MarkBellamy.com

'Goodbye' e-mail, then deadly blast

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:47am UTC

A person of interest in his wife's disappearance set his home on fire, killing himself and his two sons, police say. Just prior, he had e-mailed his lawyer.

Zelizer: Why Romney is winning

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:42am UTC

Julian Zelizer says the former Massachusetts governor has put together a campaign that raises money effectively and has avoided many pitfalls

Earthquake kills 12 in Philippines

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:39am UTC

A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Monday off the third-largest island in the Philippines, killing at least 12 people, an official said.

Contador loses Tour de France title

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:21am UTC

Three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 title and retroactively banned from cycling for two years following Monday's ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Activists horrified as rockets smash Syrian city

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:04am UTC

Intense blasts echo through the Syrian city of Homs after a weekend bloodbath ended in hundreds of deaths, activists say.

Sex abuse cases close school for days

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 5:22am UTC

A Los Angeles elementary school at the center of two child abuse cases will be closed for two days this week as the investigations continue, officials said.

Australians urged to flee flooding

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 5:19am UTC

Australian authorities plead with hundreds of people, who have chosen to remain in a town in the path of rising flood waters, to vacate their homes.

More caucuses next stop for Romney

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 5:17am UTC

With former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney coming off his second straight victory, the race for the GOP presidential nomination heads to three states holding caucuses this week.

Lacrosse player faces trial in ex's death

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:11am UTC

The trial of a University of Virginia lacrosse player who is accused of fatally beating his ex-girlfriend, also a lacrosse player, is expected to begin Monday.

Syrian city shelled from dawn to dusk

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:46pm UTC

After world leaders decried the U.N. Security Council's failure to pass a resolution on Syria, reports of violence surged once again in the besieged country.

Explosion kills kids, husband of missing Utah woman

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:09pm UTC

Josh Powell and his two sons died in a blast at Powell's Washington home, a Pierce County sheriff's spokesman said. Utah police previously had identified Powell as the lone "person of interest" in the disappearance of his wife Susan Powell-Cox in 2009.

Gingrich's Southern revival strategy

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 5:26pm UTC

Newt Gingrich said Sunday he is plotting a Southern revival, while Rick Santorum and Ron Paul seek stronger showings in upcoming caucuses to slow front-runner Mitt Romney's momentum after his second straight victory in the Republican presidential race.

Egypt to charge 43 over NGOs

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 5:03pm UTC

Forty-three people, including 19 Americans, face prosecution in an Egyptian criminal court on charges of illegal foreign funding as part of an ongoing crackdown on nongovernmental organizations, a prosecution spokesman said Sunday.

Protests, anger mount in Cairo

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 3:54pm UTC

Demonstrators clashed with police outside the interior ministry in Cairo on Sunday as anger mounts over a deadly stampede at a soccer match that killed dozens last week.

Opinion: Syria in for bloody stalemate

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 10:45am UTC

With the UN Security Council sidelined due to vetoes by Russia and China, the Syrian crisis will remain a violent standoff, says Randa Slim.

Why China, Russia won't condemn Syria

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 8:57am UTC

Questions linger about the motivations of China and Russia, who vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resoultion on Syria.

Winter hammers Europe

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 7:09am UTC

Power is out and roads are blocked in Italy. In England, Heathrow Airport had to cancel half its flights. The cold snap that began in late January has killed dozens.

Romney's night

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 1:53am UTC

He may be a non-gambler, but Mitt Romney had a good night in Vegas. He left town as the night's big winner, capturing his second strong victory in a row.

Occupy Oakland vows 'militant action'

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 1:32am UTC

A small, militant arm of Occupy Oakland took to the streets Saturday, saying it was time to "rise up" against authorities following a violent confrontation between protesters and police a week earlier that resulted in more than 400 arrests.

U.S. general dies in Afghanistan

Posted: February 5th, 2012, 12:19am UTC

U.S. Brig. Gen. Terence Hildner died in Kabul of apparent natural causes, officials said, making him one of the highest ranking officers to die in Afghanistan.

Fidel Castro unveils 1,000-page memoir

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 4:23pm UTC

Fidel Castro has released a previously unannounced two-volume memoir of his life, Cuban state-run media reported Saturday.

Police arrest 4 at Occupy DC camp

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 12:24pm UTC

U.S. Park Police in riot gear entered the Occupy DC camp in McPherson Square in downtown Washington early Saturday.

Town still baffled by mysterious tics

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 11:23am UTC

In the tiny New York town of LeRoy, Marge Fitzsimmons and more than a dozen others have suddenly developed uncontrollable twitching and verbal tics. She and the rest of the town are wondering why -- and if they'll ever recover.

World protests

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 9:44am UTC

A wave of protests broke out at Syrian embassies on several continents amid reports of more than 200 deaths in one Syrian city on Friday and before a possible U.N. Security Council vote on a response to the violent crackdown in the country. Here's a breakdown of some of the demonstrations:

Floods strand thousands in Australia

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 6:39am UTC

Heavy rains left thousands stranded in eastern Australia on Saturday as authorities warned of more flooding and urged several communities to flee to higher ground.

Martin: Why don't candidates see poor?

