Death toll climbs past 80 in Algeria terrorist siege

ALGIERS, Algeria — The death toll from the terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara climbed past 80 on Sunday as Algerian forces searching the refinery for explosives found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured it was unclear whether they were hostages or militants, a security official said.

Algerian special forces stormed the plant on Saturday to end the four-day siege, moving in to thwart what government officials said was a plot by the Islamic extremists to blow up the complex and kill all their captives with mines sown throughout the site.

In a statement, the Masked Brigade, the group that claimed to have masterminded the takeover, warned of more such attacks against any country backing France's military intervention in neighboring Mali, where the French are trying to stop an advance by Islamic extremists.

"We stress to our Muslim brothers the necessity to stay away from all the Western companies and complexes for their own safety, and especially the French ones," the statement said.

Algeria said after Saturday's assault by government forces that at least 32 extremists and 23 hostages were killed. On Sunday, Algerian bomb squads sent in to blow up or defuse the explosives found 25 more bodies, said the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

"These bodies are difficult to identify. They could be the bodies of foreign hostages or Algerians or terrorists," the official said.

In addition, a wounded Romanian who had been evacuated died, raising the overall death toll to at least 81.

"Now, of course, people will ask questions about the Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched a vicious and cowardly attack," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. Three Britons were killed and another three were feared dead.

On Monday, Philippine Foreign Affairs officials said six Filipinos were among the hostages killed. Spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters that 16 Filipinos have been accounted for and four others are still missing.

The dead hostages were also known to include at least one American and French workers. Nearly two dozen foreigners by some estimates were unaccounted for.

It was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final assault on the complex, which is run by the Algerian state oil company along with BP and Norway's Statoil.

Two private Algerian TV stations and an online news site said security forces scouring the plant found five militants hiding out and learned that three others had fled. That information could not be immediately confirmed by security officials.

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'Movie 43' is an ungodly gross-out epic that Hollywood’s A-list wants to forget

Halle Berry is one of dozens of A-list stars who appear in "Movie 43."

You’d think a movie starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts, Halle Berry, Richard Gere, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Banks and Terrence Howard — just to name a few — would have a prestigious December release date, a splashy premiere and a shot at the Oscars.

So why is “Movie 43” getting dumped — quickly and quietly — in theaters this Friday?

“The studio is not hiding it,” says producer Peter Farrelly. “We knew it would have to find its audience, and believe me, it will.”

Even if half of Hollywood is running the other way.

“Movie 43” was 10 years in the making. It’s the brainchild of Farrelly’s longtime producing partner Charlie Wessler, who wanted to make a “Kentucky Fried Movie” for the modern age.

No studio would touch it. Nor would a certain segment of the A-list: Farrelly says that when he approached George Clooney about playing himself in a sketch (the gag: George Clooney is bad at picking up women), Clooney told him, “No f--king way.”

None of the stars has promoted the film on talk shows or in magazines — which only generates more curiosity about what may the weirdest theatrical release ever.

Judging from the trailer, it’s not hard to see why most of the cast is keeping their distance. A loose assemblage of self-contained comedy sketches, “Movie 43” features Anna Faris as a young woman asking her boyfriend “Will you poop on me?”; Berry shoving her breasts in a bowl of guacamole; Jackman and Winslet on a first date, with Winslet distracted by the balls hanging from Jackman’s chin; Stone and Kieran Culkin fighting over who gave whom STDs; Gerard Butler as a leprechaun who threatens to cut off Johnny Knoxville’s “balls and feed ’em to ya!”

“I just want to reinforce that the movie wasn’t an attempt to shock,” says producer John Penotti. They did, after all, cut a sketch about necrophilia.

“That’ll be on the DVD,” Wessler says.

Initially, Trey Parker and Matt Stone — creators of “South Park” and “The Book of Mormon” — were involved, but they dropped out. So did the famed Zucker brothers (“Kentucky Fried Movie,” “Airplane!”).

“I pitched this thing to every studio,” Wessler says. “Every executive. Nannies at parties.”

Farrelly remained the biggest name on the project; in the mid-’90s, he and brother Bobby were responsible for hits such as “Dumb & Dumber,” “Kingpin” and “There’s Something About Mary.”

