North Korea announced plans Friday to blast a satellite into space on the back of a long-range rocket, a provocative move that could jeopardize a weeks-old agreement with the U.S. exchanging food aid for nuclear concessions.

The North agreed to a moratorium on long-range launches as part of the deal with Washington, but it argues that its satellite launches are part of a peaceful space program that is exempt from any international disarmament agreements. The U.S., South Korea and other critics say the rocket technology overlaps with belligerent uses and condemn the satellite program as a disguised way of testing military missiles in defiance of a U.N. ban.

[Related: U.S. condemns satellite plans]

The launch is to take place three years after a similar launch in April 2009 drew widespread censure.

Japan urged Pyongyang to abandon the latest launch, calling it a violation of a U.N. resolution restricting the North's use of ballistic missile technology, and South Korea called the plans a "grave provocation."

The liftoff is slated for between April 12 and 16 from a west coast launch pad in North Phyongan province to test satellite technology, a spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology said in a statement carried by state media.

The plan comes as North Korea prepares to celebrate the April 15 centenary of the birth of its founder, Kim Il Sung. Kim's grandson, Kim Jong Un, has led the nation of 24 million since his father, Kim Jong Il, died in December.

NCAA tournament scores from Thursday, the schedule for Friday and more.

WORLD'S LARGEST BRACKET? CHECK. BUT FOR HOW LONG?

Something that won't stay in Vegas for long: the title of "World's Largest NCAA Bracket."
The bugs were still being ironed out at press time. But it's designed to display the bracket on the underside of a 1,500-foot by 90-foot canopy that covers a downtown street between casinos, apparently because there never seem to be enough scoreboards in Vegas when you really need one.

Anyway, check out the story and photo in the Las Vegas Review-Journal: http://bit.ly/AzlDq1

And do it before the sheiks in Dubai get wind of this and begin construction on a bigger one. They don't play a lot of hoops over there, but they are very, very competitive that way.

TODAY'S CELEBRITY ALUM ...

Bruce Hornsby told AP's Will Graves after UNC-Asheville almost toppled Syracuse in Pittsburgh that he's just another Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who wishes he was a better baller. Think Kanye West, or Nelly, but with fewer tattoos and radically different tastes in music. Best known for the 1980s easy-listening hit "The Way It Is," Hornsby is taller than you'd think seeing him on TV -- 6-foot-4, though at age 57, he insists he's "shrinking" -- and knows his way around a court better than you'd ever guess.

He turned down a basketball scholarship at Randolph-Macon to play piano, eventually graduated from Miami (Fla.), and roots for UNC-Asheville because his son, Keith, chose the fork in the road that dad bypassed and plays shooting guard there. Funny how things worked out.

"This is a new thing for our family," Hornsby said, clad in Bulldog blue. "There's never been an athlete at this level in this branch of the family."

The old man knew that when Keith finally smoked him one-on-one as a ninth-grader, despite plenty of smack.

"And I talk," Hornsby said, laughing, "like you wouldn't believe."

CELEBRITY ALUM -- HONORABLE MENTION

No shortage of mad skills for our second alum. Stephen Curry can play with anyone. Back in his college days at tiny Davidson, Curry led the nation in scoring, was a consensus All-America pick and likely to ring up 30 points or more on tournament nights. He single-handedly carried the Wildcats to the threshold of the 2008 Final Four before they were knocked out by eventual champion Kansas.

His NBA career has been slightly less eventful. Taken at No. 7 in the 2009 NBA draft by Golden State, Curry averaged 18 points per game in his first two full seasons. He was rehabbing a troublesome right ankle at the Warriors' practice facility on the other side of the country when AP's Janie McCauley caught up with him after Davidson made its exit Thursday night courtesy of Louisville, 69-62. Despite both setbacks, Curry was in a good mood because his loyalties were no longer divided. Younger brother Seth plays for Duke.

Movie star George Clooney was led away in handcuffs after storming the Sudanese Embassy protesting the actions of the country's president Omar Al-Bashir, an alleged war criminal.

