Kosovo's ruling coalition unravels, likely triggering elections

Pristina, Kosovo (CNN) -- Kosovo's ruling coalition unraveled Saturday after a key party announced it is withdrawing from Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's government, likely triggering early elections.

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) announced that it will break with Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), ending the coalition that has governed the country since 2008.

The move comes a day after Kosovo's acting President and Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi announced that early elections would be held February 13. Saturday's announcement will likely move those elections up further.

The announcement came from LDK leader Fatmir Sejdiu, who until recently was president of Kosovo.

The LDK will withdraw from the ruling coalition Monday, Sejdiu said in an interview with Radio and Television of Kosovo.

Krasniqi had called the February elections after coalition partners failed to agree on a new president in the wake of Sejdiu's resignation earlier this month.

Sejdiu resigned after a court ruled that he violated the law by holding two posts -- the presidency and the top spot in his party -- at the same time.

CNN

Accused candy store robber's hand ordered cut off by Iranian judge

(CNN) -- An Iranian judge has sentenced a man accused of stealing chocolate and cocoa from a candy shop to have his hand cut off, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported Saturday.

"Considering the confession of the defendant and the fact that he was found guilty of breaking and entering, according to the Quran, he deserves to have his hand cut off," Fars quoted the judge as saying as he ordered the sentence.

The 21-year-old man, whose name was withheld by the court, was arrested in May while driving in a suspicious manner, Fars reported. During the arrest, police recovered cash as well as chocolates and cocoa.

"After the man was taken to a police station, a report of a robber at a candy store was received by police," Fars said.

Police told Fars that the man later confessed to robbing the store. In addition to the amputation sentence, the man was ordered to spend six months in prison for destruction of property and an additional six months for resisting arrest, according to Fars.

Such an amputation sentence is often handed down to habitual thieves in Iran who have prior convictions for theft and robbery.

CNN

Barbara Billingsley of 'Leave it to Beaver' fame dies

(CNN) -- Barbara Billingsley, who wore a classy pearl necklace and dispensed pearls of wisdom as America's quintessential mom on "Leave it to Beaver," has died at age 94, a family spokeswoman said Saturday.

The actress passed away at 2 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) Saturday at her home in Santa Monica, California, after a long illness, spokeswoman Judy Twersky said. A private memorial is being planned.

"She was as happy as a lark being recognized as America's mom," actor Tony Dow, who played Wally Cleaver, told CNN's Don Lemon. "She had a terrific life and had a wonderful impact on everybody she knew, and even people she didn't know".

Actor Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, spoke of Billingsley's talent during a 2000 appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live".

"Barbara was always a true role model for me. She was a great actress," he said. "And in a lot of ways ... we kind of stifled her, because her true talent didn't really come out in 'Leave it Beaver.' She was like the straight man, but she has an awful lot of talent".

The actress won a new legion of fans in a brief, but memorable, scene in the 1980 send-up movie "Airplane".

"Oh, stewardess. I speak jive," Billingsley said in her role -- much different from her June Cleaver persona -- as an elderly passenger comforting an ill man on the flight. She, the sick man and his seat companion engaged in street-slang banter.

From the moment its catchy theme song sounded in black-and-white TV sets of the 1950s, "Leave it to Beaver" enthralled Americans during a time of relative prosperity and world peace. Its characters represented middle-class white America.

June Cleaver dutifully pecked the cheek of her husband, Ward (played by the late Hugh Beaumont), when he came home to learn about the latest foibles -- nothing serious -- committed by Beaver and Wally.

The parents would dispense moralistic advice to their sons. The boys' friends included Lumpy and the obsequious Eddie Haskell, who avoided trouble and often buttered up Ward and June.

"That's a lovely dress you're wearing, Mrs. Cleaver," Eddie would typically say to Billingsley's character.

Perhaps fittingly, "Leave it to Beaver" was canceled in 1963 on the eve of the JFK assassination, the Vietnam War and the tumult of the 1960s.

In the 1980s, Dow appeared with Billingsley in "The New Leave it to Beaver." She shifted from being a mom figure to a good friend who supported his directing and artistic endeavors, Dow said.

"She always had a positive thing to say," said Dow, 65.

Born December 22, 1915, in Los Angeles, Billingsley began her career as a model in New York City in 1936.

She was under contract to MGM in 1945 before becoming a household name with the launch of "Leave it to Beaver" in 1957.

Billingsley also voiced the role of Nanny in Nickelodeon's "Muppet Babies" from 1984 to 1991.

Billingsley is related by marriage to actor/producer Peter Billingsley, known for his starring role as Ralphie in the seasonal TV-movie classic "A Christmas Story," according to the Internet Movie Database. Peter Billingsley's mother, Gail Billingsley, is the cousin of Barbara's first husband, Glenn.

Billingsley, whose second and third husbands predeceased her, is survived by her two sons, Drew Billingsley of Granada Hills, California, and Glenn Billingsley of Phillips Ranch, California.

