a suitcase full of about $100,000 in cash. Dominican officials said they arrested a man in the killing who said it was a botched robbery.

Ariel Castro may seek death penalty for kidnap suspect

2013-05-10T06:54:00.002-07:00

Ariel Castro: Ohio prosecutors may seek death penalty for kidnap suspect

Officials say they intend to pursue charges of kidnap and sexual assault, as well as aggravated murder, against 52-year-old

Prosecutors in Ohio have said they may seek the death penalty in the case of the former school bus driver accused of the kidnap and rape of three women held prisoner at his home for years.
Ariel Castro, 52, made his first court appearance on Thursday when a judge set bond at $8m. The size of the bond means he is likely to remain in jail for some time. His court-appointed lawyer said he was unemployed and had little money.
At a news conference later, county prosecutor Timothy McGinty said that his office intends to pursue charges of kidnapping and sexual assault, as well as aggravated murder, which could carry the death penalty.
The aggravated murder charges would stem from the forced miscarriages that police say were suffered by one of the women at the hands of Castro, 52, who is accused of holding them captive at his house in west Cleveland. "The law of Ohio calls for the death penalty for those most depraved criminals who commit aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping," McGinty said.
The city of Cleveland has already filed kidnapping and rape charges against Castro, who appeared briefly in a municipal court on Thursday. Castro was silent during the hearing, looking at the ground, biting his collar and signing documents with his handcuffed hands.
Brian Murphy, the assistant prosecuting attorney at Cuyahoga County, told Judge Lauren Moore that Castro's home "was a prison to these three women and the child". He added: "Today the situation is turned on him. Mr Castro stands before you a captive, in captivity, a prisoner."
Castro face threes counts of rape, relating to the women, and four counts of kidnap, which include the child. He did not enter a plea. The Guardian does not usually identify the victims of sexual assault but the names of the three women were circulated widely by family and law enforcement agencies for years during their disappearance.

Kathleen DeMetz, a public defender appointed by the court to represent Castro, said after the hearing that he would need to raise $800,000 cash to get out of jail. "The man doesn't have any money," she said. "He clearly doesn't have that."
DeMetz told the court that Castro was unemployed after being fired from his job driving school buses last November. She said he was on suicide watch in jail and was expected to be held in isolation. Police say Castro has waived his right to remain silent and has been talking extensively.
His two brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, also appeared in court on Thursday to answer outstanding warrants for separate misdemeanor cases, and were released. Prosecutors said on Wednesday that there was no evidence that either of them were involved in the crimes allegedly committed by their brother.
Investigators say Castro lured the three victims into his car at the ages of 14, 16 and 20. When they were imprisoned at his home, the women were apparently bound by ropes and chains at times and were kept in different rooms, police say. Authorities said the women, who disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, remembered leaving the confines of 2207 Seymour Avenue in west Cleveland only twice during their years in captivity. On both occasions they recalled being taken to a garage on the property, disguised in wigs and hats.
Authorities say the women had multiple forced miscarriages. McGinty said aggravated murder charges could be filed related to pregnancies terminated by force. McGinty said that Castro would be charged for every single act of sexual violence, assault and other crimes, suggesting the charges could number in the hundreds.
Grisly details of the women's ordeal have begun to emerge. Berry's baby was born in a plastic inflatable children's swimming pool on Christmas Day, 2006, authorities said. A paternity test will be conducted to determine the identity of her father. Castro has consented to a DNA test, officials said.
A police report obtained by the Plain Dealer said Castro forced another of his alleged captives, Michelle Knight, to deliver the baby and threatened to kill her if the infant did not survive. The baby stopped breathing, and Knight resuscitated the child by breathing into her, the report said.
The women and Castro have given lengthy statements to police, deputy police chief Ed Tomba said. None of the women gave any indication that Castro's two brothers, who had been in custody since Monday, were involved, Tomba said.
Police say the ordeal of Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, ended on Monday when Berry seized a chance to break free when Castro was out of the house. Berry hammered on the front door, attracting the attention of passers-by who helped her escape. She emerged with a six-year-old daughter, and made a now-famous 911 call in which she alerted the authorities.
Deborah Knight, grandmother of Michelle Knight, is hugged by a neighbour outside her home in Cleveland. Photograph: John Gress/Reuters
In newly released police audio tapes dating from Monday, an emergency dispatcher tells officer that she has just spoken to a woman who "says her name is Amanda Berry and that she had been kidnapped 10 years ago".
An officer on the recorded call says: "This might be for real." After police arrive at the house, women can be heard crying. An officer tells the dispatcher: "We found 'em. We found 'em."
Berry and DeJesus went home to relatives on Wednesday, while Knight remained in hospital at Metro Health Medical Center, where her condition was described as good. For reasons that remain unclear, the hospital had said a day earlier that all three victims had been released.
The Associated Press reported that Castro was accused of twice breaking the nose of his children's mother, knocking out a tooth, dislocating each shoulder and threatening to kill her and her daughters.
According to a 2005 domestic-violence filing in Cuyahoga County domestic relations court, Grimilda Figueroa alleged that Castro frequently abducted her daughters and kept them from her. Figueroa died in April 2012 after a battle with cancer.
Figueroa's father, Ismail Figueroa, said Wednesday that Castro would regularly lock his daughter inside a second-floor apartment in the house where they lived when they were first together. Grimilda was "not allowed to go nowhere," said Angel Villanueva, who is married to Grimilda's sister. No matter where she wanted to go, "it had to be with him."
Reuters and Associated Press in Cleveland contributed to this report

Ottavio Missoni dies aged 92

2013-05-10T06:52:00.001-07:00

Ottavio Missoni dies aged 92

Co-founder of Missoni fashion company, famous for zigzag-patterned knitwear, dies 'serenely' at home in Sumirago, Italy

Ottavio Missoni with his granddaughter Margherita Missoni. Photograph: Rex Features

The Italian fashion company Missoni says its co-founder Ottavio Missoni has died at 92.
Missoni founded the fashion brand known for zigzag-patterned knitwear with his wife, Rosita, in 1953. The Missonis are a family fashion dynasty, with the couple's children and their offspring involved in expanding the brand.
Tragedy struck the family earlier this year when the fashion patriarch's eldest child, the company chief executive, Vittorio Missoni, 58, disappeared with his wife and four others while flying in a small plane during a vacation to a Venezuelan island.
Missoni gave no cause of death for the patriarch, saying only that Ottavio had "passed away serenely" in his home in the town of Sumirago on Thursday.

Apply now to Live on Mars

2013-05-10T06:49:00.003-07:00

A one-way ticket to Mars, apply now

By Ben Brumfield and Elizabeth Landau, CNN

Would you take a one-way trip to Mars?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Mars One wants to fly people to Mars and leave them there to live
Every two years, a new crew would join them
There is no return flight; you die there
Some of it is media hype, but some is not, a source says

(CNN) -- Step right up and prove why you should get a one-way ticket to Mars! Well, wait -- you might want to know a little more about the venture first.

A Dutch company called Mars One began looking Monday for volunteer astronauts to fly to Mars. Departure for the Red Planet is scheduled for 2022, landing seven months later in 2023.

The space travelers will return ... never. They will finish out their lives on Mars, representatives from the nonprofit said.

"It's likely that there will be a crematorium," said CEO Bas Lansdorp. "It's up to the people on Mars to decide what to do with their dead."

Still, the company said it has received more than 10,000 e-mails from interested would-be spacefarers.

Mars applicants apply here

The one-way ticket makes the mission possible because it greatly reduces costs, and the technology for a return flight doesn't exist, according to Mars One's website. At a news conference, Lansdorp maintained that "no new inventions are needed to land humans on Mars."

NASA: Yes, Mars could have hosted life

The biggest obstacles, he said, are financial. The company has revealed some of its sponsors and hopes to gain more via media coverage. It's not clear whether enough money will be collected in time.

There are also practical issues: Can the kinks in having a sustainable system for people to survive in such a harsh environment be worked out by 2023?

