March 3rd, 2013
10:48 PM ET
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Man dies during California triathlon

A 46-year-old man from Austin, Texas, died Sunday during the swim portion of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, according to race officials.

"We have reason to believe the gentleman suffered from a massive cardiac event as he entered the water and began the swim," race director Bill Burke said in a statement.

"Water safety noticed him immediately and initiated CPR while he was in the water and as they transferred him to land," he added.

Burke said he believes the man's death marks the first in the triathlon's 33-year history.

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Central Florida wildfire scorches 1,900 acres
The brush fire burned more than 24 structures -- 10 of them homes -- in central Florida's Marion County, authorities said.
March 3rd, 2013
10:00 PM ET
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Central Florida wildfire scorches 1,900 acres

A wildfire jumped a road in central Florida, scorching homes and wiping out trees as it charred more than 1,900 acres, a fire official said Sunday.

Some 24 structures in Marion County had been burned by what's being called the Hopkins Prairie Fire, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Susan Blake. Ten of those buildings were homes, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service.

The blaze around Ocala National Forest was 80% contained as of early Sunday evening, Blake added. About 100 local, state and federal firefighters were on site.

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Walmart’s Burwell tapped as budget director
Burwell served under President Bill Clinton, including for a time as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget.
March 3rd, 2013
09:55 PM ET
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Walmart’s Burwell tapped as budget director

Sylvia Mathews Burwell will be nominated Monday by President Barack Obama to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget, a senior Obama administration official said.

The 47-year-old Burwell - who served under President Bill Clinton, including as deputy director of the OMB - is currently the head of the Walmart Foundation, the retail chain's charitable organization.

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Filed under: Barack Obama • Politics
Miracles singer Bobby Rogers dies
Bobby Rogers, far left, poses with other members of the Miracles -- including frontman Smokey Robinson -- in the mid-1960s.
March 3rd, 2013
09:49 PM ET
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Miracles singer Bobby Rogers dies

Bobby Rogers, an original member of Motown staple The Miracles, has died, the group's longtime front man Smokey Robinson announced Sunday. He was 73.

Robinson, Rogers and the rest of the Miracles were a cornerstone act for writer-producer Berry Gordy's infant Motown Records, putting songs such as "Shop Around," "Tracks of My Tears" and "The Tears of a Clown" on the R&B and pop charts throughout the 1960s. After Robinson left the group, the Miracles had a No. 1 hit with "Love Machine" in 1976.

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Embattled Cardinal O'Brien apologizes for 'my sexual conduct'
Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland resigned last month.
March 3rd, 2013
12:47 PM ET
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Embattled Cardinal O'Brien apologizes for 'my sexual conduct'

Cardinal Keith O'Brien of Scotland, who has been dogged by allegations he abused four men studying to be priests in the 1980s, said in a statement Sunday that "there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal."

O'Brien, who resigned last month, did not explicitly state what he had done or what allegations against him are true. "In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them," he said in the statement.

He apologized "to those I have offended" and to "the Catholic Church and people of Scotland."

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Filed under: Catholic Church • Religion • Vatican • World
March 3rd, 2013
11:04 AM ET
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Deadly blasts in Pakistan

[Updated at 12:23 p.m.] A total of 27 people were killed and 60 were wounded, police say.

[Posted at 11:04 a.m.] Back-to-back blasts in Pakistan's largest city killed at least 10 people, police said.

The two explosions wounded 30 others in Karachi's Abbas town, said Muhammad Aslam, a police official. Police believe there are more bodies under the rubble of a market damaged by the blasts.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf condemned the attack.

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March 3rd, 2013
10:58 AM ET
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Queen Elizabeth hospitalized

Queen Elizabeth II has been hospitalized after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace Sunday.

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SpaceX 'Dragon' capsule reaches space station
March 3rd, 2013
09:15 AM ET
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SpaceX 'Dragon' capsule reaches space station

After a technical hiccup, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule reached the International Space Station on Sunday.

