It looks as if Rupert Murdoch was even closer to Tony Blair than was previously believed. In an interview with Vogue, Murdoch’s wife, Wendi, said the former British prime minister is godfather to her 9-year-old daughter Grace, and was present at her baptism as well as that of their other daughter, Chloe, 8. Earlier reports said Australian actors Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were Grace’s godparents. Blair’s spokesman refused to comment, while a News Corp. spokesman confirmed the report. Blair had previously appeared reluctant to condemn News International for the phone-hacking scandal, and had frequently come under fire for his close connections to Murdoch after Murdoch’s Sun tabloid famously crossed party lines to endorse Blair in 1997. Wendi Murdoch said it is “unfair” that her 80-year-old husband has been subject to the phone-hacking investigation and said she worries “about him being alone” in Britain with all the scrutiny.

Where was Col. Muammar Gaddafi getting his weaponry during the final days of his power? Documents recently obtained by a Canadian journalist suggest Gaddafi and his security forces received ammunition from China—a country that opposed NATO’s intervention in Libya but supported an arms embargo by a United Nations resolution. The documents, which include a memo from Libyan security officials detailing a Beijing shopping trip, appear to show that state-controlled Chinese arms manufacturers were offering $200 million of rocket launchers, antitank missiles, portable surface-to-air missiles designed to bring down aircraft, and other weapons and munitions. The U.S. State Department said they were unaware of such documents and would have to analyze them, while a senior NATO official in Brussels said it was highly unlikely the documents were real—despite that officials said they were authentic. The rebels said they had been suspicious of a link.

Tropical Storm Lee continued to dump heavy rain Sunday on Louisiana and Texas as it moved north toward the Appalachian region and was downgraded to a tropical depression. Extensive flooding was reported in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and while flooding was reported in parts of New Orleans, the levees appeared to be holding up through the storm. Despite the downgrade of the storm, National Weather Center officials worried about flash flooding in the Appalachian region as the storm moved north, as the area is similar to Vermont. Meanwhile, Hurricane Katia strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean with 105 mph winds. While the storm is expected to veer north and not make landfall in the U.S., officials warned it will cause dangerous rip currents on the East Coast.

Two people in Mexico are facing terror charges and 30 years in prison over tweets they allegedly sent—the most serious charges relating to social media. On Aug. 25, Gilberto Martinez Vera tweeted, “My sister-in-law just called me all upset, they just kidnapped five children from the school.” Maria de Jesus Bravo Pagola, a teacher, also tweeted the warnings about violence in schools, when no such events were occurring. The pair’s defense attorneys said their clients were just repeating rumors they had heard. The city of Veracruz, which was already on edge because of drug-related violence, reportedly had 26 car accidents and people leaving their cars in the middle of the streets to run and pick up their children—all because they thought things were occurring at their kids’ schools. Defense lawyers said their clients were not allowed to see a lawyer for three days.

Is the Tea Party splintering? The Tea Party protest movement got a few protesters of their own Sunday when around 25 people turned out Sunday to speak out against Mitt Romney’s appearance at a Tea Party Express rally. Here’s the catch: the protesters were apparently angry the group invited Romney at all, given his record as Massachusetts governor. “When you come to less government, which the Tea Party stands for, how could you possibly explain that with Romneycare?” said protester Tim Carter, the leader of the Lakes Region Tea Party in New Hampshire. Romney was speaking at a stop on the Tea Party Express tour, which had invited all the Republican candidates to speak at stops along the route, in the lead-up to the presidential debate the group sponsors on Sept. 12.

This does not sound like the best family reunion. Saadi Gaddafi, Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s son, told CNN via a phone conversation that he had not heard from his father or his brother, Saif al-Islam, in two months. Saadi said he is not necessarily on his father or brother’s side in the civil war—calling himself neutral—and he is “ready to negotiate a cease-fire.” Saadi said cease-fire negotiations had broken down a few days ago after his brother Saif al-Islam’s “aggressive” radio broadcast had caused the talks to break down. Asked of his location, Saadi only said he is a “little bit outside” of the Gaddafi stronghold Bani Walid but he is moving around. Rebel forces surrounded Bani Walid earlier Sunday, while the rebels extended the deadline for the Gaddafi’s forces to surrender until Sept. 10.

President Obama visited Paterson, New Jersey Sunday afternoon to tour the parts of the city ravanged by floods from Hurricane Irene. "You guys hang in there," Obama told residents. "We're going to do everything we can to help you." The state's third-largest city is still struggling with flooding a week after the storm hit. Obama—accompanied by N.J. Gov. Chris Christie and the state's two Democratic senators and other officials—said he would not let "Washington politics" stop the relief efforts.