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Arrest made in death of Amityville boy, 4

Frank Eltman

Police investigate the death of an Amityville child's death.

AMITYVILLE — An arrest has been made in the slaying of a 4-year-old boy found alone inside a Long Island apartment after an anonymous 911 call, police said Saturday.

Jonathan Thompson, 31, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Adonis Reed, Suffolk County police said in a news release.

Adonis was found unconscious on a couch in an apartment in a private house on a quiet Amityville street on Wednesday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, and his death was classified as a homicide. Detectives said he showed signs of being assaulted.

Suffolk County police Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick told reporters Wednesday night that Adonis was "a victim of violence."

Thompson's home address is the same as the residence where the boy was found. He was arrested in Brooklyn with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Thompson was in custody Saturday and not immediately available for comment. He is scheduled to be arraigned later in the day.

Neighbor Eric Erath told reporters on Thursday that he used to see the little boy and his 6-year-old sister occasionally playing around the house, but he couldn't recall the last time. "Every time I used to see them, they were both very cheerful," said Erath, who lives next door.

He said he never saw any signs of abuse. "I do not believe anything like that happened," he said.

The boy's sister was in the custody of county child welfare officials, police said. It wasn't clear if the children lived at the apartment.

The apartment house where the boy's body was found is in a middle-class neighborhood with a hodgepodge of old and new architecture. The apartment is in a two-story Victorian-style house with yellow shingles.

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Deadly Algeria hostage crisis not over, British officials warn

ALGIERS, Algeria — An Algerian military raid to free hostages from at least 10 countries and wipe out their Islamist militant captors unleashed bloody chaos at a remote Sahara natural gas complex, and the British government said Friday the operation was not yet over.

The fate of the fighters and many of the captives remained uncertain amid dueling claims from the Algerian military and the Islamists. Leaders around the world whose citizens were kidnapped by the militants expressed strong concerns about how Algeria was handing the situation.

Algeria's government said the raid was over late Thursday night. But both Britain's Foreign Office and U.S. officials said Friday the desert conflict with the terrorists was "ongoing."

Manuel Valls, France's interior minister, said the situation remained murky.

At least six people, and perhaps many more, were killed — among them Britons, Filipinos and Algerians. Terrorized hostages from Ireland and Norway trickled out of the Ain Amenas plant, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) south of Algiers, the capital.

Dozens more energy workers remained unaccounted for — Americans, Britons, French, Norwegians, Romanians, Malaysians, Japanese, Algerians — as well as the fighters themselves.

"This remains a fluid and evolving situation and many details are still unclear, but the responsibility for the tragic events of the last two days squarely rests with terrorists who chose to attack innocent workers, murdering some and holding others hostage," British Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News.

Algeria's army-dominated government, hardened by decades of fighting Islamist militants, shrugged aside foreign offers of help and drove ahead alone, keeping a tight control of information even to Western leaders.

On Friday, Algeria's ambassador to Japan was summoned and told that Japan demanded that Algeria prioritize hostages' lives and cooperate more closely.

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke twice to his Algerian counterpart on Thursday and was "prepared for bad news," Britain's Foreign Office said.

A U.S. official said while some Americans escaped, other Americans were either still held or unaccounted for. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was briefed early Friday, according to a senior defense official, who offered no other details because "we view it as a sensitive, ongoing situation." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The U.S. government sent an unmanned surveillance drone to the BP-operated site, near the border with Libya, but it could do little more than watch Thursday's military intervention.

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NYPD Commissioner Kelly's approval rating reaches all-time high: poll

AP

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly is experiencing the highest approval rating of his career, a Quinnipiac University poll shows.

If Ray Kelly has even the slightest inclination to enter the race for mayor he might want to do so right now.

A Quinnipiac University poll out today showed the police commissioner riding a wave of popularity with the highest approval rating of his career, a sky-high 75 percent positive rating and only 18 percent negative.

Even black voters, who might have issues with the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactics, were won over by Kelly, 63 to 27 percent.

Mayor Bloomberg, Kelly's boss, had a 56-37 percent approval mark.

The Police Department scored the second-highest marks since the poll began asking the question about its performance, with a 70-23 approval grade. The only time the numbers for the force were higher was in February 2002, the aftermath of 9/11.

