america

Olmert's woes raise questions of ties to US Jews

2008-07-16T00:57:00.000-07:00

Olmert's woes raise questions of ties to US Jews
JERUSALEM - A New York fundraiser and a Las Vegas gambling czar have become major headaches for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, raising new questions about the relationship between Jewish Americans and the Jewish stateWhile Israel has had close ties with the U.S. Jewish community throughout its history, some wealthy American donors have extended their influence to Israel's halls of power, crossing what many Israelis see as a red line. The cases of fundraiser Morris Talansky and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson have drawn new attention to this sometimes blurry relationship.

Talansky's testimony that he handed Olmert cash-stuffed envelopes in the years before he became prime minister is at the center of a scandal that may topple the Israeli leader. Olmert's lawyers are set to cross-examine Talansky on Thursday.

Adelson, meanwhile, has launched a newspaper that makes no bones about its disgust with Olmert.

Neither man is suspected of anything illicit. But there is an important similarity. Both have chosen to move beyond philanthropy to political activism, using their money to influence decision-making in a country they love but which is not their home.

"It's simple: Whoever doesn't pay the price does not have the right to get involved," said Matti Golan, an Israeli author who has written about the ties between U.S. Jews and Israel.

The relationship benefits both wealthy U.S. Jews, who get to feel important by hobnobbing with powerful politicians, and Israeli politicians, who can expand their limited pool of donors in Israel and who enjoy getting the royal treatment on trips abroad, he said.

"Who gave American Jews the right to decide what is good or bad for Israel?" said Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, an American Jewish advocacy group. "What are the consequences of their opinion if they are wrong in their assessments? They will sit in Beverly Hills or the Hamptons and say, 'I was wrong,'" Foxman said.

"The fact that you support universities and charitable needs doesn't give you the right to determine issues of life and death," he said.

Israeli law forbids direct foreign donations to political parties and limits donations to individual politicians to a maximum of about $10,000, depending on whether the money is meant for a local election, a national race or an internal party primary.

But other activities aren't restricted. American donors can give money to political causes ranging from hardline groups that promote Jewish settlements in the West Bank to the dovish Peace Now.

In the case of Adelson, he launched a newspaper that harshly criticizes Olmert and is distributed free to hundreds of thousands of Israelis. The newspaper is part of what is widely seen by Adelson as a concerted attempt to replace Olmert with his hardline rival, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli political insiders see the paper, Yisrael Hayom — Israel Today — as a mouthpiece for Netanyahu. Olmert's media adviser, Jacob Galanti, refuses to refer to it as a newspaper, recently terming it a "printed product."

Adelson, a casino multibillionaire listed by Forbes last year as the third-richest man in America, has long had pull in Israel's corridors of power. In May, when he helped fund a conference convened by President Shimon Peres for Israel's 60th anniversary, he and his wife were seated alongside Olmert and other Israeli leaders.

Nahum Barnea, one of Israel's most respected journalists, later referred in his column to the "gambling mogul from Las Vegas who bought my country's birthday for $3 million."

"Is the country worth so little?" Barnea asked.

Through a representative in Las Vegas, Adelson declined an interview request.

Adelson's paper, a tabloid heavy on sports and celebrity gossip, has extended Adelson's reach to everyday Israelis. It is delivered free of charge to people's doorsteps and distributed at busy intersections.

The newspaper typically carries a front-page editorial blasting Olmert and his government, with long investigative pieces inside on the misdeeds of Olmert and his cronies. Coverage of Netanyahu is generally benign.

Newspaper officials did not return messages seeking comment.

Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, would not comment on Adelson's activities, but noted that Olmert told The Atlantic Monthly in May that there were U.S. Jews "investing a lot of money trying to overthrow the government in Israel."

Until his recent troubles, Olmert welcomed involvement by American Jews. In the years before he became prime minister, he was happy to accept donations from Americans. One donor was Talansky, now the central figure in a corruption scandal that has ravaged what little popularity Olmert had and could force him out of office.

Talansky, who lives on New York's Long Island, made his donations to Olmert when he was mayor of Jerusalem, a Likud lawmaker and later a Cabinet minister. Testifying in May, Talansky spoke of his deep love for Israel and his conviction that Olmert was the right man to lead the country.

