Will this become the Taxi of Tomorrow?

Meet the Taxi of Tomorrow!

New York wants to be greener – and that means new cabs.

To this end, the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) has launched a website where concepts for the taxi of the future can be submitted.

But one of the proposals looks like it’s more suited to outer space explorations than New York traffic…

The suggested successor to the legendary yellow cabs, which has been called UniCab, looks like a bizarre spaceship – especially in comparison to the current, clunky models like the Ford Crown Victoria or the Ford Escape. And it’s chock-full of sophisticated ideas...

U.S. is world's top user of targeted killings, U.N. says

By the CNN Wire Staff

Washington (CNN) -- The United States was identified Wednesday as the world's No. 1 user of targeted killings -- largely as a result of its dependence on unmanned drone attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A report released by the United Nations called the drone attacks part of a "strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability" and warned that they are contributing to an erosion of longstanding international rules governing warfare. It urged states to identify publicly the rules of international law believed to provide a basis for any attempted targeted killings as well as the rationale for deciding to kill instead of capture individuals.

"The rules being set today are going to govern the conduct of many states tomorrow," said New York University law professor Philip Alston, the report's author. "The international community needs to be more forceful in demanding accountability".

Alston, who also works for the U.N. Human Rights Council, said roughly 40 countries possess drone technology, and many of them either already have or attempting to acquire the capability to launch missiles from drones.

Israel tension boosts Turkey's popularity with Arabs

West Bank (Reuters) - Ankara's diplomatic confrontation with Israel over the bloody seizure of an aid ship bound for Gaza has boosted Turkey's popularity among Arabs who long to see their own governments show similar resolve.

From Cairo to Kuwait, Turkey's red flag has flown across the Arab world in a show of support for its response to the Israeli raid in which nine activists, at least three of them Turks, were killed as they tried to break the sea blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Ankara's reaction, including the withdrawal of its Tel Aviv ambassador, has shown up the few Arab governments that also have diplomatic ties with Israel. These include Egypt, which was already under fire for helping Israel enforce the Gaza blockade.

Conscious of Arab and wider Muslim criticism of its role in enforcing the embargo, Cairo opened the Rafah crossing on Wednesday. It is the only gateway to the Gaza Strip not fully controlled by Israel, which has imposed a tight blockade on the Hamas Islamist-run territory.

Liberia Aids U.S. in Drug Fight

Over the past three years, United States authorities say, South American drug traffickers have worked to build a base in the West African nation of Liberia, where vast quantities of cocaine could be sent by boat or plane and then reshipped to markets in West Africa and Europe.

As part of the plan, the traffickers met with two senior Liberian officials, offering them millions of dollars in bribes to ensure safe passage for the shipments.

But what the traffickers did not realize was that both of the officials — one of whom is the son of the country’s president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf — were secretly cooperating with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to help break the foothold of drug rings in the region, a federal prosecutor in New York said Tuesday.

Slower growth seen for Canada house sales, prices

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian Real Estate Association cut its 2010 forecast for resale house prices and sales on Wednesday, saying sales in British Columbia were not as strong as expected at the start of the year.

The industry group said it now expects the average price to climb 1.6 percent to C$325,400 ($309,905) nationally in 2010, a big drop from its previous forecast of a 5.4 percent gain.

Sales are seen rising 5.5 percent to 490,600 units in 2010. In February, CREA forecast sales of 527,300 units in 2010, up 13.3 percent from 2009.

The group said a decline in affordability in British Columbia hurt sales in the province during the first quarter, although sales in Ontario were much as expected. The two provinces hold some of the country's biggest and highest-priced markets.

"Lower expected activity in British Columbia accounts for more than half of the downward revision in national sales activity," the group said.

Former suspect in Natalee Holloway case wanted in Peruvian murder case

By the CNN Wire Staff

Watch Nancy Grace tonight for the latest on reports that a girl missing in Peru may have been seen with Joran van der Sloot, who was a suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. "Nancy Grace," airs tonight 8 ET on HLN.

(CNN) -- Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch man once considered a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, is the suspect in the killing of a woman in Peru, Peruvian police officials said Wednesday.

There is "incriminating evidence" linking van der Sloot to the killing of 21-year-old Stephany Flores Ramirez, who was found dead in a Lima hotel room Wednesday, Cesar Guardia Vasquez, of the criminal investigations unit said at a news conference.

The hotel room where Flores was found was registered in van der Sloot's name, he said.

