Sitenet Info News - newsxyrm.blogspot.com: May 2012

SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth, ends historic trip

By MARCIA DUNN | Associated PressÂ â€"Â

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Ziyi Denies Prostitute Report

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is demanding an apology from a Hong Kong newspaper after it published claims she had sex with disgraced Communist party official Bo Xilai for huge sums of money.

Apple Daily -- repeating allegations on US-based news website Boxun.com -- alleged Â the star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" slept with Bo at least ten times between 2007 and 2011.

The reports claim she negotiated similar deals with several other powerful men, including Bo's close friend Xu Ming, a billionaire tycoon that the Chinese authorities are investigating for alleged corruption.Â

They allege she earned around $110 million from prostituting herself.

Zhang, 33, denied the claims, saying they were "completely untrue" and "extremely ridiculous."

"We read this outrageous report in the Apple Daily. It sent stone-cold chills down our spines and has left us with a feeling of deep sadness," her publicist said in a statement. "Friends have advised us to release a short statement and not take this seriously. The more you argue, the more you will stir up. It would be better to step aside until people lose interest and the lies disappear. The innocent will always be innocent."

Zhang's lawyers have demanded Apple Daily publish an apology and a full retraction.

Zhang ignored the allegations when she appeared at the 10th Chinese Film Media Awards earlier this week. Media reports questioned her absence from the Cannes Film Festival, where her new film, a Chinese version of "Dangerous Liaisons," was being promoted.Â

Some reports said the authorities in Beijing prevented her from leaving the country while they investigated the claims.

Bo's downfall, involving allegations of murder, jealousy and sexual indiscretion, has become China's biggest political scandal in more than two decades and had a damaging effect on China's governing class.

The former senior leader, whose populist policies won him many supporters, was purged after his wife became a suspect in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood last year.

Bo had been seen as a candidate to join China's new top leadership team before the scandal broke and party officials fear his ousting, and the corruption investigations, threaten party unity.

Go to News.com.au for more.

Article from FOXNEWS

Pakistan militant group denies ties to doctor in bin Laden hunt despite court claims

The militant group that according to a Pakistan court had close ties to the doctor who helped the United States track Usama bin Laden is claiming to have no association with him.Â

A commander from the group Lashkar-e-Islam told AFP that "We have no link to such a shameless man. If we see him we'll chew him alive."Â

The comment -- and the apparent enmity between the group and Dr. Shakil Afridi -- casts serious doubt on the allegations made in the court judgment used as the basis for Afridi's 33-year prison sentence.Â

It was initially assumed that Afridi was sentenced for his role in helping the U.S. find bin Laden.Â

But after U.S. officials expressed outrage at the Pakistani government and threatened to cut off aid, the judgment in the case emerged -- it accused him not of aiding U.S. intelligence but assisting Lashkar-e-Islam.Â

It claimed Afridi provided "financial assistance" to the group as well as "medical assistance" to its "militant commanders" while working at a hospital.Â

However, the Afridi tribe has actually had long-running tensions with Lashkar-e-Islam, which the commander speaking to the AFP seemed to confirm.Â

The unnamed commander acknowledged that Afridi paid Lashkar e Islam two million rupees ($21,000), but said the money was a fine imposed for over-charging patients.Â

"Afridi and his fellow doctor were fleecing tribesmen, giving them fake medicines and doing fake surgeries. We had a lot of complaints against them and imposed a fine of two million rupees on them," the commander said.Â

Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in prison in Peshawar after he was found guilty of treason last week. The ruling was made under the tribal justice system of Khyber district, part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt.Â

He was also fined 320,000 rupees ($3,500).Â

Afridi ran the fake vaccination program close to bin Laden's Abbottabad home in an attempt to collect DNA from the former terror leader's family.Â

Since his sentencing, the family of Afridi has appealed to the U.S. for help in providing lawyers and financial assistance in the case.Â

Lawmakers have also pushed to cut off at least part of Pakistan's funding unless they release Afridi.Â

In Washington, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he would introduce a pair of bills next week to address Afridi's plight. One would strip Pakistan, which received $2.1 billion from the U.S. for the current fiscal year, of all foreign aid until Afridi's 33-year sentence is overturned and he's allowed to leave the country; the other bill would grant Afridi U.S. citizenship.Â

The measures would go beyond the vote by a Senate panel last week to strip Pakistan of $33 million in aid.Â

NewsCore contributed to this report.

