Uganda bomb blasts kill 64

Somali militant group may be involved, police say

At least 64 people, including one American aid worker, were killed in Kampala on Sunday when a series of explosions tore through venues where people had gathered to watch the final match of the World Cup.

The first blast hit the Ethiopian Village restaurant around 10:55 p.m. local time, Ugandan government spokesman Fred Opolot said. Two more blasts tore through a crowded rugby club about 20 minutes later, he said.

Opolot said officials have found signs that suggest two suicide bombers may be responsible for the explosions, though officials cautioned it is too soon to say exactly who was behind the attacks.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni toured the blast sites Monday and said that the terrorists behind the bombings should fight soldiers, not "people who are just enjoying themselves."

"We shall go for them wherever they are coming from," Museveni said. "We will look for them and get them as we always do."

Ugandan army spokesman Felix Kulayigye said it was too early to speculate about any military response to the attacks, which wounded as many as 70 people.

Invisible Children, a San Diego, California-based aid group that helps child soldiers, identified the dead American as one of its workers, Nate Henn.

Al-Shabab may be involved

Kampala's police chief said he believed Somalia's most feared militant group, al-Shabab, could be responsible for the attack.

Al-Shabab is known to have links with al-Qaeda, and it counts militant veterans from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts among its ranks. Simultaneous attacks are also one of al-Qaeda's hallmarks. The U.S. State Department has designated al-Shabab a terrorist organization.

In Mogadishu, Somalia, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander, told The Associated Press early Monday that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda. Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible for the bombings.

"Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us," Sheik said.

In addition to Uganda's troops in Mogadishu, Uganda also hosts Somali soldiers trained in U.S. and European-backed programs.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the U.S. was prepared to provide any necessary assistance to the Ugandan government.

U.S. President Barack Obama was "deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks," Vietor said.

Theme parks delight the young at heart

Sesame Street Safari, Thomas Town geared toward younger kids

The negotiations went right down to the wire.

Was he persuasive enough? Would she back away from the deal at the last moment?

I smile thinking of that hot day at Disney World when my son and older daughter worked so hard to convince their little sister that she really was "grown up" enough (and tall enough) to ride Space Mountain. "So cool!" they told her. "Not too scary," they promised.

It wasn't — at least for 5-year-old Melanie — and she spent the rest of that day and that trip preening about being "a big kid!"

Phew. I'm glad I didn't have to buck her up if she'd decided at the last minute she simply couldn't take the risk that the ride would be too scary. (There's nothing I hate more at theme parks than parents cajoling kids onto rides they aren't ready for.)

So what if you've waited half an hour or more. "Just because he or she may be tall enough doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. The same goes for parents — and teens — who would prefer to skip the coasters. Don't push a child who's overly scared. Rides taken under such circumstances can be truly frightening," says Dr. David Fassler, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and professor at the University of Vermont.

Don't fudge the height rules either. They are in place for a child's safety. Nor should a child ride an attraction he's outgrown. Always seat a younger child on the inside and make sure they keep their hands and feet inside at all times.

Curfew enforced in Kashmir towns

A curfew is being strictly enforced in parts of Indian-administered Kashmir after a wave of violence between protesters and police over the past month.

Police and paramilitaries have been deployed in the capital Srinagar where three civilians died in police firing on Tuesday.

Anantnag, Pulwana and Kakapora towns are also under curfew.

At least 14 civilians have died in clashes with forces since June.

Many of the deaths have been blamed on the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Restricted

Life in Srinagar has come to a standstill, and movement of people has been restricted in other affected towns, says the BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar.

Our correspondent says that the curfew in Anantnag has now been in place for eight consecutive days - since three people were killed by police there last week - and there is no sign of the tension diminishing.

A police spokesman said the authorities have decided to deploy the army in some sensitive areas, but no soldiers are out on the streets yet.

Most of the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley has either been under a curfew or shut down for the past few weeks because of protests over the killing of civilians by the police and paramilitary forces.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has defended the security forces, saying they could not be expected constantly to show restraint when they were so often pelted with stones.

The killings of civilian protesters, most of them teenagers, have angered many in the valley.

One newspaper headline described 2010 as the "year of teenage killings" in Kashmir.

Even the pro-India People's Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the government of declaring war on its own people, our correspondent reports.

Hundreds of thousands of troops are based in Kashmir to fight a two-decade insurgency against Indian rule.

BSE Sensex rises 0.2 pct after shaky start

The BSE Sensex climbed 0.2 percent in early trade on Tuesday, with Reliance Industries(RELI.BO) leading the rise, as Asian markets erased most of their early losses.

At 9:01 a.m. (0331 GMT), the 30-share BSE index was up 0.17 percent at 17,471.78 points, after opening 0.2 percent lower. Twenty-two of its components advanced.

The 50-share NSE index was up 0.1 percent at 5,241.25.

