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The Olympic cauldron is lit, signaling the start of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Competition officially begins Saturday. This year's games are under an intense international security plan to monitor possible terrorist threats.

The 20th Winter Olympics opens Friday in the Italian city of Turin. Over the next two weeks, 2,600 athletes will be competing before 1 million spectators. First lady Laura Bush will attend the opening ceremony, along with numerous other international dignitaries.

Anger at the government's treatment of a blind whistle-blower in East China boiled over Sunday when villagers clashed with police. Chen Guangcheng has been confined to his house by the local government after uncovering a program of forced sterilizations and abortions.

Phyllis Wheatley was America's first published black poet -- a native of Senegal, sold into slavery in Boston in 1761 and taught to read and write. Now a newly discovered letter by her is expected to fetch top dollar at auction.

A respected Democratic lawmaker's call for U.S. troops to withdrawn from Iraq has drawn a response from the White House. The Iraq war topic continued to stay in the spotlight as President Bush attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea.

The House of Representatives is set to vote Friday night on a resolution calling for a quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. GOP politicians continue to criticize the proposal's sponsor, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a former backer of the war and a Vietnam veteran considered a hawk on defense.

Crescent City, Calif., a small community of 3,000 just below the Oregon border, was left in shambles after a tsunami hit the town in 1964. Many old-timers say Crescent City never really recovered.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Iraq Friday in an attempt to ease sectarian tensions before next month's elections. Rice's first stop was the northern, Sunni-dominated city of Mosul. Later, she headed for Baghdad to meet with senior government officials in the capital's Green Zone.

In February, 21-year-old Matthew Carrington collapsed in a frat house basement at Chico State University, dying several hours later. Five of his fellow students pleaded guilty in his death; one will serve a year in jail. Carrington's parents are among those who want penalties for hazing toughened.

Steve Reich is one of the pioneering voices of the minimalist movement in classical music. Now he's written two pieces that he says may be his best work. A CD of these pieces is being released this week.