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ing himself and four American soldiers. A Turkish man who'd hijacked a Turkish Airlines flight the day before was persuaded by Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to release his 204 hostages after the plane landed in Athens, Greece. Michelle Kwan became only the third American to win five World Figure Skating Championships, after Dick Button and Carol Heiss, at the competition in Washington D.C.
• Five years ago: Anti-American Shiite militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr (mook-TAH'-duh ahl SAH'-dur) ordered his followers to defy orders from the Iraqi government to surrender their weapons. Zimbabweans voted in an election seen as the biggest test of Robert Mugabe's 28-year rule. (Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (SVAHNG'-ur-eye) claimed victory, but the Election Commission ordered a runoff; Mugabe claimed victory in that contest, which was widely denounced as a sham.)
• One year ago: A divided House approved a $3.6 trillion Republican budget recasting Medicare and imposing sweeping cuts in domestic programs. Stanford routed Minnesota 75-51 to win the NIT title.
• Today's Birthdays: Political commentator John McLaughlin is 86. Author Judith Guest is 77. Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major is 70. Comedian Eric Idle is 70. Composer Vangelis is 70. Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier is 68. Singer Bobby Kimball (Toto) is 66. Actor Brendan Gleeson is 58. Actor Christopher Lawford is 58. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell is 58. International Gymnastics Hall of Famer Kurt Thomas is 57. Actor Christopher Lambert is 56. Rock singer Perry Farrell (Porno for Pyros; Jane's Addiction) is 54. Comedian-actress Amy Sedaris is 52. Model Elle Macpherson is 50. Movie director Michel Hazanavicius (mee-SHEHL' ah-zah-nah-VEE'-see-oos) (Film: "The Artist") is 46. Rock singer-musician John Popper (Blues Traveler) is 46. Actress Lucy Lawless is 45. Country singer Regina Leigh (Regina Regina) is 45. Country singer Brady Seals is 44. Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is 42. Tennis player Jennifer Capriati is 37. Actor Chris D'Elia is 33. Pop singer Kelly Sweet is 25.
• Thought for Today: "Tolerance always has limits - it cannot tolerate what is itself actively intolerant." - Sidney Hook, American philosopher and author (1902-1989).
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