Spotlight
Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav entered a minimum security prison on Wednesday to start serving a seven-year sentence for rape, but not before defiantly accusing the state of Israel of "executing" an innocent man.
The day was a bittersweet one in Israeli history, at once shameful because the holder of such a lofty office was going behind bars for such a heinous crime, but at the same time a moment of honor because it proved that in Israel, even a president is equal before the law.

Former Miss USA Rima Fakih was speeding and weaving through traffic with an uncorked, half-empty bottle of champagne and a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when she was arrested in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park, according to a police report released Tuesday.
The report on her drunken-driving arrest obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request says the 26-year-old from Dearborn was pulled over early Saturday going 60 mph, weaving in heavy traffic and changing lanes without using a turn signal.

Serie A leader Juventus has lost striker Mirko Vucinic for about three weeks because of a right thigh muscle tear.
Vucinic was injured during Juve's 2-0 win over Cesena on Sunday. The Montenegro international underwent medical exams Tuesday.

It's the ultimate belt-tightening handbook: No Meat? Push an eggplant through the grinder instead. Chew your food long enough for your stomach to feel full. And don't forget to sweep crumbs off your table and into a jar.
These are some of the tips Greeks used to survive the World War II occupation that have been collected in "Starvation Recipes" — a cookbook that has become a surprise hit as millions of Greeks struggle to make ends meet in a new era of hardship brought on by economic crisis.

Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe has been selected for her fifth Summer Olympics after she was included in Britain's team for next year's London Games.
The 37-year-old Radcliffe completed her first marathon in two years in September's Berlin Marathon and has been picked alongside fellow marathon runners Mara Yamauchi and Scott Overall as the first track and field competitors for the host nation.

The Royal Mint has come up with a novel way to wish Charles Dickens a happy 200th birthday — a new coin with a portrait of the author made up of the titles of some of his most famous fictional works.
The two-pound ($3.20) uncirculated collectible coin will be available via the Royal Mint's website for a price of 8.50 pounds ($13) starting this week, officials said.

British poet Ted Hughes is being honored with a place in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, joining a line of great British writers going back to Chaucer.
A stone bearing his name will be unveiled Tuesday evening on the floor of Poets' Corner, next to one honoring Hughes' mentor and publisher, T.S. Eliot.

Swiss Reinsurance Co. estimates the cost of Thailand's floods to the insurance industry will reach $8 billion to $11 billion.
The Swiss insurer puts its own costs from Thailand's worst floods in half a century at $600 million. The company sells backup coverage to other insurers, spreading risk in the event of huge losses.

A newly discovered planet is eerily similar to Earth and is sitting outside Earth's solar system in what seems to be the ideal place for life, except for one hitch. It is a bit too big.
The planet is smack in the middle of what astronomers call the Goldilocks zone, that hard to find place that is not too hot, not too cold, where water, which is essential for life, does not freeze or boil. And it has a shopping mall-like surface temperature of near 72 degrees, scientists say.

The Philippines expects a good rice harvest in the next dry season and will import less as a result.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said at least 551,155 tons (500,000 metric tons) will be imported next year. The government will allow private traders to import half of the total volume and farmers' groups the remainder from Cambodia, Myanmar or Vietnam.
