Manson’s lasting legacy: ‘Live freaky, die freaky’

Forty years ago, a group of young people led by a charismatic, 5-foot-2-inch ex-con named Charles Manson set out on a murderous spree in Los Angeles, California. They planned to spark an apocalyptic race war that Manson called "Helter Skelter," after a song by the Beatles. Over two nights in August 1969, the killers took the lives of seven people, inflicting 169 stab wounds and seven .22-caliber gunshot wounds.

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One million flee as deadly storm slams into China

A deadly typhoon that slammed into China’s coastal provinces and Taiwan over the weekend has displaced nearly one million people and left dozens missing, state-run media reported Monday. High winds and torrential rain from Typhoon Morakot hit coastal provinces Fujian and Zhejian hardest, and caused the worst flooding in decades in Taiwan — where flood waters as high as seven feet were reported, China Daily said

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Pro-Georgia blogger ‘George’ target of Twitter attack

A blogger believed to be the target of the attack that brought down Twitter Thursday has told CNN the cyber assault was politically motivated and timed to coincide with the one year anniversary of the Russia-Georgia conflict. “Cyxymu” has identified himself to CNN as “George,” and the owner of the Twitter, Facebook and LiveJournal accounts named by Facebook’s security officer as being the target of a co-ordinated online attack. George told CNN in an e-mail his username is “the name of my home town, the capital of Apkhazia (Sokhumi) written in Russian and typed in Latin letters.” He confirmed he is 34 years old and based in Tblisi, Georgia, but declined to give further information which may reveal his identity.

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New trial opens for murdered Russian journalist

Three men went on trial Wednesday in connection with the killing of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency reported. Ibragim and Djabrail Makhmudov, who are brothers, and former interior ministry officer Sergei Khadjikurbanov, are not accused of killing Politkovskaya themselves, but being accomplices. It is the second time the three are being tried in connection with the 2006 murder.

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Lawmaker: Britain’s MI5 may have recruited terrorist sympathizers

The British government on Saturday responded to a senior lawmaker’s call for an investigation into whether its intelligence agency, MI5, inadvertently recruited individuals involved with terrorist activity. A Home Office spokesman told CNN the department is not aware of MI5 recruiting extremists of any kind

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Harvard prof in arrest uproar makes rosy gesture to 911 caller

The woman who made the 911 call that led to Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates’ controversial arrest wasn’t present at the so-called beer summit. But she got a shot of kindness and a taste of gratitude from Gates himself. Lucia Whalen received a bouquet of flowers at her office from Gates, according to Whalen’s attorney, Wendy Murphy

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Record-breaker Steyn sinks All Blacks

Morne Steyn scored all South Africa’s points as the world rugby champions beat New Zealand at home in the Tri-Nations for the second successive match in Durban on Saturday. The recalled fly-half broke the record for the most points scored by a Springboks player in a single match as he converted his own try and kicked eight penalties in a 31-19 victory. He also broke New Zealander Andrew Mehrtens’ 1999 record of 29 for the most points scored in a Tri-Nations match as the hosts won a series against the All Blacks for the first time since the 1970s, having beaten Graham Henry’s team 28-19 in Bloemfontein last weekend

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