"Questions of reliability and robustness have to be answered before we leave Earth," said Grant Anderson of Paragon Space Development Corporation, which builds life-support systems and is joining the Mars One effort.

Anyone may apply, for a fee

The company announced a casting call for candidates at a news conference in New York City.

Anyone 18 or older may apply via video but there is an application fee -- $38 for U.S. applicants. The money will fund the mission.

Mars One wants to build a colony that will be able to grow with an ever-expanding crew. The group has a plan for testing the technology that would transport people and things.

The group wants to launch a supply mission that will land on Mars as soon as October 2016. A "settlement rover" will land in 2018.

The landing systems will be tested a total of eight times before they're used to transport humans, which Lansdorp says would make this "much safer than moon missions."

The colony's budget comes in at "about $6 billion," Lansdorp said. "The $6 billion is for the first crew that goes there."

By comparison, NASA's rover Curiosity, the most advanced and biggest robot to ever traverse Mars, is a $2.5 billion mission.

Where exactly the $6 billion will go remains a mystery. Lansdorp said he didn't want to release an itemized budget because of competition.

Mars One intends for a second crew to join the first one in 2025, and more will follow regularly. Each flight will carry two men and two women, so reproduction on Mars would be feasible but not intended.

"We will certainly not send couples," Lansdorp said.

At the news conference, Lansdorp said he'd like to go to Mars himself, but he isn't because his girlfriend won't come along.

"I have a really nice girlfriend, and she doesn't want to come with me, so I'm staying right here."

501 days in space with your spouse: Could you handle it?

Are they for real?

The idea of starting a colony on Mars in 10 years seems so out of this world that CNN contacted one of the mission's potential suppliers to check on Mars One's credibility.

"I don't think they deserve to be dismissed," said a spokesman for an aerospace company that contracted for NASA's current Mars mission.

The spokesman did not want his company named because he didn't want to damage the company's relationship with Mars One, but he felt he should talk to CNN to help put the Dutch start-up into perspective for a news audience, he said.

With space opening up to the private sector, many companies large and small are trying to get in on the game, he said. Mars One's idea is one of the most audacious ones.

Strange, dangerous mission

As far as getting to Mars, Lansdorp said his organization is in discussions with SpaceX, the company that has now completed two commercial cargo missions to the International Space Station. The idea would be to use a slightly enlarged version of the Dragon capsule and land with retro-propulsion, not by parachute.

If they get there, Mars astronauts will face a lonely life of danger, subsisting for extended periods on dried and canned food. They will get some of their water by recycling their urine.

They will have to take care of sickness and injuries themselves.

"There will be emergencies and deaths," Lansdorp said. "We need to make sure that crew members can continue without those people."

Mars astronauts will have to be mentally fit to deal with the unusual stresses, he said.

"Their psychological skills will be the main selection criteria we will use," he said.

Once selected, a group of 40 astronauts will undergo seven years of training.

The flight to Earth's neighbor, with its barren red desert landscape and thin carbon dioxide atmosphere, sounds almost worse than a lifetime on it. The crew of four will be cooped up on a rocket for seven months with a limited supply of food and water.

It also might smell bad.

"Showering with water will not be an option," according to Mars One's website.

Mars, the greatest show on Earth

Mars One plans to fund the mission partly from the sale of technology developed during the mission, Lansdorp said. It will share it with potential suppliers, which Mars One lists on its website.

Media coverage will provide the main funding for the mission, Mars One said. Publicity is key, and the media event begins now with the casting of the astronauts.

"Not unlike the televised events of the Olympic Games, Mars One intends to maintain an ongoing, global media event, from astronaut selection to training, from liftoff to landing," it says.

How much money will that yield? It's tough to say, but the NCAA projects it will take in $700 million for television broadcast rights for its 2013 college sporting events.

Lansdorp said that after consulting with media experts and ad agencies, he's confident life on Mars will remain a hit for decades on Earth and will be able to weather any financial crisis or war on Earth.

"If humans land on Mars, everyone will want to watch," he said. "It will be bigger than the Olympic Games."

If all goes well, Earthling television viewers can look forward to a decades-long reality show, though Lansdorp said the astronauts will be allowed to turn the cameras off at times.

It's not just about the hype

The spokesman for the aerospace company credits Mars One for creating a media spectacle and marrying it to technology.

"They very aggressively seem to be pursuing the reality-TV angle," he said.

It has gotten the small company to a stage that it can begin feasibility studies with aerospace companies, he said. It's also allowing scientists to work on ideas they otherwise might not have been able to pursue.

"It may fund development that would otherwise not get funded," he said.

The aerospace spokesman is hopeful Lansdorp and his team may one day say, "Mission accomplished." Even if they don't, though, they will likely reach other milestones.

"We can't predict how far they'll get," he said.

If the mission flops, Lansdorp has ideas about what the nonprofit would do with any leftover money: Donate it to organizations that support space travel, such as the Planetary Society.

You might be thinking that $6 billion would be better spent on Earth, but Lansdorp says the money won't mean much on our planet.

Besides, he said, "I don't have a business case to solve the problems on Earth. I have a really good business case to get humans to Mars."

Reese Whiterspoon pays $213 fine - Arrest Video goes Public

2013-05-10T06:47:00.001-07:00

Witherspoon pays $213 fine as arrest video goes public

By Chuck Johnston and Jason Hanna, CNN

Witherspoon spars with arresting officer

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Oscar-winning actress pleads no contest to charge of physical obstruction
Police release video of arrest; "You better not arrest me," actress says in video
Witherspoon was arrested April 19, accused of interfering with husband's DUI arrest in Atlanta
Husband pleads guilty to DUI, gets probation, court official says

Atlanta (CNN) -- Reese Witherspoon's legal trouble over a spat with a Georgia state trooper has been settled with a fine, though a newly released video of the arrest -- with lines such as "you better not arrest me; are you kidding me?" -- is giving it fresh attention.

The Oscar-winning actress, accused of interfering with the drunken driving arrest of her husband last month in Atlanta, pleaded no contest Thursday to a charge of physical obstruction of another and has paid a $213 fine, according to Municipal Court of Atlanta Administrator Christopher Patterson.

Her husband, James Toth, pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of driving under the influence and has been placed on 12 months of probation, Patterson said. Their pleas were entered in the Atlanta court by the couple's attorneys.

Terms of Toth's probation weren't immediately available. Patterson said the pleas resolve both cases.

The pleas came on the day that TMZ.com posted part of a video from a police dashboard camera showing Witherspoon arguing with the trooper who was arresting the couple. CNN later obtained the video from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Witherspoon spars with arresting officer

Witherspoon -- who was in Atlanta working on a movie called "The Good Lie" -- and Toth were arrested on April 19 when a Georgia state trooper stopped Toth after seeing him weave in and out of a lane as he drove, police said.

Reese: My behavior was 'unacceptable'

The video shows the trooper, while testing Toth for DUI for more than 10 minutes, asking Witherspoon several times to stay in the car. Early in the process, she said: "I'm pregnant and I need to use the (restroom)."

"I need you to get back in the car, and there ain't no way to use it out here," the trooper responds. "If I tell you again, I'm going to arrest you."

Later, the video shows that the trooper, while giving Toth a breath test, breaks away to address Witherspoon again: "Ma'am, sit on your butt and be quiet."

It's unclear on the video what was said next, though the trooper wrote in a police report that Witherspoon at one point began to "hang out the window and say that she did not believe that I was a real police officer."

Then, as the trooper begins to arrest Toth, the video shows, Witherspoon approaches them.

"Ma'am, what did I just tell you to do?" the trooper asks in the video.

"I am a U.S. citizen. I am allowed to stand on American ground and ask any question I want to ask," Witherspoon says.

The trooper then handcuffs her as Toth tries to calm her.

"You better not arrest me. Are you kidding me?" Witherspoon says. "I'm an American citizen. This is beyond. ... You're harassing me as an American citizen. I have done nothing against the law. ... I have to obey your orders? No sir, I do not."

Witherspoon continues, "Do you know my name, sir? ... You're about to find out who I am."

A breath test on Toth registered 0.139, above the legal limit of 0.08 for a driving under the influence charge, the report said.

