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Reporting from Bogota — Brazilian officials on Friday retracted assertions that debris spotted in the Atlantic Ocean was wreckage of Air France Flight 447, and experts warned that the possibility of locating debris and determining the cause of the crash was fading.

The Brazilian air force said that debris picked up Thursday was not that of the Airbus A330, as Defense Minister Nelson Jobim had said. Moreover, officials said a fuel slick they previously said was caused by the ditched airliner may have come from a ship.

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SAO PAULO, Brazil – An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris hit strong turbulence and lost contact with air traffic controllers over the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Monday. Brazil began a search mission off its northeastern coast. Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, had 216 passengers and 12 crew members on board, company spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand said. The flight left Rio on Sunday at 7 p.m. local time (2200 GMT Sunday). About four hours later, the plane sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong turbulence, Air France said. The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 0200 GMT Monday (10 p.m. EDT Sunday). An automatic message was received at 0214 GMT (10:14 p.m. EDT Sunday) "signaling electrical circuit malfunction." The plane disappeared about 190 miles (300 kilometers) northeast of the coastal Brazilian city of Natal, near the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, a Brazilian air force spokesman said. The air force began a search began Monday morning near Fernando de Noronha, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with air force policy. read more

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea claimed it carried out a powerful underground nuclear test Monday — much larger than one conducted in 2006 — in a major provocation in the escalating international standoff over its rogue nuclear and missile programs.

The country’s official Korean Central News Agency said the regime "successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of measures to bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defense."

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed an atomic explosion at 9:54 a.m. (0054 GMT) in northeastern North Korea, estimating the blast’s yield at 10 to 20 kilotons — comparable to the bombs that flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Hours later, the regime test-fired three short-range, ground-to-air missiles, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. U.N. Security Council resolutions bar North Korea engaging in any ballistic missile-related activity.

President Barack Obama called the moves "blatant defiance" of the Security Council and a violation of international law that would only further isolate North Korea.

North Korea’s claims "are a matter of grave concern to all nations," he said, calling for international action in a statement from Washington. "North Korea’s attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic missile program, constitute a threat to international peace and security."

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MANILA, Philippines - Finding himself in the center of a raging controversy over his sex videos with model-actress Katrina Halili and two other women, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Hayden Kho is expected to appear at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) today to explain his side on the controversy, which may cost him his profession and even his freedom. The NBI issued a subpoena that also covers Kho’s girlfriend Dr. Vicki Belo, also a prominent cosmetic surgeon. The sex videos have spread on the Internet and DVD copies are bestsellers in many shops in Quiapo. NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said at a press conference yesterday that a certain Dr. Eric Chua could be one of those who uploaded the videos on YouTube. “We will summon him. But we have to summon first Dr. Hayden Kho,” Mantaring said. READ MORE>>>

"Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom"

FINDLAY, Ohio – A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School’s prom Saturday.

Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school’s rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.

The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an "incomplete" on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.

Frost’s stepfather Stephan Johnson said the school’s rules should not apply outside the classroom.

"He deserves to wear that cap and gown," Johnson said.

Frost said he thought he had handled the situation properly. Findlay requires students from other schools attending the prom to get a signature from their principal, which Frost did.

"I expected a short lecture about making the right decisions and not doing something stupid," Frost said. "I thought I would get his signature and that would be the end."

England acknowledged signing the form but warned Frost there would be consequences if he attended the dance. England then took the issue to a school committee made up of church members, who decided to threaten Frost with suspension.

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LAS VEGAS – Four years ago, in the very same ring where he scored a crushing second-round knockout over an opponent many thought would give him the challenge of his career, Manny Pacquiao lost a decision to Erik Morales.

Morales was one of the most entertaining fighters of his time, but never once were “Morales” and “all-time great” ever used together in the same sentence.

In 2005, Pacquiao was a good and exciting but hardly great fighter. After Saturday’s K.O. of Ricky Hatton, though, he stands atop the boxing world, even with the heavily hyped return of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had been a near-unanimous choice as the world’s top fighter prior to his untimely retirement in June 2008.

Mayweather Jr. unretired on Saturday and said he’d fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July, but he’ll have to defeat Pacquiao if he wants to be regarded as the best after Pacquiao decimated Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Pacquiao knocked Hatton down twice in the first round and then knocked him cold with a crushing left hand that may have been the best punch of his career late in the second round. Hatton fell face first and laid motionless for several minutes as the arena erupted.

If the Pacquiao Era hadn’t started with his decimation of Oscar De La Hoya in December, it began with a straight left that left promoter Bob Arum squealing.

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GO MANNY!!!!we are So Proud OF YOu!!!yhaooo!

HOUSTON – A 23-month-old toddler in Texas became the first confirmed swine flu death outside of Mexico as authorities around the world struggled to contain a growing global health menace that has also swept Germany onto the roster of afflicted nations. Officials say the death was in Houston.

is it true??? read more>>>