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Rachelle Lefevre stunned to lose role in ‘Twilight’ sequel

"Twilight" fans weren’t the only ones surprised by the news that Bryce Dallas Howard was replacing Rachelle Lefevre on the third film "Eclipse." “I was stunned,” says Lefevre in a statement. “I was fully committed to the ‘Twilight’ saga.” Lefevre, who played villain Victoria in the first Summit Entertainment-produced film and its upcoming sequel “New Moon,” said she turned down “several other film opportunities” and accepted only roles with short shooting schedules to make time for “Eclipse.” “I am hurt deeply by Summit’s surprising decision to move on without me,” she says

Brown, bank chiefs thrash out G-20 plans

Top executives of leading international banks were meeting the British prime minister and treasury chief Tuesday to discuss kick-starting the global financial system ahead of next month’s G-20 summit. About a dozen representatives of U.S., Japanese, German and South African banks were at Downing Street to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling, a spokesman for the Treasury said.

Ancient footprints: Earliest signs of modern feet

Ancient footprints discovered in northern Kenya are believed to be the oldest sign that early humans had feet like ours. CNN has been unable to authenticate the video, which lasts for less than 20 seconds, but CNN’s sister network CNN-IBN said it received the video from police

Pakistani government does deal with Taliban on sharia law

Pakistani government officials announced Monday that they have reached an agreement with the Taliban to allow strict Islamic law, or sharia, to be implemented in parts of North West Frontier Province. It marks a major concession by the Pakistani government in its attempt to hold off Taliban militants who have made significant advances inside the country. The government will recognize sharia for the entire Malakand Division, which includes the Swat district, the chief minister of North West Frontier Province Amir Haider Hoti announced Monday in a news conference.

China: Fire engulfs 40-story luxury hotel

A massive fire engulfed a newly constructed, unoccupied luxury hotel in central Beijing on Monday night. The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known, and there were no reports of injuries, according to CNN staff members who were at the scene.