After canceling TV appearances following her arrest, the 37-year-old actress told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday that she was sorry and that she was "so disrespectful" to the officer.

"We went out to dinner in Atlanta, and we had one too many glasses of wine, and we thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not," she said. "It's completely unacceptable, and we are so sorry and embarrassed. We know better, and we shouldn't have done that."

Witherspoon said that despite what she told the trooper, she's not pregnant.

"I said crazy things. ... I had no idea what I was talking about," she told "Good Morning America's" George Stephanopolous.

"When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you stay in the car. I learned that for sure," she told Stephanopolous, laughing. "I think I've played a lawyer in a movie so many times I think I am a lawyer, and clearly I'm not a lawyer, because I got arrested. So yeah, I learned a lot."

Witherspoon won the best actress Oscar for the 2005 movie "Walk the Line."

Paranoid Michael Jackson was talking to himself in last days

2013-05-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Michale Jackson was paranoid, talking to himself in last days

By Alan Duke, CNN

The death in 2009 of superstar Michael Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest at the age of 50, sent shockwaves around the world.

Michael Jackson, King of Pop

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Michael Jackson appeared paranoid, repeating himself and shivering from chills in his final days, his longtime makeup artist testified Thursday.

"This was not the man I knew," Karen Faye testified. "He was acting like a person I didn't recognize."

Faye, who did Jackson's makeup and hair for 27 years, was the sixth witness called by lawyers for Michael Jackson's mother and children in their wrongful death lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live. She testified Thursday and will return to the stand Friday in a Los Angeles courtroom.

The Jacksons contend that AEG Live is liable in the pop icon's June 25, 2009, death from an overdose of a surgical anesthetic because it negligently hired, retained or supervised the doctor treating him.

Michael Jackson's brightest and darkest moments brought laughter and tears as Faye testified.

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His last days

Faye, who traveled with Jackson on his "Bad," "Dangerous" and "History" tours, said she was concerned when she first saw the schedule for Jackson's 50 "This Is It" shows at London's O2 arena.

"On looking at that, I said, 'He can't do this,'" Faye testified. "The shows are far too close together. I knew what he needed between shows. I thought he might last a week."

When she raised the matter with show director Kenny Ortega, "he kind of fluffed it off," she said.

"Michael's adrenaline and what it takes for him to perform with that much effort and what he himself puts into a show, he needed a lot more time to at least get some rest and sleep, and to be healthy and maintain that kind of longevity," she said.

He was "very upbeat, but he was on the thin side" when she saw him in April as preparations for the start of the shows in July were under way, she said. "I thought he had plenty of time to put on some body mass and muscle mass."

Jackson appeared "very, very excited" in early production meetings, but "the first time he actually got up on stage and rehearsed, I saw the change in him."

"The turning point was when he had to get up on stage and actually start performing," she said.

Jackson hated live performances, she said. "It was just too hard on him."

Eventually, "they had to make him rehearse," she said. "They're insisting to the point of going to his home."

In Jackson's last days, Faye was pressured to ignore what Jackson told her to do and instead take her direction from Randy Phillips, AEG's CEO, she testified. She once was ordered to put Jackson on stage and place his earpiece in when he did not want it, she said.

"I was supposed to exhibit tough love" and not listen to what Jackson was telling her to do, Faye testified.

At one point, Jackson locked himself in a bathroom at his home, refusing to leave for rehearsals at the Forum. AEG Live Co-CEO Paul Gongaware, who was in charge of the production, was "angry and kind of desperate to get Michael to the Forum," she said.

She overheard a phone call in which Gongaware was telling Jackson's security guard "to get him out of the bathroom. Do you have a key? Do whatever it takes," she said Gongaware screamed.

At a rehearsal in mid-June, Jackson was "very stoic" and seem "frightened." He was talking to himself, she said. "When I was around, he was repeating himself an awful lot, saying the same thing over and over again."

"He kept repeating, 'why can't I choose,' it was one of the things he repeated over and over again," she said.

A show producer testified Wednesday that Jackson told Ortega "God keeps talking to me."

Faye said she suggested to Ortega that a psychologist should be brought in to assess Jackson.

Faye, who had to touch Jackson when she put on his makeup, said it was "like I was touching ice." At one rehearsal, she covered him with blankets and put a space heater next to him, she said.

"I've never seen him so emaciated," she said.

Faye said she raised her concerns once in June with Phillips. He told her, "Yeah, this is bad. It's not so good. I had to scrape Michael off the floor in London at the announcement because he was so drunk," she said.

Faye testified that Phillips told her at Jackson's funeral that "he tried to do everything he could."

Did she believe him, asked Jackson lawyer Brian Panish.

"Sir, Michael Jackson is lying in a casket only a few feet away from me," she said. "I had no words to respond. That's not everything you can do."

The dark days

Michael Jackson endured pain for years caused by head burns suffered while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984 and a back injury from an onstage mishap during a concert in Munich, Germany, she said.

Faye, who witnessed both incidents, described them.

"His hair caught fire, but he kept dancing," she said, as jurors watched the infamous video of pyrotechnics igniting Jackson's head as he danced down stairs on a stage. "I was screaming and Miko (Brando) got through somehow and had to wrestle him to the ground, because he had no idea he was on fire. Miko put the fire out with his hand."

The fire burned off a section of hair, which doctors tried to repair with surgery to stretch his scalp, she said. Jackson suffered migraine headaches after that, she said.

Later, a bridge suspended above a stage collapsed as Jackson danced on top of it during a show in Munich, she said.

"When I saw what happened, I thought he could be dead," Faye testified. But Jackson held onto his microphone, stood up and finished the song. "He said 'I can't disappoint the audience,'" she said. So he finished the show finale but collapsed in the dressing room when it was over, she said.

"He suffered back pain from that moment on," she said.

Along with the pain, Jackson had trouble sleeping on tour.

Jackson "was so buzzed by his own adrenaline after a show" it would "take him 24 hours to relax his body and, sometimes it would take two days to be able to sleep," said Faye.

"As the tour went on, shows got closer and closer, and he would have trouble sleeping," she said. "It would start out OK, but it would get worse and worse. He tried to find ways to deal with it."

Dealing with it involved a series of doctors, she said.

"Michael always believed that a doctor had his best interest at heart," Faye said. "He believed if he got something through a doctor that it was safe and OK for him to use it."

Faye testified that nurse Debbie Rowe, who would later become Jackson's second wife and the mother of his two oldest children, would travel with them on the "Dangerous" tour in 1992 with "a little bag" of medications.

"Debbie Rowe asked me to learn how to give injections," she said. "I thought about it and said 'No.' I am not qualified to handle any kind of medications."

When the tour was on its way to Bangkok, Thailand, Faye was asked to carry a package she was told contained medicine patches for Jackson's pain, she testified. She refused to travel with it, she said.

Faye testified that the tour doctor, Dr. Stuart Finkelstein, later told her "I'm glad you weren't carrying it. It has vials and syringes. If you had brought this in, you might not be here." The implication was she could have been arrested for smuggling drugs.

Gongaware, now the Co-CEO of AEG Live, was in charge of logistics for the "Dangerous" tour and was involved in the incident, Faye said.

Finkelstein used "a balance of medications strong enough to overcome Michael's pain," Faye said.

Later in the tour in Singapore, Jackson stumbled into his dressing room before a show, she said. "He was having a very hard time walking," she said. "He was glazed over. He fell over a tree."

She told the tour doctor, whom she identified as Dr. David Forecast, that "Michael can't go on."

His show opened with him being thrust onto the stage by a "toaster," which requires him to "curl up and be shot up" from a small enclosure under the stage, she said.

"His arm could be severed," Faye said. "I feared for his safety, I feared for his life. I told Dr. Forecast, 'You can't make him go out. You can't take him.' And he said, 'Yes, I can.'"

The doctor "backed me up against the wall and put his hands around my neck and said 'You don't know what your doing,'" she testified. "I nearly fainted, and he grabbed Michael and took him to the stage."

The show, however, was eventually canceled, she said.