Related Stories Judgment claims Pakistani doctor sentenced for militant ties, not CIA assistance

Article from FOXNEWS

URGENT: Missing 15-year-old reportedly found safe

Pierce Crowley, seen in this missing-person flyer, was last seen Friday.

URGENT: A 15-year-old boy who authorities suspect ran away from a Westchester County hospital nearly a week ago was reportedly found safe in New York City.

The Journal News reported that Pierce Crowley, of Rye, N.Y., was found by police early Thursday in New York City and that he was safe and unharmed.Â

Crowley, a freshman at Iona Preparatory School, and another boy sneaked out of a side door last Friday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in White Plains, a suburb of New York City, according to authorities. The two were reportedly enrolled in a "program" there, though police have not provided further details.

The other boy, 13, who has not been named, told authorities that he and Crowley left the hospital in the afternoon and got into a taxi, which took them both to the White Plains railroad station, according to the newspaper.

When the two got out, the unidentified boy said he took a train to his home in New York City. He told authorities he did not know where Crowley was going.

Article from FOXNEWS

Eagle Scout challenges Boy Scouts\' anti-gay policy with petition

Eagle Scout Zach Wahls challenged the Boy Scouts of America's anti-gay policy today when he delivered three boxes of petitions demanding change, signed by more than 275,000 people.

Wahls, 20, presented the petitions during the Boy Scouts' National Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., on behalf of Jennifer Tyrrell, an Ohio mom who was removed as the den leader of her 7-year-old son's Cub Scout troop in April because of her sexual orientation. The Boy Scouts are the parent organization of the Cub Scouts.

Wahls is the author of "My Two Moms" and a video of his three-minute speech before Iowa legislators urging them not to pass a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage and civil unions went viral in February.

The Change.org petition called for Tyrrell's reinstatement and a change in policy for the organization.

"It is time for the Boy Scouts of America to reconsider its policy of exclusivity against gay youth and leaders," the petition reads. "Please sign this petition to call for an end of discrimination in an organization that is shaping the future."

The petition has garnered support from celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Julianne Moore, Ricky Martin, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and "Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson among others.

After delivering the petitions, Wahls met privately with three Boy Scout representatives.

"It went well. It was an honest conversation, but a productive one," Wahls told ABCNews.com today. "The fact that the meeting happened is a really positive indicator."

Wahls said the Boy Scout leaders were "receptive" of his ideas and he believes the conversation is a positive first step in overcoming cultural prejudices.

"It's a dialogue that continues to be difficult for many people," he said. "But the members of our community are the ones that pay the price, not the organization as a whole."

Following the meeting, the Boy Scouts released a statement that said they have "no plans" to change their policy.

"The Boy Scouts of America teaches its members to treat those with different opinions with courtesy and respect at all times," Deron Smith, BSA director of public relations, said in a statement. "Today, Scouting officials accepted signatures from an online petition and shared the purpose of its membership policy."

"Scouting maintains that is youth development program is not the appropriate environment to introduce or discuss, in any way, same-sex attraction," he wrote. "Parents and caregivers should have the right to decide when and how to discuss the issue with their children."

Wahls is not deterred by the statement.

"President Obama said the exact same thing up until the day he endorsed same-sex marriage. I expect we'll see a similar progression from the Boy Scouts," he said. "Obviously, this is a very long-standing policy and I don't think it we'll see a change today, this week or even this year. But over the coming months, we'll continue to take steps in this evolution."

Tyrrell, 32, was not in Florida for the delivery of the petitions, but will join Wahls at the GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco on Saturday. She told ABCNews.com she is grateful for all of the support.

"I didn't expect it, of course," she said. "It's been humbling. It's been terrifying. It's been exciting. It's been a whole bag of mixed emotions."

Tyrrell started the petition when she was removed from her year-long position as den leader because of her sexuality.

