Far and Wide

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/EyePress)
"No, this is not RoboCop."

That's how Michael Feldman, the AP's international photo editor, introduced this photo of a law enforcement officer in Zhengzhou, China. The officer was showing off body armor and a gun that shoots a net to catch dogs.

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles up the road, baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. has some fun during a clinic he's conducting for kids in Beijing.

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
See below for more of Feldman's top photo picks.

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Baseball, cardboard tubes and the anniversary of a journalist's death are dominating the attention of contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

Brew ha-ha: Sam Adams vs. Sam Adams

In one corner of the ring we have the Boston brewers of Sam Adams beer. In the other, Sam Adams, the mild-mannered bicycle rider who wants to be Portland's next mayor.

The slogan "Sam Adams for Portland Mayor" is already on his Web site (www.samforpdx.com) and soon may grace yard signs and bumper stickers for the 2008 election.

"They say they've been using this trademark since 1984," Adams said. "I've been using it since 1963."

Game on.

For more, check out this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

Did you just grope me? Shall we head to the police?

More Japanese women are turning to a cell phone application to ward off wandering hands in the country's congested commuter  trains.

"Anti-Groping Appli" flashes increasingly threatening messages in bold print on the phone's screen to show to the offender: "Excuse me, did you just grope me?" "Groping is a crime," and finally, "Shall we head to the police?"

It was released in late 2005, but has only recently climbed up popularity rankings.

Find out more in this story by AP's Hiroko Tabuchi.

-- Jaime Holguin

One man's trash is another man's $1M stolen painting

In this case it's the 1970 painting, "Tres Personajes" (Three People), by Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo.

The painting, which had been stolen more than 20 years ago and was the subject of an FBI investigation, was found lying in trash on a New York City street by a passer-by, who had no idea of what she was looking at.

It had been featured on PBS's "Antiques Roadshow FYI" as a missing masterpiece after it was stolen.

The painting is now back in the hands of the rightful owners who have decided to sell it at auction. Sotheby's says it could bring up to $1 million when it is sold next month.

For more, read this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Wildfires in California, zombies in Seattle and safety in the air are all getting a lot of attention among contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

A possible armed uprising in New Zealand, porn scammers in Arizona, and the cat show in Madison Square Garden are the hot topics of the day over at NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -- especially photos and video -- into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

News word of the day: weapons

(AP Photo/David Longstreath)

Most of the world looks with disdain at the military junta running Myanmar, which begs the question: Who sells the weapons used by the junta to crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators and rule with an iron fist? AP reporter Grant Peck provides the answers in this story filed today out of Bangkok, Thailand.

AP reporter Lara Jakes Jordan also has a weapons story running that takes a look at the growing number of unauthorized exports of U.S. missile technology, fighter jet parts, night vision goggles and other wartime equipment. Officials say that the weapons increasingly are being illegally smuggled to potential adversaries, such as China and Iran.

Then there's that Pennsylvania mom who has been charged with buying weapons for her son who might have been planning an attack on high school students.

Caption: Soldiers with Myanmar's army carry automatic weapons as they march during ceremonies on Armed Forces Day in the new capital of Naypyitaw in this March 2007 file photo.

--Paul Chavez 

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

A Facebook dispute over Palestinians? A man saved by his dog? A -- citizen journalism seminar?

There's quite a variety of content getting attention among contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

The five-minute walk to Chili's wouldn't cut it

(AP Photo)

A 6-year-old boy left his neighborhood feeling ... well, not so good, after a failed attempt to drive to Applebee's.

The hungry youngster found his grandma's keys, shifted his car seat to reach the steering wheel and took off ... in reverse ... for 75 feet before knocking out a transformer and cutting power to his Denver suburb.

Investigators are still trying to figure out how the boy reached the accelerator.

-- Otis Hart

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

All the cool kids sit in the back of the bus, but what about the driver's seat? A 10-year-old boy stole a school bus and led the cops on a 44-mile chase down a rural highway.

Read more about the world's smallest bus driver.

-- Hillary Rhodes

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

A video game developer called Bungie and some prizes called the Ig Nobels are getting lots of attention among contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

McCain says he'd prefer a Christian president

(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Ummm, separation of church and state? Read on ...

GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain says he would prefer a Christian president over different faiths and called it "an important part of our qualifications to lead."

"I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles ... personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith," McCain said. "But that doesn't mean that I'm sure that someone who is Muslim would not make a good president."