"Michael was under a lot of stress at that time because that's when the first child allegations were made public," Faye said. "Michael had to go on stage every night knowing that the whole world thought he was a pedophile. He had to stand up in front of all these audiences with the physical pain that he had and knowing that everybody in that audience is thinking that he was the vilest pedophile on earth. To this day I don't know how he did that."

The tour ended early when it reached Mexico City "because everybody knew Michael had a problem," she said. Elizabeth Taylor came down to Mexico to get Jackson, and "we all went home."

Faye later flew to England to join Michael at a rehab facility, which she described as a beautiful country home.

Michael's brighter days

Before Faye's darker testimony began, the courtroom was unusually relaxed with smiles and laughs throughout the jury box.

It started when Jackson lawyer Panish asked her "What is a makeup and hair artist?"

"Makeup and hair!" Faye responded, triggering loud laughter from jurors.

"Can you help me?" Panish joked.

Panish had Faye read to the jury the dedication note from the "Thriller" album: "This album is lovingly dedicated to Katherine Jackson."

Faye and Jackson became "very close" starting in the early 1980s, she said. "It was almost like a brother and sister relationship. If I was having trouble, I could call him and he could call me. You talk, you share, you become very close and imagine that over 27 years."

Jurors viewed a series of photos of Faye and Jackson together through the years, including one taken in January 1996, the day after Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Jackson.

Jackson was upset because just before filing, Presley called him and begged him not to file for divorce, she said.

"She begged and begged, saying please don't file," Faye said. Jackson promised not to file, only to see "the next morning it was all over the press that she filed before him." The photo of Jackson out with Faye "was to give the press something to talk about" with Faye being "the mysterious blonde."

Jurors watched several videos that showed Jackson's talent and impact, a sharp contrast to all of the testimony about drug addiction and death.

They viewed several minutes of Jackson's "Thriller," which Faye pointed out was a short film, not just a music video.

Part of Jackson's 1993 Super Bowl halftime show was viewed, including his rendition of "We Are the World." "It was a very big deal, sir," Faye said. "I think it started the trend of having a big artist at the Super Bowl."

A clip from a Jackson concert in Bucharest, Romania, showed jurors how fanatical his fans were, dozens of them fainting as he sang "Man In the Mirror."

When his 1995 MTV awards performance was shown, Faye noted, "He can moonwalk in a circle."

Jackson's stamina during a show was remarkable, she said. "Some dancers would pass out, but Michael would be fine. He was able to do it."

Faye's testimony took all day Thursday and was set to resume Friday morning.

Alex Ferguson announced his Retirement

2013-05-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

Alex Ferguson has announced he is retiring at the end of this season, having won his 13th English Premier League title in more than 26 years as manager of Manchester United.

London (CNN) -- English soccer's most successful manager -- Manchester United's Alex Ferguson -- is retiring at the end of the season after more than a quarter of a century at the helm, the club announced Wednesday.

The 71-year-old Scot has managed the English club, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and loved by millions of fans around the world, from Manchester to Manila and Montreal, since 1986.

During his 26 years in charge, Ferguson -- a supporter of Britain's Labour Party who's renowned for dressing down players with the "hairdryer treatment" -- has won more than 30 trophies, including 13 league championships.

Many fans took to Twitter to voice their appreciation, using the handle #thankyousiralex. He became Sir Alex when knighted by the queen more than a decade ago for his services to the game.

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As well as dominating on the pitch, Ferguson has helped build the century-old soccer club into a huge business operation whose progress is followed on stock exchanges around the world.

Its shares dipped nearly 5% in early trading Wednesday.

The Old Trafford club is owned by the American Glazer family, who oversaw the club's listing on the New York Stock Exchange last August.

For the 2011-2012 season, United increased revenues by £14.2 million to £117.6 million ($182.4), the highest of any club in the Premier League.

But it lost the top spot as the world's most valuable sports franchise in this year's Forbes list to Spanish soccer club Real Madrid. Forbes valued Manchester United at $3.17 billion, still ahead of Barcelona, another Spanish soccer club, and two U.S. outfits, the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball and the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.

Ferguson will bow out after the club's last game of the season, an away match against West Bromwich Albion, on May 19, according to a statement from Manchester United.

Watch: Alex Ferguson's legacy

Before then he will have one more home game for the "Red Devils" at Old Trafford on Sunday, against Swansea City.

'A bright future'

It's not clear who the club will choose to replace him. Ferguson will join the club's board as a director and "ambassador," Manchester United said.

"The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time," Ferguson said.

"It was important to me to leave an organization in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so."

The quality of the team, the balance of the players' ages and its upcoming youth squad will contribute to its continued "success at the highest level" and "ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one," he said.

Seven moments that defined Ferguson's managerial career

Ferguson paid tribute to the club's "players and staff, past and present," thanking them "for a staggering level of professional conduct and dedication that has helped to deliver so many memorable triumphs. Without their contribution the history of this great club would not be as rich."

He also expressed gratitude to his own family, the Glazer family, and the club's many supporters, at home and abroad.

"Alex has proven time and time again what a fantastic manager he is but he's also a wonderful person. His determination to succeed and dedication to the club have been truly remarkable," Joel Glazer said.

The club also quotes former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson as saying Ferguson is the "greatest there has ever been."

Alex Ferguson's Man U trophies collection
Premier League: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013
FA Cup: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004
League Cup: 1992, 2006, 2009, 2010
Champions League: 1999, 2008
Cup Winners Cup: 1991
Fifa Club World Cup: 2008
Uefa Super Cup: 1991
Inter-Continental Cup: 1999
FA Charity/Community Shield: 1990 (shared), 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011

'Extraordinary success'

Gavin Hamilton, editor of World Soccer magazine, told CNN he considers Ferguson to be unsurpassed as a manager in his time.

"In the modern era, where's he's dealt with the players on huge salaries and the corporate world that is now football, he has had extraordinary success," he said.

"He's tough and uncompromising and, I think, completely dedicated to being a winner."

Whoever takes over at Old Trafford has a hard act to follow, Hamilton said -- but Manchester United will have been planning carefully for this moment.

"There will definitely be someone in place, I think -- the big question now is who that person will be because it's been kept a secret from everyone until now," Hamilton said.

Whoever it will be has a daunting, if exciting, prospect ahead.

"It's the largest football club in the world, it's the biggest management job in the world, and on top of that is the task of following the most successful manager in the club's history," Hamilton said.

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Bookmakers are already taking bets on who will fill Ferguson's shoes.

Names at the top of the list include Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, formerly of Chelsea and currently at Real Madrid, and Everton manager David Moyes.

Other names in the mix include Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp, Michael Laudrup of Swansea City and former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, currently managing Norwegian team Molde.

Health concerns?

Fans' thoughts are bound to turn quickly to the 2013-2014 season, starting in September, as Manchester United prepares to defend its domestic title and attempts another win in Europe.

As recently as last week, Ferguson suggested that he was fully involved in those future plans, promising the club would be "competitive" in the summer transfer market.

Speaking to Inside United, the club's official magazine, Ferguson said: "Hopefully the players we bring into the club in the next year or so will be of the quality we need."

Manchester United coasted to this year's English Premier League title with a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in April, with four games in hand.

Ferguson is due to undergo hip surgery this summer, according to UK media reports, but it's not clear how much of a role health concerns have played in his decision to stand down.

"I think retirement's for young people because you can do something else. When you get to my age, if your health is good, you like to work," he told CNN in a 2010 interview.

Sports writer Mihir Bose said he was surprised by the timing of Ferguson's decision, despite his upcoming surgery, saying he had expected him to carry on as manager for another couple of years.

Ferguson -- who is seen as a kind of father figure by some of the young players he developed -- has "that ability to reach out to people," said Bose, but he is also a skilled political operator.

"He could be delightful but he was a man who made sure that he controlled the agenda," he told CNN. "If you crossed his path he made it very clear that he controlled everything at Manchester United."

Those who got the famous "hairdryer treatment" -- loud shouting directly in someone's face -- included many sports journalists over the years. Ferguson would also refuse to speak to reporters if he didn't like what they said.