In 2006, Olmert broke away from Likud and led the centrist Kadima Party to victory in national elections. Today, Talansky appears to be bitterly disillusioned with Olmert, and says he believes some of his money went to fund a lavish lifestyle that included expensive cigars, luxury hotels and a vacation in Italy.

Police are investigating and Olmert has said he will resign if indicted. In the meantime, his political rivals have begun the process of replacing him as leader of the Kadima party, with primaries scheduled by the end of September.

Amnon Rubinstein, a prominent Israeli legal expert and a former justice minister, said American Jews "should give money to charity, to universities, to hospitals, but not to political parties."

But across the Israeli political spectrum, it has become a commonly accepted practice.

"Israel has been receiving donations from Diaspora Jews for 60 years," said Eliad Shraga, who founded the country's best-known good governance group, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel. "As long as it's legal, I don't see a problem."

Yossi Beilin of the dovish Meretz Party said the involvement of American Jews, even those with views different from his own, is preferable to apathy.

In the 1990s, Florida bingo magnate Irving Moskowitz set off a political storm by building a Jewish neighborhood in heavily Arab east Jerusalem with the enthusiastic cooperation of Jerusalem's mayor — Olmert. Beilin was an unlikely defender.

"I said I thought he was doing terrible damage, but I couldn't ignore the fact that he cares. I prefer someone who cares about Israel to someone who doesn't," Beilin said.

Hezbollah hands over coffins in prisoner swap

2008-07-16T00:53:00.000-07:00

Hezbollah hands over coffins in prisoner swap
ROSH HANIKRA, Israel - Lebanese guerrillas on Wednesday turned over to the Red Cross two black coffins believed to contain the bodies of Israeli soldiers captured two years ago, as a prisoner exchange with Israel got under way.Family and friends outside the homes of the two captured soldiers burst into tears as they watched the handover on television.

If Israeli forensic experts positively identify the bodies as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, Israel will later turn over five Lebanese prisoners to Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group — including a militant convicted in what is perceived here as a monstrous attack.

The servicemen had been presumed dead, but there had been no confirmation. Their Hezbollah captors had withheld any information about them since they were captured on July 12, 2006, in a cross-border raid that touched off a monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We are handing over the two Israeli soldiers that were captured by the resistance...and whose fate has been unknown until this moment," said senior Hezbollah security official Wafik Safa. "Now you know their fate."

An aunt of Regev's sank to the ground when she saw the coffins appear on a small TV hooked up outside the soldier's father's house. Some 50 friends, neighbors and family who had gathered there sobbed, rocked back and forth in prayer or pulled their hair.

"Nasrallah, you will pay," several vowed, referring to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Other people in the crowd criticized Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, saying the soldiers died for nothing.

Olmert waged a much-criticized monthlong war against Hezbollah in 2006 after the Israeli soldiers were taken.

The family's neighbor, Simona Adda, 68, said her children had grown up with Regev. "It's the saddest day for Israel. They kept us waiting until the last second to learn the fate of our sons," she said, then burst out crying.

The sorrow that swept across Israel with the images of the coffins contrasted sharply with the hero's welcome that awaited convicted killer Samir Kantar upon his return to a homeland he left 29 years ago to set out on his deadly mission.

In the Gaza Strip, controlled by the violently anti-Israel Hamas group, the spectacle of the coffins drew people into the street in celebration, and sweets were passed around.

Putting aside decades of resistance and breaking what had been a long-held taboo, Israel's Cabinet gave final approval on Tuesday to free Kantar. But he and Israel's four remaining Hezbollah prisoners from the 2006 war won't be handed over to Red Cross representatives at the Rosh Hanikra border crossing until Israeli forensic experts positively identify the soldiers.

The border crossing area was declared a closed military zone until the swap, codenamed "And the sons shall return," is completed.

Although polls show Israelis solidly endorse the exchange, many see Kantar as the embodiment of evil.

In the dead of night on April 22, 1979, Kantar and three other gunmen made their way in a rubber dinghy from Lebanon to the sleepy Israeli coastal town of Nahariya, five miles south of the border.

