Effective teachers in L.A. get little recognition from district

Zenaida Tan brims with innovative ways to reach limited-English students, handle discipline problems and keep the kids engaged. “I do a lot of singing, games,” says the teacher at a San Fernando school. Many of her students are immigrants like her. (Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times / May 24, 2010)

Nicole John's 22-floor plunge from West Side apartment balcony is every parent's worst nightmare

Beaming parents Eric and Sophia John pose with daughter Nicole during a celebration.

HiSoParty.com

Nicole joins a friend and strikes a pose for the camera. (CLICK TO SEE MORE PICTURES.)

Seventeen-year-old Nicole John fell from a height where city hawks nest before it is time for their young to take wing on their own.

She, too, had just ventured forth from a home where she must have been the realization of her parents' happiest dreams.
We work and hope that our kids will have the chance to go to college. Then comes the scary moment when they actually do.

Sarah Palin tells crowd at Glenn Beck rally that America needs to be restored, not changed

Brandon/AP

Sarah Palin doesn't want America to fundamentally change. Saturday, she spoke at Glenn Beck's rally in Washington (below).

The former GOP vice presidential nominee and current darling of the budding Tea Party delivered a speech Saturday at Fox host Glenn Beck's rally in Washington, D.C., focused on praising America’s strength in times of crisis.

Taliban hint at threats to aid workers in Pakistan as flood damage spreads across country

Favila/AP

Pakistani girls wait for food at a relief camp for displaced people in the Punjab province.

The Pakistani Taliban is hinting it will attack foreigners in the country who provide aid for flood victims.
A U.S. official told the BBC Thursday the threats are coming from Tehrik-e-Taliban, widely considered the country’s most radical militant group.

Bungling BP boss Tony Hayward refuses to testify in Lockerbie bomber probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outgoing BP CEO Tony Hayward has refused a request by U.S. senators to testify next month about BP's role in the release of the man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

33 trapped miners in Chile need to watch their weight to fit through the rescue tunnel

Roberto Candia

Surrounded by media, men work on a pipe used to be in touch with 33 trapped miners in Copiapo, Chile.

They survived a horrific disaster and became international heroes, but the 33 trapped Chilean miners face one more hurdle between themselves and freedom: They can't get fat.
Officials say the miners must keep their weight down or stay stuck in the mine, The Associated Press reports.

American imprisoned in N. Korea returns to Boston after Jimmy Carter helps win release

China's Xinhua news agency

Former President Jimmy Carter, center left, hugs with American Aijalon Gomes at Pyongyang airport, North Korea, Friday, before the pair departed for the United States.

BOSTON - An American held captive for seven months in North Korea stepped off a plane in his hometown Friday, looking thin but joyful as he hugged the former president who had helped win his release and family and friends surrounded him in a group embrace.

Taliban sneak attack thwarted, Americans kill 24 Afghan insurgents trying to infiltrate U.S. bases

Afghan National Army soldiers stand near the bodies of two suicide attackers near a NATO base in Khost province of Afghanistan.

U.S. and Afghan troops Saturday killed 24 Taliban insurgents disguised in American military uniforms and suicide vests who staged coordinated raids on two bases in southeastern Afghanistan, NATO officials said.
The brazen ....

Language Schools Franchise in the World

Floods threaten more Pakistan towns

THATTA: Hundreds of thousands of people were fleeing areas of southern Pakistan on Saturday as rising floodwaters breached more defences and inundated towns.
For nearly a month torrential monsoon rains have triggered massive floods, moving steadily from north to south in Pakistan, affecting a fifth of the volatile country and 17 million of its 167 million people.

US uses 'CIA agent Osama'to scare world, says Castro

HAVANA: Fidel Castro says al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a bought-and-paid-for CIA agent who always popped up when former president George Bush needed to scare the world, arguing that documents recently posted on the internet prove it.
"Any time Bush would stir up fear and make a big speech, bin Laden would appear threatening people with a story about what he was going to do," Castro told state media during a meeting with a Lithuanian-born writer known for advancing conspiracy theories about world domination. "Bush never lacked for bin Laden's support. He was a subordinate."

Bid to free miners,

Uncertain future as US quits Iraq

Blackberry ban

Sera's finest moment, Fiji

KADAVU beauty Sera Tikotikoivatu was crowned 2010 Miss Hibiscus last night — and dedicated her win to Fiji's youths.

The 23-year old, sponsored by the Suva City Council, was lost for words when judges declared her after the final judging that was shown live on national television. "I can't believe this. My hand was shaking," she said after the crowning at Albert Park in Suva.
"I was among so many wonderful women who had so much to give the community.

