The 10 biggest stories of 2011 in mobile tech

Editor's note: Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com. She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog, Contentious.com, explores how people communicate in the online age.

(CNN) -- For Americans who own cell phones or other mobile devices (at least 85% of the adult population, according to a new survey), 2011 ushered in a whirlwind of news.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead after heart attack, state media repor

(CNN) -- North Korea's enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il -- who, after succeeding his father 17 years ago, captained his poor, closed nation and antagonized its enemies -- is dead, state media reported Monday.

Kim, 69, died at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, according to state media.

A tearful broadcaster reported that Kim died due to "overwork" after "dedicating his life to the people."

Kim suffered "great mental and physical strain" while on a train during a "field guidance tour," North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency reported.

At least 180 dead after storm pummels Philippines

Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- At least 180 people are dead after Tropical Storm Washi pummeled the Philippines, officials said Saturday.

The deaths occurred in areas such as Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities and Compostela Valley and Zamboanga del Norte provinces, said Benito Ramos, chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

At least 400 people are missing after the storm, which is called Sendong locally. More than 2,000 have been rescued, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said officials are investigating reports that an entire village was swept away.

Over 100 killed in the Philippines

Flash flooding overnight -- following 10 hours of rain -- fueled the devastation, compounded by overflowing rivers and tributaries. As much as 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours in some areas.

Ramos said despite government warning, some did not evacuate.

Though Washi was headed away from the Philippines on Saturday, trouble could loom for Vietnam, as the storm's westerly path could cross Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday.

Spanish international star Villa breaks his leg as Barcelonal brush Al Sadd aside

Spain striker David Villa had recently lost his place in the Barcelona team to Chile's Alexis Sanchez

(CNN) -- Spanish international striker David Villa suffered a broken leg as European Champions Barcelona brushed aside Qatari side Al Sadd 4-0 Thursday to reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Villa fractured his left tibia while trying to latch on to an Andres Iniesta through ball after 34 minutes of the semifinal clash in Japan's Toyota City and was carried off on a stretcher.

Spanish champions Barca will come up against Santos in Sunday's final after the Brazilian team beat Japan's Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Wednesday.

Write off Barcelona at your peril: The European champions show their worth at the Santiago Bernabeu

soccerlens.com - Saturday’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid lived up to all expectations; there was passion, spell-bounding skill and goals – the only thing missing was the heavily anticipated Madrid victory. Pep Guardiola’s European champions are not ready to hand over the Primera Division crown to their bitter rivals just yet, as an Alexis Sanchez strike, a Marcelo own goal and a Cesc Fabregas header gave the Catalans a deserved 3-1 victory.

Mourinho targets quick recovery

breakingnews.ie  - Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho believes his team can regain top spot in the Primera Division table from rivals Barcelona by Christmas.

Mourinho’s side lost 3-1 at home to Barcelona on Saturday and also gave up top spot on head-to-head results to the Nou Camp side, who have played a game more.

Reports: Anelka set for move to China

breakingnews.ie - Nicolas Anelka will leave Chelsea for Shanghai Shenhua next month on a two-year contract, according to the Chinese Super League club.

Anelka, 32, has reportedly agreed a deal worth in the region of £175,000 a week to the striker, who recently had a transfer request accepted by the Blues.

No Nadal for 2012 Davis Cup

sport24.co.za - Seville - Spain's fifth Davis Cup title party in 11 years fell flat when Rafael Nadal revealed he'd skip next year's title defence while brother-in-arms David Ferrer called time on his tournament duties.

World number two Nadal, who battled back from a set down to defeat Juan Martin del Potro and give Spain victory over Argentina in an epic clash on Sunday, insisted that the defence of his Olympic title must be a priority.

Ferrer, who defeated Del Potro in a marathon five-setter on Friday, said that at 29, his five-year tour of Davis Cup duty was virtually over.

The double blow, coupled with captain Albert Costa's uncertainty over his availability and the worrying decline of doubles pairing Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, left Spain looking seriously under-powered for 2012.

Ferguson faces up to Europa

sport24.co.za - Manchester - Alex Ferguson said his remark that having to play in the Europa League was Manchester United's "penalty" for not reaching the Champions League knockout stage was not a criticism of the second-tier competition and they wanted to win the trophy.

