No cancer after all in Argentine president...[ 2620 ]

Doctors: No cancer after all in Argentine president

By Mariano Castillo, CNN

January 7, 2012 -- Updated 1640 GMT (0040 HKT)

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner underwent surgery this week to remove her thyroid.

(CNN) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who underwent surgery this week to remove her thyroid, did not actually have cancer, her spokesman said Saturday.

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Fernandez underwent the procedure for what doctors said was papillary carcinoma in her thyroid gland.

A post-surgery examination, however, showed that there were no cancerous cells, and the original diagnosis of cancer has been discarded, spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro said.

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Fernandez was released from the hospital and will continue her recovery from the presidential residence, he said.

"We thank God and all the Argentinean people for the blessings received," Fernandez said on her Twitter account Saturday morning.

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Given the new diagnosis, planned radiation therapy will not be necessary, the spokesman said.

Her 3 1/2-hour operation had been called a success without complications.

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Hundreds of supporters had waved flags and banners outside the Austral Hospital, located about 60 kilometers (35 miles) from Buenos Aires.

Before the operation, Fernandez handed over power to Vice President Amado Boudou until January 24.

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Fernandez, 58, was sworn in for a second four-year term last month after she won re-election with more than 54% of the vote.

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She became Argentina's president in 2007. Her husband, Nestor Kirchner, was president from 2003 to 2007. He died in October 2010.

During Fernandez's presidency, Argentina's economy has enjoyed sustained growth of about 8% annually.

CNN's Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.

Balloon crash in New Zealand ...[ 2619 ]

Hot air balloon crash in New Zealand kills 11

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 7, 2012 -- Updated 0111 GMT (0911 HKT)

(CNN) -- A hot air balloon crash in New Zealand early Saturday killed 11 people -- the pilot and 10 passengers -- officials said.

No one survived the crash, which happened on the outskirts of Carterton, a town northeast of Wellington.

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A fire likely started on board the balloon, sending it plummeting to the ground, said Superintendent Mike Rusbatch, Wellington District commander for New Zealand Police.

It was not immediately clear what started the fire, though eyewitnesses said the balloon had hit a power line, according to police.

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"This is an absolutely tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families of the deceased. We are in the process of notifying next of kin. However, we will not be releasing any names until all next of kin have been advised," Rusbatch said.

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A police spokeswoman said all the victims were from the wider Wellington area.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

A witness to the crash told Radio New Zealand that the balloon was on fire as it fell. He was in his garden when he heard a hissing sound and looked up to see flames climbing the sides of the basket. When the balloon hit the ground, a large cloud of smoke ascended, Radio New Zealand reported.

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The weather was likely not a factor in the crash, according to Jill Stringer, a spokeswoman for the Wairarapa District Health Board.

"It was a perfect morning for ballooning," she said.

CNN's Samira Said contributed to this report.

The destroyer USS "Kidd" rescued 13 Iranian sailors..[ 2618 ]

Iran welcomes U.S. rescue of Iranian fishermen

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 7, 2012 -- Updated 1617 GMT (0017 HKT)

Video

Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iran on Saturday welcomed the rescue of 13 Iranian sailors by a U.S. Navy ship, calling it a "humanitarian act."

The sailors were on a fishing boat that had been hijacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea, near the Strait of Hormuz.

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According to the Navy, a helicopter from the destroyer USS Kidd spotted a suspect pirate boat alongside the Iranian vessel on Thursday. The destroyer is part of the USS John Stennis Strike Group, which moved into the Arabian Sea from the Persian Gulf last week.

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As the helicopter spotted the suspect pirate ship, the Kidd received a distress call from the fishing boat's captain, saying pirates were holding him and his crew captive.

A team from the Kidd boarded the vessel, took 15 suspected pirates into custody, and freed 13 Iranian hostages, the Navy said.

A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Ramin Mehmanparast, had positive words about the rescue when he spoke Saturday to the Arabic news network Al-Alam.