A rare Japanese typhoon killed 20 people over the weekend as it passed through the Shikoku and Kinki regions. Fifty-five people are still missing in Typhoon Talas, and about 100 people are estimated to have been injured. Officials ordered evacuations to 460,000 people in western and central Japan over fears of flooding. The danger is not over yet: Japan’s Meteorological Agency warned that the storm may still drop heavy rains over parts of the country, causing mudslides and flooding.

Sarah Palin is not indecisive about all races—but maybe she needs a disguise to make a decision. After speaking in Indianola, Iowa, on Saturday, Palin ran a half-marathon incognito in Storm Lake, Iowa on Sunday. Palin ran the 13.1-mile course around the lake in 1 hour 46 minutes and 10 seconds. Reportedly, Palin registered for the race under her maiden name, Sarah Heath. Palin confirmed she took part in the race afterward, tweeting “Thank you, Storm Lake, Iowa. You put on a great event & we loved meeting some great folks in our beautiful town today!” Other participants in the race said Palin was “as gracious and friendly.” But it’s back to the political trail after this: Palin is scheduled to hit New Hampshire Monday for a Tea Party rally.

The Help doesn’t need any help at the box office: The movie is No. 1 movie again, earning an estimated $17 million over the first three days of the four-day weekend. It will be the first film this year to hold the top slot at the box office for three weekends in a row, and the film is expected to gross $120 million by Monday. Meanwhile, Helen Mirren’s new thriller The Debt grossed $12 million to take the No. 2 spot—that is a surprisingly high take because the film is only playing on 1,826 screens. The horror film Apollo 18, playing on 3,328 screens was expected to earn $11 million to $14 million for the weekend, while thriller Shark Night was on track to gross between $7 million and $8 million.

It's the only one of the three major 9/11 memorials that's still not fully funded, and many are wondering why. The final resting place of the 40 people on United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa., will have a low marble wall carved with the names of the passengers and crew. The memorial will be officially dedicated Saturday in time for the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks, and be open to the public the next day. But the funding is still $10 million short of the $62 million needed, and Congress has allocated only about $14 million. The site still looks like it did 10 years ago on the morning of Sept. 11—a rolling meadow of grass and wildflowers.

Looks like James Franco won't be invited back again: Deadline.com reports that Eddie Murphy is the frontrunner to host this year's Academy Awards telecast. The comedian is reportedly the top choice of new producer Brett Ratner, who is said to be presenting only Murphy's name on his shortlist to Academy brass. Murphy, who was up for an Oscar in 2006 for Dreamgirls but lost, is apparently an awards-show buff. He also has a slate of upcoming films that could benefit from the exposure the gig would bring.

He popped his head up for one last look at those who saved him—and then he was gone. The emperor penguin known as "Happy Feet" was found on a beach in New Zealand, 2,000 miles from home, more than two months ago, and became an instant celebrity. It's been 44 years since an emperor penguin was spotted in the wild in the area. After he ate sand, mistaking it for snow, authorities had to move him to the Wellington Zoo, but the plan had always been to return him to the wild. He was transported back home, and when the door to his crate was opened Sunday, he showed no interest in leaving. Crew members had to give him a little tap on his back, and Happy Feet slid down a slide on his stomach into the water, and then disappeared.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was greeted with applause at the airport as the former International Monetary Fund chief arrived back in France. He then left in a private car and returned to his apartment, accompanied by his wife, Anne Sinclair. Strauss-Kahn was freed from house arrest in New York days ago after sexual assault charges against him were dropped. Before returning to France, Strauss-Kahn headed to Washington to visit the IMF and attend to personal matters.

There was only one thing that the 2,000 people who came from across the country to see Sarah Palin address a Tea Party rally Saturday wanted, and that was an announcement from her to run for president in 2012. Instead, they got a political speech that slammed President Obama. The former Alaskan governor is still mum on whether she'll run for the GOP nomination, but has been sending signals that she'll be making a move. However, many Palin die-hards expected her to declare during the rally, and many of her supporters say they'll wait and won't even consider supporting another candidate. "She has the fire in the belly," Diane Thilmont, 71, told Politico. "For me, there is no alternative.”