Later, McCain said, "I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the candidate best able to lead the country and defend our political values."

For more, read this story filed today out of Washington. What do you think? Do you have a religious preference for candidates?

--Paul Chavez

China bans ads for bras, underwear, sex toys

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

China's communist government has been trying to remove "social pollution" from the country's airwaves and its latest attempt is a ban on television and radio ads for push-up bras, figure-enhancing underwear and sex toys.

Regulators have been tightening their grip on television and radio a few weeks ahead of a twice-a-decade Communist Party congress.

For more details on the government's media moves, read this report from Beijing.

Caption: Chinese security personnel march today in front of the Great Hall of the People across from Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Authorities have tightened security in the area ahead of a reception for National Day celebrations on Oct. 1.

--Paul Chavez

Woman dies after airport arrest in Phoenix

A 45-year-old New York woman who was late to her plane was placed in handcuffs after becoming extremely irate and authorities later found her dead in a holding cell. Police are investigating if Carol Ann Gotbaum choked herself while trying to get free from the handcuffs.

For more details, read this report by Bob Christie moving across The AP's wires today from Phoenix.

--Paul Chavez

Man involved in Tom Cruise extortion plot dead

A man who faced a prison term for trying to extort more than $1 million from Tom Cruise for the actor's stolen wedding photos was found dead in his home and apparently committed suicide, officials said.

David Hans Schmidt, 47, agreed to plead guilty and was under house arrest at the time of his death.

Schmidt was arrested in July after he repeatedly made contact with Cruise representatives and threatened to release wedding photos if he didn't receive between $1.2 and $1.3 million.

For more details, read this report filed today from Phoenix.

--Paul Chavez

Tiny, two-headed turtle on display in Pennsylvania

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Yup, that's a tiny two-headed turtle. Read this report to get the back story.

--Paul Chavez

Woman's 12th baby weighs more than 17-pounds

No, this baby girl is not seven pounds -- hardly. Try 17 POUNDS, and 1 ounce. The weight scale is measuring in kilograms but with the baby girl moving too much, the decimal figures were too hard to capture on camera.

Born in Barnaul Clinical hospital, a city in the Siberian region of Altai, baby Nadezhda was delivered by Caesarean section. Her mother Tatiana Khalina, 42, already has 11 other children.

To see full AP story, click here.

-- Bernadette Tuazon

Lethal headbutt

William Russell Redfern, an armless artist known for drawings he does with his feet, has turned himself in to face a misdemeanor charge in a fight with a man who later died.

Police say Redfern head-butted and kicked Charles Keith Teer during a Sept. 17 fight over a woman. Teer complained of dizziness and collapsed. The AP reports a medical examiner determined last week that Teer likely died of a heart attack.

Police Chief Roy Whitehead said investigators decided against felony charges but felt Redfern should be punished for the fight.

Redfern was born with no right arm and a stump below his left shoulder. He was released Wednesday on $1,213 bond, a jail official said.

-- Jaime Holguin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Protests in Myanmar, a swastika-shaped military base and a police code wiki are getting attention today from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Mistrial declared in Phil Spector murder case

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Legendary music producer Phil Spector walked out of a Los Angeles courthouse today after a mistrial was declared in his murder trial. The jury reported that it was deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting Spector for the shooting death more than 4 1/2 years ago of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion.

The district attorney's office said it will seek to retry Spector, who is shown above with his wife, Rachelle, as they left the courthouse today.

The jury met for about 44 hours over 12 days since getting the case on Sept. 10.

For more on the case, read this report filed by AP special correspondent Linda Deutsch.

--Paul Chavez

Paw Prints: animals in today's news

(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

RHINOS: This two-day-old male black rhinoceros in Tel Aviv, Israel, is the first rhino to be born in captivity in that country in 15 years.

HORSES: The coach of Oklahoma City's minor-league hockey team helped prevent a possible stampede of Belgian horses at the state fair. Find out how.

RATFISH: What's the only thing nastier than a rat? A ratfish. No, an albino ratfish.

BUNNIES: Read the dramatic tale of a preschool pet rabbit name Sugar Bunny.

ORANGUTANS: Orangutans gone wild.

-- Hillary Rhodes

Hookin' in Hungary -- now part of legal economy

(AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky, file)

Prostitutes in Hungary can now apply for an entrepreneur's permit that will bring sex workers into the legal economy by allowing them to give receipts to customers, contribute to social security and pay taxes, Hungarian officials said today.