Despite that thorny relationship, Ferguson will be remembered as an iconic figure in English football history, said Bose. The big challenge now is how Manchester United will manage the transition to ensure continued success, he added.

'A sad day'

Former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel told CNN he was still trying to make sense of the news.

"It is a sad day. I'm shocked, I'm sad, I'm disappointed. It's a day I think everyone who loves Manchester United, everyone who's worked with Sir Alex -- it's a day that we've been expecting, but I have to be honest I didn't think it would be now -- I thought it would be a couple of years down the line."

Schmeichel said he was certain that Ferguson had not been forced out but had made the decision himself, given his record of success and changes already happening on the club's board this summer.

He paid tribute to Ferguson's knowledge, skills and philosophy as a manager, particularly his ability to bring on young players.

Internationally known footballers like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt were all created by Ferguson, Schmeichel said.

"He is the best manager in the world and he's the best guy as well. He's a really good friend as well."

Ferguson's talent has been in managing players individually rather than as a group, Schmeichel said.

"The end result is that everyone plays really well for the team," Schmeichel said. "Yes, he can be hard, he can be tough. ... In a way he becomes your second dad. He has to educate you in life, he has to prepare you for what comes next in life after football."

'Vision, energy, ability'

David Gill, who will step down as chief executive of Manchester United in June, said it had been a "tremendous pleasure" to work alongside Ferguson over the past 16 years.

"We knew that his retirement would come one day and we both have been planning for it by ensuring the quality of the squad and club structures are in first class condition," he said.

"Alex's vision, energy and ability have built teams -- both on and off the pitch -- that his successor can count on as among the best and most loyal in world sport."

Ferguson began his career on the soccer pitch, playing for Scottish clubs Queen's Park, St. Johnstone, Dunfermline, Glasgow Rangers, Falkirk and Ayr United.

But it was when he returned to the game as a manager, working at East Stirlingshire, St. Mirren and then Aberdeen that people really began to take notice.

He led Aberdeen to three Scottish titles, four Scottish cups, one League Cup and one European Cup Winners' Cup before moving to Manchester United in November 1986 following the dismissal of former manager Ron Atkinson.

It didn't take long for the Scotsman to start turning things round at a club that was then near the bottom of the league.

Since then, Ferguson has dominated the English game -- his string of victories making him, according to the Manchester United website, "the most successful manager in British football history."

CNN's Alex Thomas and Patrick Sung contributed to this report.

7 Dies as Cargo Ship hits Tower

2013-05-08T23:15:00.003-07:00

7 dead after cargo ship crash in Italy

By CNN Staff

Rescue workers inspect the scene of a damaged control tower in the port of Genoa on May 8, 2013.

At least seven people were killed and four others were hospitalized after a cargo ship smashed into a maritime traffic control tower in the Italian city of Genoa, the Italian Fire Brigade said Wednesday.

Genoa Port Authority personnel were inside the 51-meter-high structure when the crash took place, the Italian Fire Brigade said.

Two people were missing as emergency responders undertook rescue operations in the rubble of the collapsed tower, the brigade said.

35 Year old Father commit suicide after accidentally shooting his daughter

2013-05-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—A 35-year-old farmer was so distressed after accidentally shooting his 15-year-old daughter dead he decided to commit suicide, police said.
Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao police command, said Jerry Bulatoc was cleaning his 12-gauge shotgun in his house in Barangay Datagan in Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur, around 3:30 p.m. on May 1 when the gun suddenly went off.
His daughter, Michelle, who was sitting nearby was hit and died instantly, Huesca said, citing an investigation report.
“While inside their residence, the suspect accidentally fired his homemade shotgun and hit his daughter on the head, resulting in her instant death,” he said, adding that “it was an accidental fire.”
Huesca said that as soon as Bulatoc realized he had just killed his daughter, the farmer placed the gun’s barrel just below his jaw and pulled the trigger.
He said Bulatoc died instantly.
Huesca said what investigators were trying to determine now was how and why Bulatoc acquired the weapon.

51-year-old grandmother won 40 Million in Lotto

2013-05-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- Let's pretend you just won $40 million. Do you sprint up and down the street "like a crazy woman"? Break into a "happy dance," while holding your oversized lottery check? Celebrate by chowing down at a Chinese buffet with your family?

If you're Maria Carreiro, the answer is all of the above -- and then some.

The 51-year-old grandmother couldn't contain her excitement, when she talked to, sang to and danced for reporters on Monday after her big, big win.

"Thank you Lord, thank you Lord!" sang the ebullient, dancing Carreiro.

She thought she won 40K, but it's 40M!

The Portuguese immigrant bought the ticket last Friday at Variety and Video, a store in Toronto, according to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. It was a bit of a splurge, because she didn't "have a lot of spending money," but it was one that would change her life forever.

After an initial check on Saturday morning, she excitedly told her daughter that she had won $40,000.

"Then ... she checked on the computer," Carreiro recalled. "She said, 'Mommy, you're $40 million richer.' "

What followed was pure joy.

"So I ran down the street like a crazy woman and checked the lottery ticket, and it said $40 million," she said of the winning ticket, which works out to about $39.4 million U.S. dollars.

"And then I go, 'Oh my god!' And I ran back up the street, home. And then I go, 'I need a glass of water,' " added an ever-smiling Carreiro, stirring laughter from the press corps.

For years, she worked in factories. Beyond that, many of her days have been spent caring for her children and grandchildren.

Now, the time has come to take care of all of them and herself.

That includes the honeymoon she never had, in Hawaii, with her husband, who at first didn't believe they'd struck it rich but has since quit his job. Carreiro said she also plans on using the money to buy a house "for my daughters and me." (But first, she said, the family enjoyed an all-you-can-eat meal at a Chinese restaurant.)

While there's no hiding their joy, her family is still coming to grips with their new, much richer reality -- after years of hard work, sacrifice and doing what they could to get by.

"It still hasn't sunk in," said Carreiro's daughter Manuela, her eyes welling with tears. "My dad works so hard, and we've been struggling so much ... $40 million is so much money."

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Fake Nuns arrested in Colombia Drug Bust

2013-05-08T23:10:00.003-07:00

(CNN) -- Three women, pretending to be nuns, were arrested in Colombia recently and are accused of hiding cocaine in their habits.

The women, 20, 32 and 37, donning the fake habits, tried to sneak through Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San Andres Sunday after arriving from Bogota, according to Colombia's national police.

Each woman carried two kilos of cocaine underneath the clothes, according to a police statement.

Video recorded by police show the women nervous and crying while being interviewed. Later, somehow the women lost their habits as video footage show them being led to police cars wearing street clothes.

The women face charges of trafficking, manufacturing and the bearing of narcotics, police said.

The drugs the women were smuggling would be distributed in more than 60 thousand doses, police said.

San Andres is a Caribbean island which belongs to Colombia. Colombia in recent years has made strides against drug cartels, but the country remains a top supplier of cocaine to illicit markets.

Death Toll 900 after a factory collapsed in Bangladesh

2013-05-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

(CNN) -- More than two weeks
(CNN) -- More than two weeks after a factory collapsed in Bangladesh, trapping workers in a mangled concrete heap, the death toll has surpassed 900.

Authorities pulled more bodies from the rubble, bringing the number of people killed to 912 , officials said Thursday. The April 24 collapse occurred in Savar, a suburb of the capital, Dhaka.

Rescue workers saved more than 2,400 people in the aftermath of the collapse, but have focused on using heavy machinery to uncover bodies buried beneath the ruins.

Bangladesh reaches grim milestone

Trade rules and cheap Bangladesh clothes

The building, which housed five factories full of garment workers, caved in, burying hundreds of people in a heap of concrete.

It is the South Asian nation's deadliest industrial disaster.

The owners of the building and the factories are under investigation over accusations they ordered workers to enter the premises on the day of the collapse despite cracks in the structure the day before.

Bangladesh's $20 billion garment industry accounts for 77% of the country's exports.

