Thanksgiving day

The Thanksgiving day is a holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States. Traditionally, it is a day of thanks for the harvest of the autumn. The name in the English language is Thanksgiving and in French, Jour of l'Action of grâces. In the United States the fourth Thursday of November is celebrated, although originally the last Thursday was made. In Canada the second Monday of October is celebrated.

Tornado, high winds slam south

var clickExpire = "12/15/2006";

SUMRALL, Mississippi (AP) -- Lines of powerful thunderstorms packing possible tornadoes and heavy rain raced across parts of the South early Wednesday, killing one man in Louisiana and injuring at least eight people in Mississippi and killing one man in Louisiana.

More injuries were reported in Arkansas, where the wind toppled at least five tractor-trailer rigs along Interstate 40 and damaged a hotel.

The man killed near Greensburg, Louisiana, was in a trailer covered by a wooden structure when the tornado hit shortly before dawn, said Maj. Michael Martin of the St. Helena sheriff's office.

"It was total destruction," Martin said.

He said one or more tornadoes damaged buildings and power lines and downed trees along a path about 2 miles wide and 3 to 4 miles long.

Several buildings were reported damaged in southeastern Louisiana's Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, near the Mississippi state line, and more than 40 homes were damaged or destroyed in four counties in southwestern Mississippi.

Soldier pleads guilty in Iraq killings

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) -- One of four U.S. soldiers accused of raping an Iraqi girl last spring and killing her and her family pleaded guilty Wednesday and will testify against the others. Spc. James P. Barker agreed to the plea deal to avoid the death penalty, said his civilian attorney, David Sheldon. The killings March 12 in Mahmoudiya, a village about 20 miles south of Baghdad, were among the worst in a series of alleged attacks on civilians and other abuses by military personnel in Iraq. Sgt. Paul E. Cortez and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, both members of the 101st Airborne Division with Barker, could face the death penalty if convicted in the case in courts-martial at Fort Campbell. The alleged ringleader, former Army private Steve Green, 21, pleaded not guilty last week to charges including murder and sexual assault. Green was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" before the allegations became known, and prosecutors have yet to say if they will pursue the death penalty against him. The indictment accuses Green and others of raping the girl and burning her body to conceal their crimes. It also alleges that Green and four others stationed at a nearby checkpoint killed the girl's father, mother and 6-year-old sister. Barker has given investigators vivid accounts of the assault.