Clooney made the rounds in Washington this week, hoping his superstar wattage will help shine a light on the situation in Sudan. The actor testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and held private meetings with the Secretary of State and President Obama about the African nation's dire humanitarian situation and the Obama administration's policy. He led a protest today outside of Sudan's embassy calling on Omar Al-Bashir, an alleged war-criminal, to stop the violence and allow humanitarian aid into the country.

Also among those arrested were Clooney's Father Nick Clooney, President of United to End Genocide and former Congressman Tom Andrews, Congressmen Jim McGovern, D-MA, Al Green, D-TX), Jim Moran, D-VA., and John Olver D-MA, Martin Luther King III, NAACP President Ben Jealous, and Enough Project Co-Founder John Prendergast, according to a police statement.

The Hollywood actor has been working with the John Prendergast from the advocacy group the Enough Project for years. He co-founded the Sudan Sentinel Project, which tracks human rights abuses on the border of Sudan and South Sudan using satellite cameras. Clooney's said in the past that he wants to draw attention to the atrocities Al-Bashir's allegedly directed against his own people for decades, to "make him famous."

Clooney's not the only celebrity to get involved with human rights causes. Angelina Jolie may be one of the most well-known movie star philanthropists. She's a good will ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Committee, and has spoken out and given money to numerous causes. She attended the reading of the first verdict from the International Criminal Court this week, finding Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga guilty of using child soldiers. Jolie had been part of the process to bring Lubanga to justice. She visited the court three times during the trial and funded the Lubanga Chronicles, a program that used written articles, radio and the web to inform the Congolese public and the international community about the case.

"Perhaps [this] verdict of guilty provides some measure of comfort for the victims of Mr Lubanga's actions," Jolie said in a statement. "Most of all it sends a strong message against the use of child soldiers."

Actor Ben Affleck launched his own organization the East Congo Initiative, focused on supporting and funding local humanitarian groups in Eastern Congo. He too has testified before Congress and met with leaders in Washington, even traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo with Cindy McCain, the wife of Senator John McCain. His friend Matt Damon has started an organization focused on access to clean water in the developing world. Actor Don Cheadle has also fought for human rights and against genocide with the Enough Project.

One year and five days since he scored his 99th international century, Sachin Tendulkar reached the unprecedented landmark of 100. For over a year a legion of fans had watched in anticipation as Tendulkar strode to the crease in India, England and Australia, and at 17:07 local time, when he nudged towards square leg for a single, there was a collective release of emotions.

Tendulkar, 38, had been stuck on 99 international centuries since March 12, 2011 when he scored a century against South Africa during the World Cup. During the time he took to move from 99 to 100, so much has changed for the Indian cricket team. In the last 12 months they have won the World Cup, slipped form their No. 1 perch in the ICC’s Test rankings, been whitewashed in consecutive overseas Test tours, failed to make the finals of a tri-series, and have seen Rahul Dravid make his exit from the international scene.

In those 12 months, Tendulkar’s batting returns had also diminished. In 11 Tests he has scored 778 runs at an average of 37.04, with a best of 94. He came close to scoring that a hundred a couple other times too; at The Oval he made 91 and in Sydney he reached 80. That innings of 94 was the best chance he had of getting to three figures – Tendulkar came out on the fourth morning in Mumbai in robust mood – but an unwarranted dab to third man ended up in the slips.

Tendulkar did not play an ODI since the World Cup final on April 2, 2011 until he was named in India’s squad for the CB Series after the Test debacle in Australia. That period included four ODI contests, against West Indies and England home and away. Injury played its part, with Tendulkar being ruled out of the ODI leg in England. In 12 ODIs since that century in Nagpur Tendulkar had made 307 runs at 25.58, with his best shot at the 100th hundred being his chancy 85 against Pakistan in the World Cup semi-final. He had not crossed 48 since then, until today.

Tendulkar’s 100th century was a fluent innings, which began a brilliant cover drive for four in the second over of India’s innings in Mirpur. His cutting and driving was especially eye-catching, and the way he maneuvered the Bangladesh spinners was masterful. His half-century came up with a lofted boundary over extra, off the 63 balls, and three figures came in the 44th over, off 138 deliveries and with ten fours and one six.

Upon reaching three figures, Tendulkar closed his eyes and looked up to the skies as he has so many times before this. And yes, a big sigh of relief.

