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US Olympic ice hockey silver medalist Molly Schaus returned to her hometown of Naperville, Illinois last weekend. Her travels culminated in a visit on Monday to Spring Brook Elementary School, where as a fourth-grader she set the goal of some day being an Olympian. Schaus's dream was fulfilled this year during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, when she played for the US women's ice hockey team and won a silver medal.  As she addressed and answered questions from students and teachers at the grade school, Schaus explained the large amount of work

US President Barack Obama today announced a revamp of a policy that dictates the conditions under which nuclear weapons would be used by the United States. The Nuclear Posture Review, which was published on Tuesday, now completely rules out the use of nuclear weapons by the US in response to an attack using chemical, biological, or conventional weapons. The new document says that the US will use nuclear weapons only in "extreme circumstances," although it did not specify what those circumstances would be. It also commits the US to not develo

US regulators intend to fine Toyota Motor Company $16.4 million over allegations that the company failed to notify government officials in "a timely way" about flaws in its vehicles that led to a major recall earlier this year. The fine is the maximum penalty allowed under current US law, and would be the largest ever against an automaker, dwarfing a $1 million fine against General Motors in 2004. The U.S. Transportation Department is also considering the possibility of further fines if it was determined that the company had committed other vi

The UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown has announced that the country's next general election is to be held on May 6. He made the announcement after Queen Elizabeth agreed to dissolve Parliament on April 12. The date has been suspected by the media for months and Brown referred to it as the "least well-kept secret of recent years". The current Parliament will sit for a final time on April 8, meaning it has just two days to pass any remaining legislation. Many bills will have to be scrapped and reintroduced in the next Parliament, which will sit f

Officials have reported that Maoist rebels in India killed at least 70 soldiers in Chhattisgarh, a central state in the country. The ambush was made on security convoys in a dense jungle in the district of Dantewada, a remote area. According to police, about 300 Maoists set off explosives and started shooting at them. "Seventy-five [people] have been killed, and seven injured," commented Gopal Pillai, the Indian home secretary. This is the deadliest incident security forces have seen since they recently initiated an offensive against the Mao

Twenty-five miners are confirmed dead, two injured, and four missing, after an explosion in a West Virginia coal mine Monday. The incident occurred in the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. It is the deadliest mining accident in the United States since 1984. Search and rescue operations were suspended Tuesday due to high levels of methane gas which made conditions unsafe for rescuers. A team attempting to ventilate the mine is expected to complete the work by Wednesday evening. Officials said that it was unlikely that the mi

A heavy earthquake has struck near Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, the US Geological Survey reports. It had a magnitude of 7.7, although its original intensity was measured at 7.6. According to the USGS, the tremor, which began at 05.15 local time (UTC 22.15 UTC) had a depth of 46 kilometres (28.6 miles) and was 230 kilometres (145 miles) southwest of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake was originally reported as having a magnitude of 7.6, but was later determined to be 7.8. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said that local tsunami watch was i

Iraqi police officials stated on Saturday that gunmen wearing military uniforms have killed 25 people, including five women, in a Friday night attack on a Sunni village named Sufia, 15 miles south of Baghdad. All those killed were members of the Jubur tribe, which was among the last supporters of Al-Qaeda to ally with U.S. forces, only doing so in late 2007. Baghdad's security spokesman, Major General Qassim al-Moussawi has stated that "At least seven people were found alive, bound with handcuffs." In the hours after Friday night's shootings,

Many of South Africa's major political leaders are urging for calm after the recent murder of a prominent white supremacist leader, Eugene Terreblanche. Terreblanche was killed last night at his home in South Africa's North West province; police have arrested two males, aged 15 and 21, in connection with the murder. The suspects were workers at Terreblanche's farm who were apparently involved in a wage dispute. Terreblanche died from injuries to his head, apparently from a machete and club. In response to the killing, South African President

38 people were said to have died in a suicide bombing during a political rally in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The attack occurred in the town of Timergarah in north east Pakistan. The incident occurred during a political rally by the leading local party. The attacker detonated a bomb, thereby blowing himself in Timargarah, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of the provincial capital, Peshawar, the principal town in the Lower Dir district. Pakistani security forces led a major operation against the Taliban in this region. According t

Three bombs were detonated near the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan on Monday. The attack occurred within hours of a suicide blast during a political rally which killed 38 people, according to officials. According to reports, a gun battle followed the attacks. Smoke clouds were seen over the region; several buildings collapsed due to the blast. "I saw attackers in two vehicles. Some of them carried rocket-propelled grenades. They first opened fire at security personnel at the post near th

USGS reported that an earthquake struck the Dominican Republic region with a magnitude of 8.0. It was registered on last Friday at 01:38:55 a.m. (05:38:55 UTC) at the epicenter, which was located 102 km from Higüey, La Altagracia, Dominican Republic. However, it was later reported as a magnitude 3.4 earthquake by the Puerto Rico Seismic Network. The report caught the attention of the news media until the USGS reported it was 3.2. The depth of the aftershock was located , and no damage or injuries were reported. It has been reported as a Haiti