It was December, the start of a dreary Russian winter, and Barack Obama's face was staring down at pedestrians walking along Moscow's gray streets. But the photograph of the U.S. President wearing a black suit and a smile had nothing to do with his election win a month earlier. It was part of an ad for a chain of tanning salons called Sun People, which was using Obama's picture to promote the benefits of booking some time in their ...

A sailor found dead earlier this week at California's Camp Pendleton was shot while standing sentry, and a fire was set in an attempt to cover up evidence, the U.S. Navy said. The death of Seaman August Provost of Houston, Texas, is being investigated as a homicide, Capt. Matt Brown told reporters on Thursday. A sailor is in custody in the case, Brown said. Although at least one of Provost's relatives said she believes he was killed because of his ...

After nine grueling months, the Volvo Ocean Race has finally come to an end following the 10th and final leg from Stockholm to St Petersburg. Spanish team Telefonica Black was first to reach the Russian city to take consolation line honors early on Saturday morning, with overall winner Ericsson 4 -- which clinched overall victory in the penultimate leg -- coming home in fifth place. American outfit Puma Ocean Racing followed Telefonica Black home by just a minute to consolidate ...

The number of movies nominated for the best picture Oscar will double next year, a move apparently aimed at bolstering sagging ratings for the Academy Awards broadcast. "Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize," Sid Ganis, president of the Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said. Doubling ...

Iran's Guardian Council has ruled out the possibility of nullifying the results of the country's disputed presidential election, saying irregularities were reported before the balloting -- not during or after. The announcement, reported by Iran's government-funded Press TV on Tuesday, was another in a series of inconsistent stances by the council on how to handle the unrest stemming from the disputed June 12 race. "If a major breach occurs in an election, the Guardian Council may annul the votes that ...

The British and Irish Lions will face world champions South Africa in Saturday's opening rugby Test -- and they enter the Durban clash full of confidence after winning all their six tour games so far. The Lions -- a touring representative side featuring the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales -- only come together every four years and they tour New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in strict rotation. Who are the British Lions This year, ...

A few days before the Iranian election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a big rally at the Mosallah Mosque — said to be the world's largest, if it is ever completed — in central Tehran. It was not very well organized. About 20,000 supporters of the President were inside the building, being entertained by a series of TV stars, athletes and religious singers. Many thousands more swirled outside. Inside, a TV host led the crowd in chanting "Death to Israel." ...

In the new "The Taking of Pelham 123," a minor '70s classic gets a big-ticket upgrade in Tony Scott's subway thriller. Ostensibly based on John Godey's novel, not Peter Stone's screenplay for the 1974 film, this adaptation represents an evolution, but not necessarily an improvement. The plan is essentially unchanged, at least at first. A group of armed men hijack the titular New York subway train. They decouple all but the lead carriage, hole up between stations, and the ...

Sebastian Vettel grabbed pole for Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul to deny Jenson Button a hat-trick of starts from top spot on the grid. The German Red Bull driver left it until the final hot lap of the closing 10-minute qualifying session to demote championship leader Button down to second, with Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello back in third position. It is the third pole of the 21-year-old's career, with both his victories to date coming from ...

Tehran's main squares and streets have been crowded until the wee hours over this past week, as supporters of the upcoming election's two leading contestants roam the streets on foot and in cars, chanting, honking their horns, waving posters. On Tuesday night, a group of about 100 young men gathered on one side of Parkway Square, waving pictures of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and shouting slogans like, "Ahmadi, you're my life! You're my future president!" Facing them — separated by ...