Citing unnamed US military commanders, the newspaper said the commandos from the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's classified Seals units have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin...]]>Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nigerian+charged+with+trying+to+blow+up+US+airliner-a01612101187A Nigerian man was charged with attempting to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner, while unnamed security officials told US media the suspect had confessed that Al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen trained him for the mission.

Airport security was stepped up worldwide after the botched terror attack as British police raided premises where the suspect, the son of a wealthy Nigerian businessman, was...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Amazon+Christmas+day+e-book+sales+beat+print+sales-a01612101171On Christmas Day customers bought more electronic books than hard-copy books on Internet retail giant Amazon.com, the company said in a statement Saturday.

Amazon also said that its e-book reader, the Kindle, "has become the most gifted item in Amazon's history."

Hours after being outplayed by Cleveland's LeBron James and fouling out with only 13 points in a 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, Artest suffered injuries that required stitches on his elbow...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NBA%3a+Artest+suffers+concussion+in+Christmas+stumble-a01612101169Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest tripped over a box and fell down a flight of stairs at his home on Christmas night, suffering a concussion and left elbow injury, the team said Saturday.

Hours after being outplayed by Cleveland's LeBron James and fouling out with only 13 points in a 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, Artest suffered injuries that required stitches on his elbow...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/No+progress+in+Pacquiao-Mayweather+talks%3a+report-a01612101168Promoters for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather continued talks Saturday in hopes of reviving a mega-fight that has been scuttled by disagreements over unprecedented blood tests.

But no progress was made in securing a deal to stage the welterweight showdown, what could be the richest fight in boxing history March 13 at Las Vegas even with both sides budging off hard-line positions,...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Terry%2c+Nowitzki+lead+NBA+Mavericks+past+Grizzlies-a01612101160Reserve Jason Terry scored 23 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 20 to power the Dallas Mavericks past Memphis 106-101 in an NBA game Saturday, snapping the Grizzlies' three-game win streak.

Erick Dampier added 13 points and 10 rebounds while Jason Kidd contributed 10 points and 10 assists for the Southwest division-leading Mavericks, who improved to 21-9 and ended a three-game losing skid...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nigerian+charged+with+trying+to+blow+up+US+airliner-a01612101132A 23-year-old Nigerian man was charged Saturday with trying to blow up a packed airplane as it descended toward Detroit on Christmas Day, US officials said.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was charged with attempting to destroy the aircraft with a "high explosive" called PETN and with placing a destructive device on the plane, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Witnesses and authorities have praised passengers and crew for banding together to stop the suspect, identified by US authorities as Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23.

Hours after being outplayed by Cleveland's LeBron James and fouling out with only 13 points in a 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, Artest suffered injuries that required stitches on his elbow...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/'We+built+back+better'+after+tsunami%3a+Bill+Clinton-a01612101106Former US president Bill Clinton, who helped raise millions of dollars in aid for tsunami-hit Asian nations, said the hard-hit region "built back better" in the five years since the disaster.

"We will never forget the stories of those who lost their loved ones and all their worldly possessions in one of the worst natural disasters of our time," Clinton, who was dispatched by...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Catch+me+if+you+can%3a+'Barefoot+bandit'+eludes+US+police-a01612101086Eighteen-year-old Colton Harris-Moore is achieving folk hero status as the "Barefoot Bandit" in the US and Canada after a string of burglaries and dare-devil escapes from the law.

Romanticized by some as a latter-day "Billy the Kid" figure but regarded by others as a common thief, Harris Moore has a criminal record stretching back to when he was just 12 and a penchant for kicking off his...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/FBI+probes+attempt+to+blow+up+Detroit-bound+airliner-a01612101062The FBI probed Saturday an attempt to blow up a US airliner landing in Detroit as British police raided premises linked to the Nigerian suspect and airport security was stepped up worldwide.

Dutch authorities said the Al-Qaeda-linked suspect, identified as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, had flown with a valid US visa, as questions mounted over how he managed to sneak an incendiary device...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/US+politician+hails+Detroit+bomb+flight+heroes-a01612101060A senior US politician hailed Saturday the heroism of passengers and crew who apprehended the would-be Detroit airline bomber and promised that Congress would investigate the attack thoroughly.

