Beyond the Bubble

International News

A skull, leg bone and blood-soaked clothes were found at the Mokwalo White Lion Project in South Africa, the only remains of Nelson Chisale, 38, a father of three.

A current employee of Mark Scott-Crossley said that Scott-Crossley strangled Chisale and then ordered employees at gunpoint to throw his body to the lions.

Four men were arrested in suspicion of being involved with the crime, although one of them, Robert Mnisi, 34, was released after agreeing to cooperate with the authorities.

Authorities have not filed any formal charges against farm owner Scott-Crossley or the three other men. They say they are awaiting DNA testing results, which could take weeks.

For many, the crime renews racial tensions just before a general election in South Africa. The elections will take place in April, marking a decade since the end of apartheid in that nation.

Debates regarding farm laborers' rights and relations between farm workers and laborers have been a source of heated controversy in recent months, according to Reuters.

National News

Recent research has shown that initial numbers of existing sexual abuse cases by Roman Catholic priests in the United States could be far higher than reported previously.

CNN reported that a survey compiled by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, slated to be released Feb. 27, states that more than 4,000 priests have been accused of sexual abuse by children between 1950 and 2002.

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York released a statement that said the numbers CNN announced "were apparently taken from a preliminary report completed in January 2004," as reported by USA Today.

The study was commissioned by the National Review Board, a panel of prominent lay Catholics appointed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Church officials warn that considering the numbers in isolation could be startling. They say that if other institutions were put under such scrutiny, similar skeletons would be uncovered.

"We're the only institution in the country that has done a study like this, so it's hard to compare," Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington said in an article for the Washington Post.

College News

A former female kicker for the University of Colorado football team accused teammates of sexual harassment and sexual assault, prompting the president of the university to request a police investigation.

Katie Hnida, the only woman ever to score a point in Division 1 football, recently revealed these accusations to Sports Illustrated, although she never formally reported any charges to the police.

A liaison has been hired by the university to investigate the circumstances of the accusations and to explore the dynamics and culture of the football program. The liaison will also serve as a means for communication between the university athletic department and the police.

Head coach Gary Barnett claims to have had no knowledge of the accusations and believes the team will eventually be proven innocent.

"We have not done anything wrong," Barnett said in an article for CNN. "There isn't a shred of evidence to back up any allegation that's been made, and there won't be."

Hnida told Sports Illustrated that she never came forward with the charges previously because she was afraid of what her former teammates would do to her. Three prior allegations of rape within the University of Colorado athletic program reportedly prompted Hnida to come forward, according to CNN.

Entertainment News

Mel Gibson's directorial follow-up to the film "Braveheart" has shown signs of having an even more powerful impact with controversy stirring up several weeks before being released.

"The Passions of the Christ," set to be released in the United States Feb. 25, has some critics enthusiastically singing its praises while others are calling for audiences to boycott it.

The independent film has been said to have violent as well as anti-Semitic content. The controversial subject matter and religious orientation of the film had some critics predicting the film would bomb. However, the buzz created by publicity as of late has shown signs of the film being a surprise hit.

Commercials have been shown in addition to Gibson appearing on ABC's "Primetime" with Diane Sawyer.

Eighty percent of Americans over the age of 25 have heard of the film, and revenues are expected to be between $15 and $30 million by the end of next week, according to the Financial Times.

â€" Compiled by Lance Dwyer