Oscar winner Cliff Robertson dies in New York at 88

The handsome movie actor Cliff Robertson, who played John F. Kennedy in "PT-109," won an Oscar for "Charly" died Saturday. He was 88. His secretary said he died in Stony Brook of natural causes a day after his 88th birthday.Robertson never elevated into the top ranks of leading men, but he remained a popular actor from the mid-1950s into the following century. His later roles included kindly Uncle Ben in the "Spider-Man" movies.His triumph came in 1968 with his Academy Award performance in "Charly," as a mentally disabled man who undergoes medical treatment that makes him a genius — until a poignant regression to his former state.

US wins 3 golds in half hour at world championship

In a golden half hour for the United States, three Americans won world championship titles on Thursday, none more surprising than Jennifer Barringer Simpson getting the first 1,500-meter victory since Mary Decker-Slaney in 1983.Jesse Williams added the first high jump world title in two decades and Lashinda Demus ran the third fastest time in history to take the women's 400 hurdles.At the end of the night, the United States led the medal standings with seven gold medals and 12 overall. Russia was closest with four gold and 12 in total.

Hurricane Katia crept westward in the deep Atlantic

Hurricane Katia crept westward in the deep Atlantic on Thursday, just one week after Irene caused massive flooding in the US northeast.Packing winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, the category one Katia threatened to become a major hurricane by the weekend. Katia remained some 1,065 miles (1,710 kilometers) east of the Leeward islands -- too far to affect any land mass -- and there was a chance it would cycle north and disintegrate without hitting the North American mainland.The new hurricane approached as US President Barack Obama declared a "major" disaster area in New Jersey and  also announced plans to visit the flood-hit state on Sunday to view damage wrought by Hurricane Irene, the Atlantic season's first.