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Van der Sloot faces prisons known for harsh conditions
Joran van der Sloot, Stephany Flores, Natalee Holloway. These names dominated Google trends for most of Tuesday, when news broke that van der Sloot allegedly confessed to Peruvian authorities to killing Flores. Adding to the intrigue, sources close to the investigation said the Dutchman admitted to killing Flores after she discovered information on his laptop linking him to the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway.
"Peru prisons" was also a popular search term late in the afternoon, with many wondering what kind of conditions van der Sloot might face if he enters one of Peru's 71 active prisons.
A 2009 U.S. State Department report on Peru's human rights record noted that while the South American country's government generally respects the human rights of its citizens, prison conditions were harsh for the country's 44,800 inmates - 17,297 of whom were awaiting sentencing as of December 2009, according to the report.
Among the areas of serious concern highlighted were overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate nutrition and health care. The San Juan de Lurigancho men's prison held 9,874 prisoners in a facility designed for 3,204 and incidences of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS were reportedly at near-epidemic levels, according to the report.
Day 50: 11 dead, unknown gallons of oil, no end in sight
[Updated at 5:51 p.m.] We've reached the milestone of Day 50 of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which has become the biggest one in U.S. history. The government's point man on the response says it could take until the fall for the underwater gusher to be capped, and years until the environment damaged by the disaster is restored.
While BP tries to continues to work on how to stop the oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico, anger is growing over who is to blame.
BP has been met with harsh criticism for not being prepared for the worst-case scenario and for the amount of trouble it is having capping the leak. Take a look at all of the efforts they've tried, what BP hoped would happen and how it worked out.
The oil rig explosion killed 11 people and is now leading to an environmental disaster threatening the livelihoods of those in the fishing, seafood and tourism industries.
So now, advocacy group MoveOn is planning to hold nationwide vigils Tuesday night to call for stepped-up efforts to stop the spill. And people across the country have been protesting BP and complaining about the lack of coordination and attempts to really work to stop the damage.
BP and officials say they're trying their hardest, but they've encountered trouble along the way. The biggest problem? The sheer amount of oil and the difficulty in controlling where it is going, according to the government's point man, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen.
Now, in addition to fighting a battle in the Gulf, BP is also fighting a massive public relations battle.
Security Brief: Blackwater for sale
There was a time when Blackwater owner Erik Prince planned to grow his fledgling private contracting company into a family empire. But that was a long time ago. Today, the controversial contracting powerhouse that now goes by the name Xe, is up for sale.
In a few short years, Prince managed to turn a start-up firing range facility aimed at special forces and law enforcement, into a billion dollar empire that the U.S. State Department insisted it needed in order to perform its mission in Iraq, providing security personnel to protect diplomats and others who were spearheading reconstruction efforts.
Fix it: Oil disaster solutions from the nation
Scientists, students and imaginative amateurs have suggested ways to stop or clean up the Gulf oil disaster in the days and weeks after the oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers and started the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history.
As BP tried various methods to stop the spill, ideas and possible solutions started to appear on CNN iReport and are now being featured on TV. They include using different kind of tubes to plug the gushing oil to sprinkling sand or dishwashing detergent on the oil.
iReport: Have an idea on how to fix the oil disaster? Send your ideas
Military serving overseas may not get to see World Cup
U.S. Military personnel overseas may not get a chance to cheer on the U.S. in the World Cup.
The World Cup may be the world’s most-watched sporting event, but U.S. military personnel serving overseas may not be among the hundreds of millions with their eyes on the games.
Just four days before the games kick off Friday in South Africa, the Armed Forces Network, which provides television services to U.S. military installations around the world has yet to secure permission to show the World Cup.
“The American Forces Network Broadcast Center (AFN-BC) is actively working the clearance process to obtain the necessary international distribution permissions to broadcast the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa on AFN,” according to a statement on the network’s website.
The military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported Tuesday that the network has been negotiating with FIFA for more than two years to get broadcast rights to the games.
Air Force suspends essential training in oil-marred Gulf
The oil disaster has prompted the Air Force to suspend its parachute water survival training in Florida, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The Air Force trains its air crews at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, according to David Smith, spokesman for the Air Education and Training Command. The program, which trains 55 students for 48 weeks a year, was suspended June 4.
Holloway's mom urges prayers for Peru victim's family
Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba in 2005. Joran Van der Sloot was arrested twice, but never charged in the case.
The mother of Natalee Holloway on Tuesday urged her supporters to keep "in our hearts and in our prayers" the family of the woman that Joran van der Sloot is now accused of killing.
Beth Holloway made the remark at the opening of a resource center in Washington for the families of missing persons, a center that bears her daughter's name.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice in connection with Natalee Holloway's 2005 disappearance in Aruba but was released for lack of evidence. He denied any involvement and has not been charged in the Holloway case, but was arrested last week by authorities in Peru in connection with the killing of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez.
Dutch youth lives under shadow of Holloway case 5 years later
Oil disaster’s ripple effect in the Twin Cities
Coastal Seafood in Minneapolis distributes seafood from all over the world.