The unmanned Dragon is carrying more than 1,200 pounds of supplies for the crew and the crew's experiments. The station's robotic arm captured the Dragon at 5:31 a.m. ET, NASA said.

The arm will guide the supply capsule into the station, and the Dragon completed the attachment at 8:56 a.m. ET, SpaceX said in a post on its Twitter account.

The Dragon suffered a temporary glitch with its thrusters after it launched into orbit Friday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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Mubarak's retrial starts next month
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was jailed for life following his conviction in June 2012
March 3rd, 2013
04:18 AM ET
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Mubarak's retrial starts next month

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, his two sons and his former interior minister will be retried April 13, Egypt's state-run news agency Mena said Sunday.

Mubarak is serving a life sentence for his role in the killings of peaceful protesters during the revolution that eventually deposed him.

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Al-Assad: British leaders 'shallow, immature'
March 3rd, 2013
01:29 AM ET
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Al-Assad: British leaders 'shallow, immature'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad slammed British leaders as "shallow and immature" and accused the British government of trying to arm rebels seeking his ouster.

Al-Assad told The Sunday Times the British government can't play a useful role in stopping the Syrian crisis.

"We do not expect an arsonist to be a firefighter," al-Assad told the newspaper.

"To be frank, Britain has played famously in our region (an) unconstructive role in different issues, for decades, some say for centuries," he said. "I'm telling you the perception in our region."

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Sinkhole home to be demolished
March 3rd, 2013
01:08 AM ET
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Sinkhole home to be demolished

Unable to rescue a man devoured by a giant sinkhole, workers will start demolishing his Florida home Sunday - three days after the ground under his bedroom literally opened up and swallowed him whole.

Authorities made the heartbreaking decision to stop the search for Jeff Bush after the odds of survival became abundantly clear.

"We just have not been able to locate Mr. Bush, and so for that reason the rescue effort is being discontinued," Hillsborough County administrator Mike Merrill told reporters Saturday evening. "At this point, it's really not possible to recover the body."

Earlier, authorities warned that the massive hole under Bush's bedroom - about 20 feet wide and 50 to 60 feet deep - was still expanding, and the suburban Tampa house could collapse at any time.

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March 3rd, 2013
12:34 AM ET
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Main players in Kenyan presidential election

wo Kenyan presidential frontrunners will face off Monday, bringing back memories of a political dynasty that dates to the 1960s.

Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga are the sons of the nation's first president and vice president, respectively.

About five decades later, it is the sons' turn in the spotlight.

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Filed under: Kenya • World
Company removes 'rape' shirt listed on Amazon
This shirt, with the slogan "Keep Calm and Hit Her," was among those listed for sale on Amazon
March 3rd, 2013
12:06 AM ET
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Company removes 'rape' shirt listed on Amazon

Twitter users erupted in anger Saturday after discovering shirts listed on Amazon with a slogan that appeared to promote rape and violence against women.

The shirt read "Keep Calm and Rape On" and was available on Amazon's UK website. The company that prints the shirts, U.S.-based Solid Gold Bomb, removed the listing after it was notified of the slogan.

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Filed under: Technology • Twitter • World
March 3rd, 2013
12:05 AM ET
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Clues to be found in next pope's moniker

The secret election to pick a new pope has yet to begin. But whoever is picked may already be mulling over his choice of name - and what it means.

In the long history of popes, stretching back two millennia to St. Peter, some names have picked up negative associations, while others have come to signify conservatism or a desire for change.

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March 3rd, 2013
12:03 AM ET
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Chavez rumors persist; so do denials

Once again, rumors of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's impending death have swept through social media in recent days, fueled by a report that the ailing leader had moved to a presidential residence to live his last days.

The government's vagueness and secrecy regarding Chavez has created a hunger - both in and outside of Venezuela - for reliable information about the president's health.

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