"I actually felt devastated. I was heartbroken. I cried a lot. I still feel sad about it a lot," she said. "It's 2012 and nobody deserved to be treated like that."

She said that all of this is mostly sad for her 7-year-old son Cruz who is missing out on all of the positive elements of the Boy Scouts.

When asked if Cruz understands what is happening and that one of his moms has become the face of a movement, Tyrrell said, "To the extent of his ability, he knows what's going on. He's kind of like, 'Boo the Boy Scouts.' He doesn't understand discrimination. He's never been taught that. He doesn't see people by the color of their skin or who they love. He just loves everyone and doesn't understand how others couldn't."

Seattle shooter who killed 5 was \'disgruntled,\' dad says

The father of the man who opened fire and killed five people across Seattle, and later killed himself after a citywide manhunt, says his son was a very private person who was "disgruntled" and that he was a frequent customer at the coffee shop where his rampage began.

"He was happy sometimes, but not really. He was kind of disgruntled," Walt Stawicki said about his son Ian Stawicki, who fatally shot himself after a killing spree on Wednesday.

Seattle's Harborview Medical Center confirmed that Ian Stawicki, who according to his father was unmarried with no children and had recently worked on a fishing processing boat in Alaska, died at 6 p.m. PDT Wednesday.

After the shootings began at approximately 11 a.m. PDT, when Stawicki opened fire at Cafe Racer Espresso in Seattle's University District, eventually killing four people, he killed a fifth random woman in a subsequent confrontation and stole her car.

Two victims died at the scene at Cafe Racer Espresso, while two more died later after being taken to Harborview Medical Center. People who were brought to the hospital had suffered gunshot wounds to the head, according to Susan Gregg, a hospital spokeswoman.

According to the Seattle Times, two of the victims at the cafe were Joe "Vito" Albanese, 52, who was killed along with best friend Drew Keriakedes, 45; the two men were in a band called God's Favorite Beefcake. The two other victims shot at the cafe have not yet been identified.

The Seattle Times reports that the only survivor of today's shootings is Leonard Meuse, who is currently out of surgery at Harborview Medical Center after being shot in the jaw and the armpit. Meuse is expected to survive.

Though it was unclear what prompted the cafe shooting, Ian's brother Andrew Stawicki said that his girlfriend said he was acting "kind of crazy" Wednesday morning, and she would not let him have a car.

Ian apparently had his mother's pickup truck on Wednesday; the family currently does not know where the vehicle is located.

The late Wednesday morning shooting set off a massive manhunt throughout Seattle. Earlier in the day Seattle police had tweeted that the suspect "is still alive and receiving treatment at Harborview Medical Center."

The second shooting incident occurred in downtown Seattle, about a 15-minute drive from the cafe.

"It appears that about 30 minutes after the shooting at the cafe, the suspect in the cafe shooting fled to First Hill, where he fatally shot a woman in a parking lot, and stole her SUV," police wrote in a blog post on the shootings.

Ian Stawicki did not know married mother of two Gloria Leonidas, the woman he killed in the second shooting incident, according to his father. Koch reportedly died after being transported to Harborview Medical Center.

The area where the suspect shot himself was about seven miles southwest of downtown Seattle -- about a mile to a mile and a half from where the suspect's stolen black SUV was found abandoned with a gun on the seat, according to police.

During a search of the area, a detective spotted the suspect on the street and started watching him, police said. When back-up officers arrived and started moving toward the man, he turned to the officers and the officers ordered him to drop his weapon.

Instead, the suspect put a firearm to his head and pulled the trigger, firing one shot, and immediately dropped to the ground.

"Based on evidence recovered during today's investigations, SPD believes a lone suspect is responsible for the murders in Roosevelt and First Hill," police said in the blog post. "Still, neighbors should expect to see a heightened police presence as detectives work to confirm links between the two tragic incidents."

Roosevelt High School, which is near the cafe, was put on lockdown while police armed with rifles continued to search the area.

Two other nearby schools, Greenwood Elementary School and Eckstein Middle School, were put on a modified lockdown, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

No one answered the phone at Cafe Racer. A recorded message urged callers to "remember to come visit us, where we keep safety third."