Shocking Celebrity Deaths

Marilyn Monroe   

Marilyn Monroe's beauty, vulnerability, and innocence made her one of the most recognized faces of all time. Monroe reached stardom with films such as 'Gentlemen prefer blondes', 'How to marry a Millionaire', and 'The Seven Year Itch'. She even won a Golden Globe for 'Some like it Hot'.


The 36-year-old actress was found dead in the bedroom of her Brentwood home by her psychoanalyst Ralph S Greenson on August 5, 1962. The death was supposedly caused by an overdose of sleeping pills given by her housekeeper Eunice Murray. [Wonder if that's any relation to Dr. Conrad Murray.] Monroe was naked, atop her telephone on her bed, with unhealthy levels of barbiturates in her bloodstream.

Monroe's demise is steeped in mystery and has captured the imagination of many conspiracy theorists who link her death to the FBI and even US president Johny F Kennedy and his brother, Robert.
Princess Diana


With her marriage to Charles, prince of Wales, on July 29, 1981, Princess Diana became an international media figure and world icon. She had two children with Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. The couple divorced on August 28, 1996.

On Sunday, August 31, 1997, the world was shocked to learn of a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris that took the life of Diana, princess of Wales.


In the car were Dodi Fayed, her Egyptian millionaire lover and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, neither of whom survived. Fayed's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor though he suffered extensive head injuries.

The crash was attributed to intoxication and the use of anti-depressants on the part of Henri Paul, who lost control of the car at high speed as he tried to escape the pursuing paparazzi.

Dodi's father, Mohamed al-Fayed, claimed that there was a larger conspiracy behind the accident and accused MI6 and Prince Phillip, duke of Edinburgh, of planning it.
Diana's death was met with public expressions of grief, and her public funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on September 6 drew an estimated three million mourners.
Anna Nicole Smith


Anna Nicole Smith, former nude centerfold model and actress, was a prominent television personality in the US. She was also starring in her own reality show called 'The Anna Nicole Show'.

Smith died on February 8, 2007, at the age of 39 as a result of an overdose of prescription drugs. She was found unresponsive in room 607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.


Tasma Brighthaupt, Smith's friend, a trained emergency nurse, and her bodyguard husband Maurice Brighthaupt performed CPR on the celebrity but to no avail.

The hotel front desk was alerted and security called 911. Paramedics arrived and Smith was rushed to hospital at 2:10pm where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The official report said her death was not considered a homicide, suicide, or one resulting from natural causes.

The paternity of Smith's newborn daughter Danielynn was another controversy with Smith's personal attorney Howard Stern and her ex-lover Larry Birkhead both claiming to be the father. Danielynn's birth certificate listed Howard Stern as her father. But a DNA test revealed with 99.9% certainty that Birkhead was the father.

Prior to her death, Smith was dealing with the death of her son, Daniel, 20, who died in his mother's hospital room while visiting her and his newborn sister. An autopsy said Daniel Smith died of "combined drug intoxication" with the sleeping medication chloral hydrate as the 'major component'. 
The Murphy's

A multi-faceted artiste, Brittany Murphy starred in films such as 'Cluesless'; 'Girl Interrupted'; '8 Mile' and 'Sin City'. She was the voice of Luanne Platter on the animated series 'King of the Hill' and had also released a hit single 'Faster kill Pussycat' among other songs.

On December 20, 2009, Murphy had apparently collapsed in her bathroom. Firefighters attempted to resuscitate her. She went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.


An autopsy performed on December 21, 2009, said the primary cause of Murphey's death was pneumonia, with secondary factors of iron-deficiency anaemia and multiple drug intoxication involving legal over-the-counter and prescription medication.

Five months after Murphy's death, her film producer widower Simon Monjack was found dead at the same Hollywood Hills residence. Investigation into the cause of his death is underway.

Murphy's final film, 'Abandoned', is expected to be released this year.
James Dean

Though James Dean, 24 years old at the time of his death, had leading roles in only three films ('East of Eden' being the only one to be released in his lifetime), he remains a symbol of rebellion. His most famous film, 'Rebel without a Cause', epitomized Dean's place in pop culture.

The fateful accident which took the promising young actor's life occurred on September 30, 1955, when Dean, along with his mechanic Rolf Wuetherich, was driving his new Porsche 550 Spyder to an auto rally in Salinas, California.


At around 5:30pm (after the actor had already been pulled over once for speeding), as Dean was driving on Highway 466, the Porsche collided into a 1950 Ford Tutor driven by 23-year-old Donald Turnupseed as he was attempting to make a left turn on to Highway 4.1. Turnupseed received minor injuries from the accident. Wuetherich was thrown from the Porsche and survived the crash. Dean, however, was killed in the accident.

Sugary-drink ban starts to affect S.F. sites

Coca-Cola is out, and soy milk is now part of San Francisco's official city policy.

Under an executive order from Mayor Gavin Newsom, Coke, Pepsi and Fanta Orange are no longer allowed in vending machines on city property, although their diet counterparts are - up to a point.

Newsom's directive, issued in April but whose practical impacts are starting to be felt now, bars calorically sweetened beverages from vending machines on city property.

