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The day's most popular stories
The five most popular stories on CNN.com in the past 24 hours, according to NewsPulse:
In mixup, kid served alcohol at Applebee's, police say: A 15-month-old boy (pictured) was hospitalized after a behind-the-bar mix-up at a Michigan Applebee's restaurant that left the toddler sipping alcohol instead of apple juice.
Say goodbye to 1-year Verizon contracts: Verizon customers interested in signing a one-year contract (as opposed to the standard two) should lock in their selections now.
In some ways, we're still fighting Civil War: Americans still argue over many issues that led to the Civil War 150 years ago, scholars say
Katie Couric and Matt Lauer to reunite on 'Today': Katie Couric and Matt Lauer will be together again on the "Today" show – at least for one day.
Liam Neeson cut from 'The Hangover Part II': After replacing Mel Gibson in "The Hangover Part II," Liam Neeson has been ousted from the upcoming comedy, too.
Japan's nuclear accident 'provisionally' given Chernobyl's rating
Japanese authorities Tuesday "provisionally" declared the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident a level 7 event on the international scale for nuclear disasters, putting the current crisis on par with the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl.
Regulators have determined the amount of radioactive iodine released by the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi was at least 15 times the volume needed to reach the top of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Association said. That figure is still about 10 percent of the amount released at Chernobyl, the agency reported.
The amount of radioactive Cesium-137, which has a half-life of 30 years, is about one-seventh the amount released at Chernobyl, according to the agency.
Level 7, a "major accident," is the highest level on the event scale. The 1986 Chernobyl, Ukraine, event also was rated a level 7. For more information about the ratings, see this interactive.
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Investors cautious as they await earnings
Some highlights from the day's business news:
Stocks under pressure ahead of earnings
U.S. stocks gave up an early advance and closed little changed Monday as investors looked ahead to corporate reports due throughout the week.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1 point, or less than 0.1%, to close at 12,381. The S&P 500 slipped about 4 points, or 0.3% to 1,324. The Nasdaq Composite sank 9 points, or 0.3%, to 2,771.
Stocks posted broad-based gains earlier in the session on a spate of deal news and a drop in oil prices following talk of a cease fire in Libya. But the tone turned more cautious in the afternoon, as investors were awaiting the early results of the first-quarter reporting period.
None of us was Gadhafi's lover, one of his nurses says
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s Ukrainian nurses lived well and traveled with him in style, but none of them ever was his lover, one of them told Newsweek after returning to her home country.
"The only time we ever touched him was to take his blood pressure,” said Oksana Balinskaya, who left Libya for Ukraine in early February, the month Libya’s civil war began, according to Newsweek partner The Daily Beast.
Balinskaya, who said she fled Libya because she was pregnant and believed Gadhafi wouldn’t approve of her Serbian boyfriend, told Newsweek Gadhafi "chose to hire only attractive Ukrainian women, most probably for our looks." She said she and other nurses would ensure the 68-year-old, who she said had the "heart rate and blood pressure of a much younger man," would take daily walks and get vaccinations.
Taxiing jet clips smaller plane at JFK airport
An Airbus 380 clipped a smaller plane while taxiing to the runway for takeoff from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to CNN's Jim Bittermann, who was on the Air France flight headed to Paris.
Bitterman said that he felt a slight rumble - akin to hitting a pothole - as his plane was moving on the ground Monday at about 8:15 p.m. The pilot then stopped the plane, and eventually fire department crews surrounded it and the other aircraft.
FULL STORYMagnitude-6.4 quake hits Japan hours after 6.6 temblor
A magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck Japan Tuesday morning, after a similar quake rattled the northeastern part of the country Monday evening.
The latest quake struck at about 8:08 a.m. Tuesday (7:08 p.m. Monday ET), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It had a depth of about 13 kilometers (8 miles) and was centered about 77 kilometers (47 miles) east-southeast of Tokyo.
Earlier, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck Monday night, on the one-month anniversary of the country's devastating 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami.
FULL STORY
Overheard on CNN.com: Civil War battles still alive?
Comment of the day: "Abraham Lincoln was a Southerner himself - being born in Kentucky and such. Abe is my 4th cousin 4x removed!" –RoboCarrot
4 ways we're still fighting the Civil War
Readers got into a passionate discussion about what issues from the Civil War era are still alive today. CNN's article highlighted four traditionally touchy subjects: the disappearance of a political center, the debate over how much power the federal government should have, commitment to war effort, and the authority of the president. An interesting thread to emerge from the discussion was about states' rights in particular.
'New era of hope' after Gbagbo's arrest, Ivory Coast leader says
Hours after Ivory Coast's self-declared president was captured, the country's internationally recognized president said Monday that nation has "reached the dawn of a new era of hope."
Speaking in a televised address, Alassane Ouattara urged his countrymen to give up violence and lay down their weapons.
Violence erupted after Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election in November and escalated into all-out war when forces loyal to Ouattara recently launched an offensive that brought them into the city of Abidjan.
Forces stormed Gbagbo's residence on Monday and arrested the self-declared president. Ouattara said he has asked the justice minister to start legal proceedings against Gbagbo, his wife and colleagues.
