Current Events October

October 4th Amanda Knox aquitted

An Italian appeals court on Monday overturned Knox's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher. Knox initially was sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Oct 10th Somalia Islamists al-Shabab 'driven out of Mogadishu'

African Union (AU) troops say they have driven Islamist al-Shabab militants out of their last stronghold in the north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. "We control the whole of Mogadishu," African Union (AU) troops say they have driven Islamist al-Shabab militants out of their last stronghold in the north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.Al-Shabab said it carried out a bomb attack last week which killed more than 80 people. Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991 - the weak transitional government and Islamist militias are competing for control of the country.

Oct 6th Sarah Palin explains decision not to run for president

'I believe ... I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office,' the former Alaska governor tells supporters after months of hedging. "after much prayer and serious consideration" "as always, My family comes first"

Oct 13 Bomb blasts in Iraq's Sadr City kill 16

At least 16 people have been killed by two blasts in Baghdad's predominantly Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City, Iraqi security officials say. Police said the bombs went off at the al-Hay market. They said the first exploded in a narrow alley. On Wednesday, 22 people were killed when two suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden vehicles minutes apart. It comes as the last 41,000 American troops still in Iraq prepare to withdraw by the end of the year.

Oct 17th Syria: 'Renewed deadly clashes in Homs'

At least 21 people have been killed in renewed clashes in the Syrian city of Homs, activists say. Victims included civilians and police, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The government says "armed terrorist groups" are operating in Homs, killing civilians and prominent figures.

Oct 10th Occupy Wall Street protests continue, with fresh push planned targeting banks

NEW: New York's mayor says protesters can stay at the park where they're camping out Students join unions in Boston touting jobs and blasting university presidents' pay A "call to action" urges visits Saturday to banks to protest "business as usual" Al Sharpton lauds a movement he says speaks for "99% of the people"

Oct 9th 'Significant' oil leak from stranded New Zealand ship

New Zealand officials say a "significant" amount of oil is now leaking from a cargo ship stranded on a reef off the country's North Island. Between 130-350 tonnes of oil. The container ship, the 775ft (236m) Rena, ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off the port of Tauranga on Wednesday. Bad weather has put a temporary halt to operations to pump oil off the vessel. About 200 people are involved in the salvage operation, while 300 military personnel are on stand-by to clean up beaches.

Oct 5th Dallas-Fort Worth immigration officials arrest 163 immigrants with criminal convictions

North Texas immigration officials said they arrested 163 immigrants with criminal convictions as part of a national enforcement operation resulting in almost 3,000 arrests

Oct 13 Obama Says Facts Support Accusation of Iranian Plot

Obama owed on Thursday to push for what he called the "toughest sanctions" against Iran sought to counter skepticism about whether Iran's Islamic government directed an Iranian-American car salesman to engage with a Mexican drug cartel to kill Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States and carry out other attacks. "know that he had direct links, was paid by, and directed by individuals in the Iranian government." It has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, after the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the shah and the takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran.

Oct 10th Egypt's military vows to get tough after clashes

Egypt's ruling military on Monday condemned a surge in deadly violence as an attempt to undermine the state, and warned it will act to safeguard the peace following a night of clashes that drew in Christians, Muslims and security forces Egypt's Coptic church harshly criticized the government for its actions in crushing the protests and accused it of allowing repeated attacks on Christians to go unpunished. Not doing enough to protect chrisitans

Oct 17th Amish Renegade Group Accused In Bizarre Attacks on Their Peers

Ohio, Amish attacks on hair cutting "We don't necessarily fight, but it's just instinct to defend yourself," Mr. Miller recalled. It is said to be led with an iron hand by Sam Mullet, a prickly 66-year-old man who had become bitterly estranged from mainstream Amish communities and had had several confrontations with the Jefferson County sheriff

