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Diamond to give 'Caroline' royalties to Boston
Neil Diamond will donate royalties from his song "Sweet Caroline," which has been played at every Boston Red Sox home game for more than a decade, to the One Fund Boston, the singer said on Twitter on Wednesday.
The song was downloaded more than 19,000 times this week, with sales up 597%, Neilsen SoundScan said.
Diamond told Rolling Stone earlier this week that he will write a song about the bombings and other tragedies.
"I'm writing now and obviously affected by this situation in Boston, so I'm writing about it just to express myself," he told the magazine.
Barges on Alabama's Mobile River explodes
A fire broke out on Alabama's Mobile River on Wednesday night after two barges with natural gas exploded, the city's fire department said on Twitter.
The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department, on its official Twitter feed, reported that it had "units on the scene on east side of Mobile River where a fuel barge has exploded and is on fire."
Minutes later, the fire department issued an update stating that two barges had exploded.
Three people injured in the incident were transported to a local hospital.
Tornadoes rip into New Orleans suburb
Two tornadoes ripped into a New Orleans suburb Wednesday afternoon, damaging homes and knocking down power lines, but no injuries were reported, a local government spokeswoman said.
The storm hit in Kenner, Louisiana, near the city's international airport. The tornadoes damaged cars and roofs and brought down trees and electrical wires, Jefferson Parish spokeswoman Kriss Fortunato said.
Mike Efferson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New Orleans, said the twister had estimated top winds of 90 mph. The second one had winds of 75 mph, the agency said on its Twitter account.
Daytona speedway to update fences
In response to a crash during a February race at the Daytona International Speedway that injured dozens of spectators in the stands, officials at the track will add cables on crossover gates and tether the frames of the gates to posts in time for NASCAR races in July, representatives for the Florida speedway said Wednesday.
Changes were also made at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, where events will be held this weekend. The 2.67-mile track is known as one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.
There are seven crossover gates, a part of the massive metal fence that opens to allow people to cross the racing surface, at each track, officials said.
On February 23, a jaw-dropping wreck occurred on the last lap of the Nationwide Series race when Kyle Larson's car went airborne and pieces of his car flew into the grandstands. At least 28 people were injured, officials said.
5 killed in Illinois village shooting; suspect slain in shootout
Five people were killed and a 6-year-old girl was taken to a hospital after a shooting in a tiny western Illinois village early Wednesday, officials said.
A suspect in the slaughter in Manchester, Illinois, was killed following a chase and shootout with police hours later, authorities said.
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Guatemalan court begins to untangle genocide trial standstill
A week ago, the genocide trial of former Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios Montt appeared headed to a historic conclusion. Today, it is at a standstill, the result of procedural missteps that have cast uncertainty over the process.
The country's Constitutional Court on Tuesday began to answer some of the legal questions that are holding up the trial. But the biggest one - whether the trial proceedings will be annulled - remains to be clarified.
FULL STORYTutu in hospital for infection, foundation says
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu checked into a South African hospital Wednesday for treatment of a persistent infection, his foundation announced.
Tutu, 81, also will undergo tests at the hospital in Cape Town to determine the cause of the infection, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said. Details of the infection were not released. FULL POST
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Poll: Less than half of Americans upset about gun vote
Heading into last week's gun control vote, polls showed that nearly nine in 10 Americans favored background checks not currently required by law for gun sales–a rarely seen, overwhelming amount of support for a piece of legislation in Washington.
Now that the Senate actually failed to pass such a measure, a new poll indicates Americans aren't as upset about the unsuccessful bill.
The Washington Post/Pew Research Center poll suggests that post-vote attitudes stray from the wide support for the background check measure before the debate, which hovered around 85% in multiple polls.
A plurality of Americans - 47% - say they are either "angry" or "disappointed" with the Senate's action on gun legislation, far different from the amount of people who strongly approved the proposal before the vote. Meanwhile, 39% say they are "relieved" or "happy" about the vote.
FULL STORYWHO: H7N9 virus 'one of the most lethal so far'
As the death toll from China's bird flu outbreak rose to 22 with news of another victim in eastern Zhejiang Province, the World Health Organization warned the H7N9 virus was one of the most lethal that doctors and medical investigators had faced in recent years.
"This is an unusually dangerous virus for humans," Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general for health, security and the environment told a news conference in Beijing Wednesday.
"We think this virus is more easily transmitted from poultry to humans than H5N1," he added, referring to the bird flu outbreak between 2004 and 2007 that claimed 332 lives.
"This is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses that we have seen so far."
4 die in flooding; many evacuate
A powerful spring cold snap brings more rain and snow to a soggy U.S. heartland Wednesday, putting more pressure on riverside communities from the upper Midwest to the Deep South.
The residents of Grafton, Illinois, north of St. Louis, will see the worst of the floodwaters through Friday as the Mississippi River peaks at more than 11 feet above flood stage, the National Weather Service says.
Many along the river's edge decided to evacuate.
But Jerry Eller thought he would wait it out.