FULL STORY
SI.com: A glimpse of the Tiger of yore
Rory McIlroy may have headed into Sunday's conclusion of the Masters poised for victory, but he left stunned and jacket-less as South Africa's Charl Schwartzel took top honors. But nearly as impressive as Sunday's victory in Augusta, Georgia, was the return of a newly energized Tiger Woods of yesteryear.
Before the scandal, the dropped sponsors and the divorce, Woods was an exceptional talent and the scope of his skill was once again seen on Sunday. Golf.com's Gary Van Sickle explains that Woods' last-day push at the Masters showed the extent of the golfer's skill:
"He loudly announced his return on this sunny, humid afternoon in Georgia, and it was a beautiful thing to see again, no matter what you think about him," Van Sickle writes. "He birdied the second and third holes with vintage precise shots and putts. He stuffed an iron shot close at the sixth for another birdie, and followed it with his fourth of the day on the seventh hole."
But that wasn't all. If four straight birdies weren't enough to announce the return of the Masters' youngest winner, then maybe "a hooking 3-wood that scampered onto the green like an Olympic sprinter and rolled to a stop 10 feet from the cup" did. Though Woods came up short and showed his trademark frustration during his post-round interview, his performance was stellar.
Ninth set of human remains found in N.Y. serial killer probe
Police trying to hunt down a suspected serial killer found a ninth set of remains Monday on Long Island, New York, a county police officer said.
The remains - located about five miles from eight other sets of human remains found since December - include a human skull, according to Lt. Kevin Smith at the Nassau County Police Department.
Another set of remains found Monday also appear to be human, he added, though that assertion has yet to be confirmed by the medical examiner's office.
Romney forms presidential exploratory committee
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced Monday that he has formed a presidential exploratory committee.
The Republican made an unsuccessful bid for his party's presidential nomination in 2008.
FULL STORY
Top library complaint: Story about same-sex penguin couple
It seems like a children's book about penguins hatching a baby at the Central Park Zoo in New York would be a cute story for parents to read to their kids.
"And Tango Makes Three" is such a story, with one twist, the adult penguins are both male.
The book, written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, has once again topped the American Library Association list of the 10 most frequently challenged books.
U.S. hit with a weird combination of fire, water and ice
Hailstones covered a beach in Southern California over the weekend; tornadoes tore up a small town in Iowa; residents of Fargo, North Dakota, escaped a flood threat; and West Texas is battling the biggest wildfire outbreak in its history.
Yes, it’s spring in America.
The crazy weather is expected to continue today, with record temperatures predicted along the East Coast. Highs will top 80 as far north as Philadelphia, and it will feel like summer in the South. But an advancing cold front will set off a line of potentially severe storms from Texas to the Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service. That line will head east into the evening.
Residents of Newport Beach, California, were soaking in a Jacuzzi, enjoying an unseasonably cool night, when the skies opened up, CNN affiliate KTLA reports.
At first they thought they were being pelted by raindrops, but it stung. The hail-snow combo covered the sand with icy pellets - and was the first time many residents had seen snow on the beach.
Monday's intriguing people
Matt Lauer
While his former "Today" co-host Katie Couric is apparently planning her departure from CBS News, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal report that Lauer might make a big move, too. He could leave the immensely popular "Today" show to join Couric and former NBC Chairman Jeff Zucker as they produce a syndicated talk show, the Times reports.
But NBC probably will make Lauer a huge contract offer to remain at the network. In its story on the possible move, The Wall Street Journal, citing Kantar Media, reported that "Today" brings in more than $500 million in advertising revenue yearly. Lauer has been a co-anchor on the show since January 1997. He has also been one of the NBC reporters at the most recent eight Olympics. His contract at NBC expires December 31, 2012.
Gotta Watch: Japan, one month later
It's been a month since an earthquake and subsequent tsunami rocked Japan, leaving more than 27,000 people dead or missing. From decimated towns that are far from recovery to the delicate reminders of how life used to be, today's Gotta Watch focuses on life in Japan one month after the crisis began.
Anatomy of a ghost town – It looks like any other town, except for one thing. It's devoid of life. Earthquake and tsunami damage forced so many residents from their homes. All that's left are the subtle signs of a hasty retreats and elevated radiation levels.
[cnn-video url="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/04/11/dnt.lah.japan.radiation.city.cnn"%5D
Monday's live video events
One budget battle appears to be over, but two more economic fights are coming to a head. Watch CNN.com Live for continuing coverage of the economic conflict in Washington.
Today's programming highlights...
9:30 am ET - Wartime contracting hearing - The Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan meets to discuss whether the federal government can learn from non-governmental organization in creating more effective and less costly federal contracting.
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake rattles coast of Japan
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake rattled the northeastern coast of Japan Monday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Japan's Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning, predicting a potential wave of two-meters in Miyagi, Fukushima and Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures.
The quake was centered about 164 kilometers (101 miles) northeast of Tokyo, according to the USGS. Residents in Tokyo felt the jolts.
FULL STORY
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