Oct 16th Janitor finds mentally disabled people locked in basement; 3 arrested

Philadelphia (CNN) -- At first, a Philadelphia landlord said, he thought one of his tenants was attempting to conceal a dog after finding a dog dish in the basement of his apartment building. four mentally disabled people held captive, including one man chained to a radiator. Linda Ann Weston, 51; Thomas Gregory, 47; and Eddie Wright, 49, face charges including criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint, and false imprisonmen

Oct 24th ..Jobs Plan Stalled, Obama to Try New Economic Drive

President Obama on Monday will begin a series of executive-branch actions to confront housing, education and other economic problems over the coming months, heralded by a new mantra: "We can't wait" for lawmakers to act. "We can't wait" campaign. "The only way we can truly attack our economic challenges is with bold, bipartisan action in Congress," said Dan Pfeiffer

Oct 10th Libya conflict: Pro-Gaddafi troops 'cornered' in Sirte

The National Transitional Council (NTC) says that once Sirte falls, they will declare national liberation. The BBC's Wyre Davies, who visited the hospital on Monday, said there were dozens of injured people lying in wards and corridors. He saw several civilians who had been injured in the fighting, including two young children with shrapnel wounds.

Oct 25 Texas debates Confederate flag license plates

The Sons of Confederate Veterans see their proposal to emblazon special Texas license plates with the Confederate flag as a way to honor veterans and educate the public.Opponents, including state lawmakers and the NAACP, see the idea as an attempt to glorify a symbol long ago co-opted by the Ku Klux Klan and other racist groups

Oct 25 Muammar Gaddafi 'buried in desert grave at dawn'

The bodies of ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, his son Mutassim and a top aide have been buried in secret in the desert, Libyan officials say.Gaddafi's family wanted them buried outside the former leader's hometown of Sirte. "It says that his body should not be buried in Muslim cemeteries and should not be buried in a known place to avoid any sedition," Mr Shammam said. "It will be an unknown location in the open desert," he said, adding that a burial was needed because decomposition of the body had reached the point where the "corpse cannot last any longer".

Oct 4th Former Secretary of State Phil Wilson selected to lead Texas Department of Transportation

The decision makes Wilson, a former aide to Gov. Rick Perry, the first non-engineer to run TxDOT in its nearly 100 years.

Oct Michael Jackson's death: The trial of Dr. Conrad Murray

The prosecution's case against Michael Jackson's personal physician might be summarized this way: He lied about everything, but even if he told the truth, he's still guilty.

Oct 17th Massachusetts Tries to Rein in Its Health Cost

confronting the problem that Mr. Romney left unaddressed: the state's spiraling health care costs. all Democrats, are working toward a plan that would encourage flat "global payments" to networks of providers for keeping patients well, replacing the fee-for-service system that creates incentives for excessive care by paying for each visit and procedure.

Oct 10th Fan throws hot dog at Tiger Woods

fan was arrested for running toward the seventh green at CordeValle and tossing a hot dog in Woods' direction. The bun barely reached the green. The hot dog landed on the putting surface. "Next thing I know, he laid on the ground, and looked like he wanted to be arrested because he ... put his hands behind his back and turned his head."

Oct 24th Berlin police arrest man for torching 100 luxury cars

man has reportedly admitted burning more than 100 luxury cars in the German capital Berlin, in attacks that raised fears of political extremism. Police say the 27-year-old, who is unemployed and has debts, was motivated by social envy and frustration to set fire to 67 cars over three months Some 470 cars - mainly BMWs, Mercedes and Audis - have been burnt this year in the city. ...

Oct 4th Truck Bomb Kills Dozens in Somalia's Capital

truck bomb was detonated right outside the compound's gates, killing dozens of people — many of them students standing around waiting for exam results. "We have targeted the attack to 150 young Somalis who were planning to be flown to Sudan to be trained as spies," the Shabab said in a statement. But in the past week or so, the Shabab seemed to be regrouping. On Friday, hundreds of Shabab fighters poured into Dhobley, a market town on the Kenya border, setting off an intense battle. The Shabab briefly occupied the town before a Kenya-backed militia was able to push them out. Then on Monday, the Shabab struck a town in central Somalia, Dhusamareb, withdrawing after inflicting casualties

Oct 13 Seal Beach shooting: Police release names of eight who were killed California

victim predicted ex-husband would kill her, Michelle Fournier made no secret about the fact that she feared her ex-husband. She told one friend she thought he might kill her.