NASA called in to help trapped Chile miners

Gaddafi pitches tent in Rome

Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi will pitch a giant Bedouin tent in Rome this weekend as he arrives in Italy to celebrate the second anniversary of his immigration deal with Silvio Berlusconi.
Thirty thoroughbred Berber horses and 40 bodyguards will accompany the Libyan leader as he sets up camp to commemorate the signing of an accord worth €5 billion ($9

Hollywood: Police eye triple homicide

China's monster traffic jam returns

China's monster traffic jam has reared its head again, with trucks and cars backed up for up to 18 miles (30 km) Saturday on a highway north of Beijing, although that is a third the size of what it was.
The traffic jam came four days after the break-up of an even bigger one - stretching to 60 miles (100 km) at one point.

Chile: Hope in depths of darkness

On the football pitch he was known as el Mortero Magico - the magic mortar.
Throughout the 1980s, Franklin Lobos had a glittering career in the Chilean premiership, playing for top side Cobresal and representing his country in its attempt to make it to the 1984 Olympics.

The unluckiest city in America

Shrink

On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is no longer flattened but the city is still suffering. Photo / AP

Five years, anyone in New Orleans will tell you, is too short a time to get over something like Hurricane Katrina. For some the healing has barely begun. Others were back on their feet until they were knocked back by a second disaster, the filthy gusher beneath the Gulf of Mexico. When Barack Obama arrives tomorrow on the anniversary of the ....

Hurricane Danielle in Atlantic becomes Category 4 storm, Aug 28, 2011

MIAMI: Hurricane Danielle is getting better organized far out over the Atlantic as the Category 4 storm heads in Bermuda's direction and threatens to bring dangerous rip currents to the US East Coast.

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No final decision taken on woman's stoning: Iran

TEHRAN: Iran said on Saturday that it has yet to take a final decision on the stoning of a woman convicted of adultery and complicity in her husband's murder in a case that has sparked an international outcry.

Pak security forces end hostage drama

PESHAWAR: Security forces stormed an army intelligence office in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday and freed two people who had been taken hostage by escaped militant prisoners, officials said.
There were no fatalities in the operation and the militants surrendered, said Liaqat Ali Khan, a top police official.

Drilling to rescue trapped Chile miners to start on Sunday or Monday - Telegraph

Link to this video

The news came as the first footage of the miners was released, as they gave a guided tour of their cave dwelling in a 45-minute video.

Most of the 33 men trapped since the roof collapsed on August 5 feature in the grainy film, all shirtless and sporting scraggy beards but apparently in otherwise good health.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Google, Apple, Facebook, eight others over patents

The suit has been brought by Interval Licensing, which is controlled by Mr Allen.
AOL, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Staples are the other companies accused of violating four patents said cover fundamental web technologies first developed at Interval Research in the 1990s. The suit has been brought by Interval Licensing, which is controlled by Mr Allen.

Russian subs stalk Trident in echo of Cold War

A specially upgraded Russian Akula class submarine has been caught trying to record the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles, according to senior Navy officers.

British submariners have also reported that they are experiencing the highest number of "contacts" with Russian submarines since 1987.

Middle class to lose its grip on best state schools

Photo: GETTY IMAGES
The Coalition is planning to allow hundreds of secondary schools to control their own entry policies and Michael Gove warmly praised the system, which allocates places according to academic ability and reserves many places for children with the weakest performance.
“Fair-banding” admissions schemes are often seen as a way of breaking....

11 killed in landslide in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP): Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rains swept through a town in northern Turkey, killing at least 11 people, officials said Friday.
The landslide hit dozens of homes in Gundogan, in the mainly tea-growing Black Sea province of Rize. The region has become prone to landslides from deforestation to clear way for plantations.

Permission to laugh at Brazil election - for now

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's election is a laughing matter again, at least for now.
Carlos Ayres Britto, vice president of the country's Supreme Court, late on Thursday suspended a rule banning TV and radio programs from poking fun at candidates in the country's Oct. 3 elections.
The ban hurts constitutional principles of free expression and creates programming restraints, Britto said. His ruling, which came in response to a complaint by an association of TV and radio broadcasters, will ...

Many Nobel peace prizes betray founder's aims - book

OSLO (Reuters) - Guardians of the Nobel Peace Prize have betrayed the original aim of rewarding "champions of peace" by picking laureates such as the Red Cross or U.S. President Barack Obama, according to a book seen by Reuters on Friday.
"The Nobel Peace Prize, What Nobel Really Wanted", contains hitherto unpublished diaries by a late committee chairman showing fierce disputes in past decades over how to....