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 3:30am UTC

In the 1,257 GOP debates we have had to sit through, poverty and the poor have rarely come up, so it was no surprise that Mitt Romney would be dismissive of them in an interview this week with CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

Police: Suspect on run kills Ala. officer

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 3:02am UTC

An Alabama robbery suspect fatally stabbed a police officer in jail, escaped in a stolen patrol car and wounded another officer before he was killed, authorities said Friday.

U.N. Security Council may vote on Syria

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 2:46am UTC

The draft resolution before the U.N. Security Council would demand an end to the bloody crackdown on government opponents in Syria.

More charges in homeless deaths

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 2:43am UTC

The man that prosecutors say is behind the stabbing deaths of four homeless men in Southern California now stands accused of the brutal killing of a mother and brother of an old friend, authorities said.

Romney poised to win Nevada caucuses

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 1:40am UTC

Mitt Romney rolls to victory in convincing fashion while Newt Gingrich says he has no intention of pulling out of the race.

WikiLeaks: Soldier faces court martial

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 9:37pm UTC

Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, who is suspected of leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, will be court martialed on charges that could lead to a sentence of life in prison, the Army said Friday in a statement.

Feds close Lance Armstrong doping probe

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 8:52pm UTC

Federal prosecutors said Friday that they are closing a criminal investigation into alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs by champion cyclist Lance Armstrong without filing charges.

2nd teacher at L.A. school arrested

Posted: February 4th, 2012, 8:44pm UTC

Another teacher has been arrested at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles on allegations of lewd acts on young pupils, authorities said.

Opinion: Women's care not just breasts

Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 6:06pm UTC

If you travel to the island of Delos in Greece, you might be surprised to visit ruins dominated by statues of gigantic stone penises. Even in its ancient, mythological context, it's jarring to see such a disembodied representation of the human form. Women, of course, are perhaps a bit more accustomed than men to being reduced to a collection of body parts. Even so, it was startling to hear earlier this week that one of America's largest and wealthiest advocates of women's health appears to be fixated on breasts, rather than on the women to whom they are attached.

Komen restores Parenthood funding

Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 4:42pm UTC

The foundation reversed its decision after a deluge of opposition, including pressure from lawmakers.

Men sentenced in lesbian's slaying

Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 4:30pm UTC

Gay rights advocates in South Africa hailed a judge's sentencing of four men to 18 years each in prison for brutally slaying a 19-year-old lesbian.

Senate OKs insider-trading bill

Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 9:51pm UTC

The bill makes clear it's illegal for lawmakers, their staffs and many executive-branch employees to trade stocks based on inside information learned on the job.

Group: Bombs hit Bible school in Sudan

Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 9:19pm UTC

A Christian evangelical group said Thursday that a Bible school -- backed by American evangelist Franklin Graham -- was destroyed in the latest bombing raid to hit South Kordofan, an oil-rich Sudanese province that borders the newly created independent country of South Sudan.

Teacher accused in beheading plot

Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 8:42pm UTC

A North Carolina teacher is scheduled to appear Friday in federal court after being accused in a plot to behead witnesses who testified against a would-be terrorist. A criminal complaint alleges the woman was part of a thwarted conspiracy to kill three people who testified against Hysen Sherifi, who was convicted last year in what prosecutors called a "violent jihad" plot.

Cartels target Juarez police, officials say

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 6:55pm UTC

Drug gangs in the Mexican border city of Juarez are killing police officers daily in a bid to force the police chief to resign.

60 charged in Canada child porn bust

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 2:39pm UTC

At least 60 people have been charged in connection with one of Canada's largest ever pornography busts, authorities said Thursday.

Sources: Trump to endorse Romney

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 12:38pm UTC

Real estate mogul Donald Trump says he backs Mitt Romney as the GOP presidential nominee because "he's smart, he's sharp, he's not going to allow bad things to happen."

Arab League on Syria: U.N. can help

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 11:58am UTC

Even a watered-down U.N. Security Council resolution will put pressure on the Syrian government, Arab League Secretary General Nabil el-Araby told CNN Thursday, ahead of renewed talks at the United Nations.

'Fast and Furious' hearing

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 11:40am UTC

After days of heated written exchanges, Attorney General Eric Holder will face off with House Republican Darrell Issa today over Mexican-border gun-running.

Anger flares in Egypt after riot kills 79

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 11:23am UTC

As Egyptians began three days of mourning Thursday for the 79 people who died in a soccer riot in the Mediterranean city of Port Said, new violence erupted in Cairo, where protesters confronted police near the Interior Ministry headquarters.

Opinion: What will new millionaires do?

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 11:19am UTC

Whenever a hugely popular and successful company goes public, many people wonder what will happen to all the newly created millionaires. What will they do now that they are financially "set for life"? Will there be "1,000 millionaires"? Will they suffer "sudden wealth syndrome"?

Amy Winehouse coroner resigns

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 10:42am UTC

The coroner who conducted the inquest into the death of Amy Winehouse has resigned, raising the possibility that the case could be reopened.

Facebook taps emerging markets

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 5:58am UTC

Facebook, which launched its blockbuster initial public offering Wednesday, is the undisputed social media king of the U.S. and Europe.

What scares Facebook

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 5:37am UTC

Like a good friend, Facebook says it doesn't want to invade our privacy or hang out with folks who spend all their time looking at a cell phone.

Dozens missing after ferry sinks

Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 4:02am UTC

Boats and helicopters rushed to the scene after the MV Rabaul Queen ran into trouble off Cape Fortification in the southwestern Pacific. About 350 people were on board.