Oct 16th Buoyed by Wall St. Protests, Rallies Sweep the Globe

wave of protests swept across Asia, the Americas and Europe over the weekend. In Rome on Saturday, a rally thick with tension spread over several miles. By early Sunday in New York, 92 people had been arrested, including 24 accused of trespassing in a Greenwich Village. In Chicago, about 175 people were arrested at about 1 a.m. on Sunday after refusing to leave Grant Park before the 11 p.m. closing time

Oct 16th Dan Wheldon dies after fiery IndyCar crash

Indy 500 winner's car bursts into flames after it flies over another car during a wreck on Lap 13 of the Las Vegas 300 on Sunday. The 33-year-old racer was a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, including this year's race.

Oct 24th Michele Bachmann's misstatements may be catching up to her

"Fifty-nine thousand this year came across the border, as was said in the introduction, from Yemen, from Syria. These are nations that are state sponsors of terror," the Minnesota congresswoman and Republican presidential candidate said, citing a report she had heard. "They're coming into our country!" "If you want to have a business in China today, if you want to build a building, you just build it, you don't go through all the permitting process that we do here," she said.

Oct 10th NYPD costs rise as Wall Street protests continue

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Oct 17th Hamas feeling pressure amid changes in Middle East

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Oct 5th Steve Jobs dies

1984-2011, 56, long battle with pancreatic cancer, Mark Zuckerberg remembered his "mentor and friend". the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives" and had made the world "immeasurably better". "innovative spirit" "There may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."

Oct 24th More than 230 dead in Turkey quake; 1,300 more hurt

7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated parts of eastern Turkey. NEW: There are conflicting reports on the number of dead NEW: One official says 264 are dead, another says 239 Numerous aftershocks -- the largest a magnitude 6.0 -- rattled eastern Turkey, one of the nation's poorest areas. Turkey's semi-official Anatolian news agency quoted Sahin as saying a total of 970 buildings had collapsed.

Oct 19th Dust storm shrouds Texas city -Lubbock-

8,000-foot-high behemoth of a dust storm that enveloped Lubbock had folks making comparisons Tuesday to the great Dust Bowl of the 1930s

Oct 13th Strauss-Kahn sex case: French inquiry dropped

A French inquiry into attempted rape claims against ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been dropped.Writer Tristane Banon had accused Mr Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape in 2003. Prosecutors said in a statement that "it is clear that, for lack of sufficient proof, a prosecution may not be initiated over the count of attempted rape, but facts that could be described as sexual assault have meanwhile been recognised".

Oct 4th Helicopter Crashes in East River, Killing a Passenger; 4 People Survive

A helicopter with a veteran pilot at the controls, killing a woman despite a frantic rescue effort that involved a flotilla of police and fire vessels and dozens of emergency workers. The passenger who died was apparently trapped in the helicopter when it sank in about 40 feet of swift-moving water. Paul J. Browne, the chief spokesman for the New York Police Department, said the helicopter had apparently run into trouble after takeoff and was trying to return to the helipad — a narrow stretch of pavement between the river and the elevated Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive. Mr. Browne said he did not know what the problem had been.