United missed out on the Champions League last 16 after a 2-1 defeat in Basel on Wednesday but despite that disappointment their manager told a news conference on Friday they now needed to focus on trying to win Europe's second-tier competition.

"It's a good competition. (When) you see some of the teams left in it, it has got to be a strong competition," he told reporters.

"When I say it's a punishment for us to be in the Europa League what I mean by that is for 20 years what this club has only thought about is the Champions League. All we've thought of is winning that European Cup.

Video MU vs Basel (Manchester United knocked out of Champions League)

vivanews.com

Manchester clubs exit Champions League at group stage

(CNN) -- Manchester United and their city rivals Manchester City both made embarrassing exits from the European Champions League on Wednesday.

United were beaten 2-1 in Basel to leave the Swiss side and Benfica as the qualifiers from Group C, while City beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium but went out as Napoli won 2-0 at Villarreal.

It left Bayern and the Italians to go through from Group A to complete a chastening first experience of Europe's top club competition for Robert Mancini's expensively assembled side.

(CNN) -- It was the most neck-breaking assignment I've ever covered.

For 15 long minutes I strained my neck looking upwards as I interviewed the seven-foot-six Yao Ming just after he was drafted to the North American National Basketball Association's (NBA) No. 1 pick in 2003.

Yao was the first ever NBA No. 1 pick from overseas.

"I'm happy to join the Houston rockets," he told me. "Hi, Houston. I'm coming." That was all he could say when I asked him to say something in English on camera.

As an NBA rookie, he was then about to sign a four-year contract with the Rockets worth about $9 million, a mind-boggling bonanza considering the average yearly income per person in China then was less than $1,000.

The Shanghai phenomenon confessed to feeling the pressure of representing one billion Chinese in the NBA.

Rise of the Apes movie holds up mirror to humanity

bbc.co.uk - The Planet of the Apes franchise has lasted more than four decades, and is rebooted in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But what do the Apes films tell us about humankind?

Cinema has long enjoyed a love affair with apes. In the 1930s, King Kong battled biplanes atop the Empire State Building, while Tarzan teamed up with Cheeta in the jungle.

A chimp caused comic chaos for Cary Grant in Monkey Business, and Clint Eastwood co-starred with Clyde the orangutan in Every Which Way But Loose (and its sequel).

There were also Gorillas in the Mist, Mighty Joe Young, Amy the talking gorilla in Congo, and the man-apes at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Stage rigging collapse kills 5 at Indiana State Fair

INDIANAPOLIS — A fifth person has died and others were injured Saturday night when stage rigging collapsed after an unexpected wind gust, trapping and injuring fans awaiting a Sugarland concert at the Indiana State Fair, officials said.

The fifth death was confirmed Sunday, NBC station WTHR.com reported. The person was believed to be a spotlight worker who was on the stage when the steel scaffolding collapsed.

The fatality and injury count may rise, 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten of the Indiana State Police warned at an Sunday press briefing. At least 45 people have been hospitalized.

The Marion County coroner identified two of the dead, Bursten said. However, he did not release any names.

Officials said the state fair planned to reopen Monday and a public remembrance was slated at 9 a.m. for those killed.

Portugal defeats Argentina on penalties

Portugal defeats Argentina on penalties[ Eds: Updates with quotes.[ AP Photo XRM115, XRM114, XFLL120, XFLL118, XRM112, XRM109, XFLL117[ By ERIC NUNEZ= Associated Press=

CARTAGENA, Colombia (AP) - Portugal defeated six-time champion Argentina in a penalty shootout Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup.

After being locked 0-0 following extra time, Portugal won the shootout 5-4 when goalkeeper Mika stopped the last attempt from Nicolas Tagliafico.

Portugal, which has not allowed a goal in five matches at the tournament, will next face the winner of Sunday's quarterfinal between France and Nigeria. Portugal is going for its third U-20 title following triumphs in 1989 and 1991.

"The victories are all different, but this has been the most satisfying," Portugal coach Ilidio Vale said.

Argentina led the shootout 3-1 and needed only to convert one of its next two chances. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez drove his attempt into the crossbar and Alan Ruiz was then stopped by Mika witha diving save to his left.

