Paul the Octopus joins England's 2018 World Cup bid

(CNN) -- He made his name predicting Germany's 2010 World Cup results, but now Paul the Octopus is returning home to help England's bid to stage the 2018 tournament.

England's campaign came off the rails in May when former Football Association chariman David Triesman was forced to stand down after being secretly taped accusing Spain and Russia of bribing referees.

His comments put a big dent in the considerable goodwill that had been built by the addition of soccer superstar David Beckham to the campaign team in 2009.

Now Paul, who was hatched at an English aquarium in 2008, is lending his particular talents to the bid despite having retired from psychic predictions.

"Paul has spent the last two years of his life in Germany, but he is definitely a proud Englishman and is therefore delighted to put his support behind England 2018," Weymouth Sea Life Center manager Nicola Hamilton said on Wednesday.

"We have had a number of football approaches from around the world but Paul was only ever going to choose his homeland".

The cephalopod correctly predicted the outcome of eight consecutive World Cup matches, dooming Germany's hopes when he plumped for Spain in the semifinal and then also in the final.

He has since signed book and merchandising deals and is set to appear in a film, all of which will help to raise funds for a sea turtle rescue center on the Greek Island of Zakynthos -- which will also receive a donation from the England 2018 team. CNN

Former Bolivian dictator arrested on exposure charge, government says

(CNN) -- A former Bolivian dictator has been arrested on a charge that he exposed himself to a group of children and has been sent to a drug rehabilitation center, the state-run news agency reported.

Former air force Gen. Juan Pereda Asbun, who ruled the South American nation for four months in 1978, was arrested Tuesday after a father and a group of young people detained him because he tried to get a girl to get into his car after exposing himself to other children, the government's ABI news service reported Wednesday.

After his arrest, authorities said, officers found he was carrying two boxes of cigarettes loaded with cocaine, commonly known as "pitillos".

"After taking his statement, Pereda, who identified himself as an air force general, underwent a series of clinical exams, primarily urine, to determine the extent of drug consumption affecting him," said Col. Ruben Suarez, head of the Special Force to Combat Narcotrafficking.

The result of the urine test was positive for drugs, Suarez said in a news conference broadcast Wednesday by CNN affiliate Unitel TV.

Pereda, 79, was admitted to a rehab facility to treat a cocaine addiction, ABI said. He also underwent a psychological examination, Suarez said.

The cocaine found on the former dictator was for personal use and not for sale or distribution, Suarez said, adding that Pereda had not been linked to any narcotrafficking organization.

In a TV interview at the police station, Pereda denied any wrongdoing with the girls. CNN

Russia set for Iran's nuclear plant launch, top nuclear official says

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- Russia's top nuclear official Thursday called the pending supply of nuclear fuel to Iran's first atomic energy plant "an event of crucial importance" that proves that "Russia always fulfills its (international) obligations".

Sergei Kiriyenko, general director of Rosatom, the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, debriefed Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the August 21 arrival of fuel at the Bushehr facility, which Iran says will create atomic energy but which other nations fear could be used for nuclear weapons.

"The physical launch of the station will be controlled by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) inspectors," Kiriyenko told Putin, according to a transcript of their meeting published on the Russian government website.

"They will unseal the containers with the fuel that we supplied them more than a year ago, after coordinating this deal with all our international partners. So now this fuel will be unsealed and moved into the reactor compartment," Kiriyenko said. "This marks the beginning of the physical launch of the station -- it turns from a construction project into an operating one," he said.

It is important that Russia adheres to its policy that any country in the world has a right to develop its peaceful nuclear energy program under the IAEA control and conforming to international norms and provisions, Kiriyenko said. It is also important to note that Russia, being the prime contractor for the Bushehr facility, conducted this international project in conjunction with more than 10 other countries, he said.

Kiriyenko and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, joined by IEAE officials, will observe the ceremony of the nuclear fuel delivery to the Bushehr facility scheduled for 9:30 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) Saturday, Rosatom said.

Russian atomic energy officials expect the fuel to be loaded into the plant's first generating unit's reactor in late September. Following a number of technical procedures, the facility should be capable of producing electricity in November.

Under the agreement, spent nuclear fuel from the plant will be sent back to Russia. CNN

Wildfires rage in four Bolivian states; emergency declared in one

(CNN) -- A state of emergency has been declared in Bolivia's Santa Cruz state, one of four states in the nation battling wildfires, the state-run news agency reported.

The fires have burned more than 3.7 milion acres (1.5 million hectares) in the past few weeks and are advancing "dangerously" in four of the nation's nine states, the government's ABI news service said Wednesday.

In addition to Santa Cruz, the fires are burning large segments of Pando, Beni and La Paz states. The flames are fanned by high wind gusts and arid conditions caused by drought, officials said.

More than 50 homes have been destroyed, the Ministry of Environment and Water said Thursday.

Dense smoke from the out-of-control fires has led to the closureof 28 of the nation's 39 airports, said CNN affiliate Unitel TV. Visibility in some areas was less than a mile, officials said.

The smoke, which makes it hard to breathe and stings the eyes, also has affected the health of some residents, officials said. CNN

Two carriages of a passenger train fall into a river in China

(CNN) -- At least two carriages of a passenger train fell into a river Thursday after floods destroyed a bridge in southwest China's Sichuan Province, state-run CCTV reported Friday, citing Chengdu Railway authorities.

It was not immediately known how many passengers were inside the carriages, which a firefighter said were swept 200 meters downriver. Local authorities said they were doing their best to carry out rescues.

The accident occurred in Guanghan at about 3:20 p.m. Thursday on the Shi-ting-jiang Bridge, part of the railway line that links Chengdu and Baoji, in northwestern Shaanxi Province.

Floods caused the bridge piers to collapse, which forced the train from its track, they said. CNN

12 insurgents killed in Afghanistan raid

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan and coalition troops killed 12 Taliban insurgents, including a commander, during a raid in Logar province, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Thursday.

The raid took place on Wednesday. Troops were hunting down Qari Muir, a commander who held many Taliban positions in Logar.

Intelligence sources saw Talibans preparing to attack coalition forces and then took on the insurgents. They found a weapons cache, with rockets, mines and bombing materials. Muir was one of the 12 killed.

"The Taliban currently operating in Logar province are inflicting violence, instability and fear on the Afghan people," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director. "These operations help rid these areas of these terrorists along with their weapons and backward ideology".

Elsewhere, In Kandahar province on Thursday, an ISAF helicopter made a hard landing. Nineteen people were on the chopper and eight coalition members were injured. The incident was apparently not the result of "enemy fire". CNN

Yemen says leading al Qaeda militant surrenders

(CNN) -- An al Qaeda leader in Yemen accused of aiding operatives in the 2002 bombing of the French-flagged oil tanker Limburg has surrendered to authorities, Yemen's embassy in the United States said Thursday.

Hezam Mujali also had been sentenced to death in August 2004 for killing an army officer and he was charged with attacking a helicopter from the Texas-based Hunt oil company in November 2002.

Among 23 detainees that escaped prison in 2006, Mujali survived a December 2009 raid on an al Qaeda hideout in the district of Arhab in Yemen.

The announcement of Mujali's surrender comes as Yemeni authorities stepped up their battle against al Qaeda fighters, a struggle that has left dozens of security officers dead, said Mohammed Albasha, embassy spokesman.

"Yemen looks forward to working closely with regional and international allies to step up efforts to train and equip Yemeni forces," Albasha said.

The embassy also announced the surrendering earlier this month of another operative -- Jomaan Safian, who harbored dozens of foreign al Qaeda fighters and supplied logistical help to the militants.

The Yemeni government has been fighting a growing al Qaeda element in Yemen called al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

It grabbed the attention of the West with the Christmas Day attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines trans-Atlantic flight as it landed in Detroit, Michigan. CNN

No arrests made in connection with phoned-in plane threat

(CNN) -- No one was arrested or "placed in handcuffs" in connection with a phone call threatening a hijacking of an American Airlines flight in San Francisco, California, police said Thursday.

Earlier, a source familiar with the investigation said that two passengers were being questioned further by authorities.

The threat was called in before the plane departed from San Francisco.

Flight 24, bound for New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, was taken to a remote location and passengers were interviewed and re-screened while local law enforcement officers inspected the aircraft, TSA said.

Randy Cohen, a passenger on the flight, said the people on the plane were calm in general, but that as the time went by on the tarmac, some became nervous.

Even the pilot, when he made an announcement, "you could tell the angst in his voice, and the uncertainty," Cohen said.

Cohen said he saw authorities remove a large garbage bag from an overhead bin in the back of the plane.

Once police arrived, the passengers were removed from the plane, six at a time. CNN

U.S. troop strength in Iraq put at 52,000

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The number of U.S. troops remaining in Iraq is about 52,000, the U.S. military said Thursday.

That puts U.S. Forces-Iraq on track to draw down to 50,000 troops by September 1, when Operation New Dawn is to begin and forces are to switch to an advise-and-assist role.

The Pentagon on Wednesday had estimated the number of U.S. forces in Iraq at 56,000, which reflected the last calculation conducted August 17, the military said in a news release.

The 4,000-member 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team departed to Kuwait on Wednesday and Thursday. The brigade's departure comes more than seven years after U.S. combat forces entered Iraq, though it does not signify the end of all U.S. combat forces in the country.

In all, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq has decreased by more than 90,000 in the past 18 months and Obama has promised that all U.S. forces will be out by the end of 2011.

But there is plenty of work left to do, former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said Wednesday. CNN

Teacher resigns over Facebook comments

COHASSET, Mass., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts teacher was asked to resign for posting Facebook comments saying residents in the school area were "so arrogant and snobby," officials said.

June Talvitie-Siple, supervisor for engineering, math, science and technology at Cohasset High School in Cohasset, took responsibility for her remarks and said she would have done the same thing had she been in Superintendent Denise Walsh's position of having to fire her, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.

"You would assume if you have to confirm people as a friend, (other people) can't see. I have a lot of background with technology, and yet I still get caught with my pants down," Talvitie-Siple said, adding she thought her Facebook profile was set to permit only friends she had approved to see her page.

Alfred Slanetz, vice chairman of the Cohasset School Committee, received e-mails from unhappy parents alerting him to the postings. The teacher resigned Tuesday, the Globe reported. UPI

Majority of R.I. voters favor gay marriage

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Almost six out of 10 Rhode Island residents support allowing same-sex couples to marry, a poll indicates.

The poll released Wednesday showed growing support for same-sex marriage in the state, especially among its large Roman Catholic population, The Providence Journal said. The percentage of people who said committed gays and lesbians should be able to marry increased 10 percent since 2008 among all Rhode Islanders, and was up 12 percent among Catholics.

Rhode Island and Maine are the only New England states where same-sex marriage is not legal. It is illegal in all other states except Iowa and the District of Columbia.

The poll was done by Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner for Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. The survey found 59 percent saying same-sex marriage should be legal and 31 percent disagreeing, compared to 49 percent for and 37 percent against in 2008. UPI

Phelps fails to reach Pan Pacific final

(CNN) -- Swimming star Michael Phelps has failed to reach the final of the 400-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Championships on Thursday, missing out at a major event for the first time since 2005.

The 14-time Olympic champion could manage only the fourth-fastest time of the of the heats, meaning he missed out as teammates Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary took the two U.S. berths for the later title race in Irvine, California.

The event features athletes from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and 17 other nations outside Europe, with only two from each country allowed to take part in finals.

Phelps is the world record-holder and two-time Olympic gold medal winner in the event, which he vowed not to race again following the Beijing Games.

He missed a major final for the first time since the 400m freestyle at the 2005 world championships after Lochte clocked four minutes 08.77 seconds for the fastest time in the world this year and Clary registered 4:09.20 for the second quickest.

Phelps was a convincing winner in his first final of the event on Wednesday, but warned that he might struggle to qualify in the medley. CNN

Coach Queiroz banned by Portugal

(CNN) -- The Portuguese Football Federation has banned national coach Carlos Queiroz for a month following an incident involving an anti-doping team before the 2010 World Cup.

The 57-year-old will miss next month's opening Euro 2012 qualifiers against Cyprus and Norway for his part in the confrontation when the drug test controllers visited Portugal's training camp in Covilha in June.

Queiroz had initially fought the charges, and brought in his former mentor Alex Ferguson of English club Manchester United as a character witness.

The former Real Madrid coach was also fined $1,280 for his part in the matter, as the FPF said on its website on Thursday that his "aggressive behavior" had disrupted the testing procedure.

The Ministry of Youth and Sport filed a report after the Sports Institute of Portugal complained about Queiroz.

He will now miss the home match against Cyprus on September 3 and the trip to Norway four days later. CNN

Padres' Gwynn goes on DL

CHICAGO, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- San Diego Padres placed outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. went on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a broken bone in his right hand.

The National League club called up pitcher Ryan Webb from its Class AAA team in Portland to take Gwynn's spot on the roster.

Gwynn, who fractured the hamate bone, is hitting .212 with three home runs and 20 RBI in 103 games this season.

Webb had been with the Padres from May 4 to Aug. 7, posting a 3-1 record and 3.05 earned run average in 39 games this year. UPI

Vikings' Harvin collapses at practice

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings receiver Percy Harvin collapsed at practice at the NFL team's facility in suburban Minneapolis Thursday, Coach Brad Childress said.

Harvin, who has a history of chronic migraines, was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

Childress said the episode began after Harvin looked skyward during a punt return. The coach said Harvin jogged off the field to see team trainers, returned and was watching practice when he fell sick.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Harvin threw up before falling to the ground.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound, second-year player was checked by medical staff on the field, the Star Tribune said. Children said Harvin appeared stable before leaving for the hospital. UPI

Cushing's suspension stands

NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is letting stand the suspension of Houston linebacker Brian Cushing for using a banned substance, the league said Thursday.

"At the request of Texans owner Bob McNair, Goodell reviewed additional medical information presented on behalf of Brian Cushing," the league said in a statement. "The club and Cushing were notified today that after carefully considering all the information, including a review by outside medical experts, the commissioner finds no basis for changing the decision, and that Mr. Cushing's suspension for the first four games of the regular season remains in place".

Cushing, the defensive rookie of the year last season, tested positive for HCG, which has been outlawed by the NFL because it can hide steroid use.

Cushing contends the results were flawed and the result of his over-training. He says he never took HCG. UPI

U.S., Calif. developers in spat over rat

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Property owners and developers in Southern California have failed in an effort to remove a native kangaroo rat from the endangered species list, officials said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded populations of the big-eyed Stephens' kangaroo rat were diminishing despite protection efforts and left it on the list, the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise reported Thursday.

The decision Wednesday was bad news for developers and property owners who have been coping with the rat protections for more than two decades. The rat favors habitat that is prime for building and development -- flat, open areas.

When the rodent was listed as endangered in 1988, it jeopardized or delayed residential and commercial development on about 22,000 acres in Riverside Country. The restrictions triggered an outcry and the rodent became the bane of local developers, the Press-Enterprise said. UPI

Fed: Manufacturing weaker in Philly region

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Manufacturing in the Philadelphia region weakened significantly in early August, after slowing in June, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said.

The bank's 2011 Business Outlook Survey, which indicates future economic activity, suggests factories can expect growth over the next six months. Firms reported declines in shipments, new orders employment and work hours.

"The survey's broad indicators of future activity continue to suggest that the region's manufacturing executives expect growth in business over the next six months, but optimism has waned notably in recent months," the bank said. UPI

Helicopter hits power lines, crashes

TOKYO, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A Japan Coast Guard helicopter that crashed into the sea killing four was off its planned route and likely went down after hitting power lines, officials said.

The crew of the Bell 412EP copter radioed its base about 10 minutes before the Wednesday crash to say it was investigating a disabled ship, the Kyodo news agency reported.

It crashed after apparently hitting power lines connecting two small islands about 600 yards apart in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea, sandwiched between Honshu and Shikoku islands.

The helicopter was reportedly flying as low as 150 to 300 feet above the water when it crossed between the islands, about the height of the power lines, Kyodo reported.

Investigators said four crewmen were killed in the crash and they were still searching for an additional missing crewman.

The crew filed a flight plan with the transport ministry about 30 minutes before leaving the base Wednesday on a routine patrol flight, ministry officials said. UPI

Gun in backpack wounds 10-year-old boy

SEATTLE, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A 10-year-old boy wounded in the arm by a gunshot accidentally shot himself during an attempted robbery on a city bus, Seattle police said.

Police said the boy, being treated at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, would probably face charges of robbery and a weapons violation when he is released from the hospital, The Seattle Times reported Thursday.

Police said a 17-year-old on a Metro Transit bus was surrounded by a group of juveniles including the 10-year-old who ordered him to empty his pockets.

The older youth said the 10-year-old unzipped a backpack and reached inside. The older boy, fearing the younger one was reaching for a gun, grabbed him and in the scuffle the gun fired from inside the bag, wounding the 10-year-old, police said. UPI

Hamm, Underwood to be Emmys presenters

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Jon Hamm, Eva Longoria-Parker, Jim Parsons and Blair Underwood are to be presenters at the 62nd Prime Time Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, organizers said.

Their names were announced Thursday.

They will join previously announced presenters Will Arnett, Stephen Colbert, Edie Falco, Tina Fey,Laurence Fishburne, Ricky Gervais, January Jones, John Krasinski, LL Cool J, Julianna Margulies, Joel McHale, Matthew Morrison, Matthew Perry, Keri Russell and Sofia Vergara.

The telecast honoring the season's best in television will be broadcast live coast-to-coast from NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles Aug. 29 on NBC. UPI

Burger King pizza burger: 2,520 calories

NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Fast food chain Burger King said the 2,520-calorie NY Pizza Burger is on its way to the franchise's flagship location in Midtown New York.

Officials said the burger, which features pepperoni, mozzarella, marinara sauce and nearly 2 pounds of beef, will debut exclusively at the Whopper Bar in Times Square early next month, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

The sandwich comes served on a 9 1/2-inch sesame seed bun and is sliced into six pizza-style pieces. UPI

186,000 students enter clearing for university place

By Alison Kershaw and Danielle Dwyer, Press Association

More than 186,000 students entered clearing today in search of a rare vacant university place.

Competition is fierce and there are already clear signs that fewer places are available than last year.

Statistics published by the university admissions service Ucas showed there are 18,484 courses with vacancies at this stage - down from 32,000 overall last summer.

So far 186,494 applicants are eligible for clearing, around 27.7% of all applicants to university.

Last year, 140,908 students (22%) entered the process in total.

Some 47,600 students accepted places through clearing last summer, and the number is set to be smaller this year.

Earlier today, Universities Minister David Willetts apologised to students who may find themselves turned away.

Speaking at Ucas headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Mr Willetts said: "I think it is great that young people aim high, but it is competitive and sadly not every person who applies will get a place".

Asked what he would say to students left without a place at university at the end of the clearing process, he said: "I would say to them, we have done our best, there are more university places than ever before. I am sorry that they haven't got a place.

"And now, they have got a big decision to take. They can think about how they can strengthen their CV and reapply next year with something that might improve their chances.

"Alternatively they can look at options for FE colleges, going into work, going into apprenticeships. We are not writing them off, far from it, we are committed to offering them the best possible range of alternative opportunities".

Ucas said that 57.4% of the 674,037 people who applied to start undergraduate university courses this autumn have been accepted so far.

Asked how many students were likely to be left without a place at university, Ucas chief executive Mary Curnock Cook said: "It is always difficult to predict because it's not just the numbers of applicants and the number of places, it's also how those places are distributed around the system. The Independent