Oct 5th Georgia woman stole luxury homes in broad daylight, officials say

A lemons-to-lemonade business plan for the Age of Malaise: You find a swank home, foreclosed and empty. You fix up the place -- hang some curtains, cut the grass. You set up a property management company, sign up tenants to a lease, employ a law firm to deal with any niggling questions. Susan Loraine Weidman of Cobb County, Ga., who authorities believe set up the scheme to essentially pilfer three million-dollar homes in suburban Atlanta in broad daylight

Oct 10th Pakistan cricketers' trial: Australian 'rigging' claims

Australian and Pakistani cricket stars rigged their games, according to a cricket agent accused of taking bribes, a London court has been told. At the corruption trial of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif, covert recordings were played of agent Mazhar Majeed speaking to an undercover journalist. Mr Majeed said match fixing had been happening for years, and named players. The Australians were "the biggest" when it came to fixing matches, he said.

Oct 16th Science in anthrax letter case comes under attack

Bruce E. Ivins, the chief suspect in the 2001 anthrax mailings, committed suicide before the FBI could present its case in court. Years later, some suspicions remain over results of the inquiry.while suggesting that the anthrax attacks may have been committed by unidentified wrongdoers. "I personally think Ivins did it," said Smith, who retired from the FBI in early 2009. "I actually think they got the right guy."

Oct 4th Michele Bachmann's campaign is sputtering in Iowa

But Bachmann repeatedly was asked the central question for her campaign: Does she have to win Iowa's caucuses to keep her presidential campaign alive? She danced around an answer, saying she planned to win, until finally relenting when asked a third time whether failure would doom her effort. She's a great candidate but has turned into a really bad campaigner," said one longtime Iowa GOP operative

Oct 6th Duchess of Alba 85 weds 25 year old civil servant

But she has kept control until her death over the assets, reportedly worth between $US850 million and $US5 billion. the duchess, who has more titles than any other noble on Earth according to Guinness World Records,

Oct 13 Chile celebrates San Jose mine rescue anniversary

Chile is marking the first anniversary of the spectacular rescue of 33 miners, who were freed after being trapped below ground for 69 days.Some of the miners returned to the San Jose pit, in the Atacama desert, for a thanksgiving Mass A year on, many are still suffering from trauma, and half are unemployed.They are also locked in a legal battle with the Chilean state for compensation. One has returned to his work as a miner, while several of the men have become successful motivational speakers.

Oct 16th Hollande set to challenge Sarkozy in presidential vote

Francois Hollande has been elected the French Socialist Party's candidate for the 2012 presidential vote when he is expected to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy In his victory speech, Mr Hollande said he would champion those who could "no longer bear" Mr Sarkozy's policies. In his victory speech, Mr Hollande said he would champion those who could "no longer bear" Mr Sarkozy's policies.

Oct 16th Gilad Shalit swap: Israel names Palestinian prisoners

Israel has published the names of 477 Palestinian prisoners who are to be released in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. They are set to be freed on Tuesday in the first phase of the deal. A further 550 prisoners are to be released after Sgt Shalit returns home. Sgt Shalit was seized by Palestinian militants in 2006, aged 19. Key initial releases Nasser Iteima: Helped bomb Netanya hotel in 2002 - 30 people killed Walid Anjes: Helped bomb Moment cafe in Jerusalem in 2002 - 11 people killed Yehia Sanwar: A founder of Hamas militant wing. Serving multiple life sentences Jihad Yaghmour: Took part in execution of Israeli solder Nachson Waxman in 1994 Mohammed al-Sharatha: A leader of the elite Hamas 101 unit. Multiple life terms Nael Barguti: Arrested in April 1978 and convicted of role in death of Israeli soldier Rawhi al-Mushtaha: Senior Hamas leader. Multiple life sentences Amna Muna: Serving life for luring Israeli teenager to his death

Oct 16th In California, Going All Out to Bid Adieu to Foie Gras

LOS ANGELES — A line up of people streamed into an unmarked, dimly lighted storefront on Fairfax Avenue as night fell Friday, on a mash-up Los Angeles block catering to religious Jews and hungry hipsters. Before long, a smattering of protesters arrived. But for seven hours on Friday night, at a restaurant appropriately known as Animal, three chefs presented an eight-course meal that was nothing short of a glorification of this soon-to-be outlawed delicacy This is not the first time a community has tried to ban foie gras. It was outlawed in Chicago in 2006

Oct 13 Hermain Cain's 9-9-9 plan

Many find the GOP presidential candidate's proposal appealing in its simplicity - but at least one analyst says it would shift more of the burden from the wealthy to the middle class and poor.