Asked once to compare real-life families to TV families, Billingsley responded, "I just wish that we could have more families like those. Family is so important, and I just don't think we have enough people staying home with their babies and their children".

CNN

Suspected al Qaeda financier arrested in Yemen

(CNN) -- A man accused of financing al Qaeda in Yemen has been arrested in the capital Sana'a, Yemen's Ministry of Interior announced Saturday.

In a statement posted on Yemen's official news agency SABA, the Ministry of Interior said the suspect, Saleh al-Raimi, a Yemeni expatriate living in Saudi Arabia, was captured Friday at Sana'a International Airport.

The Ministry of Interior said al-Raimi was "wanted for financing al Qaeda terrorist acts in Yemen".

Al Qaeda is a growing problem in the Arabian Peninsula country. While most security experts and Yemeni government officials estimate the group's numbers in Yemen to be between 200 to 300 members, the government has stepped up its fight against it.

On Friday, the Interior Ministry offered a reward of 20 million Yemeni Riyal (about U.S. $100,000) for information leading to the capture of eight suspected members of al Qaeda in Yemen.

SABA identified the eight, urging the public to "cooperate with the authorities," and warned against sheltering any of them.

Also Friday, a wanted al Qaeda in Yemen member handed himself in to Saudi Arabian authorities, Saudi Arabia's official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a security spokesman at the country's Ministry of Interior. The statement added that the man, Jaber bin Jibran bin Ali al-Afifi, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, had rejoined al Qaeda in Yemen after he had returned from captivity.

In the past week, al Qaeda in Yemen (also known as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) is suspected of being behind three separate attacks that have killed at least two Yemeni security officials, according to a government official.

CNN

Iran frees Iranian-American after two and a half years

Washington (CNN) -- Iran has freed an Iranian-American detained for more than two years, his lawyer said Saturday.

Reza Taghavi, a retired businessman from Orange County, California, was released at 4 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET) on Saturday, after being held in Iran's notorious Evin prison since his arrest in May 2008 on suspicion of supporting an anti-regime group, the lawyer said.

Los Angeles-based attorney Pierre-Richard Prosper said Taghavi has been reunited with his family and is hoping to return to the United States next week.

"It's obviously a happy day, a great day for the Taghavi family," Prosper said by phone from Tehran.

A report on Iran's state-run Press TV showed Taghavi alternately smiling and weeping after his release.

Prosper has been negotiating Taghavi's release since September 2009.

CNN

French perfume designer under fire for racial slur

Paris, France -- French anti-racism group SOS-Racisme plans to file a legal complaint against perfume designer Jean-Paul Guerlain following a racist remark he made on French television.

Guerlain -- who is no longer connected with the perfume company that bears his name -- made the remarks during an interview with France 2 on Friday about his career and the making of Samsara, one of his famous perfumes he created to impress a woman.

"One day I told her -- and I still called her Madame -- 'What would seduce you if one was to make a perfume for you?' and she told me, 'I love jasmine, rose and sandalwood,'" Guerlain recalled.

"And for once I started working like a [racial epithet]. I don't know if [racial epithet] ever worked that hard," he said.

Guerlain issued an apology following the interview's broadcast, which a France 2 anchor read during the network's evening newscast.

"My words do not reflect in any way my profound thoughts but are due to an inopportune misspeaking which I vividly regret," the apology read.

According to a Guerlain company spokesperson, Guerlain has not been an employee since 2002. He now counsels the company as a "nose" for some perfumes.

CNN

Scientists: Tyrannosaurus rex munched on its own kind

(CNN) -- Add cannibalism to the fearsome attributes of Tyrannosaurus rex, the big-headed dinosaur that roamed North America 66 million years ago and took no prisoners.

A study released on the scientific website PLoS ONE suggests T. rex made the tooth marks on four specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex.

"If something is dead, it's lunch," said study co-author Gregory M. Erickson of Florida State University.

Erickson and three other researchers studied the four T. rex remains and those of 13 herbivores, all found in museum collections.

Neither Erickson, nor Nicholas R. Longrich, who led the team, know for sure whether the predator killed its brethren in combat and then ate, or whether they were scavenging, a popular activity of animals then and now. The latter seems the more likely scenario.

T. rex, known for "puncture and pull" feeding, left discernible marks in the bones of its prey. And, researchers said, no other carnivore living at that time could have left such bite marks in skeletons. They also determined the pattern and nature of the gouges left from bite marks indicated the attacker was likely feeding on a carcass.

Erickson said the finding adds another piece to the mysterious life of T. rex and said he hopes it will spur more research on the habits and behaviors of the beast.

CNN

Date Krumm reaches Japan Open final

(CNN) -- Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm has reached the Japan Open final with a 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory over third seed Shahar Peer of Israel in Osaka.