"I've got water coming up through cracks in the floor, so I have about 3,000 gallons an hour of pumps running down the basement keeping water out, and that seems to be keeping it down to about an inch," Eller told CNN affiliate KPLR.
FULL STORYSite of Boston blasts reopens
Nine days after Boylston Street turned into a bloody scene of carnage, the area reopened to public foot traffic Wednesday.
It's another sign Boston is recovering from the twin bombings that killed three and wounded hundreds more.
Also Wednesday, mourners will gather to honor Massachusetts Institute of Technology Officer Sean Collier, who authorities say was fatally shot by the suspected bombers last week. The memorial service will take place on the MIT campus.
And as more details slowly emerge from the bedridden suspect, U.S. officials were traveling to Dagestan to interview the parents of the suspected bombers.
FULL STORY2 hurt in Dorner hunt get millions
The two women wounded when Los Angeles police shot at their pickup truck during the manhunt for renegade ex-officer Christopher Dorner will split a $4.2 million settlement, attorneys for the city and women told reporters Tuesday.
The details of the settlement need to be approved by the Los Angeles City Council, they said.
Margie Carranza, 47, and her mother, Emma Hernandez, 71, will receive $2.1 million each.
Carranza and Hernandez were shot at as police searched for Dorner, a former police officer who was wanted for killing several people in early February.
FULL STORYRicin case: Elvis impersonator cleared
Charges against the Mississippi man accused of sending ricin-tainted letters to President Barack Obama and other officials were dropped Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Felicia Adams said, citing "new information" that has been uncovered.
Authorities now are investigating whether someone may have tried to falsely implicate Paul Kevin Curtis, according to a law enforcement source, speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity.
Curtis said he wants to "get back to being normal" after being falsely accused.
Lance Armstrong sued by U.S. for post office sponsorship funds
The Justice Department late Tuesday formally filed its case against Lance Armstrong and his company Tailwind Sports for millions of dollars that the U.S. Postal Service spent to sponsor the cycling team.
"The USPS paid approximately $40 million to sponsor the USPS cycling team from 1998 to 2004," the court document says.
The government said it was intervening to recover triple the amount of the sponsorship funds under the False Claims Act, which could bring a total of more than $100 million in damages.
Official: Possible biotoxin detected at DC-area mail facility
Federal authorities responded Tuesday to a report of a possible hazardous substance at a mail facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in the nation's capital, Lt. Col. Thomas F. Veale, a military spokesman, told CNN.
A potentially harmful substance was detected during a routine screening of incoming mail, Veale said.
Tests indicate it is a possible biotoxin, he said.
FULL STORYIsraeli official: Syria using chemical weapons
The Syrian government is using chemical weapons against rebel forces, the head of the Israel Defense Forces' intelligence research departments said Tuesday.
"In all likelihood they used sarin gas," Brig. Gen. Itai Brun said Tuesday in a speech at a conference in Tel Aviv. This comes as a civil war between the government and rebels rages across Syria - which borders Israel.
Analysts believe the Syrian government may have one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world. The supply is believed to include sarin, mustard and VX gases, which are banned under international law. Syria has denied the allegation.
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Auburn University removing poisoned oaks
Two years of rescue efforts could not save them. So, Tuesday, Auburn University will remove two iconic trees that a disappointed fan of its inner-state rival poisoned, after his team lost a game to Auburn.
The landmark live oaks, used for celebrations by fans, who rolled them with toilet paper after big victories, were over 130 years old. The Auburn oaks will disappear from the campus gathering place, Toomer's Corner, at 7 a.m. CT.
Local television news cameras will broadcast the removal live.
FULL STORYSpain holds 2 suspected of al Qaeda links
Spanish police arrested two suspected al Qaeda terrorists on Tuesday but said they had no indication of an imminent attack.
The Interior Ministry identified the suspects as Nou Mediouni, of "Algerian origin," who was arrested in the north-central city of Zaragoza, and Hassan El Jaaouani, of "Moroccan origin," and arrested in the southeastern city of Murcia.
Spanish police worked with their counterparts in France and Morocco to carry out the latest arrests, the Interior Ministry statement said.
FULL STORYCar bomb strikes French embassy in Tripoli
A car bomb exploded just outside the French embassy in Tripoli early Tuesday morning, injuring two French security guards and a local girl, officials said.
The blast was so powerful it blew the front wall off the embassy. Windows of nearby buildings in this upscale, largely residential neighborhood were also blown out.
Deputy Prime Minister Awad Barasi said a 13-year-old girl in a nearby house was injured in the attack and will be taken to Tunisia for treatment.
A criminal investigation is under way to try to determine who was behind the attack, and why.
FULL STORYFrance: Final vote due on same-sex marriage
France is set to become the latest nation to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday, despite vocal opposition from conservatives, when legislation goes before lawmakers in the lower house for a final vote.
The bill, which would also give same-sex couples the rights to adopt, was approved in the Senate earlier this month.
Since no amendments have been made during debate in the lower house, it will be the final vote on the legislation. The measure is expected to pass.
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