“Perhaps because of the Newtown massacre or because of the recent announcement that murder in the Big Apple is at an all-time low, or both, New York City voters like their top cop and all their cops even more,” said poll director Maurice Carroll.

Kelly's enormous appeal spilled into political arena.

Voters by a 63-19 percent margin said they'd be more inclined to support a mayoral candidatewho promised to keep Kelly in the commissioner's job.

That's good news for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the only one of the major Democratic mayoral contenders whohinted she would re-hire Kelly during a forum Tuesday night sponsored by the Rev. Al Sharpton in Harlem.

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BREAKING: Feds rounding up mobsters in massive metro-area sweep

The feds this morning are conducting a sweeping series of arrests around the metro area in connection with a long-running investigation into continued Mafia control of the private garbage-hauling industry, The Post has learned.

Those arrested are being driven to Manhattan for booking and arraignment later today in Manhattan Federal Court.

The arrests began a short time ago. By the time the sweep is over, officials said they anticipate having more than 20 people in custody, among them reputed members of at least three of New York's five Mafia families. The investigation and arrests are a joint effort between the FBI and police in New York City and the suburbs.

FBI spokeswoman Kelly Langmesser declined to comment.

josh.margolin@nypost.com

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VOTE for the worst liar in history

Lance Armstrong’s lies weren’t the first to lead to a stunning crash. Here is a list of the rest of history’s 10 all-time greatest liars, a rogues gallery of devious dissemblers who can all be enshrined in the forked tongue Hall of Shame.

AFP/Getty Images


RICHARD NIXON — You know when a guy says “I am not a crook,” watch out. “Tricky Dick” Nixon took presidential perfidy to new heights, when he went on TV on August 15, 1973 and said “I had no prior knowledge of the Watergate break-in.” A year later, he resigned.

AP



BERNIE MADOFF — He was more of a Ponzi King than the scam’s inventor, Charles Ponzi. Madoff pretended to be one of the most savvy investors in New York, but his firm was a bogus house of cards that wound up costing his investors $50 billion when it collapsed. Now Bernie cooling his heels in prison.

Spencer A. Burnett

TAWANA BRAWLEY — Her lie set racial tensions in New York to boiling in the 1980s. The Dutchess County teen falsely claimed to have been abducted and raped by a group of men, including a cop and a prosecutor. In 1988, a grand jury found her story was a horrific hoax.

AP

JOHN EDWARDS — A slick haircut doesn’t mean you’re honest. The clean-cut Edwards went from possible President to loathed liar when — after two years of denials — he admitted in 2010 to siring a love child with mistress Rielle Hunter while his wife, Elizabeth, was dying of cancer.

AP

MILLI VANILLI — Their album may have been called “Girl You Know It’s True, ” but it was really a big lie. The “musical” duo of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, became laughing stocks in 1990 when they had to return their Grammy for best new artist after it was revealed they did not actually sing the songs on the album.

AP

ANTHONY WEINER — Sure, you were “hacked” Mr. Weiner. When a picture of the Queens Congressman’s “member” wound up on the internet he tried to claim he got shafted — by a hacker to stole the picture and put it on line. Later it was revealed that he actually sent the pic to a young woman who was not his wife. He finally admitted “I have not been honest,” and short time later resigned.

AP

PETE ROSE — He was known as “Charlie Hustle.” It was an appropriate nickname. Baseball’s all time hit leader denied for years that he ever gambled on baseball, even though he was banned from the game in 1989. Then in 2004, he admitted he did place bets on the national passtime, and even bet on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds “every night.”

AP

MARION JONES — She lost her golds on the track, but still takes top honors for lying. The disgraced track star had the five medals she won in the 2000 Summer Olympics stripped for doping, charges she initially denied. She was later sentenced to six months in jail for lying to federal prosecutors who were probing use of steroids.

PINOCCHIO — History’s all time greatest liar, this little wooden “boy” wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him. His fibs were so devious that they actually made his nose grow, making him the forerunner of all politicians throughout history.

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Alliance between Mafia, bikers and cartel fueled NYC's marijuana trade: DEA probe

A rogues’-gallery alliance among the Canadian Mafia, outlaw bikers and a Mexican drug cartel supplied New York City with nearly a billion dollars in marijuana until the feds crashed the party, according to authorities and new court documents.