MIC registers more than 27,000 new Indian voters, Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC registered 27,017 new Indian voters under the party's first phase of voter registration on Aug 22, party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Friday.
Johor topped the list with 6,040 voters registered, followed by Kedah (5,909), Perak (3,872), Selangor (3,393), Negri Sembilan (2,630), Pahang (1,492), Penang (1,488), Malacca (1,049), Kuala Lumpur (928), Sabah (150), Perlis (36) and Terengganu (30).

Lorry with contraband cargo explodes on highway, Malacca

MALACCA: A lorry laden with contraband fireworks and cigarettes caught fire and exploded at Km 190 of the North-South Expressway near Jasin here.
Jasin OCPD DSP Che Suza Che Hitam said the lorry was travelling from Johor towards Kuala Lumpur when the blast occurred at about 6.45pm.
“The two-tonne lorry caught fire and exploded before overturning in the middle of the two-lane highway.

Kindie kids embrace Merdeka, Malaysia

Thank you: Rosmah receiving a Hari Raya greeting card from one of the Iris Gloria Children House students when she attended the early 53rd Natio

Gillard to woo Wilkie face to face

Andrew Wilkie is set to win the Tasmanian seat of Denison, giving him a role in deciding which party should form a minority government.
Mr Wilkie has already spoken to the Prime Minister, but will hold his first formal meeting with her in Melbourne today.

British PM was 'at risk of Taliban attack'

Mr Cameron's trip to a forward operating base in the volatile southern province of Helmand in June was called off at the last minute after intelligence suggested a threat, aides to the premier said at the time.
A government source has told The Times that the threat to the prime minister on his first trip to Afghanistan since taking office

Putin to conquer Siberia in yellow Lada

Accompanied by television cameras, Mr Putin set out on the grueling drive between the far eastern city of Khabarovsk and Siberia's Chita in one of the world's most-mocked cars.
He took the wheel of a brand-new Lada Kalina Sport, produced by ....

Bunnies alive after Eels' demise

South Sydney's finals flame continues to flicker after the Rabbitohs hammered the final nail into the coffin on Parramatta's season of woe with a 24-16 win at ANZ Stadium.
In what amounted to a battle of survival with both sides needing to win to remain in the hunt for a top eight finish, the Rabbitohs jumped Brisbane Broncos into eighth on the ladder with a four-tries-to-three win.

Julia Gillard walks fine line on Greens

Miracle at birth? Mom in Australia says 'kangaroo care' helped revive her 'dead' premature baby

Language Schools Franchise in the World

Istanbul FIBA 2010 World Basketball Championship

Turkey Basket Championship -Cities: Istanbul

Ball Sports: Baseball, Football, Golf, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Rugby, Basketball, Tennis, Table-Tennis/Ping-Pong, Sports Scores, College Sports

Timor Leste 'has had to build from scratch'

Foreign Minister Yeo on 3-day official visit to Timor Leste

Missions Show U.S. Commitment in Pacific, Latin America

Maids From Timor Leste An Option, Says Minister

USNS Mercy Wraps Up Pacific Partnership Role

Timor Leste - UNTL Decentralization

Finance & Administration Team Mentor, Timor-Leste job in Asia/Pacific

Suriname beëdigt minister met dreadlocks

Minister Misiedjan, met dreadlocks, is net beëdigd. Hennah Draaibaar / NOSDe Surinaamse vice-president Ameerali heeft Martin Misiedjan beëdigd als minister van Justitie en Politie. In een bomvolle zaal met de hele ministerraad, leden van het Hof van Justitie, collega's, vrienden en familieleden,....

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

'Idol' contestant arrested in Canada

Suriname Ex-Dictator Back As An Elected President

 

PARAMARIBO, Suriname August 12, 2010, 03:36 pm ET
A former coup leader, convicted drug trafficker and accused murderer swore to uphold the country's laws at his inauguration Thursday without mentioning concerns in Suriname and abroad about his return to power — this time through the democratic process.

Amsterdams geld mogelijk toch naar Suriname

Suriname president falls ill, cedes power to No. 2

What is this new "Superbug"?

Luke Chen, MD

A new type transferable antibiotic resistance in gram-negative organisms. NDM-1 (New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase 1) is named after the city that was visited by the patient in whom the first organism carrying this enzyme was isolated. NDM-1 is a new type of plasmid-mediated resistance that can hydrolyze all beta-lactams, carbapenems but generally not monobactams (e.g. aztreonam).  The plasmid can concurrently carry other resistance-conferring genes and can be transferred between types of gram-negative bacteria.