There, in a hail of gunfire and exploding grenades, they killed a policeman who stumbled upon them, then burst into the apartment of Danny Haran, herding him and his 4-year-old daughter out of the house at gunpoint to the beach below, where they were killed.

The attack is seared in Israel's collective consciousness because witnesses recounted that Kantar shot Danny Haran in front of his child, then killed her by smashing her skull against a rock with his rifle butt.

Haran's wife, Smadar, who had fled into a crawl space in the family apartment with her 2-year-old daughter, accidentally smothered the child with her hand while trying to stifle her cries.

Kantar, who acted on behalf of a militant Palestinian faction, denies killing the older child and has never expressed remorse over the incident. He was 16 years old at the time.

In addition to the prisoners, Israel also has agreed to release the bodies of 199 Lebanese and Palestinian fighters killed in clashes over the years. Red Cross trucks bearing the bodies also began moving toward the border early Wednesday

The deal seals a painful chapter from Israel's inconclusive war against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, launched with the declared aim of returning the captured soldiers.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah's commander in south Lebanon, Sheik Nabil Kaouk, called the swap an "official admission of defeat" for Israel. Red, white and green Lebanese flags, yellow Hezbollah flags and welcome banners hung in south Lebanese villages where the coffins carrying the returned bodies will be driven in a convoy from the border toward the capital, Beirut.

Hezbollah supporters have set up a makeshift stage in the coastal town of Naqoura, where a brief ceremony will be held. On the platform stood a large photograph of a weeping Israeli woman. A nearby sign read, "Israel is shedding tears of pain."

"Lebanon is shedding tears of joy," read another.

An official ceremony will follow at Beirut Airport and will be attended by Lebanon's president, prime minister and parliament speaker. Later, Nasrallah is to address what is expected to be a huge celebration at the group's stronghold south of Beirut.

Cardon Christian, a Red Cross spokesman, said from Naqoura that the Red Cross does not know whether the Israeli soldiers are dead or alive. "We are acting as a neutral intermediary and our role is to facilitate this handover operation," he told The Associated Press.

The exchange will be a somber occasion in Israel, where no ceremonies are planned.

Dead Army nurse's husband charged with murder

2008-07-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

Dead Army nurse's husband charged with murder

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The husband of an Army nurse who worked in the maternity ward at Fort Bragg's hospital was charged Monday with murder in her death, a day after her body was discovered by authorities.Marine Cpl. John Wimunc, 23, was also charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson in the death of his wife, Army 2nd Lt. Holley Wimunc, of Dubuque, Iowa. Her body was found Sunday, three days after a suspicious fire at her Fayetteville apartment.

In May, Wimunc secured a temporary restraining order against her husband. She told authorities he got drunk and held a loaded handgun to her head and his. At the time of her death, the couple was going through a divorce.

"You start with people who are closest to the spouse and you work your way out from that," Fayetteville Detective Jeff Locklear said of the investigation.

Authorities also charged Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Alden, 22, with first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Both were arrested at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps base about 130 miles southeast of Fayetteville where they are stationed as combat engineers.

Wimunc's body was found in a wooded area near the southern border of Camp Lejeune late Sunday afternoon, not far from Alden's residence. The body had been there several days and there is evidence she was dead upon arrival, said Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson, who wouldn't elaborate. The men were arrested late Sunday night after police interviewed Alden.

"We were able to corroborate a lot of the things he told us," Locklear said. "We used that information, interviews with witnesses ... to get the arrest warrant."

Both men are currently being held without bond in the Cumberland County jail and are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear if they had attorneys. John Wimunc's father declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press, but Alden's mother said her son's only involvement was giving a friend a ride to Fayetteville.

"He had no idea what was going on. He didn't do this," Connie Johnson said in a phone interview from her home in Pequot Lakes, Minn.

Fayetteville police began searching for Wimunc when she didn't show up for work Thursday. Co-workers could not find her at her apartment, but smelled what they suspected was a fire and called police. Once inside, investigators found evidence of arson.

Sgt. Chris Corcione said Monday that investigators found several points where the fire was started, but the blaze was concentrated in the apartment's rear bedroom. While the interior walls of the burned room were black with soot, Corcione said, the fire burned itself out and left behind useable evidence.