There’s very little for sale on the ice-lined shelves of Minneapolis’ Coastal Seafood that comes from the Gulf of Mexico.
But that doesn’t mean the Gulf oil disaster isn’t having a small ripple effect on the seafood industry in the Twin Cities.
Sports Update: A huge MLB debut, Lakers at Celtics
Stephen Strasburg will make his much-anticipated debut with the Washington Nationals today.
Monday, the Nationals took Bryce Harper with the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft. Today, the most important 48 hours since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005 continues, writes SI.com’s Joe Lemire, as Stephen Strasburg makes his debut. The top selection in last year’s draft, Strasburg flew threw the minors, going 7-2 with a 1.30 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 55 innings in Double-A and Triple-A.
He’ll take the Nationals Park mound for the first time against the Pirates (7 p.m., MLB Network) in what locals are dubbing “Strasmas.” D.C.’s baseball holiday headlines Tuesday’s sports docket, but it’s far from the only thing going on in the sports world. Here are a couple more highlights (all times Eastern).
Lakers at Celtics (9 p.m., ABC). The Celtics stole home-court advantage away from the Lakers to even The NBA Finals at 1-1 and set the stage for an epic finish, writes SI.com’s Chris Ballard. (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_ballard/06/07/lakers.celtics.game2/index.html). Boston will try and seize the upper hand at home, where they’re 7-2 this postseason.
Officials: Girl saw Holloway info on van der Sloot laptop
Authorities say Joran van der Sloot has confessed to killing a Peruvian woman.
[Updated at 11:28 a.m.] Joran Van der Sloot told police he killed 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez last week when she found some information on his laptop computer that tied him to the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway five years ago, Peruvian authorities said Tuesday.
"I did not want to do it," van der Sloot is said to have told authorities. "The girl intruded into my private life."
[Posted at 11:08 a.m] Joran van der Sloot, the longtime suspect in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager in Aruba, is slated to take Peruvian authorities on a re-enactment Tuesday at the hotel room where the body of a young woman he has confessed to killing was found last week, officials said.
Van der Sloot offered a tearful confession Monday night to killing 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez, Peruvian authorities said.
On the Radar: Confession in Peru, iPhone 4, oil disaster
Joran van der Sloot - Unexpected developments in the Joran van der Sloot case: Police in Peru say the suspect admitted to murdering a young woman after she looked at his computer and began asking questions about his role in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. Van der Sloot was a suspect in the Holloway disappearance in Aruba five years ago but never was charged.
CNN.com's Ashley Fantz takes a look at the victim in the Peruvian case, Stephany Flores Ramirez, and talks to her family about the slaying. Relatives said they were horrified when they Googled van der Sloot's name and realized who he was. As this case unfolds, CNN will bring you the latest details.
Gulf oil disaster - President Obama is taking heat from critics on how he's handled the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. But he says he was on top of the spill weeks ago and has been getting advice from the best minds in the field. He bluntly defended his administration's response to the undersea gusher fouling the Gulf, telling an interviewer Monday that he has met with experts to learn "whose ass to kick."
Tuesday's live video events on CNN.com/live
Today's plan for live offerings on CNN.com. Head to: CNN.com/live to watch live!
10:00 a.m. – Adm. Allen oil spill briefing – Adm. Thad Allen, National Incident Commander, holds a media briefing to provide update on oil spill response efforts.
10:00 a.m. – Senate Gulf liability hearing – Senate Judiciary committee hearing entitled, “The risky business of big oil: Have recent court decisions and liability caps encouraged irresponsible corporate behavior?”
Tuesday's intriguing people
Daryl Hall and John Oates
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced that the most successful duo in rock history has canceled its concert at Chase Field as a protest against Arizona's legislation to fight illegal immigration. USA Today reports that the performance had been scheduled to follow a game against the Dodgers on July 2.
Hall and Oates issued the following statement: "In addition to our personal convictions, we are standing in solidarity with the music community in our boycott of performing in Arizona at this time. We would like to emphasize that this has nothing to do with the management of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have been professional and cooperative throughout our dealings with them. This is our response to a very specific action of the state."
World update: Trader on trial over alleged $6B fraud
Jerome Kerviel
An update from London on some of the international stories we expect to develop on Tuesday:
Trader on trial - The French trader accused of a multi-billion-dollar fraud at banking giant Societe Generale goes on trial on Tuesday. Jerome Kerviel faces charges including forgery, breach of trust, and unauthorized computer use. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 375,000 euros ($447,500). The bank also will ask that Kerviel reimburse it for its loss. Read the full story
Murder confession - A 22-year-old Dutchman - Joran van der Sloot - has confessed to the murder of Peruvian woman Stephany Flores Ramirez and could be formally charged on Tuesday, according to the Peruvian authorities. Van der Sloot was also arrested twice in connection with the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005. Read the full story
Inside BP's command center
We were given a very rare, inside look at BP's crisis command center in Katy, Texas, just west of Houston.
We got only 30 minutes to sweep through, but saw some high-tech wizardry at work as BP tries to contain this spill.
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