When I Was Young

In life and in death, millions of spectators watched Michael Jackson, be it live, or on TV.

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June 17, 2009 -- Updated 2349 GMT (0749 HKT)

Story Highlights

• 870 packages of cocaine weighing almost a ton found inside sharks, navy says
  
• Discovery made at southeastern port of Progreso in the Yucatan state
  
• Inspectors detected anomaly in two shipping containers during a routine X-ray
  

The cargo, which was aboard the freight ship Dover Strait, had been loaded in Costa Rica, Mexican navy says.

(CNN) -- The Mexican navy smelled something fishy and their intuition paid off. They found nearly a ton of cocaine hidden inside a shipment of frozen sharks.

Navy inspectors at the southeastern port of Progreso, in Yucatan state, on Tuesday detected an anomaly in two shipping containers during a routine X-ray, according to a navy news release.

The inspectors zeroed in on a shipment of sharks. Upon slitting one of the frozen fish open, they found black bags containing rectangular packets filled with cocaine.

In all, authorities recovered 870 packages of cocaine, weighing 894 kilograms (about 1,967 pounds), the navy reported Wednesday.

In recent years, Mexico and the United States have stepped up drug enforcement efforts, pushing more of the drug trade to sea routes and forcing drug smugglers to find more creative ways to hide their contraband.

The cargo was aboard the freight ship Dover Strait and had been loaded in Costa Rica, the navy said.

From CNN.com; see the source article here.

June 9, 2009 -- Updated 0256 GMT (1056 HKT)

Story Highlights

• NEW: Relatives of victims plan to march Wednesday evening
  
• Two owners resign to avoid any obstruction in the fire investigation, they say
  
• Co-owner: We didn't use government positions to obtain the day-care concession
  
• 44 children died in the day-care fire Friday in Hermosillo, Mexico
  

On Monday, two girls lay flowers during a funeral of one of the 44 children who died in the day-care fire.

HERMOSILLO, Mexico (CNN) -- Two of the owners of the day-care center that burned Friday, killing 44 children, have resigned jobs they had with the government, they told reporters Tuesday.

Antonio Salido, a functionary for the state of Sonora's secretary of urban infrastructure, and Alfonso Escalante, a sub-secretary of livestock farming, said they were resigning so that there would be no obstruction in the investigation into the cause of the fire.

Salido, speaking for both men, told reporters they had not used their government positions to obtain the day-care concession.

"We want to show you how deeply we feel about what happened in the terrible accident that occurred at ABC Day Care," he said.

"It passed the security measures and norms of operation required by the Mexican Institute of Social Security," he said, referring to the governmental organization that oversees the state-run school.

He noted that the institute's director, Daniel Karam Toumeh, said Sunday that the building had passed an inspection on May 26.

Abel Murrieta Gutierrez, the attorney general of Sonora, told CNN en Español that the investigation would not be affected by the fact that two of the owners worked for the government.

"It doesn't matter to us if they were or were not functionaries," he said.

Relatives of the victims and people seeking better security for day-care centers are planning to march Wednesday evening from near the day-care center to the government center.

The fire started Friday afternoon in an air-conditioning unit located in an adjacent warehouse, the attorney general of Sonora said Monday. Investigators are trying to determine whether the fire was caused by an overheated motor or deficiencies in its installation, Abel Murrieta Gutierrez said.

The fire then moved toward bookshelves on a wall shared with the building housing the center, which held 141 children and day-care workers, he added.

The two buildings also shared a roof, which contained a false bottom made of polyurethane. That overheated, emitting toxic fumes, he said.

As of Tuesday, 22 children remained hospitalized with burns.

One of them was the daughter of Raul Alvarez, who prayed Tuesday at an improvised altar outside the Children's Hospital in Hermosillo. "We went to see her this morning, and she was stable, the little girl," he said.

Hermosillo is the capital of the state of Sonora, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the U.S. border in northwestern Mexico.

It has no hospitals that specialize in burns, so doctors here have been working to stabilize those most badly burned before sending them on for treatment in other cities.

"The most important thing is not so much the burn, but stabilizing them, making sure the kidney is functioning, the lung is functioning, the liver is functioning, the brain is functioning," said Raymond Lopez, Sonora's health secretary.

From CNN.com; see the source article here.

May 26, 2009 -- Updated 1058 GMT (1858 HKT)

The Church of Scientology's bookshop in Paris is part of the case being heard in France.

PARIS, France (CNN) -- The Church of Scientology went on trial this week in France, accused of fraud in a case that sheds light on the group.

If found guilty, the church could be forced to shut down in France, though appeals could see the case continue for years.

"This is a process in heresy," Daniele Gounord, the spokeswoman for Scientology in France, told reporters.

The two plaintiffs, both women, say they were defrauded by the organization, which is classified as a sect in France.

Their complaints focus on the use of a device that Scientologists say measures spiritual well-being. Members use the electropsychometer, or E-Meter, to "locate areas of spiritual duress or travail so they can be addressed and handled," according to Scientology's Web site.

The women say that, after using the device, they were encouraged to pay for vitamins and books. They say that amounted to fraud.

The first plaintiff, Aude-Claire Malton, is a housekeeper at a Paris hotel who says she spent about €21,000 ($29,000) in "sauna therapy" and classes to "heal the mind," according to French media.

Her fellow plaintiff is Nelly Reziga, who has told French media that her boss fired her because she refused to attend classes at the Scientology church.

Reziga's boss, Max Barbault, was originally a defendant but has died, according to French media.

Six Scientology members are now on trial, along with two corporate entities -- the church and the bookshop it runs in Paris.

If found guilty, the Scientology members would face a maximum of 10 years in prison and fines of as much as €10 million ($13.9 million) each.

The church and the bookshop could be liable for as much as €5 million ($6.95 million) in fines and could be forced to shut down if found guilty.

The trial began Monday and is scheduled to last until June 17. The defendants are expected to appeal if found guilty.

From CNN.com; see the source article here.