Holley Wimunc, 24, was commissioned by the Army Nurse Corps in 2007. Her first duty assignment was at Fort Bragg, where she worked in the mother and baby unit at Womack Army Medical Center.

Corcione said Wimunc was last seen alive the night of July 8, when she went out with friends and used her ATM card. Police believe she was dead when she was taken out of the apartment, but they are not yet sure when her body was taken to Onslow County.

Hudson said an attempt to burn the body set off a brush fire that drew the attention of authorities, and the body was located by Division of Forest Resources personnel. He said detectives likely would never have found her body had it been burned in a brush-free area about 100 feet away.

"It seems that someone tried to torch the body in the shallow grave," Hudson said.

Maj. Cliff W. Gilmore, a spokesman with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, said both suspects are assigned to the division's 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion. John Wimunc has served two tours in Iraq, including one that ended in January. Alden's mother said he went to Iraq in 2006.

"All he wanted to do was defend our country," Johnson said. "He has a wonderful, loving heart."

Holley Wimunc's father in Dubuque, Jesse James, said his daughter was a St. Ambrose University graduate, and excited about nursing and her career in the U.S. Army. She also had a son and daughter.

John Wimunc was not the father of Holley Wimunc's two children, and they were not in Fayetteville when the fire was reported. She had sent them to live with her father because of "the domestic situation," Corcione said.

Wimunc's death is the third homicide of a young North Carolina-based female service member in the past seven months.

In January, the body of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, of Vandalia, Ohio, was found in the back yard of a fellow Marine, Cpl. Cesar Laurean. He fled to Mexico and was captured in early April, and is charged with murder in her death.

Last month, the decomposing body of Spc. Megan Touma, of Cold Spring, Ky., was discovered in a motel near Fort Bragg. Authorities have made no arrests in that case, but stressed Monday it has no connection to Wimunc's death.

Police: Iraq suicide bombers kill 28 army recruits

2008-07-15T00:32:00.000-07:00

Police: Iraq suicide bombers kill 28 army recruits

BAQOUBA, Iraq - Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of army recruits Tuesday in a former al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 28 people, Iraqi police saidThe blast at the Saad military camp in Baqouba, 35 miles from Baghdad, also wounded at least 47 recruits, a police official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The U.S. military confirmed the attack, saying it occurred around 8 a.m.

Diyala province around Baqouba has been one of the few remaining violent areas in Iraq after offensives against extremists in the south, Baghdad's Sadr City and Mosul in the north.

Iraqi military officials said this week that they plan an offensive in the region soon to rein in remaining militants. U.S. military officials have said they will support that effort, which they called an enhancement of existing patrols and actions there.

On June 22, a female suicide bomber concealing explosives beneath her black robe struck outside a government complex in Baqouba, capital of Diyala province. At least 15 people were killed and more than 40 were wounded.

A car bomb across the street from the same compound killed at least 40 people in April.

Food, oil crises 'grave threats'

2008-07-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Food, oil crises 'grave threats'

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - The leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia on Tuesday called for boosting world food production and finding a permanent solution to skyrocketing oil prices, saying the twin problems have become "grave threats" to the world economy"We must identity the bold measures that we need to take now in order to guarantee the well-being of our economies," Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a summit of Islamic countries.

The Developing Eight summit brings together eight developing Islamic nations — Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria and Turkey. It coincides with the Group of Eight summit under way in northern Japan.

Abdullah said the one-day D-8 summit must "come out with a clear message on the need to boost food production in the world."

He noted global food prices have risen by more than 75 percent since 2000, leaving the "world economy ... facing grave threats to its well-being."

Abdullah said a plan to stabilize the price of oil must also be developed.

"Long-term solutions must be found for stabilizing the price of oil. For example, the international community can examine how the futures market might be organized to assist in stabilizing prices," he said, without elaborating.

Although Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran and Nigeria are oil-producing countries, their economies have been hit hard by rising fuel prices. Oil prices fell by $4 a barrel on Monday, but remain at more than $140 a barrel.

