Inquiry

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - It was a bad week for South Africa's police force, coming to a head Thursday with an attempt at damage control: Commissioner Riah Phiyega dumped the lead detective in the murder investigation of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius. Like the O.J. Simpson murder trial that it already echoes for its celebrity, the Pistorius case has suddenly put sloppy police work in the spotlight. Pistorius, a double amputee who competed in the London Olympic Games last year, is accused of premeditated murder in the Valentine's Day death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

MOBILE, Ala. - Thousands of passengers stranded for nearly a week aboard a Carnival cruise ship adrift in the Gulf of Mexico made their way home from Mobile on Friday as authorities began investigating the fire that started the debacle. Lawmakers, meanwhile, in Washington called for a thorough investigation of the incident . For the 3,141 passengers who had been stuck aboard the crippled 900-foot-long cruise ship - rather ironically named Triumph - the main concern Friday was getting home.

WASHINGTON - The disabled Carnival cruise ship is now docked but the tale of its wretched odyssey back to land has made its way to Capitol Hill. Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, fired off a letter Friday asking the Coast Guard commandment to brief his panel on its investigation into the cruise ship Triumph. "Horrified" was how Rockefeller described his response to the accounts of "unbearable living conditions aboard the ship.

I've been thinking about the New Inquiry for a long time now, ever since the digital magazine launched last year. Founded by Mary Borkowski, Jennifer Bernstein and Rachel Rosenfelt, it's a great example of what new technology offers, published monthly and available by subscription, downloadable in PDF format to be read on your tablet or your phone. The New Inquiry is more than that, of course; its website describes it as “ a space for discussion that aspires to enrich cultural and public life by putting all available resources - both digital and material - toward the promotion and exploration of ideas.” But the centerpiece is the magazine, which blends the innovative with the traditional, using the digital space to produce highly curated issues, featuring long pieces on culture and an integrated design sensibility, each built around a particular theme.

GEORGETOWN, Texas - In emotional testimony Monday, a Texas man told a judge how it felt spending 25 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. “Brutal,” Michael Morton said. “But after a couple decades, I got used to it.” Morton, 58, who grew up in Los Angeles, was convicted in the 1986 beating death of his wife, Christine, at their home. He was exonerated and released almost a year and a half ago after DNA tests confirmed his innocence. Another man has since been charged in connection with the killing.

GEORGETOWN, Texas--A Texas judge who prosecuted a man wrongfully convicted of murder and freed after serving 25 years in prison faces an unprecedented court hearing Monday on whether he should be prosecuted for mishandling the case. Williamson County District Judge Ken Anderson faces a “court of inquiry” to address allegations that he lied and concealed evidence - in violation of the law and a judge's order - that could have cleared Michael Morton, who was convicted in the 1986 beating death of his wife, Christine, at their Williamson County home.

Since reopening the death investigation of Natalie Wood more than 13 months ago, detectives have interviewed more than 100 witnesses and gathered piles of new evidence. But they said the one person they are most interested in talking to has so far refused several requests for interviews: Wood's husband, actor Robert Wagner. Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. John Corina said Wagner is the only person on the boat at the time Wood drowned off Catalina Island in 1981 not to speak to detectives assigned to the new inquiry.

Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators have launched a criminal probe into a deputy's allegations that she was the victim of sexual misconduct involving three top sheriff's officials, according to sources with knowledge of the probe. The deputy is the daughter of a top aide to Sheriff Lee Baca. In a statement to The Times, Baca did not discuss details of the case, but said "I take this very seriously, and I will find out what did or did not happen. " Capt. Joseph Stephen of the Malibu station confirmed that he was one of the targets of the probe and had been questioned by investigators Friday.

Even the U.S. government can't rein in Google Inc.'s dominance of online search. Federal regulators ended a 19-month antitrust investigation into the Mountain View, Calif., search engine giant without imposing any major sanctions. The probe focused on complaints that Google skews its search results to favor its own products and services, which unfairly hurt competitors. It was a bitter decision for Microsoft Inc. and a cadre of other small and large rivals that feel Google remains unchecked in its dominance of the Internet search business.

WASHINGTON - After complaining for weeks that the movie “Zero Dark Thirty” erroneously implies that torture yielded key information in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, a trio of senior senators now want to know whether CIA personnel deliberately misled the filmmakers on that point. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, along with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), said Thursday that they had sent two letters to acting CIA chief Michael Morell.