That includes non-diet sodas, sports drinks and artificially sweetened water. Juice must be 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice with no added sweeteners. Diet sodas can be no more than 25 percent of the items offered, the directive says.

There should be "ample choices" of water, "soy milk, rice milk and other similar dairy or non dairy milk," says the directive, which also covers fat and sugar content in vending machine snacks.

It's all part of Newsom's effort to combat obesity and improve San Franciscans' health, similar to a national effort being championed by first lady Michelle Obama.

The mayor's administration points to studies linking soda to obesity, including a UCLA one released last year that found adults who drink at least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than those who don't, and that soda consumption is fueling the state's $41 billion annual obesity problem. The study also found that 41 percent of children and 62 percent of teens drink at least one soda daily.

"There's a direct link between what people eat and drink and the obesity and health care crises in this country," Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker said. "It's entirely appropriate and not at all intrusive for city government to take steps to discourage the sale of sugary sodas on city property."

Restricting soda

San Francisco certainly isn't the first municipality to set nutritional standards for vending machines on public property. The state and at least four counties have adopted or have recommendations for similar policies. Santa Clara County's policy, adopted in 2008, is not as restrictive as San Francisco's, allowing up to half of vending machine content to be standard soda. It's unclear how strict the other policies are.

Bob Achermann, executive director of the California/Nevada Soft Drink Association industry group, said he hasn't received complaints about San Francisco's rule, but said "it certainly sounds a bit proscriptive."

"This is all about choice. There is probably nothing more personal than what you drink and eat," Achermann said. "Singling out beverages in this whole equation of how to fight obesity is not going to be the answer."

A multifaceted approach

Newsom floated the idea last year of imposing a fee on retailers that sell soda but has yet to follow through with legislation. His administration says it's trying a multifaceted approach to tackling obesity, including the Shape Up San Francisco exercise program and periodic Sunday street closures to encourage outside activity.

"This is not about the soda police or a crackdown on soda," Winnicker said. "People absolutely remain free to choose to drink unhealthy sugary sodas anywhere they want."

Selling them is another matter.

While the mayor's order contains exceptions for vending machines covered under already negotiated contracts, it directs department heads to have new contracts conform to the new standards.

That's the case in the current bidding process for a five-year lease to run a cafe in the basement of City Hall. The vending machine requirement will also be included when bids go out for a cafe at the Hall of Justice, Deputy City Administrator Amy Brown said.

Chong Park, who's managed the City Hall Café for nine years, says she averages less than $100 a month on her cut from two gleaming red Coca-Cola machines at the doors to her cafe. But with the future lease on the space up for grabs, she's trying to bring the stock in her refrigerator cases in line with Newsom's directive, and that's going to impact her bottom line, Park said.

She gets about 15 percent of her business selling those sodas, and replacing them with 100 percent juice will be expensive, Park said.

"The future is going to be affected," Park said. "But I don't want to be in trouble with the mayor. I like him very much."

Reem Nasra, who runs the Mint cafe at the Civic Center branch of San Francisco Superior Court, has put in a bid for the City Hall cafe.

"As far as meeting the guidelines," Nasra said, "I don't have any issues with that."

Three Dead in Plane Crash Near N.J. Airport

(AP)  A small airplane aborted a landing at an airport before crashing at a nearby commercial strip and bursting into flames, killing a doctor and two relatives, authorities said. 

It appeared the plane was descending for a landing at the Essex County Airport in Fairfield when the pilot pulled up Monday evening, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said. The plane, which had taken off from upstate New York, crashed moments later just north of the airport on a grassy patch surrounded by businesses and warehouses. 

Manhattan rheumatologist Margaret D. Smith, 70, was piloting the four-seater plane and died along with Michael Ferguson, 44, and his wife, Theresa Ferguson, Fairfield police Deputy Chief Steven Gutkin said. The three were the only people on the single-engine plane, a Cirrus SR22, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Holly Baker said. 

Smith was the senior associate dean at New York Medical College and was a professor of clinical medicine. The school had no immediate comment Monday night. 

The flight originated in Plattsburgh, N.Y., a city next to Lake Champlain close to the Canadian border. It was unclear what caused it to crash, authorities said. National Transportation Safety Board investigators were on their way to the scene. 

Witnesses said they heard two explosions before the plane crashed. They said the wreckage became a fireball. Only the plane's tail section remained intact after the crash and the intense fire. 

Witness Garfield Smith, who's not related to the pilot, said he and co-workers were inside the Ned Stevens Gutter Cleaning offices when they were startled by a blast outside. 

"When the crash hit, you could tell it wasn't a car," Smith told Newark's The Star-Ledger newspaper. "It was much louder than that." 

The workers heard another blast when they went outside, he said. No injuries on the ground were immediately reported. 

The crash might have been deadlier, authorities said, had it not happened on a Monday during a long July 4 holiday weekend, when some workers were observing the holiday and fewer were around. 

"If this had happened tomorrow, it could have been a drastically different scene," Gutkin said.