Among those caught up in the finger-pointing after the building collapse disaster are Western retailers and clothing brands that Bangladeshi suppliers say put heavy pressure on prices, resulting in bad pay and conditions for workers.

, trapping workers in a mangled concrete heap, the death toll has surpassed 900.

Authorities pulled more bodies from the rubble, bringing the number of people killed to 912 , officials said Thursday. The April 24 collapse occurred in Savar, a suburb of the capital, Dhaka.

Rescue workers saved more than 2,400 people in the aftermath of the collapse, but have focused on using heavy machinery to uncover bodies buried beneath the ruins.

Bangladesh reaches grim milestone

Trade rules and cheap Bangladesh clothes

The building, which housed five factories full of garment workers, caved in, burying hundreds of people in a heap of concrete.

It is the South Asian nation's deadliest industrial disaster.

Bangladesh's $20 billion garment industry accounts for 77% of the country's exports.

Missing Cleveland Girls found after being missing for nearly a decade

2013-05-08T00:48:00.000-07:00

Police visited home where three kidnapped girls were held in 2004... but left when no one answered the door

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight kidnapped in Cleveland
They all disappeared from the same block between 2002 and 2004
Police knocked on the door of the home in 2004 as part of a child services' investigation
Women found on Monday after Miss Berry escaped and raised the alarm
Ariel Castro, 52, and his brothers arrested on suspicion of kidnapping

Police knocked on the door of the home where three missing girls were held captive for a decade - but left when no one answered, it was revealed today.
Officers visited the home on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio in 2004 as part of a child services' investigation.
Police had been alerted to the man living at the home, Ariel Castro, now a suspect in the abduction, after he inadvertently left a boy at a bus depot while working as a school bus driver. No criminal charges were brought and no follow-up inquiries made.
Amanda Berry, 26, and Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32, escaped the home on Monday night, where it is believed they had been chained for ten years.
Questions will now be asked as to how police and federal investigators failed to find the girls who remained undetected at the home just three miles from the block where they all went missing.

Alive: All three were found safe on Monday night after AmandaBerry bolted from a home on Seymour Avenue, about three miles from where they were last seen

This map shows the block, Lorain Avenue, in Cleveland where the three girls went missing, years apart. They were found Monday on Seymour Avenue, approximately three miles from where they were abducted

Ariel Castro has lived in the house since 1992. His two brothers - Pedro, 54, and O'Neal, 50, - do not live at the home but were arrested in connection with the three abductions.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson also told a news conference on Tuesday that police responded to the west side home in 2000 following a disturbance in the street.
Authorities said that public records show no complaints or building violations at the Seymour Avenue home. There is also no record of any emergency service or fire department calls.
On Tuesday, Cleveland Police said: 'Every single lead was followed up on no matter how small. We dug up yards, canvassed neighborhoods. [The] real hero is Amanda Berry.'
Until now the search for the missing women had been fruitless, a series of false leads and bitter disappointment for the desperate families.

Last July, an empty lot on the west side of Cleveland was excavated for the body of Amanda Berry by forensic crews working on a tip from a convict.
The small lot on West 30th Street and Wade Avenue - which is two blocks from the Seymour Avenue home where the women were held - turned up nothing.
At the time, a local resident named Pedro Castro told Fox 8 that the search was 'a waste of money'.
Michelle Knight, who was 20 years old when she went missing in August 2002, was last seen at a cousin's house near West 106th Street and Lorain Avenue.
Three years later, in April 2003, Amanda Berry, disappeared after leaving her job at a Burger King - at West 110th Street and Lorain. It was the day before her 17th birthday.
And a year later, Gina DeJesus, then 14 years old, was last seen leaving her middle school at West 105th Street and Lorain.
All three were found safe on Monday night after Berry bolted from a home on Seymour Avenue, about three miles from where they were last seen.

Metallica receive Revolver Lifetime achievement award

2013-05-06T05:58:00.002-07:00

Metallica receive Revolver lifetime achievement award

Metallica have received a lifetime achievement award at Revolver Magazine's Golden Gods awards in LA.

Described as an anti-MTV event by Josh Bernstein, the managing director of Revolver, they are a celebration of metal, punk and rock music.
Metallica also performed live during the show.
Josh Bernstein said: "The last time they did a show in an intimate venue this size was 1983, that's really exciting."
Previous winners include Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue.
Aggressive style Metallica were formed in 1981 in Los Angeles and have made nine studio albums, earning a place in the so-called 'big four' group of thrash bands which also includes Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer.
Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D accepted the comeback of the year award and best live band went to the Grammy award-winning metal band, Slipknot.
Deftones took away album of the year with their album Koi No Yokan.
Slayer's Kerry King toasts late bandmate Jeff Hanneman, who died on Thursday Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi was honored with the riff lord award.
Corey Taylor won best vocalist and best live band with Slipknot.
Scott Ian from Anthrax, who was nominated for best live band, said: "I have been at this awards show before as a presenter. I am just happy we get to play.
"Normally at these things we don't get to sit down and just hang out. You are generally backstage working the whole time. But to play, I am totally down for that."
At the awards there are also a host of other categories including most metal athlete.
Nominations for that prize included Rally Cross driver Tanner Foust and skateboarder Geoff Rowley with the award going to WWE wrestler Triple H.

The Revolver Golden Gods winners were as follows:

Best Guitarist: John 5 (Rob Zombie & solo)
Best drummer: Arejay Hale (Halestorm)
Best bassist: Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
Best vocalist: Corey Taylor (Stone Sour & Slipknot)
Best new talent: Device
Most metal athlete: Triple H (WWE wrestling)
Best live band: Slipknot
Comeback of the year: Tenacious D
Song of the year: Black Veil Brides, In The End
Most dedicated fans: HIM
Album of the year: Deftones, Koi No Yokan

Drugs found on a Justin Bieber Tour Bus

2013-05-06T05:55:00.001-07:00

Drugs found on a Justin Bieber tour bus in Sweden

Swedish police say they have found drugs on board a tour bus used by Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber.

Police spokesman Lars Bystrom said a small amount of drugs and a stun gun had been found when officers raided the empty bus parked under the Globen concert venue in Stockholm, where the singer was performing on Wednesday.
He declined to identify the drug, saying it had been "sent to a laboratory for an analysis".

The police went onto the bus and searched it and found a small amount of narcotics. We don't know who had the drugs or who smoked them, so it will be hard to link them with any individual

Kjell Lindgren Stockholm police spokesman

No-one has been arrested.
Police acted after smelling marijuana coming from inside the bus when it was parked outside the hotel where the singer was staying.
The drug squad was alerted and searched the bus after it carried a group of people to the concert venue.
Police say there are no suspects and won't be taking the matter any further.
Police spokesman Kjell Lindgren said: "The police went onto the bus and searched it and found a small amount of narcotics.
"We don't know who had the drugs or who smoked them, so it will be hard to link them with any individual."
Justin Bieber is in Stockholm on the European leg of his Believe world tour.
When he was in London in March the Canadian singer caused controversy when he was late on stage for a concert at the 02 Arena.
A few days later he made headlines again when he confronted photographers outside his central London hotel.

Justin Bierber tackled by fan during show

2013-05-06T05:53:00.003-07:00

Justin Bieber tackled by fan during Dubai stage show

The singer said: "Nothing stops the show."

A member of the audience at Justin Bieber's stage show in Dubai tackled the singer from behind while he was performing at a grand piano.

Bieber managed to free himself and ran to the side of the stage while security guards grabbed the intruder, who managed to knock the piano over and onto its side.
The singer later retweeted descriptions of the "mayhem".
He later tweeted: "Dubai. Nothing stops the show. 2 more to go."
Footage on YouTube shows Bieber carried on performing while security guards removed the fan and picked up the piano.
He is in the middle of a world tour called Believe which began last September and includes about 100 dates.
'Wasn't a prank' Reports said that the globally successful 19-year-old took a three-minute break after the on-stage fracas before returning to sing Boyfriend and then Baby.
His guitarist and musical director Dan Kanter later tweeted: "It wasn't a prank. Someone ran on stage during Believe and the piano got knocked off its platform. Everyone is fine. No need to worry!"
Bieber has not been short of headlines recently. Last month he provoked fierce online criticism with his message in a guestbook at the Anne Frank Museum, saying he hoped the Holocaust victim would have been a fan.
The Canadian pop idol wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."
The museum defended the star but added his comment "wasn't very sensible".