Malaysia raised gasoline prices by 41 percent and diesel by 63 percent last month. The government says inflation is likely to cross 5 percent this year, which has fueled public anger.

Indonesia, the region's biggest oil producer, is also facing public unrest because of escalating food and oil costs. It said it will quit the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries because of declining oil reserves and investments.

Indonesia's production of roughly a million barrels a day is at its lowest level in 30 years.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a speech the challenge of food and energy security has surpassed the challenge of globalization, which he said has led to the marginalization of many poor countries.

"There is no quick fix that will sweep aside this challenge, but we must act on it at once and in concert. To delay concerted action on this great challenge of our time is to court disaster," Yudhoyono said.

The "rising price of crude oil, the scramble for alternative sources of energy, and the threat of global warming" have exacerbated the food crisis, he said.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, OPEC's second largest oil producer, did not address the opening of the summit

Ecuador pardons small-time drug couriers

2008-07-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

QUITO, Ecuador - Hundreds of jailed convicts are celebrating Ecuador's decision to pardon low-level drug couriers known as "mulesThe pardons were approved Friday by Ecuador's constitutional assembly, which has taken on legislative powers after suspending the nation's Congress last year.
The assembly pardoned couriers who have been convicted of carrying 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of drugs or less, served at least 10 percent of their sentences or one year in prison, and are not repeat offenders.
Last year, President Rafael Correa proposed the pardons and new drug-sentencing rules, calling it absurd to sentence small-time couriers to more than 10 years in prison for carrying as little as 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of cocaine.
"The president has come through with his promise, and we appreciate him and the assembly members," said Carlo Aragundi, head of a prisoners' organization at a jail in Quito.
Aragundi, who is serving 20 years for robbery, estimated that 1,200 prisoners may be eligible for pardon.
Ernesto Pazmino, director of Ecuador's public defender's office, said the government will start accepting pardon applications on Monday and has 30 days to release qualified prisoners.
Supreme Court Magistrate Rodrigo Bucheli criticized the constitutional assembly for pressing forward with the pardons without yet addressing the problematic laws behind the tough drug sentences.
Ecuador's current drug laws, which Correa said were drafted under pressure from the U.S., do not differentiate between big-time traffickers and the low-level bagmen who smuggle drugs for them. "Mules" often swallow or carry small amounts of drugs across borders for money.
Correa has acknowledged that his father, who died when Correa was 9, was jailed for three years in the United States for carrying drugs.
Ecuador produces virtually no coca, the key ingredient in cocaine, but is often used as a transit country for drugs sent from neighboring Colombia and Peru — the world's top two cocaine producers — to the United States.

40 dead in Indian embassy blast in Afghan capital

2008-07-07T03:54:00.000-07:00

40 dead in Indian embassy blast in Afghan capital

KABUL, Afghanistan - A car bomb ripped through the front wall of the Indian Embassy in central Kabul on Monday, killing 40 people in what appeared to be the deadliest attack in Afghanistan's capital since the fall of the Taliban, officials saidThe massive explosion detonated by a suicide bomber damaged two embassy vehicles entering the compound, near where dozens of Afghan men line up every morning to apply for visas.

The embassy is located on a busy, tree-lined street near Afghanistan's Interior Ministry in the city center. Several nearby shops were damaged or destroyed in the blast, and smoldering ruins covered the street. The explosion rattled much of the Afghan capital.

"Several shopkeepers have died. I have seen shopkeepers under the rubble," said Ghulam Dastagir, a shopkeeper who was wounded in the blast.

Najib Nikzad, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said the blast killed 40 people. Earlier, Abdullah Fahim, the spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, said the explosion killed at least 28 people and wounded 141, but an update of the number of injured was not immediately available. The Interior Ministry said six police officers and three embassy guards were among those killed.

In Delhi, India's foreign minister said four Indians, including the military attache, were killed in the attack.

The explosion appeared to be the deadliest attack in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. It was the deadliest in Afghanistan since a suicide bomber killed more than 100 people at a dog fighting competition in Kandahar province in February.

Shortly after the attack, a woman ran out of a Kabul hospital screaming, crying and hitting her face with both of her hands. Her two children, a girl named Lima and a boy named Mirwais, had been killed.