Krumm became the oldest woman to beat a top-10 player on the WTA Tour when she defeated Australia's Sam Stosur on Friday.

Now the unseeded 40-year-old, who came out of retirement in 2008, is in line to replace Billie Jean King as the oldest player to win a WTA singles title.

Twelve-time grand slam winner King was 39 years, seven months and 23 days old when she won her last WTA Tour title back in 1983.

"Considering my age and the years I was away from the tour, I would say this is a miracle. I just hope that my physical and mental health will last one more game," Date Krumm said, BBC Sport reported.

Date Krumm will play 33-year-old Tamarine Tanasugarn from Thailand in Sunday's final.

CNN

Barcelona beat Valencia; AC Milan go top of Serie A

(CNN) -- Barcelona produced a masterful second-half display to come from behind and defeat Valencia 2-1 at the Nou Camp on Saturday.

The home side went behind after 37 minutes when Pablo Hernandez scored for the visitors.

But second half goals from Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol ensured that Barca secured all three points -- something they have struggled to do at home so far this season, dropping five points in their first three home games.

David Villa, who was facing his old club for the first time since his €40 million ($55 million) summer transfer, had several chances to score but was denied by some excellent saves from Valencia's keeper Cesar Sanchez.

The win puts Barcelona level on 16 points with Valencia at the top of La Liga.

Earlier Atletico Madrid secured a 2-0 win over Getafe at the Vicente Calderon stadium. The victory moves them to within three points of the top spot.

CNN

Powerful typhoon bearing down on Philippines

(CNN) -- The Philippines could begin feeling the effects of a powerful typhoon churning toward the island chain as early as Sunday, forecasters said Saturday.

Typhoon Megi, also known as Typhoon Juan, is expected to make landfall by Monday in northern Luzon at or near super-typhoon strength with winds possibly in excess of 200 kph (124 mph), according to the Philippines' Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo.

Strong winds and storm surge were the largest concern.

As of 4 p.m. Saturday, Megi was located 820 km (510 miles) east of northern Luzon with winds of 140 kph (87 mph) with higher gusts, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported.

Montejo said the government is alarmed by the speed and strength of the typhoon. He warned of potentially devastating effects the storm may wreak in Luzon.

As the storm moves across the rugged terrain of Luzon, it is expected to decrease in intensity before moving out over the South China Sea. Megi is expected to dump large amounts of rainfall over the mountains, which could potentially trigger mudslides and localized flooding.

CNN

Protesters rally across France over pension reforms

Paris, France (CNN) -- France entered a fifth day of nationwide strikes Saturday as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, rallying against a government proposal to raise the national retirement age to 62.

Protesters formed a line stretching two miles long near the historic Bastille Square in Paris, waving banners and shouting insults against the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy, CNN's Jim Bittermann reported.

France's Interior Ministry said some 825,000 protesters turned out nationwide, while labor unions -- who oppose upping the retirement age -- said 3.5 million protesters attended the more than 200 demonstrations across the country Saturday.

Emotions ran high in France as the pension debacle continued to pit the government against French unions. Analysts say pension reform will likely be a defining moment in Sarkozy's presidency.

Despite repeated national strikes over the controversial proposal, France's National Assembly on Wednesday approved Sarkozy's pension reform bill which would raise the national retirement age from 60 to 62.The proposal passed 329 to 233, but still must pass the Senate to become law.

CNN

India's prime minister announces Commonwealth Games inquiry

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- With the 2010 Commonwealth Games a part of history, India's prime minister has ordered a high-level probe into troubling corruption and mismanagement allegations.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed a committee -- headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General V. K. Shunglu -- that is to submit a report in three months, said the government-run Doordarshan News.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram said his department is committed to cooperating fully with investigators, providing information related to ticketing and accreditation for the international sporting event.

"If we are asked about what went wrong by the appropriate inquiring authorities, certainly Delhi police and the [ministry] will provide inputs," he said Saturday, according to Doordarshan.

India had never before hosted the Commonwealth Games, held every four years between nations of the former British empire. This year's event, which ended Thursday, was an opportunity for the South Asian nation to shine as an emerging power on the global stage.

CNN

Protests held in China and Japan over disputed islands

Demonstrations have been held in China and Japan about islands claimed by both countries in the East China Sea.

In Tokyo, demonstrators rallied against China's claim to the islands and delivered a note to China's embassy.

In China, protesters chanted anti-Japanese slogans in three cities.

The long-running row erupted into a full-blown diplomatic crisis last month when Japan seized a Chinese fishing boat and its captain after a collision in disputed waters.

The captain was accused of deliberately ramming two Japanese patrol boats. He was released after two weeks, and the two countries have since moved to ease tensions.

However China has demanded an apology over the incident - something Japan has rejected.

During Saturday's demonstration in Tokyo, hundreds of people carried banners reading "Japan is in danger" and "Don't forgive invader China".

Beijing authorities later expressed "deep concern" over the protest.

BBC News