At least half the elephants in Cameroon's Bouba N'Djida reserve were slaughtered because the west African nation sent too few security forces to tackle poachers, the World Wide Fund for Nature said on Thursday.

In what was described as one of the worst poaching massacres in decades, as many as 200 elephants have been killed for their tusks since January by poachers on horseback from Chad and Sudan, the fund said.

Rising demand in Asia for jewelry and ornaments made from elephant tusks is understood to be among the factors behind the spike in poaching.

"WWF is disturbed by reports that the poaching continues unabated," Natasha Kofoworola Quist, WWF's representative in the region, said in a statement.

It was the second major elephant-poaching report out of Africa this month. On March 5, the warden at Virunga National Park, a U.N. World Heritage Site in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said poaching had become so severe that rangers began using bloodhounds to track down poachers. The Virunga elephant population has fallen to fewer than 400 from an estimated 3,000 in the 1980s.

In Cameroon, about 20 fresh elephant carcasses were discovered last week, a WWF spokesperson said.

The government of the Central African state has sent special forces to track the poachers and end the killing spree in the north of the country, but the WWF said this may be too little, too late.

"The forces arrived too late to save most of the park's elephants and were too few to deter the poachers," Quist said. She said the organization regretted that a soldier was killed during a clash with the poachers.

No doubt about it, scientists do amazing things. But sometimes people in white coats emerge from the labs, proud and exhausted with conclusions that are so painfully obvious (Beautiful people have more romantic options! Confident people are more attractive!) that it makes us wonder why they even bothered. So why do they? “We can’t assume the obvious, because sometimes what we believe to be fact is colored by our social experience and expectation,” says Scott Haltzman, M.D., author of The Secrets of Happily Married Women. “A century ago, it was ‘fact’ that women couldn’t be expected to be intelligent enough to vote, and that women who were pregnant needed to avoid any heavy exercise. It is ‘obvious’ that chocolate is bad, or that wine is bad. Newer studies show there are health benefits. Until we test out what we ‘know’ is true, then we are just perpetuating stereotypes. Scientists need to re-do studies, because almost always, there are methodological problems in previous studies. One interesting study that showed women were more likely to describe themselves as ‘feelers’ rather than being mechanistically inclined showed [that] the difference disappeared if you didn’t ask the person to identify themselves by sex at the beginning of the study,” explains Haltzman.

The fact is, so-called “obvious research” offers insights about dating and relationships that we need in order to make informed decisions about our own love lives. And people are fascinated by the results even if they could have predicted them as common-sense outcomes, says Haltzman: “People are drawn to reading about and hearing about these studies because humans are social animals, and on an unconscious level, we are constantly trying to make sense of social cues to improve our own standing among our peers. A guy may guess that when a woman strokes a beer bottle and gazes downward she’s interested in him, but it helps to have the scientific proof to back it up!”

Kalki bhagavan fraud of kalki avatar and amma bhagavan has been reportedly exposed by a Telugu news channel Tv9 in which Kalki Bhagavan (Vijay Kumar Naidu) and Amma Bhagawan are being targeted.
Vijay Kumar Naidu born in Arcot district of Tamil Nadu has used names such as Mukteshwar, Sri Kalki Bhagavan, and Sri Bhagavan. Both Kalki Bhagavan and Amma Bhagwan claim to be two divine Avatars who will bring humanity into the Golden Age.
According to claims of Kalki Bhagavan and Amma Bhagwan — they will enlighten (or give Deeksha to) 64,000 people in the world
and these people in a highly enlightened state of communion would transform the rest of the humanity by 2012.
One of the devotees Narayana who has opened the lid has indicated that Kalki Bhagavan and Amma Bhagwan are charging exorbitant sums of money. For example Darshan of Amma’s padam the devotees are shelling out 5000-6000 Rupees and for Special Darshan 20-25,000 Rupees while the 60,000 Rupees is charged for the Homam. Kalki Bhagavan and Amma Bhagwan have amssed a wealth of 240 Crores while their trust is running many businesses including Real Estate.
The biggest questions if the TV9 is doing this just to gain TRPs or there is truth behind the allegations? What the authorities are doing?

A horse was injured and euthanized Tuesday during production of the racetrack drama "Luck," the third death in connection with the series, and HBO agreed to suspend filming with horses while the accident is investigated.