"Oh my God!" the woman screamed. "They are both dead."

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the bombing and said it was carried out by militants trying to rupture the friendship between Afghanistan and India.

The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, hinted that the attack was carried out with help from Pakistan's intelligence service, saying that "terrorists have carried out this attack in coordination and consultation with some of the active intelligence circles in the region."

In Delhi, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the attack would not deter the mission from "fulfilling our commitments to the government and people of Afghanistan." The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said Pakistan condemned the attack and terrorism in all forms.

Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta visited the embassy shortly after the attack, ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmed Baheen said.

"India and Afghanistan have a deep relationship between each other. Such attacks of the enemy will not harm our relations," Spanta told the embassy staff, according to Baheen.

The Indian ambassador and his deputy were not inside the embassy at the time of the blast, Baheen said.

Militants have frequently attacked Indian offices and projects around Afghanistan since launching an insurgency after the ouster of the Taliban at the end of the 2001. Many Taliban militants have roots in Pakistan, which has long had a troubled relationship with India.

When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, the Islamic militia was supported by Pakistan, India's arch-rival. Pakistan today remains wary of strengthening ties between Afghanistan and India.

The United Nations' envoy to Afghanistan said that "in no culture, no country, and no religion is there any excuse or justification for such acts."

"The total disregard for innocent lives is staggering and those behind this must be held responsible," the envoy, Kai Eide, said.

The U.N. sent an e-mail to its staff advising them to stay off Kabul's roads because of reports that a second suicide car bomber was in the city.

The embassy attack was the sixth suicide bombing in Kabul this year. Insurgent violence has killed more than 2,200 people — mostly militants — in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count of official figures.

The embassy in the last several days had beefed up security by installing large, dirt-filled blast walls often used by military forces.

While Afghanistan has seen increasing violence in recent months, Kabul has been largely spared the random bomb attacks that Taliban militants use in their fight against Afghan and international troops.

In September 2006, a suicide bomber near the gates of the Interior Ministry killed 12 people and wounded 42 others. After that blast, additional guards and barriers were posted on the street.

In two separate bombings Monday against police convoys in the country's south, seven officers were killed and 10 others were wounded, officials said.

In Uruzgan province, a roadside bomb killed four police on patrol and wounded seven others, said provincial police chief Juma Gul Himat.

In the Zhari district of Kandahar, another roadside blast killed three officers and wounded three others, said district chief Niyaz Mohammad Sarhadi.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force, meanwhile, said one of its soldiers died in an attack in the south on Sunday.

Uribe rides high in Colombia

2008-07-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

Uribe rides high in Colombia

BOGOTA, Colombia - President Alvaro Uribe was master of ceremonies the night Colombian military intelligence agents disguised as humanitarian workers airlifted Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages to freedom. Elated former captives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia sat to his right at the news conference. Uribe's top generals lined his left.

The nation — and much of the world — watched, enthralled.

The stunning success of Wednesday's bloodless, U.S.-assisted mission has recharged speculation about a third term for Uribe: Will he try to change the constitution again — which enabled his second term — so he can run in 2010?

The wonkish, diminutive but tirelessly tenacious politician, who turned 56 on Friday, has been cagey on that score. Those who oppose the idea say it would put him in league with his continental rival, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who has been widely branded autocratic for doing his utmost to try to stay president for life.

Yet Uribe has consistently scored higher than 70 percent in public approval surveys.

A poll by the Napoleon Franco organization for Bogota's El Espectador newspaper the day before the rescue showed Uribe with a 73 percent approval rating. When the company recontacted those surveyed on Thursday, Uribe's approval had risen to 91 percent. The poll surveyed 1,200 people in 11 Colombian cities with a margin for error of 3.1 percentage points.

"Uribe's audacious and take-charge approach has worked, but there may also be a downside if he goes too far in concentrating power. There is reason to be concerned," said Michael Shifter, an analyst with the Washington-based nonpartisan think tank Inter-American Dialogue.

But whether he tries to extend his rule, there is no denying that Uribe got an astronomical political boost from the operation in which undercover soldiers tricked Latin America's last major rebel army into handing over Betancourt, three U.S. military contractors and 11 soldiers and police.