Hungary's sex industry, which includes prostitution and pornography production, generates an estimated $1 billion annually, said Agnes Bakonyi, the spokeswoman for Hungary's tax authority APEH.

For more on this story, read this dispatch from Budapest, Hungary, by Pablo Gorondi.

Caption: Two prostitutes, nicknamed Zsuzsa, left, and Izabella, right, wait for clients beside a suburban road in Budapest, Hungary, in this November 2003 file photo

--Paul Chavez

Beans and rice, quick!

(AP Photo/Joel Page)

Gotta love those speed-eating contests.

Eater X took on all comers -- and lots of rice, black beans, pork and cheese -- to win a burrito-eating championship today. That's him on the left.

They do these on weekends to fill up slow news days.

Still, here are the details: Eater X is the name taken on by Tim Janus, a 30-year-old day trader and aspiring pizza chef from New York. He ate 10 burritos in 12 minutes. That is all.

--Ryan Pearson

Fake bomb: art or terror?

(AP Photo/Lisa Poole)

A 19-year-old MIT student came to Boston's Logan International Airport with a fake bomb strapped to her chest in plain view, officials said.

Star Simpson said it was an art project that she wanted to show off for career day. Police said it was lucky she complied with them, or else they could've used force and hurt or killed her.

Read more about this strange case in this story by the AP's Glen Johnson.

In the photo: Manning Boston's Logan Airport.

-- Hillary Rhodes

Paw Prints: animals in the news

(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

DOLPHINS: Baby Dolly swims with her mother at the zoo in Duisburg, Germany. The babe was shown for the first time today.

DINOSAURS: Turns out the velociraptor (made famous by "Jurassic Park") might have had feathers. They'll have to make another sequel to the movie to update the dino features.

COWS: Gear up for the big cattle-selling months ahead.

ALLIGATORS: Remember the man who's arm was bitten off by a gator? Well, now he might be getting his just reward.

-- Hillary Rhodes

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

The protests in Jena, La., the "Leave Britney alone" guy and his possible TV deal, and some new al-Qaida videos are getting attention today from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

-- Eric Carvin

Critic of sex ed book keeps library copies

A sex education book that its publisher said has been sold in 25 countries and translated into 21 languages upset a Lewiston, Maine, woman so much that she checked out copies from two local libraries and refuses to give them back. JoAn Karkos, 64, sent a disapproving letter to the libraries and a check for $20.95 with each letter to cover the cost of the book, "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health."

For more details, watch the above AP video report and/or read the story below the jump.

--Paul Chavez

Bats force dorm evacuation in Texas

More than 200 students at Texas Southern University aren't living in their dorm anymore.

Why?

Bats.

One student living in Lanier Hall East says he killed dozens of bats. Now the city's health department is worried that students may have been exposed to rabies and the school has sent exterminators to the building.

Read more in this story from the AP bureau in Houston.

-- Caryn Rousseau

Supposed meteor crash sickens hundreds in Peru

Witnesses told local media in Peru that they saw a fiery ball fall from the sky over the weekend and strike a desolate Andean plain. The supposed meteorite created a deep crater and apparently has caused hundreds of people to become ill.

For more details, read this report filed today from Lima, Peru.

--Paul Chavez

Goldmans seeks items linked to Simpson arrest

O.J. Simpson memorabilia was at the heart of another legal drama today in Santa Monica, Calif., where a judge gave Fred Goldman a week to come up with a list of items that Simpson is accused of stealing from a Las Vegas hotel room.

Watch the above AP video report for more details and for the latest in the Simpson saga, read this story by Robert Jablon.

--Paul Chavez

Is that a zebra parked in your driveway?

A woman claims she saw a zebra in her driveway -- in Muskogee, Okla.

Sharon McConough says it's true, a zebra has been visiting her house. McConough says her dog started  barking and she went outside to see why. The answer: a zebra and it was wearing a halter.

• "It's so weird, you can't imagine what it's like to look out a glass door and see a zebra trotting down the driveway," she said.

McConough claims she has photos. We'd like to see them.

