Swathed in nothing but a sprinkling of sequins and a puff of feathers, Rio de Janeiro's samba group dancers are the star attractions of the world's most iconic Carnival celebrations. But they're not on the payroll of the samba groups they represent — and many have to work decidedly unglamorous jo

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that he's ready to take the risk of being the first Iranian astronaut sent into space as part of Iran's goal of a manned space flight. "I'm ready to be the first Iranian to sacrifice myself for our country's scientists," the official IRNA news agency quoted