And what a party it was.

French Canadian drug kingpin Jimmy “Cosmo” Cournoyer made enough dough for a jet-set lifestyle, complete with a stunning model girlfriend and parties that drew unwitting stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, sources told The Post.

A five-year probe by the DEA and police from Laval, Quebec, where Cournoyer once lived, revealed that his network allegedly specialized in growing and distributing potent hydroponic marijuana cultivated in British Columbia.

WireImage

Amelia Racine

Cournoyer, now awaiting trial in Brooklyn federal court, organized the “vast international drug-trafficking enterprise that has been in existence for more than a decade,’’ prosecutor Steven Tiscione wrote in recent court papers.

“The illegal narcotics distributed worldwide by members of the criminal enterprise have a retail value of more than $1 billion, conservatively,” Tiscione wrote to a federal judge.

Until his recent bust, Cournoyer, 33, tried to stay one step ahead of the law in Quebec by garaging his astronomically expensive Bugatti Veyron and instead tooling around town in a Porsche Cayenne to throw off Canadian police surveillance teams, sources said.

The Porsche belonged to the slick drug lord’s catwalk gal pal, Amelia Racine, a willowy Canadian-Brazilian brunette who has modeled in Europe, sources said.

Her jailed brother, Mario Racine, was allegedly the gang’s trusted lieutenant. He is now awaiting extradition to stand trial along with Cournoyer in Brooklyn, officials said.

One of Cournoyer’s biggest customers in New York City was reputed Bonanno crime-family associate John “Big Man” Venizelos, who is currently out on bail in the case, according to sources and the documents.

Looking less like an alleged mobster and more like a day trader with his Ralph Lauren pastels, nautical-flag belts, Polo loafers and horn-rimmed glasses, Venizelos keeps a downtown Manhattan pad and holds a “straight job” managing “Jaguars 3,”a Brooklyn nightspot, sources said.The club is overseen by Vincent “Vinny Green” Faraci, a reputed Bonanno soldier who formerly managed the “Crazy Horse Too” strip club in Las Vegas, the sources added.

Cournoyer was nabbed last spring after stepping off a jet in Mexico as a wanted man.

At the time, he refused to board a US-bound commercial plane to the States, throwing a series of tantrums right out of the Robert De Niro comedy “Midnight Run,” in which the main character fakes a panic attack.

Cornoyer’s antics forced a total of four plane changes over two days before he was eventually flown to New York City to await trial.

The pot supply under his domain was transported in motor homes and trucks across Canada with the help of the Hells Angels, officials said. The motorcycle gang and the Montreal mob then smuggled the pot from Quebec into upstate New York, authorities said. Trucks delivered it to a warehouse in Brooklyn, sources said.

Millions of dollars generated by the marijuana sales were eventually used to buy cocaine from Joaquin Guzmán Loera, the leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel — with the sale of the coke further financing the marijuana operation in Canada, feds say.

That coke was smuggled north into Canada where it was resold — with part of the profits underwriting the massive marijuana pipeline supplying New York City, according to sources and court documents.The enterprise relied on blood relations: Luc Cournoyer, Jimmy’s cousin, is now serving time after he was caught driving a motor home filled with pot, officials and sources said.
Jimmy’s brother, Joey Cournoyer — seen in a Facebook photo partying with the unwitting DiCaprio in a bar in Europe — was a crew member who has not been charged yet, although the probe is ongoing, sources said.
Also in the photo was Jimmy’s close pal, Ultimate Fighting world champ Georges St-Pierre.

Jimmy Cournoyer’s lawyer, Gerald McMahon, promises a vigorous court battle. Venizelos’ lawyer, John Meringolo insisted that $100,000-plus found in his house by DEA agents isn’t drug cash.

mmaddux@nypost.com

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Egypt court grants Mubarak appeal, orders retrial

REUTERS

A court granted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence.

CAIRO — A court granted Hosni Mubarak's appeal of his life sentence in a Sunday hearing, ordering a retrial of the ousted Egyptian president on charges that he failed to prevent the killing of hundreds of protesters during the uprising that toppled his regime nearly two years ago.

