Bin Laden sons decry extra-judicial killing

Omar Osama bin Laden seen in Cairo, Egypt in this undated photo.

Several adult sons of Osama bin Laden have condemned the United States’ killing of the al Qaeda leader, saying the assassination of an unarmed man violates international law and that bin Laden — whatever his crimes — should have been captured and given a fair trial.

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Google Looks to Twitter As a Social Layer for News

Google is apparently testing the integration of Twitter within Google News, according to a report from Search Engine Land, which in turn was based on a tip from a reader who apparently saw the experiment in action and posted a snapshot of what it looked like on Twitter. The feature adds a small box to the right-hand side of the page that allows users to login with their Twitter credentials and then “see when people you follow are talking about the news.” Search Engine Land even found a help page about the experiment. The description of the feature says that it will allow users to “find news articles that your friends are sharing on Twitter,” but notes that the new Friends section will only show articles that can be found in Google News.

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Warner Bros Gets Into the Etiquette Business

Listen up guys: in keeping with the theory that you’re all a bunch of uncouth and impolite good-for-nothings, Warner Bros is taking it upon themselves to teach you how to be proper gentlemen.

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Is Manned Spaceflight Obsolete?

NASA Edward White, the Gemini 4 astronaut, during the first U.S. space walk in 1965.

The Obama administration has scrapped NASA’s plan to return humans to the Moon by 2020, which was behind schedule because of technical and budgetary problems. Instead, the administration will focus on developing new technologies to make long-distance space travel cheaper and faster, with astronaut trips to the Moon, asteroids and Mars possible in the future.

In the Opinion section

• Editorial: A New Space Program

Is this shift of priorities the right path to take? Why go to the expense, effort and risk of using astronauts when unmanned machines can do so much? Or are there benefits to human space exploration that can’t be achieved with robots?

• John Derbyshire, author, “We Are Doomed”
• John M. Logsdon, George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute
• Seth Shostak, astronomer, SETI Institute

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Google to Offer Fast Net Service as Trial to Spur Providers

SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Wednesday introduced a plan to offer ultra-high-speed Internet access to consumers in a test intended to showcase the potential new uses of broadband networks once such speeds become commonplace.

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Michael Jackson Kids Prep Acceptance Speech

Prince and Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson‘s two oldest children, have been sweating over addressing the audience at tonight’s Special Merit Awards ceremony .. where their dad will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Joe Jackson tells TMZ Prince and Paris have each prepared a speech. Joe says they are both great speakers and Paris has been working on her speech for a week.

As for the buzz that the kids will perform at the Grammys on Sunday — Joe says it ain’t happening.

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A History Of Political Sex Tapes

John Edwards should have known better than to let his videographer/lovah bring her camera into the bedroom. Andrew Young—the former Edwards’ staffer who originally took the fall for having the affair with Hunter—described finding the tape in Rielle Hunter’s trash in his book and he’ll be appearing on “Nightline” and “20/20” tonight to describe exactly what was on it. Hunter is in court as we speak, trying to get a restraining order for the tape to be kept under wraps. If she doesn’t, who knows what could happen? Let’s just say that more than a few people would be interested in watching.

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Ethiopian jet crash deaths rise, 23 bodies found

At least 23 bodies have been pulled from the water in a frantic search effort as debris wash up on the Lebanon coast

More bodies have been pulled from the water after an Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people caught fire and crashed into the Mediterranean shortly after takeoff from Beirut.

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John Mayer’s Advice to Tiger Woods: Masturbation

In a bizarre new interview with Rolling Stone, John Mayer speaks candidly about past loves and how masturbation could solve all your problems.

John Mayer is on the cover of the current issue of Rolling Stone. In an article titled “John Mayer: Dirty and Lonely Heart,” the 32-year-old opens up about an array of issues and gives Tiger Woods some much needed (and strange) advice. Mayer says Wood’s problems could have been solved by masturbation. Mayer should know, saying, “I have masturbated myself out of serious problems in my life. The phone doesn’t pick up because I’m masturbating. And I have excused myself at the oddest times so as to not make mistakes.”

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Miranda Kerr Is From Down Under, But She Prefers Nothing Up Top

Seriously, the model and rumored-fiancee of Orlando Bloom is always posing for magazines without a shirt. Though I suppose I would too, if I had her body and/or anyone asked.

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