Attack on military facility was a 'declaration of war' by Israel

2013-05-06T05:49:00.003-07:00

A photo released by the Syrian Arab News Agency shows destruction from what is said was bomb attack in the Al-Hama area of Damascus on Sunday, May 5. According to the Syrian government, Israel launched an attack on a research center in the Damascus suburbs early Sunday. Tensions in Syria first flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, eventually escalating into a civil war that still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- A series of massive explosions illuminated the dark sky over Damascus early Sunday, igniting renewed claims that Israel has launched attacks into the war-torn country.

Syria's government said the explosions were the second Israeli airstrike in three days. The latest target, officials said, was a military research facility outside the Syrian capital. A top Syrian official told CNN in an exclusive interview that the attack was a "declaration of war" by Israel.

Syrian authorities vowed to retaliate against Israel but did not specify what action they would take.

The Israeli military would not confirm or deny the Syrian claim that Israel fired rockets that hit the Jamraya research center in the Damascus suburbs.

Did Israel conduct airstrike on Syria?

Will Israel, Syria go to war?

Explosions rock Damascus

Syrian official: Israel has declared war

"We do not comment on these reports at all," an Israeli military representative said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed "grave concern" over the reports of Israeli airstrikes in Syria Sunday but stressed that the U.N. is not "in a position to independently verify what has occurred," his spokesman said.

Sunday's explosions mark the third time Israel has been accused of striking inside Syria this year.

The blasts rocked a large military area in the suburbs of Syria's capital, prompting terrified residents nearby to run for cover.

"Everything kept exploding over and over again," said Anna Deeb, whose family lives just over a mile away. "We could hear gunshots, we could hear people screaming. ... We didn't know what to do, and there was a problem with us breathing because the smoke was too much."

Syrian state-run TV claimed that the Israeli rocket attack on the research center aided rebels, who have been battling government forces in the region. And the government's Syrian Arab News Agency said mortar shells "fired by terrorists" damaged residential neighborhoods nearby. But state media reports did not provide details about what type of research occurs in the facility, or how much damage occurred there after Sunday's attack.

Even with details about the explosion unclear, tensions ran high in the volatile region Sunday amid word of the reported attack, which was condemned by some officials across the Middle East

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al Mekdad said the attack represented an alliance between Islamic terrorists and Israel.

"When they attack, this is a declaration of war. This is not something that is (new)," al Mekdad said. "We dealt with this on several occasions, and we retaliated the way we wanted, and the retaliation was always painful to Israel, and they will suffer again."

After an emergency meeting of Syria's Cabinet on Sunday, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said on state television that the attack "opens the door wide open for all possibilities" but did not specify what those possibilities would be.

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby condemned what he called Israeli strikes on Syrian territories and called for the United Nations Security Council to "move immediately in order to stop and prevent Israeli attacks on Syria." Foreign ministers in Egypt and Iran also condemned the reported Israeli attack.

Ban's spokesman said the U.N. secretary-general "calls on all sides to exercise maximum calm and restraint, and to act with a sense of responsibility to prevent an escalation of what is already a devastating and highly dangerous conflict."

Missile defense system a game changer, Israelis say

Amid the heightened tensions, Israel appeared to be stepping up defense efforts.

An Israeli Army official told CNN that two rocket interception batteries have been deployed to northern Israel.

And the Israeli Airport Authority said Sunday that it had closed northern airspace over the country to civil aviation flights.

Attack comes days after reports of another Israeli airstrike

Sunday's reported attack comes days after U.S. officials told CNN that Israel had conducted an airstrike against Syria.

Two U.S. officials told CNN on Friday that Israel apparently launched an airstrike into Syria on Thursday or Friday.

The Israeli military did not comment on the U.S. claim. But Israel has long said it would target any transfer of weapons to Hezbollah or other terrorist groups as well as any effort to smuggle Syrian weapons into Lebanon that could threaten Israel.

"We are watching everything when it comes to the movement of these types of weapons. We have the means to do that," a senior Israeli defense official told CNN's Sara Sidner on Sunday. The official is not authorized to speak to the media.

Shaul Mofaz, a lawmaker in Israel's Knesset, told Israeli Army Radio on Sunday that Israel isn't meddling with Syria's civil war. But Israel must protect itself from Lebanese militants, he said.

"For Israel, it is very important that the front group for Iran, which is in Lebanon, needs to be stopped," Mofaz said.

"Everything that goes into the hands of Hezbollah is not directly related to the rebels. Israel never interfered in the past or today in their actions. Nevertheless, I need to say that Hezbollah is deeply involved up to its neck in what is happening in Syria. Hezbollah helps the Iranians navigate against the rebels."

Hezbollah did not immediately comment after Sunday's claims.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Lebanese President Michel Suleiman condemned what he called "Israel's onslaught against Syria." Israel used Lebanese airspace to strike Syria, he said.

Syria: Israel has targeted the defense facility before

In January, Syrian authorities said Israeli warplanes killed two workers and injured five others when they struck the same research facility that officials said was targeted on Sunday.

A U.S. official told CNN at the time that the Syrian claims were false. The official said Israeli fighter jets targeted a Syrian government convoy carrying surface-to-air missiles bound for Hezbollah. But Syria denied there were such shipments.

On Sunday, al Mekdad said details were unclear about what he described as the latest Israeli strike on Syria.

"Until now, the details are not clear on what happened. Did they fire missiles? ... It is not clear for me, because I don't know how it happened, and of course it is worrying, but Israel will suffer the same," the Syrian deputy foreign minister told CNN. "When their agents in Syria were defeated, they are trying to influence from the outside. This is exactly what happened. This is direct Israeli support for al Qaeda ... and the other forces fighting against Syria, to undermine Syria and to weaken Syria."

But an opposition group also condemned what it described as Israeli attacks on the research facility, arguing that the violence shows the weakness of President Bashar al-Assad's government.

"It is clear that the regime, which claims to be an opposing force, is instead weakening Syria in the face of an enemy," the opposition Syrian National Coalition said in a statement.

The opposition umbrella group said it was suspicious of the attack's timing.

"These strikes have given the regime the necessary time to draw attention away from its crimes and massacres on the Syrian coast," the coalition said. "It is not unlikely that as a result of these attacks, and world distraction, more crimes will be committed."

Sectarian violence continues

The latest report of rocket attacks comes as sectarian violence erupted in northwestern Syria. Three consecutive days of killing by mostly Alawite forces have left hundreds of predominantly Sunni residents dead, opposition groups said Saturday.

State media have said their forces were seeking only to clear the area of "terrorists," the term they have routinely used when referring to rebel forces.

But the U.S. State Department said it was "appalled by horrific reports that more than 100 people were killed May 2" in Beyda, a suburb of Baniyas.

Several opposition groups said largely Alawite government forces used tanks, battleships and missile launchers to target largely Sunni neighborhoods in and around the coastal city of Baniyas.

Government forces killed at least 200 people on Friday and Saturday in Baniyas and its suburbs, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said Saturday.

But reliable information has been difficult to obtain because government forces controlled access to the village, the LCC said.

A graphic video posted by activists who said it was shot in the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood showed people, including an infant, lying lifeless on the ground. Many bore what appeared to be bullet wounds, and some appeared burned.

CNN has not been able to confirm the video's authenticity, as access to Syrian war zones has been severely limited by the government.

5 major developments in the Boston Marathon case

2013-05-06T05:44:00.002-07:00

(CNN) -- As one bombing suspect recovers in a prison hospital and cemeteries reject the body of the other, a whirlwind of new developments are swirling around the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings.

Here are five major developments that took place over the weekend and what's expected to happen next in the case:

1. One suspect appears in court

One of the three friends accused of helping Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of the two suspects, cover up his alleged crime is due in court for a bail hearing Monday.