Oct 13 .Militants Aided by Iran Fired at G.I.'s in Iraq, Officials Say

Militants trained and financed by Iran's Quds Force attacked United States forces in Iraq on Wednesday, American officials said, continuing a role they have played in recent years in a proxy war between the United States and Iran. came a day after the Obama administration announced that it had foiled an alleged plot by the Iranian group. The military said three soldiers were wounded in the assault at the station, which has been hit by rockets repeatedly this year as militants have increased attacks. The military provided few other details of the attack.

Oct 18th GOP Vegas Debate

Mitt Romney came under intensive attack, health care policy and even the immigration status of yard workers at his home. arked by raised voices, accusations of lying and acerbic and personal asides. Most of the candidates faced questions on some of their biggest vulnerabilities including Herman Cain, who spent the debate's opening moments defending his 9-9-9 tax plan against nearly unanimous criticism from his fellow candidates. Mr. Perry displayed a much more combative style, Mr. Romney "an authentic conservative — not a conservative of convenience," Newt Gingrich"maximizing bickering" "Mitt, you lose all of your standing from my perspective because you hired illegals in your home," Mr. Perry said. "And you knew for — about it for a year." Mr. Romney Mr. Romney said he would seek to push an "e-verify" program to check the status of workers if he became president, tartly noting that Mr. Perry had opposed such a plan. Mr. Santorum to Romney "Your plan was the basis for Obamacare,"Romney - But he said he was most troubled by the suggestion that people should be chosen for office based on their religious faith.

Oct 4th China and Russia veto UN resolution condemning Syria

More than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the crackdown began in March, the UN estimates. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says it is in the process of introducing reforms and is speaking to members of the opposition. It blames the unrest on armed gangs

Oct 5th Taliban Using Modern Means to Add to Sway

Punctually, at 8 o'clock every evening, the cellphone signals disappear in this provincial capital. Under pressure from the Taliban, the major carriers turn off their signal towers, effectively severing most of the connections to the rest of the world. Assaults like the rocket attack on the American Embassy in Kabul on Sept. 13, for which American officials blamed the Haqqanis, effectively shift the fight to cities, where it is harder for NATO to respond with air power for fear of harming civilians. They also allow the Taliban to capture the airwaves for hours, especially in media-saturated cities, and fuel an aura of crisisLikewise, the assassination on Sept. 20 in Kabul of Burhanuddin Rabbani, the head of Afghanistan's peace council,

Oct 5th Israeli Scientist Wins Nobel Prize for Chemistry

Recent Nobel prizes have generally split credit for scientific advances among two or three people, but this year's chemistry prize of 1.4MIL$, Daniel Shechtman, 70, a professor of materials science at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology for the discovery of quasicrystals."

Oct 17th Herman Cain, "not politically correct"

Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain maintained Monday that his remarks about building a lethal electrified fence on the U.S.-Mexico border were a joke, but he said he probably should have been more sensitive when choosing his words. "Yeah, it was a joke, and yeah, I haven't learned how to be politically correct yet," Cain emphasized his plan to help immigrants gain legal citizenship.

Oct `0th Brazil star Romario slams Fifa World Cup 2014 demands

Romario says Brazil must not be a "slave" to Fifa, Romario - who is now a congressman - said laws that guarantee half-price tickets to students and pensioners should not be swept away. "The sovereignty of the country must be respected". Romario also warned that infrastructure projects needed for the tournament, including airports and urban transport, were behind schedule. "Brazil is certainly not going to stage the best World Cup in history as some have said," he warned. "It is not going to be a World Cup for the Brazilian people".