As the Argentines missed, Portugal converted its next two to level it at 3-3.

Portugal's Tiago Ferreira made it 4-3 and Argentina leveled at 4-4 when Agustin Vuletich converted. Portugal's Sergio Oliveira then made it 5-4, setting the stage for Mika to bat away Tagliafico's attept.

"It was a very close game - a lot of work and not many chances," Argentina coach Walter Perazzo said. "At the end, they had the luck."

Argentina's ouster is another setback for the proud South Americans. Last month its senior team was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Copa America at home inArgentina, which led to the firing of coach Sergio Batista.

Perazzo acknowledged during the tournament that the team needed to reach the semifinals for him to keep his job.

The penalty shootout was the most exciting part of an otherwise dull match, with Portugal's stout defense standing strong and Argentia unable to break it down.

There were few chances in regulation time with both teams stacking the midfield.

Portugal had a few more chances in the first half, its best in the 21st when Caetano broke in from the right and Argentina keeper Esteban Andrada tipped his close-range shot over the crossbar. Teammte Sergio Oliveira tested Andrada with a low shot minutes later.

Erik Lamela had Argentina's best chance, sailing a free kick just high in the 19th.

The second half was much of the same. Argentina's best chance was in the 48th when Facundo Ferreyra just missed tapping in Lamela's free kick. Portugal came lose in the 68th when Argentina keeper Andrada batted away a dangerous free kick from Sergio Oliveira.

Neither team had a decent chance in the 30 minutes of extra time, worn down by the 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) heat in Cartagena and the high humidity.

thejakartapost.com - Portugal defeated six-time champion Argentina in a penalty shootout Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup.

After being locked 0-0 following extra time, Portugal won the shootout 5-4 when goalkeeper Mika stopped the last attempt from Nicolas Tagliafico.

Portugal, which has not allowed a goal in five matches at the tournament, will next face the winner of Sunday's quarterfinal between France and Nigeria. Portugal is going for its third U-20 title following triumphs in 1989 and 1991.

Nazaruddin allegedly involved in 31 graft cases: KPK

Thejakartapost.com - Muhammad Nazaruddin, the fugitive lawmaker who was finally returned to Indonesia on Saturday, is allegedly involved in 31 different graft cases, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said.

KPK chief Busyro Muqoddas said the 31 cases involved about Rp 6.04 trillion (US$706.68 million) in total funds.

“The KPK will continue [investigating] the cases,” Busyro said during a press conference at the KPK headquarters on Saturday around midnight on the sidelines of Nazaruddin’s questioning.

Two of the cases involving two state ministries are pending “further investigation”, but most are still at the “material collecting” stage, Busyro said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Nazaruddin is now officially a KPK detainee and is being held at the police’s Kelapa Dua detention center in Depok, West Java.

The KPK finally managed to arrest him after officers in Cartagena, Colombia, detained him over immigration issues.

He was escorted back to Indonesia by a number of KPK officers and arrived at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta on Saturday evening.

25 million people in a month - Google Plus growing faster than MySpace, Facebook or Twitter did

news.com - GOOGLE is a latecomer to social networking but its new site is growing much faster than MySpace, Facebook or Twitter did in their early days, according to technology experts.

However it still remains to be seen whether Google Plus can pose a serious threat to Facebook, which has more than 750 million members.

Fabregas transfer saga ends

sport24.co.za - London - Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is set to join Barcelona after the Gunners accepted a 36-million-euro offer for the Spanish midfielder, British press reported on Thursday.

Multiple reports said the saga of Fabregas' return to his boyhood club was likely to be settled before the start of this weekend's Premier League campaign as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger attempts to draw a line under the affair.

Fabregas's likely departure ends years of speculation surrounding the 24-year-old World Cup winner, who had made no secret of his desire to one day return to the Nou Camp.

Several outlets reported that Fabregas would forfeit five million euros in compensation he is contractually entitled to because of Arsenal's decision to sell him to Barcelona.

Barcelona had tabled a bid for Fabregas last summer only to have it rejected by Arsenal, who insisted the player was not for sale.

