The 1980s Brazilian soccer star known simply by his first name, Socrates, is still revered in the country for his playing. But he is also remembered as a brave political dissenter who opposed Brazil's military dictatorship. NPR's Arun Rath talks to sports writer Dave Zirin about the legacy of Socrates.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey woman visiting the scene of a deadly house fire in Newark says her grandson and his mother were among the six killed in the blaze.
Iris Sydney tells The Associated Press that her grandson was supposed to meet her Sunday for Father's Day at the church his father attended before he died in an accident two years ago.
The woman says her 15-year-old grandson didn't show up and when she returned home, an Essex County sheriff's deputy was there and told her both he and his mother, Noreen Johnson, had died in the fire Sunday.
She says the two were visiting from Georgia and staying with Johnson's family at the house when it caught fire.
Authorities have not identified the victims. They are investigating what caused the blaze.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A fast-moving fire ripped through a single-family home in New Jersey's largest city early Sunday, killing six people, authorities said.
The blaze broke out at the three-story residence at around 4 a.m. in Newark, the Essex County Prosecutor's office said. The fire soon spread to another residence, and both homes were destroyed.
The fire doesn't appear to be suspicious, but the cause remains under investigation, said Thomas Fennelly, chief assistant prosecutor. Everyone in the second home managed to escape safely, he said.
Some of the victims were likely related, authorities said.
All that remained of the home Sunday afternoon was the charred frame, with piles of blackened, twisted furniture and belongings spilling out of the empty sills that once held windows. The white fence around the front of the property was still intact.
Carol Valentine sorted through smoke-damaged photographs and photo albums with charred pages on the sidewalk in front of her fiance's home, which is next door to the residence where the fire started. Her fiance had been out of town and returned early Sunday to his home, which was already ablaze.
"He'd been delayed on planes for two days. He had gone to a graduation," she said. "Had he not been delayed, he would have been sleeping, and he probably wouldn't be alive."
She said she didn't know much about the neighbors.
A small storefront church called Tree of Life Ministries, on the other side of the home where six died, appeared undamaged. Neighbors gathered outside the home — many in their Sunday church clothes — shaking their heads at the loss of so many lives.
The Rev. Thomas Ellis lives in the neighborhood and stopped by to offer his support.
"For the city of Newark, this is a sad and tragic day," he said. "The community is hurting."
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) — Jimmie Johnson has finally won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.
The six-time series champion won Sunday for the first time in 25 Cup starts at MIS, outlasting pole winner Kevin Harvick by just over a second. It was Johnson's third victory in four races — and the fifth in a row for Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also have won for Chevy and Hendrick during the streak that doesn't count Jamie McMurray's win for Chevy in the Sprint All-Star race last month.
Brad Keselowski finished third Sunday after two straight runner-up showings at Dover and Pocono. Paul Menard was fourth, followed by Kasey Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister on Sunday accused the Hamas militant group of kidnapping three Israeli teenagers who disappeared over the weekend, as the military arrested dozens of Palestinians and closed off West Bank roads in a frantic search for the youths.
The crisis escalated already heightened tensions between Israel and the new Palestinian government, which is headed by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas but backed by Hamas. Israel, which considers Hamas a terrorist group, has condemned the alliance and said it holds Abbas responsible for the teens' safety.
"Hamas terrorists carried out Thursday's kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers. We know that for a fact," Netanyahu said. "Hamas denials do not change this fact."
Speaking in English, Netanyahu also tried to rally international opinion against the new Palestinian government. His calls for the international community to shun the government have been ignored so far.
"Instead of abiding by his international obligation to disarm Hamas, President Abbas has chosen to make Hamas his partner," he added. "I believe that the dangers of that pact now should be abundantly clear to all."
Netanyahu provided no evidence to back his claims. Palestinian officials rejected Netanyahu's contention that they are responsible. Hamas, meanwhile, praised the apparent kidnapping but stopped short of accepting responsibility.
The three youths, Eyal Yifrah, 19, Gil-Ad Shaer, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, disappeared Thursday night as they were heading home from a West Bank religious school.
Officials confirmed that one of the teens called a police emergency line around 10:25 p.m. and said, "We've been kidnapped." They have not been heard from since then.
Frenkel also holds American citizenship. Addressing reporters outside the family home in the central Israeli town of Nof Ayalon, his mother, Rachelle, thanked the public, the Israeli security services and the U.S. Embassy for offering support.
"The professional people will do their job, and we do trust them. And everybody else, if you could please pray with us," she said in English. "We trust that Eyal, and Gilad and Naftali, boys coming home on their way from school, they were just on their way home, will be here with us and we'll hug them soon."
The case has riveted the nation's attention, receiving around-the-clock coverage in local media. Late Sunday, more than 10,000 people converged at Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, for a special mass prayer, police said.
Palestinian militants have repeatedly threatened to kidnap Israelis, hoping to use them as bargaining chips to win the release of prisoners held by Israel. This would be the first time three civilians have been taken at the same time.
Military officials said that given the nature of the kidnapping, evidence pointed to Hamas involvement. A senior Israeli military intelligence officer said only the "most institutionalized cells ... promote suicide bombers attacks and kidnapping." Asked whether this could refer to other groups beside Hamas, Lt. Col Peter Lerner said: "No."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the kidnapping but was more cautious about assigning blame.
"We are still seeking details on the parties responsible for this despicable terrorist act, although many indications point to Hamas' involvement," he said.
The overnight arrest raid was concentrated in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, in the area where the youths disappeared. Israel imposed a closure on the area, restricting traffic in hopes of preventing them from being smuggled out.
A Hamas website said more than 60 of those arrested were members, including senior figures in the movement.
The Palestinians' self-rule government, which administers 38 percent of the West Bank, has insisted it is not to blame, saying the teens went missing in territory under full Israeli control.
"The Israeli government cannot blame the Palestinians for security issues in areas that are not controlled by them," said Ehab Bseiso, the spokesman of the Palestinian unity government.
But Netanyahu rejected the claim as "absurd," saying the attackers had originated in Palestinian territory.
In its first statement on the issue, Hamas praised the kidnapping but did not claim responsibility. In a message sent to journalists, it referred to "the success of the kidnapping" and said that "the movement pays tribute to the heroes who are behind the kidnapping."
In the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri dismissed Netanyahu's claims of Hamas involvement in the abductions as "silly."
Hamas governed Gaza for seven years before striking the unity deal with Abbas. Although it does not sit in the government, it has given its support and it remains the de facto power in Gaza.
Despite the exchange of accusations, security officials from Israel and Abbas' forces have been cooperating closely in the West Bank trying to find the kidnappers.
Abbas met with his security chiefs late Saturday and urged them to do anything they can to contribute to the search, said a senior Palestinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to brief journalists.
Hamas, branded a terrorist group by the West for its long history of attacks on Israeli civilians, has been involved in past abductions.
But this time around, there are other potential suspects. In recent months, there have been growing signs of the emergence in the West Bank of small groups of militants who identify with al-Qaida.
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Yousur Alhlou contributed to this report.