Oct 25 In Libya, Massacre Site Is Cleaned Up, Not Investigated

SURT, Libya — In the parched garden of the Mahari Hotel, volunteers on Monday scrubbed signs of a recent massacre. They collected dozens of bodies, apparently of people executed on the hotel grounds several days ago, but left other evidence behind, like the plastic ties that were used to bind the hands of victims and shell casings, scattered on the dead grass in patches of blood. The volunteers said the victims included at least two former Qaddafi government officials

Oct 10th Yemen: Thousands of women demonstrate, dozens injured

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Days after a prominent Yemeni human rights activist became the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, dozens of women were injured after gangs attacked during a march in her honor, witnesses in the city of Taiz said Monday. At least 38 women were injured by rocks and batons when pro-government gangs attacked at Sunday's march. In Shabwa, thousands of women also march in support of Karman, calling on the United Nations to impose sanctions against President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ruling family.

Oct 17th Somali militants al-Shabab threaten Kenya retaliation

Somali militant group Al-Shabab has warned Kenya to withdraw its troops from Somalia, or face bloody battles. Al-Shabab spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage told the BBC Somali service that his fighters would attack Nairobi. Abducted in Kenya Judith Tebbutt: British tourist, 56 years old, snatched by gunmen on 11 September Marie Dedieu: 66-year-old French national, taken on 1 October days after she arrived in Kenya Blanca Thiebaut and Montserrat Serra: Spanish aid workers seized from the Dadaab refugee camp on 13 October

Oct 4th A shaky debut of iPhone 4S and new leadership

Stock plunges nearly 5% as Apple unveils what is mostly an upgrade to its bestselling smartphone in the first release not introduced by Steve Jobs. By choosing not to call the device the iPhone 5, he said, "Apple is admitting that it's basically the same phone but with some souped-up specifications."

Oct 5th New Wildfire in Bastrop County

Texas Forest Service spokesman John Nichols says the blaze in a heavily forested area near Austin had burned about 1,000 acres by late Tuesday evening. Nichols says six aircraft that have dropped fire retardant on the blaze have been helpful in bringing it under control.

Oct 13 California Inmates End 3-Week Hunger Strike

Thousands of inmates at prisons across California had stopped eating over the past three weeks in renewed protest against conditions of prolonged isolation in security housing units, though the number of hunger strikers dwindled to fewer than 600 this weeknegotiated on the inmates' behalf, said that, most importantly, the department had agreed to review the cases of all prisoners in isolation because of "validated" gang affiliation, rather than because of their behavior while in prison

Oct 16th Obama to push for passage of every part of jobs plan

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After his jobs bill sputtered in the Senate, President Barack Obama will use a trip this week to push lawmakers to pass every element of it in multiple bills.The first part Obama will focus on is a proposal to prevent teacher layoffs, as well as saving jobs of police officers and firefighters, Earnest said. "Let's work together, let's find some of the things in his plan that we agree with and let's go ahead and do that for the American people," he told "Fox News Sunday."

Oct 6th Obama appoints Shakira as advisor to secratary

While this appointment probably comes as a surprise to many — if not all — people out there who associate Shakira with the Grammys and soccer, the singer has actually been heavily involved in children's programs in Latin America. There's the Barefoot Foundation, which she founded, which creates schools and educational projects in Colombia, South Africa, and Haiti. Also, according to the White House's statement, she was made "a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in 2003, where she promotes the expansion and improvement of comprehensive early childhood care and education across the world."

Oct 24th Struggling Wikileaks stops publishing classified files

Wikileaks said that it would focus instead on raising funds to ensure its future survival. The announcement came after what the group called a blockade by US-based finance companies. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said that since last December an "arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade" had been imposed by Bank of America, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union. "The attack has destroyed 95% of our revenue," he said.

Oct 6th Republican Chris Christy announces wont run for G.O.P. Presidential nomination

With the New Jersey governor announcing he won't run for the GOP presidential nomination and little time left for new entrants, the party is back to looking for a winner among Romney and the rest. "New Jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me,"