The ruling read out by judge Ahmed Ali Abdel-Rahman during a brief hearing also granted the appeal of Mubarak's security chief Habib el-Adly, who is also serving a life sentence after his conviction on the same charges. He too will be retried.

No date has been set for the start of their retrial.

The ruling came one day after a prosecutor placed a new detention order on Mubarak over gifts worth millions of Egyptian pounds (hundreds of thousands of US dollars) he and other regime officials allegedly received from Egypt's top newspaper as a show of loyalty while he was in power.

The public funds prosecutor ordered Mubarak held for 15 days pending the completion of the investigation. Mubarak, 84, was moved to a Cairo military hospital last month after slipping inside a prison bathroom and injuring himself.

Mubarak's two sons, one-time heir apparent Gamal and businessman Alaa, are in prison while on trial for alleged insider trading and using their influence to buy state land at a fraction of its market price. The two were acquitted of corruption charges in the same case as Mubarak, but judge Abdel-Rahman on Sunday said the court has granted the prosecution's appeal against their not-guilty verdict.

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Suspects sought in TV cooking-show crew member's Brooklyn slaying

A former Brooklyn café owner who worked on the set of ABC’s “The Chew” was shot dead on a Bedford-Stuyvesant street in an apparent robbery attempt, police sources said yesterday.

Ivan Giovanettina, 41, had “some sort of altercation” with two men who approached him at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday on Macon Street, two blocks from his home, the sources said.

Giovanettina at one point began chasing the men, when one of them turned and shot him in the lower back, sources added.

He was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.

IVAN GIOVANETTINA Apparent mugging victim.

Police believe the motive was robbery, even though Gionvanettina’s wallet, with $250 in it, was still at his apartment and his iPhone was found near his body.

Friends said they believe the victim had only gone out for cigarettes or food.

Giovanettina, from Switzerland, was a co-owner of the now-closed Blu York coffee shop in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

“He’s just someone everybody would want to have as a friend,” said roommate Alex Wilson. “He takes care of us.”

Video surveillance from a nearby store shows the suspects, wearing hooded jackets, walking by Tompkins Avenue and Halsey Street prior to the shooting. No arrests had been made as of late yesterday.

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Man gunned down in Bed-Stuy

A man was gunned down in Bedford-Stuyvesant Thursday night, according to police.

The man, described by cops as a white male in his 30s, was shot in the torso near the corner of Macon Street and Throop Avenue at around 9:30 p.m., authorities said.

He was transported to Kings County Hospital where he later died.

Police are still investigating. No arrests have been made.

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Barclays Center unveils massive 70-foot-long mural

Barclays Center officials unveiled a 70-foot-long mural Wednesday.

Barclays Center honchos yesterday unveiled a new 70-foot-long by 10-foot-wide mural they say captures the borough’s energy and vitality.

Fort Greene artist José Parlá’s site-specific work --- which is visible from arena’s Dean Street entrance – was inspired by the book “Brooklyn Is” by James Agee and the artist’s personal experiences living blocks away and watching the Nets’ 18,000-seat new home being built. Parlá – who’s work appears nearby at Brooklyn Academy of Music Fisher Theater – is a favorite of rap-mogul Jay-Z, who owns a small stake in the Nets, and Jay-Z's wife Beyonce.

“The painting, Diary of Brooklyn, is a personal document of my experiences living in Brooklyn for almost 20 years,” Parlá said. “The writing of the diary, however, is written expressionistically illegible in hopes that the painting itself is transformed and received as the personal diary of individual viewers from Brooklyn, or visiting and experiencing the city.

"The painting is also in homage to the borough's history and includes quotes from the book, 'Brooklyn Is: Southeast of the Island' by classic American writer James Agee.”

The mural is among a series of visual arts projects being installed throughout the new arena, including new commissions inspired by the creative energy of the borough and installations that celebrate the lives of the people in Brooklyn. They will include Mickalene Thomas’s monumental mural combining photo collage and painting to depict the Brooklyn cityscape; and two works by OpenEndedGroup, a collaborative of three digital artists—Marc Downie, Shelley Eshkar, and Paul Kaiser—that will be displayed on the Barclays Center Oculus, a 3,000-square-foot, 360-degree LED marquee outside the Center’s main entrance.

