THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - He's no longer the swaggering general who held Sarajevo "in the palm of his hand" during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. Yet as his long-awaited genocide trial began Wednesday, Ratko Mladic still managed to reopen old wounds with the flick of his hand. Hobbled by strokes and wearing a business suit instead of combat fatigues, the frail, 70-year-old defendant had an angry exchange of hand gestures with the families of massacre victims in the public gallery, separated by the bulletproof glass in the courtroom.
2 Navy ships collide in Pacific; no injuries SAN DIEGO (AP) - A U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship and a refueling tanker collided in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, but there were no injuries and no fuel spills, the 3rd Fleet said. The collision between the assault ship USS Essex and the oiler USNS Yukon occurred at midmorning about 120 miles off Southern California, according to a statement.
BEDFORD, N.Y. (AP) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who had fought drug and alcohol problems, was found dead in her home Wednesday. Attorney Kerry Lawrence, who had represented her in a drunken-driving case, said he didn't know the cause of her death at age 52. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.
NEW YORK (AP) - A threat that's been hanging over the economy is starting to look a lot less menacing. Oil and gasoline prices are sinking, giving relief to businesses and consumers who a few weeks ago seemed about to face the highest fuel prices ever.
NEW YORK (AP) - Responding to extraordinary demand, Facebook said Wednesday that it would sell more stock in the company's initial public offering. But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors, the nation's largest automaker, said it would abandon Facebook ads after concluding they were ineffective. At the same time, Ford reaffirmed its commitment to Facebook, saying their relationship was stronger than ever.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The government wants you to know that simply sporting a pair of Skechers' fitness shoes is not going to get you Kim Kardashian's curves or Brooke Burke's toned tush. Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the footwear company made unfounded claims that its Shape-ups shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach muscles. Kardashian, Burke and other celebrities endorsed the shoes in Skechers ads.
MILWAUKEE (AP) - One of life's simple pleasures just got a little sweeter. After years of waffling research on coffee and health, even some fear that java might raise the risk of heart disease, a big study finds the opposite: Coffee drinkers are a little more likely to live longer. Regular or decaf doesn't matter. The study of 400,000 people is the largest ever done on the issue, and the results should reassure any coffee lovers who think it's a guilty pleasure that may do harm.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Philadelphia woman dubbed "the Black Madam" used silicone from Thailand and Krazy Glue to perform at-home cosmetic surgery that left an exotic dancer with a plump derriere - and potentially deadly complications, the dancer testified Wednesday. Padge Windslowe charged $1,000 to perform injections on a dining room table at "pumping parties," 23-year-old Shurkia King testified. But King suffered severe respiratory problems afterward and spent two weeks in the hospital. A doctor testified that he found silicone particles on her lungs that could have killed her.
Diane Kruger must have arrived in France with a lot of luggage. On Wednesday, Day 1 of the 12-day Cannes Film Festival, Kruger, a member of the prestigious jury, turned up in two different outfits. She wore an edgy burgundy cocktail dress with a pleated skirt and black cord-laced straps by Versus by Versace for her first photo call, and a fancier, more feminine aqua-colored silk draped dress by Giambattista Valli later for the red-carpet premiere of "Moonrise Kingdom."
Lawrie joins list of baseball's wildest rants Helmet tossing and bat banging have become all the rage, it seems. Yet Brett Lawrie and Bryce Harper still have a long way to go before hitting our list of baseball's wildest rants and raves. These guys all rank:
