Russia wins 75-66 over Puerto Rico at 2010 World Basketball Championship

The Russian national basketball team defeated Puerto Rico 75-66 in its opening game at the 2010 World Basketball Championship which kicked off in Turkey on Saturday.

"This was a very good game in a great environment. Both teams played well. Puerto Rico were very active," Russia's coach David Blatt was quoted as saying on the FIBA website.

"We found ways to win in the trenches. We have to keep fighting this way," he said, adding that the team did well even without its best player Viktor Khryapa who had to miss the game because of trauma.

Turkey's Anadolu Agency quoted Blatt as saying his team's main goal was to keep its rival below 70 points and it managed to achieve the goal.

"We won because we played as a real team, united. If we play together, we can win," said Russia's guard Anton Ponkrashov.

Puerto Rico's coach Manola Cintron was quoted on the FIBA website as saying his team's defense was strong, while offense left much to be desired.

"Russia shot well," he said.

On Sunday, Russia will play against Turkey who won 86-47 over Cote d'Ivoire in Saturday's Group C match. Puerto Rico will face Greece who defeated China 89-81. RIA Novosti

More deaths feared in Pakistan as flood waters recede

(CNN) -- The death toll from Pakistan's massive flooding has climbed to 1,639, but the number could rise substantially as flood waters recede and more bodies surface, government officials say.

More than 17 million Pakistanis -- about the population of the Netherlands -- have been affected by the monsoon floods that began a month ago.

In the past few days, at least 1 million people have been displaced in Pakistan's Sindh province, the United Nations said. Authorities issued evacuation orders after a levee burst.

Homeless families stomped through filthy waters as clean water remains a scarce commodity. Hundreds of thousands of victims have acquired transmittable ailments such as acute watery diarrhea, scabies and respiratory infections.

The United Nations says more than $1 billion has been given or pledged. On Saturday, the United States announced the deployment of 18 additional helicopters to assist with relief efforts, according to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. CNN

Man arrested in London after cricket scam allegations surface

(CNN) -- London police on Saturday arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers after a British tabloid published an expose on an alleged match-fixing scam involving the Pakistani cricket team.

The News of the World report says that some members of the Pakistani team were involved in the alleged scam. It allegedly involved some of the team's bowlers deliberately bowling "no balls" at specific moments of the match.

The tabloid also says the alleged ringleader pocketed 150,000 pounds (US $232,800) in the scam, which it says occurred during the test match at Lord's cricket venue this week. The match is ongoing.

"Following the information received from the News of the World, we have today arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud the bookmakers," a Scotland Yard spokesman told CNN, declining to elaborate.

Police also declined to say whether they plan to interview any of the Pakistani players alleged to have been involved in the scheme, the UK Press Association reported. CNN

China organizes government probe into deadly plane crash

Beijing, China (CNN) -- China's State Council has organized a task force of six central government agencies to investigate the country's first fatal passenger plane crash in almost six years, state media reported Saturday.

A Henan Airlines flight with 96 people on board overshot a runway and crashed Tuesday night in the Yichun area of northern China, state media said. Forty-two people died in the crash. The plane broke into two pieces and burst into flames.

The special task force will look into the causes of the accident, track those responsible and make recommendations to China's government on how to avoid such disasters in the future, said Liang Jiakun, vice director of the State Administration of Work Safety, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

"The plane crash is a lesson for the civil aviation industry, for every pilot and every crew," he said.

The plane was carrying 91 passengers, including five children, and five crew members when it crashed at 9:36 p.m. (9:36 a.m. ET), according to Xinhua, which cited a source with the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The Henan Airlines flight had taken off from Harbin on the 360-kilometer (225-mile) flight to Lindu Airport, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from downtown Yichun, a city of about 1 million residents near the Russian border, Xinhua said. CNN

UK demands release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit

(CNN) -- Britain on Saturday demanded the release of Gilad Shalit as the Israeli soldier marked his 24th birthday in Hamas' captivity.

"The thoughts of many in Britain are with Gilad Shalit and his family," the Foreign Office said.

"His detention is unjustifiable and unacceptable. The British Government demands his immediate and unconditional release".

Shalit has been held captive since June 25, 2006, when Palestinian militants from Gaza captured him.

The militants had tunneled into Israel and attacked an Israeli army outpost near the Gaza-Israel-Egypt border, killing two soldiers in the assault.

Israel immediately launched a military incursion into Gaza to rescue Shalit, then 19, but failed to free him.

Since being imprisoned by Hamas, Shalit has not been allowed any contact with the outside world, nor any visits by the Red Cross. Details of his incarceration and physical condition remain unknown.

In October 2009, Hamas released a tape of Shalit as a proof of life, in which he urged the Israeli government to do more for his safe release. CNN

Earthquake in Iran kills three, wounds 21

(CNN) -- A 5.7-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Iran on Friday has killed three people and wounded another 21, an Iranian news agency reported Saturday.

Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting agency that two children lost their lives at the scene of the quake, while an elderly woman died later from her injuries at a hospital.

The epicenter of the quake was about 65 miles east of Semnan, Iran, and some 175 miles east of the capital Tehran, according to the U.S. Geological Society, which also reported the 5.7 magnitude of the earthquake.

The semi-official Fars news agency in Iran said the earthquake had a 5.9 magnitude, and was followed by several, smaller aftershocks.

Residents as far away as Tehran felt the quake that rattled lamps and ceiling lights.

Mohammad Najjar told IRIB that 15 villages were damaged by the earthquake, while at least 19 people were hospitalized in the region of Damghan. The minister added that all of the injured people were in good condition, IRIB said. CNN

Investigators say helicopters not responsible for Afghan police deaths

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- NATO authorities said they haven't found evidence to conclude that coalition helicopters were responsible for the deaths of three Afghan police officers last week in northern Afghanistan.

Initially, it was thought that a NATO International Security Assistance Force air weapons team caused the deaths, but a joint incident assessment team determined that the evidence doesn't bear out that claim. The incident occurred in Jowzjan province on August 21.

The team, made up of Afghan government and ISAF officials, traveled to Mazar-e-Sharif, where they interviewed people involved in the incident and reviewed tapes from the helicopters.

The team said the fighting started "several hours before the helicopters arrived" and "lasted several hours after." That made it possible that casualties came from other small arms or indirect fire before or after the choppers were in the area.

"In their report, the team determined the one Hellfire missile and 80 rounds of 30mm fire impacted a positively-identified insurgent firing position. The review of gun-tape footage clearly indicates the fire provided by the air weapons team impacted a hilltop where enemy activity was present," ISAF said. CNN

Belgian Cardinal Danneels condoned sex-abuse silence

The former head of the Catholic Church in Belgium tried to stop a victim of sex abuse from going public with their story, Church officials have confirmed.

During a meeting in April, Cardinal Godfried Danneels advised the victim to delay a public statement until the bishop who abused him had retired.

Bishop Roger Vangheluwe, who was also at the meeting, admitted to the abuse in April and resigned.

The victim recorded the meeting, and released the tape to Belgian media. BBC News

Beijing removed Indian maps from Expo, back in July

BEIJING: Beijing's refusal to give a visa to an Army general because he commanded troops in J&K may have hurt relations but China betrayed signs it was hardening its approach to India in July. That was when officers of China's Public Security Bureau (PSB) marched unannounced into the India Pavilion at the World Expo2010 in Shanghai and confiscated brochures bearing a map of India.

Indian government officials told TOI that the PSB said they were taking the maps away because China objects to showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of Indian territory. Beijing claims Arunachal and does not recognize the frontier as a border. The PSB is really a euphemism for the police and is empowered to monitor foreign visitors and control dissent on campuses.

''They should have sent a letter to the Indian government instead of simply walking in and taking away the maps,'' an official said. The India Tourism Promotion Board, which put up the pavilion, and the Indian Consulate in Shanghai were not informed ahead of the incident of July 12. It happened within days of the National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon visiting Beijing as Manmohan Singh's special envoy and meeting premier Wen Jiabao. Ironically, China has not objected to Pakistan distributing maps showing another disputed area, Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, on Chinese soil. The Times of India

Obama to mark Katrina anniversary in N.O.

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- President Obama will be in New Orleans Sunday to mark the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the city and surrounding region in 2005.

The president, who has been vacationing with his family at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, will make the trip south with first lady Michelle Obama, the White House said in a release Saturday.

He will deliver a speech addressing Katrina at Xavier University.

The Obamas will return to Washington afterward.

The White House said other members of the Obama Cabinet who have worked on recovery and restoration efforts also will be in the hurricane-affected region.

Obama will attend meetings at the White House and then travel to Fort Bliss, Texas, Tuesday where he will meet with troops, the White House said. He also is to address the nation on Iraq from the Oval Office as the United States officially ends its combat role in that country. UPI

Russian opposition leader to appeal to Strasbourg court over 'illegal' arrest

Mikhail Schneider, a leader of Russia's opposition Solidarity movement, intends to file a claim to the European Court of Human Rights over his detention on charges of attempting to stage an unsanctioned march.

Schneider, along with another Solidarity leader, Boris Nemtsov, and prominent human rights activist Lev Ponomarev, were detained in downtown Moscow on Sunday, during celebrations dedicated to National Flag Day.

The three detainees spent more than 12 hours in custody before being released.

On Thursday, a Moscow court ruled to jail Schneider for three days on charges of participating in an event that "bore the hallmarks of a march".

Schneider, who rejects all the charges, was released late on Saturday. RIA Novosti

Four ISAF servicemen injured in Taliban attack on U.S. bases in Afghanistan

Four International Security Assistance Force servicemen have been injured in Saturday's attack by Taliban fighters on two U.S. military bases in eastern Afghanistan, the ISAF press service has said.

Some 30 fighters armed with grenade launchers and automatic weapons attacked Forward Operating Base Salerno and Camp Chapman in Khost province, south-east of the capital Kabul, in the early hours of Saturday.

Twenty-four militants were killed as the attack was repelled, and five others were captured, ISAF said. There were no coalition casualties in the fighting.

The attackers were reportedly wearing U.S. military uniforms. They can easily be found in Kabul's bazaars, as well as small arms, ammunition, U.S. and NATO military decorations. RIA Novosti

Two Chinese lawmakers lose seats over bribes

The National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, on Saturday expelled two lawmakers suspected of accepting bribes, Xinhua reported.

The two ousted NPC deputies are Zhu Guangping, a top political advisor of Nanyang City, Henan Province, and Sun Taosheng, former president of the Anyang Institute of Technology in Henan.

Sun is also suspected of embezzling public funds and bribery, the agency said. RIA Novosti

'Dangerous' turtle found near national park in Italy

A dangerous turtle was found outside the Circeo National Park south of Rome, the ANSA news agency reported on Saturday.

The 70cm-long snapping turtle is on Italy's list of dangerous animals, the agency said.

Its bite can be very nasty for adults and especially children.

Rangers said they thought the turtle was probably bought as a pet and then abandoned by the family "when they realized the true nature of the animal". RIA Novosti

N.Korea's Kim Jong-il leaves China, heads back home - report

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il left a hotel in northeastern China on Saturday and appeared to be returning home, a day after he was believed to have held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao on the second day of his surprise trip, the Yonhap news agency reported.

There has so far been no official confirmation of the trip from either China or North Korea.

On Friday, Kim was believed to have met the Chinese president "in an apparent bid to win Beijing's approval for North Korea's expected power succession to the leader's youngest son, Jong-un, in the coming years," the agency said.

Kim's trip to China, which began on Thursday, is shrouded in secrecy, touching off speculation about its purpose. RIA Novosti

Russia-Ukraine trade up 70% in 6 months - Yanukovych

Ukrainian-Russian trade turnover increased 70% over the past six months, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said on Saturday.

"I am pleased with this. I believe that we should follow an open policy in respect to our neighbors and be stable and reliable partners," he said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

He accused the previous government of scaling down economic ties with Russia, causing Ukraine's GDP to fall 15%.

"Ukraine began to acquire the image as an unpredictable country," he said.

He said its current policy course was aimed at "democratizing society and upholding the country's national interests". RIA Novosti

Polish firm to invest 1.5 bln euros in Belarus energy sector

Poland's Kulczyk Holdings has signed a deal with Belarusian energy company Bielenergo for the construction of a coal power plant, worth 1.5 billion euros, the Polish Radio External Service reported on Saturday.

Kulczyk Holding and Bielenergo will have equal shares in the plant.

"The construction will begin in late 2011 and finish in late 2015," Marta Wysocka, spokesperson for Kulczyk Holding told the Rzeczpospolita daily.

Energy from the Belarusian plant will also be sent to Poland via an energy bridge connecting the towns of Ros and Narew. The plant will use Polish coal from the Bogdanka colliery. RIA Novosti

Czech Republic to close five embassies

The Czech government on Saturday decided to close the embassies in Congo, Venezuela, Kenya, Yemen and Costa Rica as part of the Foreign Ministry's budget saving plan, the CTK news agency reports.

The Czech general consulate in Mumbai, India, will also be closed.

Originally up to 10 missions were to be closed.

The opposition Social Democrats have criticized the plans saying they would harm Czech exports. RIA Novosti

Ukrainian president excludes new gas crisis

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said on Saturday there will not be another gas crisis or disruption of gas supplies to EU countries.

"I absolutely rule out a recurrence of this situation. This will not happen as long as I am president," Yanukovych said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

He said Ukraine was working to build a kind of relations that would satisfy both the EU as a consumer of energy resources and Russia as energy supplier.

On January 1, 2009, Russian gas monopoly Gazprom cut off all natural gas supplies to Ukraine over Kiev's failure to pay for past shipments and sign a new price contract for 2009. RIA Novosti

Ukraine to raise annual coal production to 90 mln tons by 2015

Ukraine plans to increase coal production to 90 million tons a year by 2015, President Viktor Yanukovych said on Saturday.

"The government has developed a new program... to drastically modernize the industry and upgrade the existing coal mines," he said.

In 2009, Ukraine produced about 70 million tons of coal.

The president stressed that the coal industry is a key component of the state's energy security. RIA Novosti

Pitt: NOLA eco-friendly homes 'exceeded my expectations'

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Waiting in a parked car in the Ninth Ward as the rain pounds down, I cannot help but think about the flood in the movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

It's a natural, because I am only a stone's throw from where the levee broke, and I am here to meet the star of that movie, Brad Pitt, as the finale to our "Building Up America" tour.

The actor targeted this area some years ago with his Make It Right Foundation -- an ambitious plan to build up the shattered neighborhood with new, ecologically friendly, affordable houses, and then fill them with residents who had been driven out by Katrina.

When the rain backs off a bit, I hustle into one of the raised houses, where my TV crew is busy setting up lights on a covered upper deck. NBC is also there, but in a different area. I spend a few minutes chatting with Brian Williams. We've known each other for years and share a lot of friends, and it's always nice catching up. CNN

'Plan B' could mean speedier rescue of Chilean miners

Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- Mining engineers in Chile say they have come up with a "Plan B" that could halve the time it will take to rescue the 33 miners trapped inside a mine since August 5.

Walter Herrera, quality control and risk manager for Chilean mining company GeoTech, said his company was bringing a specialized device -- a Scram T-130 drill, typically used for boring water holes -- to the San Jose mine. He told CNN Saturday the drill could be on site and working within five to six days.

He said the plan hinges on using one of the three bore holes, measuring four-inches each in diameter, that have already been drilled and are being used to pass the miners supplies. The drill would use that bore hole as a pilot and simply widen the diameter to about 28 inches.

Herrera said the plan his company has drawn up indicates that workers would have to drill 624 meters (2,047 feet) to reach the miners.

"I don't want to put a time frame on this," he said. "We think it could be quicker than the other plan. In ideal conditions, this could take around two months".

The miners have been told they could be stuck underground for as long as four months, the head of the rescue operation said Friday.

Officials expect drilling on a rescue shaft, a process that workers have said could take four months to complete, to begin Sunday or Monday.

Herrera said both operations -- to drill the rescue shaft and widen the bore hole -- could be carried out at the same time.

Still, even under the best-case scenario, the trapped miners will be underground for quite some time -- posing a host of practical and psychological problems. To help solve them, Chilean officials are looking in unlikely places.

An official at NASA, the U.S. space agency, said on Friday the organization has been asked by Chile to help provide nutritional and behavioral health support to the miners. A four-person team, including two physicians and a psychologist, are planning to go to Chile next week, said Michael Duncan, NASA's lead on the Chile effort.

NASA has a long history in dealing with isolated environments and thinks experiences in space and underground are not too different, he said. CNN

Woman sentenced to death by stoning denied visits from lawyer, family

(CNN) -- The Iranian woman awaiting possible execution by stoning was denied visits from her family and attorney this week, just days after her lawyer's home was ransacked and searched.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's two children were turned away Thursday during visitation hours, her son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, told CNN Friday.

"They told me, 'Your mother doesn't want to see you,' and they wouldn't let me in," he said.

But later that night he received a call from his mother.

"The guards had told her, 'Your children didn't visit you today, they want nothing to do with you,'" Ghaderzadeh said.

Ashtiani's children have visited her every Thursday afternoon since she was convicted of adultery in 2006.

"This is the first time I was turned away," Ghaderzadeh said. "I don't know why they are acting this way".

"Our home phone number is tapped and being monitored. My cell phone is being monitored. They have control over everything. I don't know what they are thinking," Ghaderzadeh said.

He also charged that Iranian authorities broke into the home of his mother's attorney and stole his files. Houtan Kian confirmed the claim, telling CNN that he came back to his house Sunday after a meeting with Ghaderzadeh in his office to find his home burglarized.

"They took all my computers, and files for my cases. They literally knocked my front door down! I can't believe this," he said.

Kian said he was also denied his weekly meeting with Ashtiani at the prison.

"Because I am her lawyer, and working for her release and trying to prove that she is innocent, for this reason they are not letting me visit her," he said.

Another attorney who represents Ashtiani, Mohammed Mostafaei, fled Iran earlier this month after members of his family, including his wife, were arrested and authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. CNN

Al-Shabaab commandeers Somali radio station

(CNN) -- An al Qaeda-linked militant movement has taken control of a radio station in Somalia's capital, the government announced Saturday.

The weak central government claims the group is spreading propaganda from at least two radio stations, including Mogadishu's Holy Quran radio, a private FM station, which it took earlier this week.

Al-Shabaab earlier this year looted private radio equipment to use in a station, the government said.

"We strongly condemn these acts. They want to silence the independent media with brutality and intolerance," said

Abdirahman Omar Osman, Somalia's minister of information.

Al-Shabaab, which has pledged allegiance to al Qaeda, controls much of southern Somalia and portions of Mogadishu. It follows the strict Saudi Arabian-inspired Wahabi interpretation of Islam, rather than the Sufi Islam of many Somalis. CNN