Sex on the brain: What turns women on, mapped out

newscientist.com - It's what women have been telling men for decades: stimulating the vagina is not the same as stimulating the clitoris. Now brain scan data has added weight to their argument.

The precise locations that correspond to the vagina, cervix and female nipples on the brain's sensory cortex have been mapped for the first time, proving that vaginal stimulation activates different brain regions to stimulation of the clitoris. The study also found a direct link between the nipples and the genitals, which may explain why some women can orgasm through nipple stimulation alone. The discoveries could ultimately help women who have suffered nerve damage in childbirth or disease.

NASA set to launch spacecraft to Jupiter

bbc.co.uk - The American space agency, NASA, is planning to launch a new mission to Jupiter today.

The unmanned solar-powered spacecraft, called Juno, will take five years to reach the planet -- the largest in the solar system.

Once there, it will make thirty polar orbits in a bid to discover how much water is in Jupiter's atmosphere and whether the gas giant has a solid core.

The chief scientist on the project (Scott Bolton) said Jupiter held the secret to understanding how all the planets, including Earth, were formed.

Thailand's first woman PM approved

bbc.co.uk - Parliament in Thailand has approved the country's first woman prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, whose party won a decisive victory in July's general election.

Ms Yingluck is the sister of the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who has lived in exile since his removal in a military coup.

The BBC correspondent in Bangkok says Ms Yingluck faces many challenges, including convincing critics she is a leader in her own right.

There's a widespread perception that Mr Thaksin is involved in selecting ministers and shaping policy, although he and his sister deny this.

Sony gets 'epic fail' award from hackers

Las Vegas (CNN) -- It's the Oscars for hard-core computer hackers, except that the trophies at the Pwnie Awards are cutesy little toy horses with pink and purple manes.

An explanation helps make some sense of this: "Pwn," in hacker jargon, means "to own" or "to take control of." It's the ultimate IT-nerd dis. As in, "I totally own your network." Or "I just pwned you in that World of Warcraft battle."

Add an -ie to the end, and you get "Pwnie," which is pronounced "pony" -- as in My Little Pony, which is exactly what these awards resemble.

See how much sense that makes?

China orders security clampdown in Xinjiang

english.aljazeera.net - Announcement by public security minister follows a series of violent attacks on civilians in country's western region.

The Chinese government has ordered a sweeping security clampdown in the western Xinjiang region, the country's top police official has said, in the aftermath of deadly attacks last weekend.

"Those criminals who dare to test the law and commit violent terrorist acts will be shown no leniency, no appeasement and no soft heart," Meng Jianzhu, the public security minister, said.

Meng's comments on Thursday came nearly a week after ethnic Uighur assailants stormed a restaurant in the city of Kashgar, killing the owner and a waiter, and then hacking four people to death on a nearby street.

Romeu swaps Barcelona for Chelsea; Jeffren joins Sporting Lisbon

(CNN) -- English club Chelsea have completed the signing of Oriol Romeu from Spanish and European champions Barcelona.

The 19-year-old is currently playing for Spain at the World Under-20 Championships in Colombia and has signed a four-year deal with last season's Premier League runners-up.

The deal is worth $7 million and includes a buy back clause, set at $14 million after the first year and $21 million after the second.

Romeu started his career at Barcelona's city rivals Espanyol before joining the Camp Nou academy in 2004.

Tiger Woods will return to professional golf next week

(CNN) -- Golfer Tiger Woods returns to professional play next week, according to statements on his Twitter account and his website.

He will participate in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, which begins on August 3.

Woods withdrew from the PLAYERS Championship in May because of an injured left knee and a strained Achilles tendon. He missed the British Open earlier in July, along with the U.S. Open last month, because of his injuries.

He has since been working to rehabilitate his injuries, and recently began hitting practice shots, the statement on his website said.

Former Japan star Matsuda dies aged 34

(CNN) -- Naoki Matsuda, a former Japan defender who played for his country when they co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, has died after suffering a suspected heart attack during a training session on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old's death was confirmed by his club, third-tier side Matsumoto Yamaga, on Thursday after he had been rushed into hospital two days ago having collapsed.

Matsuda, who also had a 15-year spell with Yokohama Marinos between 1995 and 2010, represented his country on 40 occasions and was part of the Blue Samurai squads which won the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004.