Obama honors veterans at Arlington cemetery

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - President Barack Obama carried out the traditional Veterans Day role Wednesday, then made a surprise visit to a part of Arlington National Cemetery reserved for troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, walking among the grave sites and talking to mourners. In his brief speech after a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns, Obama paid fond tribute to the determination of the U.S. military, from those who served generations ago to today's troops fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and missions around the world.

Silent DC sniper mastermind Muhammad executed

JARRATT, Va. (AP) — Sniper John Allen Muhammad refused to utter any last words as he was executed, taking to the grave answers about why and how he plotted the killings of 10 people that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area for three weeks in October 2002. The 48-year-old died by injection at 9:11 p.m. Tuesday as relatives of the victims watched from behind glass, separated from the rest of the 27 witnesses at Greensville Correctional Center, south of Richmond.

Missing US soldier's body found in Afghan river

KABUL (AP) - Military divers have found the body of a U.S. soldier who disappeared last week along with another soldier as the two tried to recover airdropped supplies from a river in western Afghanistan, NATO said Wednesday. Afghan and international forces are still searching for the second missing paratrooper.

Who knew of Fort Hood suspect's radical contacts?

WASHINGTON (AP) - The mystery over whether the military knew Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan was communicating with a radical Muslim imam lapsed into finger-pointing ahead of congressional investigations looking into the Army psychiatrist's contacts with any extremists. Even as President Barack Obama remembered those killed at the Texas Army post and condemned what he described as "the twisted logic that led to this tragedy," federal agencies reacted to conflicting claims about whether a Defense Department terrorism investigator looked into Hasan's contacts months ago with Anwar al-Awlaki. Awlaki, an imam who was released from a Yemeni jail last year, has used his personal Web site to encourage Muslims across the world to kill U.S. troops in Iraq. A military official Tuesday denied knowing Hasan had such contacts.

Brazil blackouts hit up to 60M, spur Olympic fears

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil emerged Wednesday from a widespread power outage that plunged as many as 60 million people into darkness for hours, prompting security fears and concern from residents about another black eye for a country hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. Power went out for more than two hours in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and several other major cities after transmission problems knocked one of the world's biggest hydroelectric dams offline. Airport operations were hindered and subways ground to a halt.

UN: 200 million kids have stunted growth

LONDON (AP) - Nearly 200 million children in poor countries have stunted growth because they don't get enough to eat, according to a new report published Wednesday by UNICEF. The vast majority are in Asia and Africa: more than 90 percent of children with stunted growth live on those two continents.

Bomb kills 9 security officers in Pakistan

KHAR, Pakistan (AP) - Officials say a roadside bomb has killed nine security officers in a Pakistani region close to the Afghan border. Wednesday's attack took place in Mohmand, which has seen sporadic army offensives against militants over the last year.

Scientists: New dinosaur species found in SAfrica

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A newly discovered dinosaur species that roamed the Earth about 200 million years ago may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land, scientists in South Africa said Wednesday. The Aardonyx celestae was a 23-foot- (7-meter-) long small-headed herbivore with a huge barrel of a chest. It walked on its hind legs but also could drop to all fours, and scientists told reporters that could prove to be a missing evolutionary link.

Paisley focused on duties, not noms at CMA awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Brad Paisley is up for seven trophies at Wednesday's Country Music Association Awards, but his duties as co-host with Carrie Underwood and performer will keep his attention elsewhere. He welcomes all distractions.

Woods faces tricky test at Australian Masters

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - The sun-baked fans let out a cheer Wednesday when Tiger Woods pulled his driver from the bag, a rarity at the Australian Masters on the shortest golf course he has played all year. That doesn't mean Kingston Heath, a par 72 at a mere 7,059 yards, will be his easiest test.

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