"We've had two tragic shootings today that have shaken this city," Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn told reporters.

He said he has asked police to find ways to end the gun violence.

"It's their highest priority to identify the strategies we need to employ to try to bring an end to this wave of gun violence that this city is seeing," he said.

ABC News' Kevin Dolak, Josh Haskell, John Capell and ABC News Radio contributed to this report.

Seattle shooter who killed 5 was \'disgruntled,\' dad says

By JIM VOJTECH, ALYSSA NEWCOMB and MICHAEL S. JAMES | Good Morning AmericaÂ â€"Â

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Bedouins abduct 2 U.S. tourists in Sinai

AFPÂ â€"Â

Article from YAHOO NEWS

Pressure\'s on: National Spelling Bee underway

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Determined to Amputate

It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to lose a limb. But for people living with Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), it's a burning desire that haunts them every day of their lives.

For "John," it's a feeling that has consumed him for as long as he can remember.

â€œThe first thing I can remember was when I was about 4 or 5 years old and in kindergarten - and I remember riding in the subway, and opposite me, one of the kids in the play group had no left hand - that was apparent - and I was really very curious about thisâ€¦ and I got up and crossed the car and tried to put my hand up his sleeve to try and figure out where his hand was,â€ he told FOXNews.com in an anonymous phone interview.

â€œJohnâ€ also recalled several other vivid memories including one incident that happened when he was between the ages of seven and 11.

â€œI remember two buses going in the same direction, and I was standing by the second bus, and I said to myself, â€˜if I just stick my leg under the rear wheel of the bus, it will run over it and it will have to get cut off,' and then I can remember saying to myself: â€˜How will I ever explain why I did this.'â€

â€œJohnâ€ never went through with it - he eventually went to college and got married. But even now, after 47 years of marriage, he cannot shake the burning feeling of wanting to be an amputee.

â€œWhen I see an amputee - when I imagine the amputee - there is this inner pull that says â€˜why can't I be like that?'â€ he said.

The stigma that BIID carries is tremendous - and as a result, many people end up feeling like they're â€œliving a lieâ€ - not even sharing their desire to amputate a limb with their spouses or loved ones.

â€œWhen I see an amputee - when I imagine the amputee - there is this inner pull that says â€˜why can't I be like that?'â€

- "John"

"John" only revealed his secret to his wife five years ago.

â€œAs you can understand, my wife was not exactly pleased with finding out that I wanted to get a leg lopped off,â€ he said.

â€œShe asked me and said â€˜you know, you're a rational man, you should be able to deal with this,'â€ he said. â€œAnd what I answered is that most of the things we hold deep within us â€" are not rational.â€

Most people think anyone who wants to amputate a healthy limb has to be crazy - but John said that is certainly not the case. He said he has seen several psychiatrists, and all of them have concluded that he's perfectly sane.

â€œThey said there's nothing else wrong with me - I just have this odd sort of dependency.â€

Now in his â€œsenior years,â€ as he calls them, â€œJohnâ€ said he is feeling more pressure to carry out his lifelong desire.

But the fact is - people with BIID are left with very few options.

In 2000, Dr. Robert C. Smith, a surgeon from Scotland, made headlines when he amputated the healthy legs of two patients with BIID He said he was following the Hippocratic Oath by preventing his patients from resorting to more life-threatening options - but the medical community did not agree. Since then, it's been virtually impossible for a person to find a surgeon willing to do the elective surgery, and many people with BIID have resorted to drastic and dangerous measures to induce amputation.

â€œI just want to get on with it,â€ â€œJohnâ€ said. â€œBut I want to do it safely. And my wife - who I won't say accepts it, but is willing to go along with me, also insists - and I think she's right, that this be done safely.â€

John says that having his leg amputated would finally allow him to move on with his life.

â€œPeople keep saying you got to be awfully darn sure because there's no going back," he said, "and what I realized, well, maybe a half a year ago, is that if I keep putting it off, there's no going forward.â€

Understanding BIID
Described for the first time in 1977 as apotemnophilia, BIID was originally thought to be a psychological disorder characterized by sexual arousal associated with desire to be an amputee.

