USA
Severe thunderstorm warnings were in effect Monday in parts of Minnesota and Missouri the day after a tornado in northeast Iowa killed at least seven people. The deaths occurred even though a warning system is in place, an Iowa Homeland Security administrator said.
Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia was selected as the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate Sunday in Denver. He said he expects to qualify for the national debates by receiving support of at least 15 percent of registered voters in political polls. Meanwhile, Mike Gravel, a former senator from Alaska who recently dropped out of the Democratic presidential race, said he has ended his political career.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama pinch-hit Sunday for Sen. Edward Kennedy at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., after Kennedy bowed out citing health issues. Obama told the graduates, including Kennedy's stepdaughter, that Americans might disagree on the issues, but "we can be unified in service to a greater good."
On a day in which a succession of yellow caution flags slowed the Indianapolis 500, New Zealand's Scott Dixon pulled away over the final 29 laps to capture his first Indy victory Sunday. Danica Patrick, who had become the first woman to win an Indy car race earlier this season, ran among the top 10 until another driver, Ryan Briscoe, clipped her car as he pulled out of the pits, ending her day with 29 laps to go.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he intends to use city streets for urban recreation, and has officials working on a Sunday Healthways initiative in which streets would be partially closed Sunday mornings so that bicyclists, joggers, in-line skaters, and others can more freely use them for outdoor exercise.
Subway ridership in Los Angeles increased 14 percent during the first three months of the year, according to the BBC News.
Indianapolis has landed the 2012 Super Bowl by edging out Phoenix for the honor in a National Football League vote. League officials and team owners cited a privately funded plan to build a $9 million athletic practice facility in a low-income neighborhood as a key factor in awarding Indianapolis its first Super Bowl. Public schools will use the facility after the game.