The NDM-1 resistance is detectable using current CLSI recommendations and the modified-Hodge test. Patients suspected or shown to have this type of drug resistance should be isolated with contact precaution and have strict hand hygiene with approved products.  So far, this resistance is not widespread.

Mexican troops hunt killers of 72 migrants - Rest of World

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico: Mexican troops fanned out in the remote countryside near the Texas border on Thursday as they hunted the perpetrators of the worst massacre in the country's escalating drug war.

NKorea releases American imprisoned since January

 
SEOUL: Looking gaunt but relieved, an American freed after nearly seven months jailed in North Korea left Pyongyang on Friday in the company of former US President Jimmy Carter.
Aijalon Gomes, 31, hugged Carter just before they boarded a plane at Pyongyang's airport, footage aired by broadcaster APTN in North Korea showed.

Aug 31 deadline for CWG to be missed: Jaipal Reddy - Commonwealth Games

NEW DELHI: Another deadline for completion of projects at the venues for Commonwealth Games here will be missed with union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy saying on Thursday there will be delay by a "couple" of days beyond August 31.

Reddy blamed the rains and delay in delivery of containers for the missed ....

5 Intriguing Earth-Sized Planets

The announcement today of a newfound group of alien planets orbiting a distant star has added another candidate for the growing list of potential Earth-sized worlds beyond our own solar system.

New Planet System Found—May Have Hidden "Super Earth"

A newly discovered planetary system orbiting a sunlike star may conceal a rare super-Earth, according to data from NASA's Kepler space telescope.
Launched last March, Kepler was designed to look for extrasolar planets, aka exoplanets, via transits—the periodic dimming of light from stars due to planets passing in front them, as seen from the telescope's vantage point. (Read about Kepler's first planet discoveries.)

New Collection by Dolce and Gabbana (photo)

New Collection by Marc Jacobs (photo)

Ferre: Golden Autumn (photo)

Sleek Looks By Calvin Klein (photo)

International Motor Show Opens in Moscow (photo), Aug 26, 2010

Yahoo News

• As GOP civil war rages, Democrats look to benefit (AP)
• Drug cartel suspected in massacre of 72 migrants (AP)
• Bad news on homes, goods adds to air of recession (AP)
• Eggs from Iowa farms could come to table near you (AP)
• Miners' deep motivation: Stay slim or stay in mine (AP)
• Attacks in Iraq kill 56, raise fears of insurgents (AP)

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Single Miley Cyrus: Hard at Work in Detroit

Kicking off another workday, Miley Cyrus was spotted on the set of “Laughing Out Loud” earlier today (August 26).
The “Hannah Montana” chick looked lovely as she filmed scenes on location in Detroit, Michigan, despite her recent breakup.

continued...

Taylor Momsen's "Late Show" Appearance

Taking her rock and roll stylings to late night television, Taylor Momsen was spotted at “The Late Show with David Letterman” yesterday (August 25).
Joined by her band The Pretty Reckless, the “Gossip Girl” actress looked her usual punk chick self as she posed outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

continued...

Liv Tyler's Lovely LOVE Shoot

Always a proper choice when it comes to cover girls, Liv Tyler is front and center in the Fall-Winter 2010 issue of UK's LOVE magazine.
The "Incredible Hulk" actress slipped in and out of an array of ensembles as LOVE's photographer crafted a collection of gorgeous shots.

continued...

Carrie & Brad: CMA Awards Hosts…Again

For the past two years they’ve been working together to host the Country Music Association Awards, and Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley are going for the hat trick.
According to an event press release, the “Undo It” songstress and the “I’m Still A Guy” crooner are teaming up once again.

continued...

Kate Gosselin: Enjoying Her "Privileged" Free Time

With all of her brood off at school, Kate Gosselin was spotted taking advantage of a little free time in Reading, Pennsylvania on Thursday (August 26).
The TLC reality star mom kept busy running errands in a sporty pink and black ensemble, as she stopped by her local consignment shop before picking up dry cleaning and doing some banking.

Celebrity Gossip & Entertainment News Leaders ®

They’re expecting a child together and Kelsey Grammer and Kayte Walsh were spotted shopping for a new apartment today (August 26) in New York City.
The “Frasier” actor and his British girlfriend were joined by a real estate agent as they made their way around the Big Apple.