â€œIt actually sounds a lot like another condition which we already do recognize called gender identity disorder â€• where, for example, people are born as a male, but feel they're really a woman trapped in a man's body,â€ said Dr. Michael First, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University in New York City, who has been studying this rare condition since 1999.

"Typically it's more common legs than arms, there are people who want bilateral amputations, and I actually know of someone who has achieved that," he added.

â€œThe idea here is - a lot of these people want to be an amputee in all that means. Which is the life of an amputee, the life of an amputee is wearing - for some amputees at least - wearing a prosthetic,â€ First said. â€œIt's more functional. These people don't want to be disabled - they want to be a functioning disabled person.â€

Through his research, First began to realize that the current classification of these patients as apotemnopheliacs was not truly representative of the disorder's actual characteristics, so he came up with the name Body Integrity Identity Disorder to describe the condition as an issue of identity, rather than sexual desire.

â€œApotemnophelia was not an accurate name because it suggests that the primary motivation is sexual,â€ First said. â€œSo where there's these people where clearly the primary motivation was an identity issue, I came up with the name BIID sort of as a model as a parallel to gender identity.â€

People often confuse BIID with a similar mental illness called Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in which sufferers become fixated on a perceived flaw in their appearance or some slight physical abnormality.

But First says the main difference between the two is that people with BIID don't see the limb they wish to amputate as a flaw in their appearance.

â€œThese people don't feel that it's a limb that needs to be removed because it's ugly and defective in any way, they just feel like it's extra,â€ First said. â€œSo it's just a sense of discomfort and they just feel like it's not right having it there.â€

For people suffering with BIID, the desire to amputate in order to make their physical appearance match their ideal image of themselves often dates back to childhood, and some patients even recall being exposed to an amputee at an early age as the beginning of their compulsion.

â€œWhen I did the interview study, I basically interviewed 52 people with this condition and asked them all kinds of questions about how they felt about it, where they thought it began, and virtually everyone said it started somewhere in childhood or adolescence and it's been persistent ever since then,â€ First said.

There are other people who have no memory of any early exposure to an amputee, they just say â€œAs long as I can remember, I've felt like my leg shouldn't be here,â€ he added.

But because of the negative stigma attached to BIID, and the medical ethics involved in amputating a healthy limb, people with the condition often suffer in silence well into their later years.

â€œAs people get older and older they start to feel more pressure to either act on it or not,â€ First said. â€œPeople live with this lifelong burning desire to be an amputee, if they're getting older they start getting to some point where they're like, listen I only have 20 years left of life, it's now or never.â€

As for treatment options, First said he always recommends starting with therapy in combination with certain medications - but he admitted the only thing proven to work so far is surgery.

â€œThere's a huge amount of suffering,â€ he said. â€œThe people I've interviewed with this condition suffer tremendously with this. They spend so much time thinking about it, they're pre-occupied, their life is unsettled, and after they get the surgery, they appear to be perfectly normal again.â€

Recognizing BIID
BIID is not recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, a book published by the American Psychiatric Association and regarded by most of the mental health community as the bible of identified mental illnesses.

But First, as an editor of multiple editions of the DSM, is working to change that, in an effort to create a reference for mental health professionals to use in identifying and treating the condition.

â€œNumber one - for the people who have it - there's a whole issue of labeling something as a disorder, and there are pros and cons labeling,â€ he said.

â€œThe disadvantage of labeling is stigma. We're basically saying this is a mental illness - this is a sickness. But the advantage of having it in the book is twofold. It might encourage more work on treatment by getting it on the map and getting therapists and people aware of it.â€

But the most important factor is for the patients themselves, First added.

â€œEvery single person who has this has gone through many years of their lives thinking they're the only person in the world who has this - feeling very isolated. And the moment they realize that what they have, other people have, and it has a name, it's very, very comforting and it gives them a sense that they're not alone.â€

The Future of BIID
First is currently working on two studies. In one, he's examining other disabilities to try and define the boundaries of BIID. He wants to find out if the disorder is just about amputation or something wider.