"Rescuing Iranian sailors by the U.S. was a humanitarian act and we welcome such acts," he said. "The Iranian Navy also engages in such rescue operations. 

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It is the responsibility of all nations to rescue nationals from other countries from pirates."

The carrier strike group's presence in the Persian Gulf had drawn the ire of Iranian military officials, who said the United States should not send any more warships into the Gulf.

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Iranian Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said "there is no need" for countries outside of the region to have a presence there.

"Their presence does nothing but create mayhem," Vahidi said, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

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The suspected pirates, mostly Somalis, were taken to the Stennis to be held until a decision is made about prosecution, Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said Friday.

Pirates hijacked the fishing vessel, the Al Molai, 40 to 45 days ago, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. The crew was "held hostage, with limited rations and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations," according to the statement.

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The Navy team provided food, water and medical care to both the suspected pirates and the Al Molai's crew after securing the ship and ensuring everyone was safe, said Josh Schminky, a Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent aboard the Kidd.

The crew had "been through a lot," he said, adding, "We went out of our way to treat the fishing crew with kindness and respect."

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Friday congratulated the strike group commander, Rear Adm. Craig Faller, and his team on the rescue, saying they did the right thing.

"When we get a distress signal, we're going to respond. That's the nature of what our country is all about," Panetta said, according to Pentagon spokesman George Little.

Earth Observations...[ 2617 ]

Image of the Earth Observations

This unusual image was photographed through the Cupola on the International Space Station by one of the Expedition 30 crew members.

The lake just above the bracket-mounted camera at center is Egirdir Golu in Turkey, located at 38.05 degrees north latitude and 30.89 degrees east longitude.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft is docked to the station at lower right and part of the Permanent Multipurpose Module (PMM) can be seen just above it.
The photo was taken on Dec. 29, 2011.

Image Credit: NASA

Peru: Murder Trial Postponed...[ 2616 ],

Joran Van der Sloot Murder Trial Postponed

Published January 06, 2012

| Associated Press

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LIMA, Peru  -- Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot asked for more time Friday to decide how to plead in his trial for the 2010 murder of a 21-year-old Peruvian woman. His case was postponed until Jan. 11.

A panel of three female judges heard the prosecutor lay out the case against Van de Sloot in the killing of Stephany Flores in his Lima hotel room on May 30, 2010.

The 24-year-old defendant was also the prime suspect in the unsolved 2005 killing of U.S. citizen Natalee Holloway from Mountain Brook, Alabama.

He shook his head as the prosecutor detailed the case against him in the Flores case.

When asked how he would plead, Van der Sloot answered in rudimentary Spanish, "I want to give a sincere confession, but I don't agree with all the charges that has placed on me by the prosecutor. Can I have more time to think about this?"

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Judge Victoria Montoya agreed to the postponement.

Van der Sloot entered the courtroom Friday morning in a blue blazer and faded blue jeans with a bulletproof vest beneath the jacket. He sported a crew cut and wore a long-sleeved gray shirt.

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Defense attorney Jose Luis Jimenez told The Associated Press Friday that there was a 70 percent chance Van der Sloot will plead guilty, which could help him get a reduced sentence.
Flores' father, Ricardo Flores, told the AP Friday that the family would participate in the trial in hopes of ensuring that Van der Sloot is also accused of robbery in connection with the killing, Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence on murder and theft charges.

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But Jimenez has said he would argue that his client was in a state of emotional distress when he killed Flores and "seek to reduce the charge from first-degree murder to simple homicide." The latter carries a prison sentence of from eight to 20 years.

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Police and Flores' family dispute Van der Sloot's version of her death. They say the defendant was hard up for cash and knew the Peruvian business student had been winning at the casino.

"We hope that throughout this process our attorneys can demonstrate the true motives for the killing of my daughter," Ricardo Flores said.

VIDEO