Maid jailed for sexual abuses

By Elena Chong

AN INDONESIAN maid who had sex with her employer's son was jailed for 36 months by a district court on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old had admitted earlier to committing an obscene act with the boy, then 11, by touching his private parts and having sex with him towards the end of June last year. She also admitted to performing oral sex on the boy on Christmas Day last year. He had turned 12 by then.

She was found out when the boy's grandmother happened to pass by her room to check on the victim who had had taken an unsually long time in the toilet. The grandmother was then staying with the family in the east of Singapore at the time. She asked the boy what the accused had done to him, but he refused to say anything. He finally told his father two days later. A police report was made.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Cassandra Cheong sought a deterrent sentence in view of a number of aggravating factors such as the victim's age, abuse of trust by the accused who took advantage of his naivete and innocence. She said the domestic helper, who is single, was supposed to care for the victim and his siblings but had instead made use of her position to satisfy her own sexual desires.

Australian PM calls Israel's Netanyahu on Gaza aid flotilla

SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Wednesday he had called Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him to open an independent inquiry into the deadly raid on an aid convoy bound for Gaza.

At least nine people were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the ships early Monday. An Australian man was shot during the incident, while an Australian photographer was reportedly hit with a stun gun.

The Australian shot in the incident remained in hospital Wednesday while four other Australians were in the process of being deported, Australia's ABC broadcaster reported.

Rudd said he had told Prime Minister Netanyahu an inquiry was needed "so that all facts can be established and an informed judgement made about the events surrounding the incident".

"I set out the framework within which Australia views this tragedy... and reflected Australia's deep concerns over the recent military operation off Gaza," Rudd told parliament.

Pakistan flotilla witness says Israelis shot victims in cold blood

A Pakistani journalist who was captured during a naval attack on a Gaza—bound aid flotilla alleged Wednesday that Israeli soldiers were shooting people in cold blood.

Talat Hussain, one of the 124 people arriving in Jordan following their release by Israeli authorities, claimed that the commandos “shot people in the forehead.” “I witnessed myself the first Israeli assault on the ship. There was no weapon on the ship,” Mr. Hussain told Aaj news channel by phone from Jordan. “Scuffles broke out when Israelis tried to arrest people. After that people threw at the Israelis whatever they got hold of.

“Four people were shot in the forehead in front me. I witnessed four people dying,” Mr. Hussain, executive director and anchorman of Aaj Television, said.

Nine die in clashes between Colombian rebel groups

The security forces in Colombia say at least nine people have died in clashes between two left-wing rebel groups.

he police commander of Arauca province, William Guevara, said the nine belonged to the National Liberation Army (ELN).

He said they were killed by members of Colombia's main rebel group, the Farc, as part of a dispute over control of an important drug route to Venezuela.

Last year, the groups announced they would unite to fight the country's security forces.

The announcement in December, saying that they were on their "way towards working for unity" surprised analysts, who pointed to the deep ideological differences between them.

Florida expects Gulf oil to hit Panhandle in 'a day or two'

By the CNN Wire Staff

President Obama goes one-on-one with Larry King on Thursday night to talk about the Gulf disaster, economic turmoil and war. "Larry King Live," 9 p.m. ET Thursday on CNN.

Venice, Louisiana (CNN) -- Mats of weathered oil and tar balls from the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster could hit the western Florida Panhandle "in a day or two," Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday.

Sheen from the leading edge of the spill was spotted just short of 10 miles from Florida shores Tuesday night, and "thousands of tar balls" were in the water with it, Crist told reporters Wednesday morning.

The announcement follows the discovery of oil on Alabama and Mississippi barrier islands that is believed to be from the undersea gusher that has been spewing off Louisiana since late April. State officials are deploying another 66,000 feet of protective booms to the state's westernmost three counties, and boats have been sent out to try to skim as much of the oil off the water as possible, Crist said.

France to bar polygamy, sharia on Mayotte islands

PARIS (Reuters) - New polygamous marriages and sharia courts will be banned on France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte when it becomes a department of the French state next year, according to a draft ordinance presented on Wednesday.

Mayotte, an island territory between Mozambique and Madagascar, will also end repudiation, the traditional Muslim divorce, and raise the minimum marriage age for females from 16 to 18, according to a statement by the cabinet.

"The ordinance puts a definitive end to inequality between men and women," Overseas Territories Minister Marie-Luce Penchard said. "There will no longer be a possibility to enter into polygamous unions as used to be the case".

Existing polygamous marriages can continue, she added.

Darfur activism had negative consequences, report

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Activists concerned about the situation in Darfur detracted attention and aid from other African conflicts, a U.S.-based foundation said on Wednesday.

Darfur's rebellion, which sparked the world's largest aid operation and the largest U.N.-funded peacekeeping mission, has attracted unprecedented attention for an African conflict.