â€œOne of the reasons of doing that is to provide more insight into what this is really all about,â€ he said. â€œIf this only exists as an amputation - that may be stronger evidence towards the neurological hypothesis that the researchers out in San Diego were matching. But when you start seeing people who want blindness and deafness and other types of disabilities â€" it suggests a more psychological origin.â€

The other study aims to evaluate the effects of surgery.

â€œPeople that have had amputations have claimed to be cured - so I'm going to get a hold of these people who've had the amputations and find out if this is really true. Hopefully this should provide more insight about whether surgery is really a viable option,â€ he said.

In the end, First's priority is treatment.

â€œI think the community of people with BIID are looking ahead to some future where this will become understood and people can accept it in some way - that this is a condition and there is a solution to their problem.â€

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Feds nab alleged white supremacist who wanted Obama, Holder removed from office

ALEXANDRIA, Va. â€" Â An alleged white supremacist from Virginia was arrested Wednesday after he purportedly obtained a fully automatic AK-47 and expressed support for violence toward political figures including President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

The Justice Department said Douglas Howard Story, 48, was charged with making a firearm in violation of the National Firearms Act, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

A source alerted authorities after Story, of Manassas, Va., posted information on a website indicating he was preparing to buy an AK-47 and have it modified to become fully automatic, a Justice Department statement said. He allegedly said he was planning to ambush and murder any law enforcement officer who stopped him on the street if martial law was enacted in the US.

Story also made statements on various white supremacy internet forums under the name "Confederate Brother." He allegedly ranted about his hatred of minorities and expressed a desire for Obama and Holder to be removed from office "with a 30.06," likely referring to a rifle round.

According to court records, Story provided a semi-automatic AK-47 and $120 to undercover law enforcement with the intent of having the weapon modified to become fully automatic, the Justice Department said. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon by members of FBI Washington Field Office's Joint Terrorism Task Force after allegedly receiving the modified weapon from an undercover agent.

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Hero Veteran, 91, Forced to Prove Citizenship to Vote

A 91-year-old Florida man who won a Bronze star serving in World War II was told by the state of Florida he must prove he is a citizen or he will be removed from voter rolls, The Miami Herald reports.

Bill Internicola told The Miami Herald he was "flabbergasted" when heÂ received a letter in the mail from the Broward Supervisor of Elections saying he must prove he is a citizen in order to vote.

The letter stated the supervisor's office received "information from the State of Florida that you are not a United States citizen; however you are registered to vote," reports The Miami Herald.Â

The letter is part of a controversial Florida program that aims to purge non-citizens from voting records before this year's election.

The state put out an initial list of more than 2,600 people identified as non-U.S. citizens. State election officials then compared driver's licenses with voter registration data and found that as many as 182,000 registered voters are eligible to be in the country, but ineligible to vote.

Some identified, like Internicola, received letters asking to prove their citizenship.Â

On Tuesday, six Democratic members of Congress asked Florida Gov. Rick Scott to suspend the program, saying it has too many inaccuracies and questioning the timing and the accuracy of the effort.

Two of the Congress members, Rep. Ted Deutch and Rep. Alcee Hastings, said at a Tuesday press conference Internicola is an example of the â€œmisguidedâ€ program, the Miami Herald reports.Â

"It's sloppy, it's a hurried voter purge and it could have major consequences for Florida's election in November,'' Hastings told The Sun Sentinel.

Internicola was born in Brooklyn and is a lifelong Democrat and voter, The Sun Sentinel reports.He served as an Army medic in World War II in the 75th infantry division, and won a Bronze Star for his actions in the Battle of the Bulge. He also received the Legion of Honor for his service in France.

He sent in his army discharge papers as proof of his citizenship according to The Miami Herald.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Images appear to show Iran nuclear test site cleanup

WASHINGTON â€" Â New satellite photographs published by a Washington think tank appear to show intensified efforts by Iran over the past week to cleanse a military site south of Tehran suspected of being used for nuclear-weapons research.

