NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

US/ QUEENIE, THE ASIAN ELEPHANT, DIES AT 59: Queenie, the Asian elephant who gained fame in the 1950s by water skiing, has died at the age of 59. Queenie was put to sleep after her health deteriorated rapidly. She performed her water-skiing act during the late 1950s and 1960s. Footage from that time, pictured, shows the young elephant balancing on 2 attached giant skis with a trainer alongside, as a boat pulled them through the water.  Queenie was born in 1952 and brought to the US as a baby. In 1954 she was bought by a New Hampshire family who soon had her performing at state and county fairs, Republican rallies, military bases and circuses around the country. She was then trained to water ski by a Florida couple and according to her owners, Queenie loved being in the water. Queenie continued to make appearances up to 2003, at which time she was moved to a Georgia wildlife park where she could live out her final years in peace. Handlers in Georgia said Queenie was a gentle giant and was a joy to work with. (SK COMMENT: Queenie was owned by the same family that bought her in 1954, up until her death. And from comments made by them, they loved her very much and apparently Queenie gave every indication that she was happy. Still, one can't help but wish she had been able to live our her life in the wild, with fellow elephants).

US/ DR. JACK KEVORKIAN DIES AT 83: Assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian, known as "Dr. Death" for helping more than 100 people end their lives, died early today at age 83. Kevorkian died at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he had been hospitalized for about 2 weeks with kidney and heart problems. Kevorkian, a pathologist, was focused on death and dying long before he became a defiant advocate, crossing Michigan in the rusty Volkswagen van that carried his machine to help sick people end their lives. Kevorkian launched his assisted-suicide campaign in 1990, allowing an Alzheimer's patient to kill herself using a machine he had devised. He was charged with first-degree murder for that assisted-suicide, but the charges were later dismissed. Fiery and passionate, Kevorkian made a point of thumbing his nose at lawmakers, prosecutors and judges. He beat Michigan prosecutors 4 times before his conviction for second-degree murder in 1999 after a CBS News program aired a video of Kevorkian administering lethal drugs to a 52 year old man suffering from debilitating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian was imprisoned for 8 years. As a condition of his parole in 2007, he vowed not to assist in any suicides. He himself had appealed to leave prison early because of poor health, but said he did not consider himself a candidate for assisted suicide. Kevorkian did not leave the public eye after his exit from prison in 2007, giving occasional lectures and in 2008 running for Congress unsuccessfully. He is survived by his family.

US/ JOHN EDWARDS INDICTED: A North Carolina grand jury has indicted former Sen. John Edwards on criminal campaign finance violations in connection with a sex scandal. Edwards, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 and a candidate for president in 2004 and 2008, was charged with 4 counts of illegal campaign contributions, 1 count of conspiracy and 1 count of making false statements. The charges stem from a years-long investigation into whether Edwards used money from 2 supporters to cover up an affair with Rielle Hunter, a former campaign videographer with whom he had a child. Prosecutors say the money from Edwards' supporters to Hunter constituted campaign donations because it furthered his political career. Edwards' attorneys consider that an improper interpretation of campaign finance laws, and that the case is a matter for the Federal Election Commission, not the courts. Edwards, 58, is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate later today. He reportedly had been offered deals to lessen criminal penalties in return for admission of guilt, but he has refused to plead guilty to a felony offense.

WORLD/ YEMEN PRESIDENT HURT IN ATTACK: President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been slightly hurt in an attack on a mosque in his compound in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and is in hospital, as fighting continues between the government and armed tribes. According to a government spokesman, Saleh is well and would address the nation later. The PM and parliament speaker were also hurt and3 guards killed.  Earlier troops shelled the home of the brother of the tribal leader whose supporters they are fighting. However, the office of the tribal leader denied responsibility for the attack on the palace. This contradicted an earlier claim made by his spokesman that the attack had been retaliatory. Thousands meanwhile attended a funeral for 50 people killed in the violence this week. The United States has sent an envoy to the Gulf to discuss ways of stopping the violence, which has brought Yemen to the brink of civil war. More than 350 people have been killed since the uprising started in January, but least 135 of them have died in the past 10 days.