-- Howie Rumberg

Sunday's early headlines

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Plane crash in island of Phuket kills at least 66
Several thousand anti-war protesters march in D.C.
Bicycle bomb attack in northern Iraq kills at least 5
Simpson accuser now "on O.J.'s side"
Chinese authorities recall tainted leukemia drugs

-- Jaime Holguin

O.J. Simpson named suspect in armed robbery

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

O.J. Simpson, the former Southern Cal and professional football star, is once again in the media spotlight. Simpson was named as a suspect today by Las Vegas police investigating an armed robbery involving Simpson memorabilia.

Simpson has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994. He was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Simpson told The AP that only went into a casino hotel room to retrieve memorabilia that he felt was stolen from him. Police are investigating it as an armed robbery and named the ex-football star as a suspect in yet another surprising chapter to his legal saga. Simpson told AP special correspondent Linda Deutsch that no guns were involved and he only went to the room at the Palace Station casino to retrieve stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

"It's stolen stuff that's mine. Nobody was roughed up," Simpson told The AP.

For more on the bizarre story, read the latest details in this report from Las Vegas by Deutsch and Kathleen Hennessey.

--Paul Chavez

Paw Prints: animals in the news

(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

ANIMAL RIGHTS: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, protest. PETA demonstrators in Manila, Philippines, rallied against the zoo, saying the animals suffer while in captivity.

DOGS: Silly dog, waves are for surfers. Twenty-five-year-old Matt Smolenski is a hero after rescuing a dog

BIRDS: Are the birds eating your bullets?

MANATEES: The cows of the sea have some more time before they're brought one notch down from "endangered" status.

-- Hillary Rhodes in Lake Michigan.

Surfer dude saves dog

This is how the story might sound if told by a surfer: So this dog was like totally drowning in the chop, and this dude got his stick and saved him.

Translation: A surfer rode a wave on his stomach to rescue a struggling dog Tuesday that had been swept off a pier and into Lake Michigan by a wave.

From today's AP story:

"He put the dog up on his surfboard, and the dog rode the surfboard in to shore," said Royce Rodgers, an off-duty Muskegon Heights police officer who witnessed the rescue.

--Chelsea J. Carter

INSIDER INSIGHT: The world in focus

(AP Photo/Michael Probst)
This odd image from the International Car Show in Frankfurt, Germany, is one of several pictures AP International Photo Editor Michael Feldman showcased at the AP's global news meeting this morning.

No, these cars didn't plummet from a cargo plane. They're part of an exhibit at the car show.

Like the car pictures, many great photos rely on great attention to perspective. That's certainly the case with the one below, showing French rugby players during a practice session.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

For more of Feldman's top photo picks, see below.

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

An impressive range of subjects is getting attention today from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Some obvious stories are all over the site, like Britney Spears' performance at the Video Music Awards and early coverage of 9/11 anniversary events. But you might not know about pipeline explosions in Mexico, or a high-tech method being used in the search for missing adventurer Steve Fossett.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Tot tumbles from repossessed car

Surprise!

A repossession crew was shocked when a 4-year-old boy jumped out of an SUV it was towing. Aurora, Ill., police said a repo crew began driving away with a Ford Excursion hooked to its tow truck before Fashawn Parker opened the door and leaped out. Fashawn sustained minor injuries. He was treated and released from a nearby hospital.

Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said The car had been parked at the home of an acquaintance of the driver, who was picking up another child. No charges were filed against the two men driving the tow truck.

-- Howie RUmberg

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

Yesterday, it was a subway strike in London. Today, a taxi strike in New York.

And once again, hurricanes in Mexico and Central America.

These are some of the stories getting attention from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press is working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to get an explanation from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy -- and to find out why condoms are in the news in Washington, D.C.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to get an explanation from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy -- and to find out why condoms are in the news in Washington, D.C.

-- Eric Carvin

Listen to this audio clip to get an explanation from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy -- and to find out why condoms are in the news in Washington, D.C.

-- Eric Carvin

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

A train crash in Brazil and a new arrangement between YouTube and Thailand are among the stories getting attention from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press recently started working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

There's also some sort of dispute about ninjas and Shaolin monks playing out on the site.

Listen to this audio clip to get an explanation from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

There's also some sort of dispute about ninjas and Shaolin monks playing out on the site.

Listen to this audio clip to get an explanation from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Shrimp boat captain makes catch of a lifetime

"I reached with my fingers ... as gently as I could and popped out his left shoulder and then his right ... But then the little guy was stuck by his head, being strangled. So I did the only thing I could -- I waited for a contraction and then slid my fingers in around the top of his head and scooped him out."