“As the Barclays Center becomes a new crossroads for Brooklyn, it is also defining a new model for the role that sports and entertainment arenas can play in the life of their communities,” said arena developer Bruce Ratner.

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Kennedy kid sues nurses

A son of the late Robert F. Kennedy who was acquitted of criminal charges in a maternity-ward scuffle is suing two nurses who said on TV that he hurt them.

Douglas Kennedy alleges defamation and malicious prosecution stemming from a legal battle with the pair, who said he physically harassed them after his son’s birth.

The suit, filed in White Plains, doesn’t specify damages.

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Two struck by Chinatown bus

William Miller

Two pedestrians were struck Monday night by a Brooklyn-bound Fung Wah line bus just as it was pulling onto the Manhattan Bridge.

The accident happened at around 11 p.m. in the crosswalk at Canal Street and Bowery, across the street from the Chinatown bus company’s office, cops said.The victims are in stable condition. The driver of the bus is not expected to be charged, cops said.

It is unclear if the bus was carrying passengers at the time of the accident.

The accident snagged traffic across Canal Street for at least two hours, holding up a fleet of massive high-end yachts fresh from the New York Boat Show at the Javits Center.

"You have to have an even temper driving these huge, oversized trucks through New York City, but I can tell you, the first thing I thought about was the poor guy driving that bus,” said Brian Christensen, 51, of Florida, who was towing an $800,000, 50 foot-Prestige 500 yacht to Staten Island. “It’s crazy driving down here. People just jump right out."

Additional reporting by Natasha Velez

William Miller

Anchors a-wait: The accident left yachts from a boat show stuck in traffic near the Manhattan Bridge.

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Lindsay Lohan due in NYC court

RICHARD SHOTWELL/INVISION/AP

Lindsay Lohan is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

NEW YORK — Actress Lindsay Lohan is scheduled to appear in court to face assault charges in connection with a fight at a Manhattan nightclub.

She's charged with misdemeanor assault in the Nov. 29 incident at Club Avenue.

She allegedly struck a woman in the face with her hand after getting into a spat with her.

She's due in criminal court Monday where she'll learn whether prosecutors will pursue the case against her.

At the time of her arrest, her attorney, Mark Heller, said Lohan was "a victim of someone trying to capture their 15 minutes of fame."

In September, she was involved in an NYPD investigation after alleging a man assaulted her in a hotel. Charges against the man were later dropped.

Her films include "Liz and Dick" and "The Canyons."

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Gun show and sale held an hour’s drive from scene of Newtown murders

Defiant gun dealers ignored protesters and put their wares on sale at a controversial arms expo yesterday just an hour’s drive from the site of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre.

The eighth annual East Coast Fine Arms Show, held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Stamford, features about 250 tables and was held despite the objections of Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, who called it “untimely and insensitive.”

“I don’t see it as a problem, because it’s the person who did it, not the gun,” said vendor Stuart English, 51, who hawks antique guns made before 1899.

“No one shoots up places with antique guns. If it was a modern gun show, I’d say it was insensitive.”

William Vollmer, husband of Sandy Hook Elementary teacher Janet Vollmer, told The Post that the gun display was “in very poor taste.”

Janet Vollmer locked her classroom door, saving 19 young lives, as Lanza rampaged through the school. She and her students survived the attack.

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Quake hits Alaska, but waves don't pose a threat

USGS

An earthquake struck at midnight Friday off the coast of Alaska.

JUNEAU, Alaska — A strong earthquake shook parts of southern Alaska and coastal Canada this morning, but officials say the waves don't pose a serious threat.

A tsunami warning was issued after the magnitude 7.6 quake struck at midnight Friday and was centered about 60 miles west of Craig.

That warning was canceled about an hour later.

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WATCH: Mayor Bloomberg 'helps' Knicks, discusses Rockettes

Paul J. Bereswill

Mayor Bloomberg attended Thursday's Knicks game - and may have unwittingly contributed to New York's victory.

Mayor Bloomberg's hunger may have helped the Knicks.

Bloomberg was sitting courtside at Thursday's Knicks-Spurs game when he evidently decided to order a box of popcorn.

As the waitress bent down near Hizzoner, Spurs forward Stephen Jackson took a shot, stepped backward and tripped over the waitress, spraining his ankle.