The humane group that oversees Hollywood productions had issued an immediate demand "that all production involving horses shut down."

"We are also insisting that this stoppage remain in full effect pending a complete, thorough, and comprehensive investigation," the American Humane Association said in a statement. It noted that the accident didn't occur during filming or racing.

The animal was being led to a Santa Anita Park racetrack stable by a groom when it reared and fell back Tuesday morning, suffering a head injury, according to HBO. The horse was euthanized at the track in suburban Arcadia, where "Luck" is filming its second season.

In the series, which was created by David Milch ("Deadwood," "NYPD Blue") and looks at racing's seedier side, Dustin Hoffman plays a crime kingpin who's scheming to gain control of a racetrack and introduce casino gambling.

During season-one filming in 2010 and 2011, two horses were hurt during racing scenes and euthanized. HBO defended its treatment of the animals, saying it's worked with the American Humane Association and racing industry experts to implement safety protocols that exceed film and TV industry standards.

The American Humane Association's film and TV unit, the group sanctioned and supported by the entertainment industry to protect animals used in filming, called for a production halt at the Santa Anita Racetrack in suburban Arcadia after the second horse's death.

Racing resumed after new protocols were put in place and proved effective, Karen Rosa, the AHA unit's senior vice president, said in February.

On Tuesday, Dr. Gary Beck, a California Horse Racing Board veterinarian, said he had just examined the horse as part of routine health and safety procedures before it was to race later in the day. The horse passed the inspection, the AHA said.

"The horse was on her way back to the stall when she reared, flipped over backwards, and struck her head on the ground," Beck said in a statement. An attending veterinarian determined that euthanasia was appropriate, he said.

Dr. Rick Arthur, medical director of the state racing board, said such injuries occur in stable areas every year and are more common than thought. A necropsy will be conducted, he said, which is routine with all fatalities at racing board enclosures.

The Detroit Lions signed star receiver Calvin Johnson to a seven-year extension Wednesday, the team announced on its Twitter account.

An NFL source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the contract is worth $132 million and includes $60 million guaranteed. Johnson's contract is the richest deal ever for an NFL wide receiver, exceeding the $120 million deal Larry Fitzgerald signed with the Arizona Cardinals last year.

The extension puts Johnson under contract with the Lions through the 2019 season. The team is holding a news conference at 1 p.m. ET.

He was set to enter the final season of the deal he signed as the No. 2 pick overall in the 2007 draft.

Johnson earned All-Pro honors for the first time last season with a league-best 1,681 yards receiving. He followed up with 211 yards receiving against New Orleans in the playoffs, setting a league record for a player in his postseason debut.

Courtney Love has told TMZ that the Muppets "raped" the memory of her late husband Kurt Cobain by using Nirvana's hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in their 2011 movie.

The eccentric Hole frontwoman claims that she has absolute control over the usage of Cobain's catalog, but she might not be telling the whole story. Love apparently sold half of her remaining rights to the music to Primary Wave Music and gave the company the exclusive right to distribute Nirvana's complete catalog.

Not only did the company have the legal standing to license the song for the barbershop quartet rendition in the movie, but it even sought and obtained permission from Nirvana's surviving members, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. Even better? Grohl is in the movie.

In 2005, Love sold 25 percent of the rights to the Nirvana catalog, pocketing a cool $50 million in the process. Five years later, she was offered $162 million for the rest of her majority stake, an offer she said she was considering because the songs and their royalties were "cursed."

Regardless of what Love owns and what she has sold, both she and her daughter will likely still benefit financially from the inclusion of the 1991 song in "The Muppets."

Love's loose usage of the word "rape" recalls another recent scandal. Actress Kim Novak set off a firestorm of controversy in January by saying she felt as though she was raped while watching "The Artist." The Oscar-winning film used a score from "Vertigo," an Alfred Hitchcock film in which she acted.

"It was very painful. When I said it was like a rape, that was how it felt to me," Novak said last week when clarifying her comments. "I had experienced in my youth being raped, and so I identified with a real act that had been done to me. I didn't use the word lightly. I had been raped as a child. It was a rape I never told about, so when I experienced this one, I felt the need to express it."