Some 430,000 people took to the streets in rallies across Israel Saturday night to demand social justice, a lower cost of living, and government responses to middle-class concerns. It was the country's biggest-ever demonstration. The rallies were the culmination of 50 days of protests that have seen a new social movement transform the political landscape in the country. The biggest march was in Tel Aviv, where up to 300,000 took part. There was an unprecedented 50,000-strong protest in Jerusalem and a 40,000-strong showing in Haifa.

Authorities lifted an evacuation order for parts of Southern California on Saturday, after firefighters brought a forest fire under control. On Friday, the fire in Cajon Pass had been zero percent contained, but it was about 60 percent under control by Saturday afternoon. Authorities lifted the evacuation order at 2 p.m. on Saturday, though about 1,150 acres were still burning. The fire destroyed two mobile homes and damaged two smaller structures. About 750 firefighters were involved in fighting the fire, two of whom required medical treatment, but one was heat-related.

A Chilean military plane carrying 21 people crashed in the ocean near the Juan Fernandez archipelago in the Pacific Ocean late on Friday, killing everyone on board. President Sebastian Pinera offered his "most profound sympathy and condolences to the families of the those who lost their lives in the accident at Juan Fernandez, and solidarity and understanding to the families of those who are still missing." A popular television host, Felipe Camiroaga, is among the dead.

The 48-year-old director Steven Soderbergh has been chugging along ever since he became the youngest-ever winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1989, when he was 26 (for Sex, Lies and Videotape). He's never exactly had a case of the burn-out, but now he has to "recalibrate, so I can discover something new," he said during the Venice Film Festival, where his latest film Contagion is up for the Golden Lion award. But the director said he's not retiring—just taking some time off. "It's less dramatic than it sounds. It's just a sabbatical."

A young tourist riding on a bodyboard was bit in half by what's believed to be a great white shark off a beach near Cape Naturaliste in western Australia. The shark reportedly pulled the man, in his early 20s, below the surface, probably mistaking him for a seal, and ripped his legs off. A man on the beach said there were at least 20 other people in the water at the time but nobody saw the shark lurking about.

A Libyan rebel negotiator said talks with a Gaddafi spokesman over the peaceful surrender of one of the former dictator's last strongholds failed on Sunday. The rebel forces have surrounded the town of Bani Walid and are now waiting to launch a final assault. The interim council had hoped that the town would surrender rather than see bloodshed, but the rebels say a small minority of heavily-armed hardcore loyalists are stoking fear and preventing a peaceful surrender. Forces are also closing in on Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, but resistance there is tough. The former Libyan strongman is still in hiding.

After years of delays, Iran successfully connected its first nuclear power plant to the national grid on Sunday. The Bushehr facility is contributing around 60 megawatts right now and will be officially inaugurated by Sept. 12, at which point it will be operating at 40-percent capacity. The project is a $1 billion, 1,000-megawatt plant on the Gulf coast started by Germany's Siemens in the 1970s, even before Iran's Islamic revolution. This comes as reports that Iran is accelerating its nuclear weapons program, but experts say the Bushehr plant will not bring Iran any closer to building a nuclear bomb because Russia supplies the enriched uranium for the reactor and takes away spent fuel before it can be used to make weapons-grade plutonium.

He might be Darth Vader, but he's not oblivious to the obvious under that dark mask. Former vice president Dick Cheney said the country would be "different" if Hillary Clinton, and not Barack Obama, were president. He didn't go into specifics while speaking on Fox News Sunday, but said that "perhaps she might have been easier for some of us who are critics of the president to work with." He said it'd be "interesting to speculate" about how Clinton would have performed as president. He didn't speculate on how things would be if his own party's John McCain was the big honcho.

Jon Huntsman hopes he's good at prophesies, because his chances of being president will be raised if his comes true. The GOP 2012 hopeful told CBS's Face the Nation that he believes a former governor will be the next president. He just happens to be one—he used to be governor of Utah. He's also narrowed the Republican field, since Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are frontrunners, while former Alaska governor Sarah Palin hasn't announced whether or not she will run.

No, this isn’t the plot to the latest Hangover movie. David Senk, who was arrested last week after biting a live python at California mini-mart, now claims he has a drinking problem and does not remember the attack. Senk, who also says he cannot remember how he got from the bar to the mini-mart, allegedly bit the live snake twice, causing it “extensive injuries.” The python had emergency surgery and had two of its ribs removed. The attack was apparently unprovoked: Sacramento police Sergeant Andrew Pettit said it looked like Senk “just out of the blue took a bite.” Senk admits that he is “not too fond of snakes but I try not to bite them.”