'Dark horse' exploring 2012 run

Washington (CNN) -- He does not have the megawatt celebrity status of Sarah Palin, but he doesn't have the political baggage, either.

Nor does he have as much money in his political action committee as that of other potential presidential candidates. In fact, if you mention his name in many circles, the response may be, "Who is that?"

Herman Cain is a conservative African-American Republican who's a radio talk show host based in Atlanta. He might be the first to announce that he's running for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

Cain, who's fond of getting laughs by calling himself the "dark horse" in the presidential guessing game, announced Wednesday that he's forming a presidential exploratory committee. In an interview with CNN, Cain explained his intentions.

"We have taken the step of hiring some key staff already such that, when I am in the exploratory phase, I will be able to really make a good assessment of whether I can get the nomination and ultimately go on to win the presidency," he said.

He added, "So in fact, establishing the exploratory committee is one of the main vehicles in which you can go out and start to raise funds."

Nearly 400 dead in Brazil flood disaster

BRAZIL is grappling with its worst natural disaster in more than four decades, a calamitous collapse of rain-soaked hillsides near Rio that has killed nearly 400 people.

The disaster zone is a mountainous area just north of Rio de Janeiro known as the Serrana.

Freakish storms there on Wednesday dumped the equivalent of a months' rain in just a few hours, sending mudslides and fierce torrents slicing through towns and hamlets, destroying homes, roads and bridges and knocking out telephone and power lines.

At least 378 people died, according to local officials and media in the worst affected towns of Novo Friburgo, Teresopolis and Petropolis.

The death toll was expected to rise further as rescuers arrived on Thursday in remote hamlets, many cut off to all but helicopter access.

"One woman tried to save her children but her two-month-old baby was carried away by a torrent like a doll," sobbed Angela, a 55-year-old resident of Teresopolis who saw the destruction.

Pakistan fines two channels for Taseer murder coverage

Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri is viewed
by some as a hero for killing Salman Taseer

Two Pakistani television channels have been fined for breaching regulations in their coverage of the 4 January killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.

The stations, Samaa and Waqt TV, were ordered to pay one million rupees each ($11,670) by media regulator, Pemra.

It said they had encouraged terrorism and shown bloodshed by repeatedly airing an interview with Mumtaz Qadri, who has admitted killing Mr Taseer.

Websites should also stop spreading violence, Pemra's head told the BBC.

Although many in Pakistan condemned the assassination, some religious leaders have praised the governor's killer.

The governor - a senior member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - had recently angered Islamists by appealing for a Christian woman, sentenced to death for blasphemy, to be pardoned.

Ghana hit with Olympic suspension

(CNN) -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Ghana on Wednesday in a move which could prevent the west-African country from competing in the 2012 London Games.

The IOC cited "political interference" from the Ghanaian government as the reason behind the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ghana's expulsion.

"The IOC has deployed every possible effort in order to help resolve the situation that the NOC of Ghana has been facing for 18 months and find a long-term solution with all parties concerned," read an IOC press release.

The statement went on to claim that an "obvious lack of cooperation of the government authorities in Ghana and a lack of respect of the Ghana public authorities" led to the nation's ban.

Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, claimed Ghana's suspension was as a result of the county's sports laws, which "do not respect the provisions of the Olympic charter."

"There have been many promises that the law would be changed but nothing materialized," Rogge told reporters at the organization's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

As a result of the IOC's decision, Ghana will also lose its Olympic funding.

Ghana have won four medals at previous summer games, with Clement Quartey their most successful medalist after he claimed a silver in the men's light welterweight boxing division at the 1960 Rome Games.

Eddie Blay claimed a bronze medal for the country in the same discipline four years later in Tokyo, while Prince Amartey also achieved a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 1972 Munich Games.

Ghana's last Olympic medal was in 1992, when their men's football team came third in Barcelona.

NASA names backup for Giffords husband for shuttle

WASHINGTON (AP) -- NASA has named a backup commander, if necessary, to take the place of the astronaut husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot last week.

The space agency emphasized that Capt. Mark Kelly, who is Giffords' husband of more than three years, is still the commander for the final scheduled flight of the space shuttle program. Endeavour is scheduled to launch on April 19 on a trip to the International Space Station.

Kelly said in a written statement released by NASA that he recommended to the space agency that they "take steps now to prepare to complete the mission in my absence if necessary."

Chief astronaut Peggy Whitson said the move allows Kelly to keep his attention on his family.