"There is no doubt that American activists were able to bring attention to the conflict in Darfur," a report by the U.S.-based Cato Institute said.

"Even so, their efforts had negative consequences ... the diversion of public attention from other wars of great scale and longevity," it said, citing Democratic Republic of Congo.

Darfur activists were not immediately available to comment.

Streets deserted after Cumbrian shootings

By Caroline Henderson

BBC News in Whitehaven

The streets of Whitehaven in Cumbria were almost deserted as the community struggled to come to terms with the terrifying moment a gunman went on a shooting rampage which begun in their quiet town.

The area around Duke Street, where the first shots were fired, was cordoned off and many of the businesses nearby closed their doors hours earlier.

The number of journalists and television crews outnumbered pedestrians in Whitehaven, which is usually a peaceful coastal tourist town.

The few residents that were wandering the streets were keen to talk to the media, wanting to express their utter disbelief at the horror which had unfolded on their doorstep.

A picturesque church overlooked Duke Street, the scene of terror just hours previously.

Many in Whitehaven were still mourning the death of two schoolchildren in a coach crash last week when the horrific shootings happened.

Russia to launch 520-day mock mission to Mars

By Derrick Ho, Special to CNN

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- In an attempt to re-create the experience of a manned mission to Mars, an international team of researchers will lock themselves up in a windowless capsule for about a year and a half -- time required for a round trip to the Red Planet.

Starting Thursday, an all-male "crew" of six -- three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese -- will spend 520 days in the cramped and claustrophobic conditions of a special facility in Moscow and will follow a strict regimen of exercise and diet.

Baltic Sea states leaders gather in Vilnius

Oskars Magone

VILNIUS - Leaders from around the Baltic Sea have gathered in Vilnius to launch the Baltic Sea States Summit, where the country's adopted the "Vilnius Decleration - A Vision for the Baltic Sea Region by 2020".

"The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) succeeded in its original task, to bridge old divides. It should now look with confidence to the future. The joint vision 2020 that we are adopting in this Summit contains the forward-looking objectives," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in his keynote speech at the event.

The declaration covers economic, ecological and social aspects of the region’s sustainable development, the Lithuanian foreign ministry said in a press release.

Archbishop investigated for abetting sex abuse

Prosecutors said Wednesday they were investigating Germany's top archbishop on suspicion of abetting child abuse, in the case of a man who said he was molested in the 1960s with the clergyman's knowledge.

Robert Zollitsch, the head of German Bishops' Conference, is being investigated 

for allegedly turning a blind eye to the abuse by a priest, public prosecutor Wolfgang Maier in the southern city of Freiburg said.

The Freiburg diocese said Zollitsch strongly denied the charges.

Romanian Media: Bulgaria's FinMin Crisis Solution

The Romanian Daily “Adevarul” published Wednesday an interview with Bulgaria's Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, titled “Bulgaria's Solution for the Crisis”.

The information was reported by the Bulgarian Finance Ministry.

In the interview Djankov says the Bulgarian cabinet will not reduce salaries and retirement pensions, because Bulgarians have been subject to austerity measures since the distant 1997.

The publication points out salaries and pensions in Bulgaria are lower than those in Romania, but are not in danger of going down now.

“We are not at a point to reduce salaries and pensions. I lowered administrative expenses and the number of those employed in the public sector by 11% in 7 months, which will lead to 1% economic growth in 2010,” Djankov is quoted saying.

Cartels recruit Guatemalans in Mexico drug war

By Chris Hawley

ACAYUCAN, Mexico - On a balmy evening in April, five sport-utility vehicles full of gunmen roared up to the gates of the immigration detention center here.

The gunmen pointed assault rifles at the guardhouse but entered without firing a shot. They loaded up 13 Guatemalan detainees. Then, they sped off into the night.

The raid is evidence of a disturbing new trend in the U.S.-backed war against Mexico's drug cartels. The gunmen were apparently drug-cartel henchmen, and the people they freed were Central Americans who had been on their way to a cartel training camp.

Mexican traffickers are increasingly turning to Central America for reinforcements, ammunition and help from corrupt authorities there, experts say. The cartels are training Central American recruits at camps in Guatemala and Mexico, infiltrating weak Central American police forces and carving out "safe zones" in foreign countries beyond the reach of Mexican authorities.

The developments reflect a major shift in drug-smuggling patterns and show the cartels' continuing ability to evolve to avoid Mexico's U.S.-backed crackdown, which began in 2006, said Helen Mack, president of the Myrna Mack Foundation, a group that studies crime issues in Guatemala.