The Knicks, down 17-14 at the time of Jackson's injury, won the game 100-83.

Bloomberg also appeared on last night's episode of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," making fun of the host's scruffy look while discussing his turn with the Rockettes on New Year's Eve.

Getty Images for DCP

Mayor Bloomberg kicks his leg on New Year's Eve with the Rockettes.

"I couldn't get my leg as high up as they could," Hizzoner said, describing a photo showing his high-kicking moves alongside the dancers.

"We should have CGI'd that," Fallon responded.

Bloomberg also discussed his gun control platform with Fallon - a fitting topic, given the nighttime gunfire that later injured three police officers.

"There's just too many guns in the world, and certainly in this country, we've gotta do something about it," he said.

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Sex woes my fault, Letterman spills to Oprah

CBS

Late-night host David Letterman opened up to Oprah Winfrey.

And the No. 1 person David Letterman blames for his sex scandal: David Letterman.

Although a former CBS producer went to jail for extortion after trying to sell for $2 million his silence about the late-night host's illicit affairs, Letterman says he holds himself responsible for the fallout.

"I have no one to blame but myself," Letterman tells Oprah Winfrey in an interview with the media maven airing Sunday on her OWN network. "And now, I feel better about myself, my relationship with my wife is never better, and it's just because I want to be the person I always thought I was and probably was pretending I was.

"And so far, it's been great. Things have been great. I hurt a lot of people. I have nobody to blame but myself. I'm not looking to blame anybody. I'm looking to find out why I behaved the way I behaved."

Letterman also tells Winfrey in the "Oprah's Next Chapter" interview that the top position on his funny-man list goes to, of all people, Jay Leno.

"I've never met anyone quite like Jay," Letterman says. "And I will say and I'm happy to say that I think he is the funniest guy I've ever known. Just flat out, if you go to see him do his nightclub act, just the funniest."

The interview was a breakthrough of its own. Winfrey and Letterman had squabbled for years, and promos for the interview said Winfrey would reveal the "true reason" behind their feud.

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NY area lawmakers furious after House GOP scraps vote on Sandy aid

WASHINGTON — New York area-lawmakers in both parties erupted in anger late Tuesday night after learning the House Republican leadership decided to allow the current term of Congress to end without holding a vote on aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he was told by the office of Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia that Speaker John Boehner of Ohio had decided to abandon a vote this session.

Cantor, who sets the House schedule, did not immediately comment. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland told reporters that just before Tuesday evening's vote on "fiscal cliff" legislation, Cantor told him that he was "99.9 percent confident that this bill would be on the floor, and that's what he wanted."

A spokesman for Boehner, Michael Steel said, "The speaker is committed to getting this bill passed this month."

In remarks on the House floor, King called the decision "absolutely inexcusable, absolutely indefensible. We cannot just walk away from our responsibilities."

The Senate approved a $60.4 billion measure Friday to help with recovery from the October storm that devastated parts of New York, New Jersey and nearby states. The House Appropriations Committee has drafted a smaller, $27 billion measure, and a vote had been expected before Congress' term ends Thursday at noon.

More than $2 billion in federal funds has been spent so far on relief efforts for 11 states and the District of Columbia struck by the storm, one of the worst ever to hit the Northeast. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund still has about $4.3 billion, enough to pay for recovery efforts into early spring, according to officials. The unspent FEMA money can only be used for emergency services, said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are receiving federal aid.

Sandy was blamed for at least 120 deaths and battered coastline areas from North Carolina to Maine. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit states and suffered high winds, flooding and storm surges. The storm damaged or destroyed more than 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey. In New York, 305,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed and more than 265,000 businesses were affected.

"This is an absolute disgrace and the speaker should hang his head in shame," said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

"I'm here tonight saying to myself for the first time that I'm not proud of the decision my team has made," said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. "It is the wrong decision, and I' m going to be respectful and ask that the speaker reconsider his decision. Because it's not about politics, it's about human lives."

"I truly feel betrayed this evening," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.

"We need to be there for all those in need now after Hurricane Sandy," said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.

The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said she didn't know whether a decision has been made and added, "We cannot leave here doing nothing. That would be a disgrace."

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