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Oasis from the ruins: Afghanistan opens first national park

Most days it is easy to think God may have forgotten about Afghanistan, but there can be a day when you feel like you are in heaven. We were invited by the United States Agency for International Development to witness the dedication of Afghanistan’s first national park: The Band-e-Amir National Park, a series of six crystal-blue lakes surrounded by heart-stopping cliffs and natural dams that capture the imagination. “‘If you look at the beauty,’ as we say in our language, ‘it’s poetry for your eyes, for your mind and for your soul,'” said the former Prince of Afghanistan, Mustafa Zahir, who attended the opening ceremony.

Tiananmen protester still defiant

If 63-year-old Chinese scholar Zhou Dou had his way, he would be on hunger strike on June 4, sitting quietly through the day at Purple Bamboo Park, 20 minutes’ taxi ride from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. His aim: to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown and to dramatize his defiant call for answers from Chinese authorities. “What is the truth” he pressed rhetorically, as he discussed his plans with CNN a week earlier.

Restaurants for Cheese Lovers

Saying cheese has acquired new gastro-cachet.

States unleash goats to keep grass trimmed

Forget lawn mowers. Maryland officials have found a natural way to combat brush while protecting a threatened species. Forty bearded goats have been dispatched by the State Highway Administration to control plant growth in the area.

Park Ji-Sung – A national icon

As a symbol of national pride and success, South Korea and Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung, carries more weight on his shoulders than the need to perform. Park, once rejected from his country’s own K-League, is now considered the ambassador of Korean football

Police: Unidentified ‘Baby Justice’ buried in playground sand

Walking through an Albuquerque, New Mexico, park a passerby made a startling discovery — a tiny black and lime shoe protruding from beneath the playground sand. It led police to the body of a young boy, who had been buried there in a shallow grave less than 48 hours earlier.

Arrests at Moscow gay parade ahead of Eurovision Song Contest

Dozens of gays and lesbian rights activists planning a parade in southwestern Moscow Saturday have been detained, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported. The arrests included Nikolai Alexeyev, a prominent gay activist in Russia and his associate Nikolai Bayev, Interfax said, adding that more people trickling into the location were being arrested without explanations. Officials of Moscow’s gay community had announced earlier plans to rally at Novopushkinsky Park in central Moscow, Interfax said.

Baby gorilla rescued from suspected traffickers

Undercover officers rescued a baby gorilla from suspected animal traffickers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a national park in the country announced Tuesday. The gorilla, thought to be about two years old, was hidden at the bottom of a bag and covered with clothes when Congolese Wildlife Authority officers arrested the suspected trafficker on Sunday, Virunga National Park said. The gorilla, a female, was overheated and dehydrated after six hours in transit.

Sunday-school teacher arrested in killing of California girl

(CNN) — Police have arrested a Sunday-school teacher in the killing of California 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, authorities said early Saturday. Melissa Huckaby was arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder, according to Tracy, California, police Sgt

Football First XI: Best former Eastern Bloc players

The Berlin Wall came down 20 years ago and in that time the world game has opened its arms to a tidal wave of talent from behind the former Iron Curtain. Here, Football Fanzone picks the 11 finest footballers to emerge from the old Eastern Bloc since 1989