"We are forever indebted to the heroic passengers and flight attendants who sought to subdue the suspect," said Bennie Thompson, chairman of the homeland security committee in the House of...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/IOC+chief+'disappointed'+by+Woods-a01612101024International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge says he is "disappointed" with the revelations of Tiger Woods' serial infidelity.

"It's a disappointment... we call for our athletes to be a role model for youngsters and that is evidently not the case with Woods," Rogge told El Pais on Saturday.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was badly burned when he ignited a sophisticated explosive device Friday on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, witnesses said.

"Carlos Irwin Estevez, also known as the actor Charles I. Sheen, was brought to the Pitkin County Colorado Jail for booking and incarceration following his arrest by the Aspen Police Department," police...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nigerian+tries+to+blow+up+US+plane+in+mid-air-a01612100916A young Nigerian man with reported links to Al-Qaeda tried to blow up a US airliner as it began its descent into Detroit before being subdued by passengers and crew, officials said.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was badly burned in the Christmas Day attack as he tried to set off a sophisticated explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam with 278 passengers on board,...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Al-Qaeda-linked+man+tries+to+blow+up+US+airliner-a01612100819A young Nigerian man with reported links to Al-Qaeda attempted to blow up a US airliner as it began its descent into Detroit before being subdued by passengers and crew, officials said.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was badly burned in the Christmas Day terror attack as he tried to set off a sophisticated explosive device on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam with 278...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NBA+Trail+Blazers+trounce+Nuggets-a01612100807Brandon Roy scored 41 points to outshine NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony and spark the Portland Trail Blazers past Denver 107-96, tightening their Northwest division rivalry.

The Blazers improved to 20-12 on the season, 11-4 at home, while the Nuggets fell to 20-10 but remained one game atop Portland in the division lead.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab was badly burned in the botched Christmas Day terror attack as he tried to set off a sophisticated explosive device on the Northwest Airlines Flight which had 278 passengers on board,...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/NBA+Cavaliers+send+message+in+routing+Lakers-a01612100774LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers left no doubt they are a title contender, routing the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers 102-87 as fans hurled objects and booed in frustration.

James scored 26 points and the Cavaliers snapped an 11-game home win streak for the Lakers, whose loss in a Christmas fiasco dropped them level with Boston for the NBA's best record at 23-5 while...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Stoudemire+leads+Suns+in+rout+of+Clippers-a01612100773Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power the Phoenix Suns past the Los Angeles Clippers 124-93 Friday in an NBA rout that was the most lopsided Suns win of the season.

Jared Dudley and Jason Richardson each added 18 points and seven Suns were double-digit scorers in the romp, which snapped a two game home skid for the Suns (19-10) after they began the season...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Chargers+clinch+NFL+playoff+bye+with+rout+of+Titans-a01612100753LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles each ran for two touchdowns and Philip Rivers threw for two more to spark San Diego past Tennessee 42-17 in a National Football League game.

Friday's victory secured the Chargers, who improved to 12-3, a first-round bye in the American Conference playoffs, trailing only undefeated Indianapolis. They will have a conference semi-final game at home...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Actor+Sheen+arrested+for+alleged+attack+on+wife-a01612100752Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen was arrested Friday in the Colorado ski resort of Aspen on charges of domestic violence after reportedly attacking his wife of 19 months Brooke Mueller.

"Carlos Irwin Estevez, also known as the actor Charles I. Sheen, was brought to the Pitkin County Colorado Jail for booking and incarceration following his arrest by the Aspen Police Department," police...]]>Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Ice+hockey+roster+revelations+to+spark+Olympic+excitement-a01612100738Alex Ovechkin will lead world champion Russia into the Vancouver Winter Olympics and a host of his fellow National Hockey League superstars will follow him onto team rosters in the next week.

Washington Capitals playmaker Ovechkin, named the NHL's Most Valuable Player the past two seasons, and fellow stars Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar were named Thursday to Russia's...]]>