The Iranian actions could affect a tentative deal reached last week between Tehran and the United Nations' nuclear watchdog that was aimed at granting inspectors expansive access to facilities, scientists and documents allegedly related to nuclear-weapons work.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has specifically been pressing Iran to allow inspectors to visit the military site, known as Parchin, which the agency believes may have been involved in the testing of high explosives used to simulate a nuclear detonation.

IAEA officials have increasingly cited access to Parchin as a key barometer to gauge Iranian willingness to address the international community's concerns that the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes and that Parchin is a conventional military site.

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Goodbye Big Gulp? NYC Proposes Large Soda Ban

New York â€" Â No more super-sized Cokes. Forget about stomach-busting 64-ounce sodas at KFC. Even 20-ounce Snapples are on Mayor Bloomberg's latest heath-conscious hit list.

New York City plans to ban the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in an effort to combat obesity.

The proposed first-in-the-nation ban would impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sweetened drinks sold at restaurants, movie theaters, sports venues and street carts. It would apply to bottled drinks as well as fountain sodas.

The ban, which could take effect as soon as March, wouldn't apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks or alcoholic beverages.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday that he "thinks it's what the public wants the mayor to do."

But there's speculation that customers will just buy two 16-ounce bottles instead of one 20-ounce drink.

A spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, Stefan Friedman, criticized the proposal as "zealous." He said officials should seek solutions that are actually going to curb obesity.

The proposal requires the approval of the city's Board of Health.

The Associated Press and New York Post contributed to this report.

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Ex-Justice: Court Likely Rethinking Citizens United

In this Sept. 29, 2009, file photo Associate Justice John Paul Stevens sits for a group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington.AP

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. â€" Â Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said Wednesday night he expects that the court has already had second thoughts about parts of its controversial Citizens United ruling that eased restrictions on corporate spending in political campaigns.

The sharply divided court ruled that independent spending by corporations does "not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption." Stevens, who dissented from that 2010 decision, said that at some point the court will have to issue an opinion "explicitly crafting an exception that will create a crack in the foundation" of that ruling.

Speaking to hundreds of people at an event in Little Rock, the retired justice said President Barack Obama accurately criticized the ruling for reversing a century of law and allowing special interest groups to pump money into elections.

He cited Justice Samuel Alito's reaction to Obama's criticism, along with one of the court's later rulings when the justices rejected a free-speech challenge from humanitarian aid groups to a law that bars support to terrorist organizations.

Stevens said "the fact that the proposed speech would indirectly benefit a terrorist organization provided a sufficient basis for denying it First Amendment protection."

He also pointed to televised debates when moderators try to allow candidates equal time to express their views. He said candidates and viewers wouldn't like it if there were an auction giving the most time to the highest bidder.

"Yet that is essentially what happens during actual campaigns in which rules equalizing campaign expenditures are forbidden," he said.

Stevens spoke in Arkansas the day after Obama presented him with the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Aside from criticizing the Citizens United decision, Stevens also took a jab at the Bush v. Gore case after an audience member asked him about it.

"I think you have to have confidence that the justices will do their best to not make that same mistake again," he said to laughter and applause.

Stevens was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Gerald Ford, and he served on the high court from 1975 until he retired in 2010. Obama nominated Justice Elena Kagan to replace him.

Stevens recently wrote a memoir about his time on the court, "Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir."

In between signing copies of the book Wednesday night, he was asked whether he would want to sit on the court to hear the case challenging the new federal health care law.

"I'm convinced that my decision to resign was absolutely right," he said. "I'm slowing down. I've been replaced by a brilliant justice and I'm happy to have her do the work that I used to do."

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SpaceX Dragon leaves space station for trip home

By MARCIA DUNN | Associated PressÂ â€"Â

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Bedouin seize two U.S. tourists in Egypt\'s Sinai

By Mary Slosson | ReutersÂ â€"Â

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Wal-Mart latest to leave conservative advocacy group

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Man killed in homemade plane crash

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Condoleezza Rice endorses Romney

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More families seek kidney donations on Facebook

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Dragon to Return to Earth

May 22, 2012: The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket is seen during a time exsposure as it lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. This launch marks the first time, a private company sends its own rocket to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.AP Photo/John Raoux

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. â€" Â The world's first commercial supply ship is closed up and ready for a Thursday flight back to Earth from the International Space Station.

