Egypt: Military will not stand in elections

Egyptians protest in Cairo on May 27, 2011 against the military council's handling of the post-revolt phase.The elections are in SeptemberThe military council says it wants to relinquish power to civilians

Cairo (CNN) -- The Egyptian military, which has governed the country since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, will not field a candidate in the September presidential elections, a military council spokesman said Sunday.

Egyptian protesters in recent weeks have insisted the revolution is not over and have expressed frustration over the

pace and planning of reforms in the four months since Mubarak quit amid a wave of popular unrest.

Some at recent demonstrations have urged the creation of a civil presidential council to replace the military council now in charge of Egypt until democratic elections are held.

A senior Egyptian general recently told CNN that the military council is eager to relinquish power to civilian authorities.

"The army can't wait to return to its barracks and do what it does best -- protect the nation's borders," he said last month. He did not want to be named due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

CNN

Deadly blast at Pakistan bus stand

Senior police official: A militant placed a bag containing an explosive in a van Three women, two men and one child are killed, a police official says The blast takes place in the village of Matni, south of Peshawar

(CNN) -- Six people were killed and 15 were injured from an explosion at a bus stand the northern Pakistani village of Matni, a police official said.

Kalam Khan, a Peshawar police official, told CNN that the dead included three women, two men and one child. The blast also destroyed three vehicles, Khan said.

Matni is about 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) south of Peshawar.

Muhammad Ejaz Khan, a senior Peshawar police official, said a militant placed a bag with an explosive in a passenger van set to leave for another city. He said the militant then ran away and detonated the bag with a remote control.

CNN

Malaysia's Anwar told to stand trial

Anwar Ibrahim, center, has repeatedly claimed the trial is an attempt to derail his political career.Malaysian court rules opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has a case to answer on sodomy chargesThe charges relate to allegations made in 2008Sodomy is an offence punishable by up to 20 years' prison in Malaysia

(CNN) -- A Malaysian court on Monday ordered opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to enter his defense to sodomy charges after ruling that there was a case to answer.

Anwar is being tried in the Kuala Lumpur High Court for allegedly sodomizing a former male political aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, in June, 2008.

The judge, Zabidin Mohamad Diah, told a packed courtroom that he found Mr. Saiful to be a credible witness.

"His evidence was reliable," he said.

The judge concluded: "I find the prima facie case ... has been made out against the accused. Therefore, the accused is called to enter his defense."

Sodomy is an offence punishable by up to 20 years' prison in Malaysia.

Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, Anwar said: "It does not come as a surprise the judge gave this ruling but what is clearly shocking is that he virtually prejudged the case ... I think therefore it makes the position of the defense very precarious so in my initial discussions with the legal team we have decided to go all out to defend."

Anwar has repeatedly claimed that the trial is an attempt by the government to end his political career, an assertion the government has consistently denied.

One of Anwar's lawyers, Sankara Nair, said the defense was "dissatisfied" by the judge's ruling.

"We feel that this would have been a case of outright acquittal because in our opinion there was no case to answer," he said.

Outside the court, Anwar was greeted by hundreds of supporters, who chanted "Reformasi" or reformation, and crowded around the politician.

This is the second time Anwar, 63, has been tried for sodomy. In 1998, Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, was convicted of sodomy and jailed for six years before a court overturned his conviction in 2004.

The trial is scheduled to resume on June 6, with Mr. Anwar expected to take the witness stand.

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One man's stand against Texas' wildfires

Texan puts up fight again wildfireSTORY HIGHLIGHTS Ken Mackey, 71, defies warnings by staying behind to protect his home from wildfire Mackey has lived at same house in Brad, Texas, since 1972 Everything around his home has been burned, including a store and a service station Brad is about 80 miles west of Fort WorthAre you there? Share your photos and video.

Brad, Texas (CNN) -- As far as places to make a last stand against a fast-moving wildfire go, a large woodpile has to rank among the worst.

But for five days, starting on Friday, Ken Mackey fought a blaze among the piles of cedar posts he sells for a living that are stacked 15 feet high outside his rural Texas home.

Mackey said authorities told him and his neighbors to evacuate as the wildfire began to bear down on the area around Brad, about 80 miles west of Fort Worth.

His answer to the officials, like much of the 71-year-old Texan's profanity-laced speech, can't be printed.

"What kind of a question is that, now listen!" Mackey said, treating an out-of-town reporter's inquiry about why he didn't take cover as an insult to his manhood.

"If your house is on fire or close to it, would you leave?"

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Stand up comedian Ellen DeGeneres

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Ellen DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedian, a television show host and a very successful and renowned actress. Today she hosts her own television talk show entitled The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Not only that she has appeared as a judge in the popular singing competition The American Idol during its ninth season. She was born on the January 26th, of the year 1958 to a middle class family of the United States. She attended and graduated from Atlanta high school. She got her degree in Communication Studies from the University of New Orleans. She had a good and witty sense of humor from the very beginning and was always encouraged by her mother to pursue her dreams. Therefore to fulfill her dreams, she started performing in different small clubs and coffee houses and entertaining people. She has said that her biggest influences are Steve Martin and Woody Allen. Her humor has been appreciated by people around the globe. She is among the top ranking comedians of all time. She has worked on television as an actress too. She appeared in a popular sitcom Ellen, from the year 1994 to the year 1998 and has been well appreciated for her acting skills. She has also had the pleasure of hosting the Academy Awards as well as the Primetime Emmys.

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The Federal City Makes A (Last) Stand

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Tax day is not being delayed by three days this year because of a sudden surge in federal generosity. Trust me, they need the money.

Your due date was instead delayed from the April 15 to April 18 because of Emancipation Day, a government holiday in the District of Columbia that commemorates the 1862 freeing of the slaves in the District by President Abraham Lincoln.

D.C.’s slaves were freed nine months earlier than those in other Union-controlled territories who were liberated by the Emancipation Proclamation. To commemorate this head start, District workers and federal workers in the District have had the day off since 2005.

The official date is the 16th, but what’s the use of having a government holiday on a Saturday? So, that means that the procrastinators among the nation’s 140.5 million tax filers have until Monday to dawdle before making their panicked dash to the Post Office.

Giving the fiscally frazzled two more days to sweep up coffee-stained receipts and buy stamps has been one of the few bits of happy news to come from the District of late.

Getting arrested is not typically considered a savvy political move for big city mayors, but Washington is hardly the typical American city.

Mayor Vincent Gray, under fire for cronyism and mismanagement after just four months on the job, was hauled away from the U.S. Capitol in handcuffs this week after leading a sit-in to protest a bipartisan spending plan. Gray’s problem with the deal is that it forbids subsidized abortions in the District and reopens a school voucher program unpopular with Gray and his supporters in the teachers’ unions.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s non-voting delegate to the House, compared the legislation to

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