Ed Kiesel is no doctor, but when the cook on his shrimp boat went into labor 30 miles offshore, the captain grabbed a roll of paper towels and a first aid handbook and did the best he could.

As if that wasn't enough, after the delivery, Kiesel noticed the baby boy wasn't breathing so he gently administered CPR. 

Kiesel used net twine, sterilized in boiling water, to tie off the umbilical cord and cut the newborn free from his mother.

The mother, Cindy Preisel, named the baby Brian Edward Mawhorr, after his father and the captain who delivered him. 

For more, read this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

Paw Prints: animals in today's news

(AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

MACAWS: This beautiful bird is part of a circus in Allahabad, India. Circuses there ain't what they used to be. In the first half of the 20th century, there were as many as 50 touring the country. Now, there are only ten active groups.

DOGS: Guess what our football players and Ireland's footballers (well, at least one of each) have in common?

EAGLES: Karl Rove's car is covered in eagles. Very funny, Mr. Colbert.

DOLPHINS: It's either a really rare dolphin, thought to be extinct, or ... the Loch Ness monster looking for some Lo Mein.

-- Hillary Rhodes

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

A fire in Boston, protests in Chile and a hip-hop video made at the A&P.

Those are just some of the stories getting attention from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press recently started working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to get details from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Those are just some of the stories getting attention from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press recently started working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

Listen to this audio clip to get details from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

Spit spat

"It's gross."
   
That's Rep. Pam Adcock, a Little Rock Democrat, talking about the fact that lawmakers are allowed to keep a cup of spittle with a day's worth of tobacco juice inside the House and Senate chambers.
   
Adcock has had enough and plans to file legislation that would ban all tobacco products, not just cigarettes, from the the chambers.
   
A law banning smoking in nearly all indoor workplaces in Arkansas went into effect last year, but as AP's Andrew DeMillo reports, it does not cover chewing tobacco.
   
For more, check out this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

In the news Thursday

(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks with media during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday.

Congressional auditors see little progress on Iraq goals
Report: Va. Tech could have saved lives by notifying students, faculty sooner
Iran's cooperation in nuclear probe a 'significant step forward,' U.N. report says
Sen. Craig finding himself a man alone as GOP lawmakers call for his resignation
Elementary school in Colorado bans tag on its playground

-- Jaime Holguin

Tomato festival in Spain

Tomato, tomahhto -- however you say it, it's all over the place in the Spanish town of Bunol, where revelers trek down for the annual tomato fight every summer.  AP photographers Bernat Armangue and Fernando Bustamante were on hand for today's festivities.

-- Bernadette Tuazon

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)


(AP Photo/Fernando Bustamante)


(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)


(AP Photo/Fernando Bustamante)

INSIDER INSIGHT: The buzz at NowPublic

The anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is one of several stories getting attention from contributors to NowPublic, the "crowd-powered media" site The Associated Press recently started working with to selectively incorporate citizen journalism -– especially photos and video -– into its news report.

There's also a lot of buzz about the death of the founder of the CBGB's rock club -- and about some ahead-of-schedule flames at Burning Man.

Listen to this audio clip to learn more from NowPublic's Brian Kennedy.

-- Eric Carvin

In the news Wednesday

(AP Photo/via Metropolitan Airports Commission Police Department)

Taliban militants release eight South Korean captives
Are Idaho voters in any mood to forgive Sen. Craig?
Amid criticism, Bush set to tour New Orleans
Helmsley leaves dog $12 million in will
Keith Richards demands apology from Swedish papers for scathing reviews

-- Jaime Holguin

iPhone teen hacker: iWin

(AP Photo/Jeff Christensen)

The teen hacker who spent his summer unlocking the iPhone so that it can be used with cellular networks other than AT&T has traded his modified gadget for "a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones."
   
"This has been a great end to a great summer," George Hotz wrote in his blog.

Hotz said he reached the deal with CertiCell, a Louisville, Ky.-based mobile phone repair company. In addition to the car and iPhones, the company also promised him a paid consulting job.

The 17-year-old is giving the three new iPhones to the three online collaborators who helped him unlock the iPhone.

For more, check out this AP story.

-- Jaime Holguin

Paw Prints: animals in today's news

(AP Photo/Mike Groll)

HORSES: A jockey rides a horse during an early morning workout at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

KANGAROOS: After a chase through the German Alps,