Astronauts sealed the hatch to the SpaceX Dragon capsule on Wednesday. It's loaded with 1,400 pounds of experiments and old equipment for return to NASA.

In the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, the astronauts will use the station's robot arm to release the Dragon. The spacecraft will aim for a splashdown in the Pacific later in the morning, about 500 miles southwest of Los Angeles.

The California-based SpaceX is the first private business to launch a spacecraft to the orbiting complex. NASA wants to use the capsule to restock the station's pantry and eventually ferry station astronauts.

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Dragon to Return to Earth

May 22, 2012: The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket is seen during a time exsposure as it lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla. This launch marks the first time, a private company sends its own rocket to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.AP Photo/John Raoux

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. â€" Â The world's first commercial supply ship is closed up and ready for a Thursday flight back to Earth from the International Space Station.

Astronauts sealed the hatch to the SpaceX Dragon capsule on Wednesday. It's loaded with 1,400 pounds of experiments and old equipment for return to NASA.

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Missing college student\'s bike found badly damaged- Search for cabbie seen driving missing NY boy

Louisiana college student Michaela Shunick, who disappeared May 19, is thought to be the bicyclist seen on this surveillance video.AP/Lafayette PD

LAFAYETTE, La. â€" Â The recovered bike of a missing Louisiana college student was badly damaged, police said Wednesday, as they ruled out the possible involvement of two motorists seen in CCTV footage from the night the woman went missing.

Mickey Shunick's black bicycle had a bent back rim and damaged back tire, officers told ABC News.

Lafayette Police also told KTBS-TV that the occupants of a car and a pick-up truck seen in surveillance footage that captured Shunick as she rode home in the early hours of May 19 had been cleared of involvement in her disappearance.

The bike was discovered in a muddy basin of the Atchafalaya River on Sunday morning, nearly 30 miles from where Shunick, 22, was last seen riding home from a friend's house.

Police indicated they do not believe Shunick, a University of Louisiana anthropology major, rode her bike to the area where it was found.

"We strongly believe that the person, or perpetrator, drove down to the edge of the water and dumped the bike into the water for it not to be found," said Paul Mouton, of the Lafayette Police Department.

Friends and family have posted fliers around Lafayette seeking information on Shunick's whereabouts. A $20,000 reward is on offer for information that helps locate her.

Police said they were still seeking the driver of a third car spotted on the surveillance footage.

Shunick is described as being 5ft 1in tall and weighing 115 pounds. She has wavy, blonde hair and was last seen wearing a pastel multicolor striped shirt, light wash denim skinny jeans, and silver ankle boots.

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Missing college student\'s bike found badly damaged- Search for cabbie seen driving missing NY boy

Louisiana college student Michaela Shunick, who disappeared May 19, is thought to be the bicyclist seen on this surveillance video.AP/Lafayette PD

Mickey Shunick's black bicycle had a bent back rim and damaged back tire, officers told ABC News.

The bike was discovered in a muddy basin of the Atchafalaya River on Sunday morning, nearly 30 miles from where Shunick, 22, was last seen riding home from a friend's house.

Police indicated they do not believe Shunick, a University of Louisiana anthropology major, rode her bike to the area where it was found.

Friends and family have posted fliers around Lafayette seeking information on Shunick's whereabouts. A $20,000 reward is on offer for information that helps locate her.

Police said they were still seeking the driver of a third car spotted on the surveillance footage.

Article from FOXNEWS

Ex-Obama ally congressman: I\'d run again as GOP

Former congressman, former Obama ally and former Alabama resident Artur Davis now says he is a former Democrat, according to a post on his website.

After he was beaten badly in his run for Alabama governor in 2010, Davis moved to Virginia, where he works as a private-sector consultant.

But he has been eyeing a run for Congress in his new home state, and toward that end renounced both his party and his president Tuesday.

"If I were to run, it would be as a Republican. And I am in the process of changing my voter registration from Alabama to Virginia, a development which likely does represent a closing of one chapter and perhaps the opening of another," Davis wrote in a website post titled "Response to Political Rumors."