Covering the Boston suspects

Boston bombing victim visits memorial

Funeral director: We should be commended

Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings

Robel Phillipos, 19, is accused of making false statements to federal investigators during a terrorism investigation. If convicted, he could go to prison for eight years and be fined as much as $250,000.

Phillipos and two mutual friends met at Tsarnaev's dorm room the night authorities released photos of the bombing suspects, according to an FBI affidavit. Tsarnaev texted one of the friends, saying he could "come to my room and take whatever you want."

Tsarnaev wasn't in his dorm room, but his roommate let the friends in.

Phillipos first denied to investigators ever going to the dorm room, then later changed his story, the affidavit states.

While watching a movie, one or more of the friends spotted a backpack, according to the statement. Inside, Phillipos noticed about seven tubular fireworks, each between 6 and 8 inches long. The fireworks' powder had been taken out.

The three friends left with the backpack and laptop, the FBI affidavit states. The backpack was thrown in a trash bin and ended up in a New Bedford landfill, only to be found six days later.

FBI: How Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's friends took, trashed key pieces of evidence

2. Cemeteries don't want to bury Tamerlan Tsarnaev

For two weeks, no one claimed the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the elder bombing suspect who died the night he and his brother led police on a wild chase.

Now, the funeral home holding his remains is struggling to find a place to bury him.

The brothers' parents in Dagestan have said they will not fly his body back to Russia for burial, spokeswoman Heda Saratova said.

And Cambridge City Manager Robert W. Healy said he would not allow Tsarnaev to be buried in the city if requested by the funeral director or Tsarnaev's family.

"The difficult and stressful efforts of the citizens of the City of Cambridge to return to a peaceful life would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and widespread media presence at such an interment," Healy said in a statement Sunday.

Explaining his decision, he cited an excerpt from Massachusetts state law saying that "it shall be the duty of the city manager to act as chief conservator of the peace within the city."

"I have determined that it is not in the best interest of 'peace within the city' to execute a cemetery deed for a plot within the Cambridge Cemetery for the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev," Healy said.

Tsarnaev's body now lies at Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Worcester, west of Boston.

Peter Stefan, owner of the funeral home, said three cemeteries he's contacted said they feared reprisals. If he can't find a gravesite, Stefan said he plans to ask the government to find one.

The funeral home owner said everyone deserves to be buried.

"This is what we do in a civilized society, regardless of the circumstances," he said.

3. $28 million to go to victims

On Monday, officials from The One Fund Boston will unveil a tentative plan to distribute roughly $28 million to bombing victims and their families.

Representatives will hold town hall meetings Monday and Tuesday in Copley Square to discuss the plan.

Putting a price tag on suffering

Kenneth Feinberg, administrator of The One Fund Boston, told CNN's Don Lemon that while the amount of money might sound substantial, "you have to dampen expectations."

"I doubt anyone will be made whole by these allocations," he said.

"No amount of money distributed fairly quickly over the next month or two is going to provide the type of long-term financial stability" needed by a double-amputee or somebody hospitalized with a brain injury, Feinberg said. "There's just not enough money for those purposes."

4. Residue in the kitchen sink

Federal authorities on Sunday searched Tamerlan Tsarnaev's apartment, the home he shared with his wife, Katherine Russell, and their young daughter.

It was not immediately clear whether investigators had taken anything from the apartment Sunday.

But on Friday, a source briefed on the investigation said law enforcement officials found explosives residue in the small apartment.

The source said the residue turned up in at least three places: the kitchen table, the kitchen sink and the bathtub.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has said the two brothers built the bombs in the apartment, U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation have said.

Russell, the widow, has remained largely out of view since her husband's death, staying in her parents' Rhode Island home.

Her attorney, Amato DeLuca, said the 24-year-old knew nothing about plans to bomb the race, and reports of her husband's involvement came as an "absolute shock" to Russell and her family.

5. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong people

Amir Ismagulov, the father of Azamat Tazhayakov, said his son was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people.

Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, both 19, are accused of obstruction of justice after allegedly removing the laptop and backpack from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's room.

If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Tazhayakov's father, who lives in Kazakhstan, told CNN in New York that he met with his son last week for about 40 minutes.

Both father and son believe in the U.S. justice system, Ismagulov said. The government will get to the bottom of what happened and let Tazhayakov go, the father said in Russian.

Teenagers sometimes do stupid things, Ismagulov said, stressing that his son didn't know he was doing anything wrong.

The new Nutritional Pizza

2013-05-06T05:42:00.004-07:00

Scottish team develops 'nutritional’ pizzas

A closer look at the new 'healthy' pizza

A Scottish nutritionist has teamed up with an entrepreneur to produce what they claim are the first nutritionally balanced pizzas.

The pizzas are said to contain 30% of an adult's guideline daily amount of vitamins and minerals.
They are also said to have a third of the recommended amount of calories, protein and carbohydrate.
The pizzas were created by Mike Lean, of Glasgow University, and businessman Donnie Maclean.
Prof Lean, of the university's human nutrition department said the idea was born out of frustration.

“Start Quote

Each pizza gives a complete meal, with all the nutrients in it”

Donnie Maclean Pizza developer

He said: "If you go along to a supermarket or a restaurant and buy a meal, then somebody should have thought about it nutritionally.

"We've recently studied ready meals produced by the top five supermarkets in Scotland - common foods eaten in huge numbers - and they're hopelessly unbalanced.
"They contain as much salt as you should have in a whole day or more. They contain as much saturated fat as you should have in a whole day or more. The nutrients we need every day are absent from these meals. Nobody has thought about it. So I got together with Donnie to try to do this."
'Complete meal' Mr Maclean helped Prof Lean come up with unusual ways of incorporating more nutrients into a pizza.

Know your pizza:

Pizza does not have to be "junk food". Load up on vegetable toppings, while going easy on the cheese and meat.
Prosciutto and fig: Fruit on pizza is not limited to pineapple.
Anchovy pizza: This recipe skips the cheese and works in a portion of oily fish.
Roast tomato and vegetable pizza: Topped with sweet, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and red peppers.
Pissaladiere: The Provencale pizza has loads of sweet caramelised onions and tomatoes.

He said: "I researched the market and found that seaweed was an interesting new ingredient being used in artisan bread.

"So we used that as a way of reducing the salt level. The sodium content of seaweed is about 3.5% compared to 40% in salt. There's iodine in there, vitamin B12, all sorts of things. And the flavour is excellent as well."
Red pepper is also mixed in with the tomato base to give the pizza extra vitamin C. As well as these nutrients, each pizza contains magnesium, potassium, folates and vitamin A.
"The way the guidelines are set out, you have 20% of your nutrients and calories from your breakfast, 30% from your lunch, 30% from your dinner, and an extra 20% for snacks," said Mr Maclean, the founder of Eat Balanced.
"We focused on pizza being a lunch or a dinner option. Each pizza gives a complete meal, with all the nutrients in it, for 30% of your day."
A survey by Mintel suggested seven in 10 British adults eat pizza, with forecasters predicting the market will be worth £1bn by 2016.
Catering suppliers "For a good number of years I have been trying to help people find easy ways to get a balanced diet," said Prof Lean, who is also a consultant physician at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Mr Maclean and Prof Lean come up with unusual ways of incorporating more nutrients into a pizza

"The easiest way to do that is to eat nutritionally balanced meals. Three of those a day and you've done it, but at the moment commercially prepared meals are not nutritionally balanced. "
One major British supermarket chain has already indicated it will stock the healthy pizzas, and Mr Maclean is in talks with other supermarkets and catering suppliers.
The pizzas will only be available frozen as tests revealed the nutrients were better preserved that way, and Prof Lean and Donald Maclean said they had to work hard to keep prices down.
"Our pizzas are more expensive than most of the frozen pizzas but on a par with the chilled pizzas," said Mr Maclean.
"So it shouldn't be a hard pill to swallow, or a hard pizza to eat."
The pair now have other junk food classics in their sights.
They are already testing a recipe for a nutritionally balanced curry and, after that, they're planning to tackle fish and chips.