The breathtaking rescue at least temporarily eclipsed troubling questions about the legitimacy of his 2006 re-election.

On Thursday, the day after the rescue, the Constitutional Court turned down a Supreme Court request to review the 2005 legislative process that paved the way for Uribe's second term.

The Supreme Court had ruled on June 26 that Uribe aides bribed a congresswoman for her swing vote on the legislation. Uribe, who denies any wrongdoing in the matter, raised eyebrows when he immediately — and impetuously, some say — announced his decision to seek a referendum allowing a repeat of the 2006 election.

Such a referendum will almost certainly not happen.

Uribe has long been at odds with the Supreme Court, which has vigorously prosecuted close allies of the president — including his second cousin — for allegedly colluding with right-wing death squads. One in 10 Colombian congressmen are in prison in that scandal.

Remarkably, Uribe has been little hurt by it.

Some analysts think the president, whose rancher father was killed by the FARC rebels in a botched 1983 kidnapping, isn't as much interested in re-election as in preserving what's called "Uribismo."

Roughly translated, "Uribismo" is allegiance to the free market and, most of all, to annihilating the 44-year-old insurgency without concessions.

In the eyes of the vast majority of his countrymen, the successful hostage-rescue mission vindicated this hard-line strategy against the rebels.

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos — who was deeply involved in the mission — is widely mentioned as a potential successor to Uribe who would maintain the withering military campaign that has thrown the FARC into disarray.

Betancourt, who was kidnapped while running against Uribe in 2002, is probably the only candidate who could defeat the president if he seeks re-election.

But does she plan to run?

She hasn't said.

Is she a rival or an ally?

Too early to tell.

The day of her rescue, Betancourt praised Uribe's leadership. And the FARC's cruel treatment of her — keeping her in chains 24 hours a day for three full years — makes her unlikely to favor rapprochement with the rebels.

But she is still a wild card: She made a name for herself as a senator in the 1990s when she denounced the widespread drug-trafficking-related corruption that was sullying Congress. Her actions provoked death threats that forced Betancourt to send her children abroad.

And then there is the question of how long Uribe — or a successor — could keep up Colombia's costly war on the FARC, which depends greatly on U.S. support.

As yet unknown is whether the U.S. president who is elected in November will modify aid — about US$600 million annually since 2000 — amid a recession that appears now to have reached Colombia, where growth is easing and prices are rising.

"It's very possible peace negotiations would again become a necessity because continuing to invest 5 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) won't be easy in a recession," said Leon Valencia, a top Colombian political analyst.

But at least until the next political crisis, Uribe can bask in the adulation of pulling off a mission that robbed the FARC of the high-profile hostages who were its most precious bargaining chips.

He may even have made some headway with a woman he has long tried to woo: Betancourt's mother, Yolanda Pulecio.

Throughout her daughter's six-year captivity, she had very publicly and passionately criticized Uribe for preferring a military rescue to negotiations.

Uribe, a twinkle in his eye, couldn't help but mention Pulecio during Wednesday's celebratory ceremony.

"I hope to win a little of her love," he said.

Pakistan nuclear proliferation case 'closed'

2008-07-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Pakistan nuclear proliferation case 'closed'

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's Foreign Ministry insisted Saturday that its nuclear proliferation case was closed, a day after the disgraced architect of its atomic program claimed the army under President Pervez Musharraf helped spread the technology. Abdul Qadeer Khan told The Associated Press on Friday that Pakistan's army supervised a 2000 shipment of used P-1 centrifuges to North Korea. It must have been sent with the approval of Musharraf, the then-army chief who took power in a 1999 coup, Khan alleged.

"It was a North Korean plane, and the army had complete knowledge about it and the equipment," Khan said. "It must have gone with his (Musharraf's) consent."

The comments caused a stir in Pakistani media, and newspapers played the story prominently on their front pages Saturday. Mohammad Sadiq, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, offered only limited comment, however.

"The nuclear proliferation issue is a closed case," Sadiq said, reiterating a longtime Pakistani stance. "We do not think that a debate is required on it."

Pakistan has repeatedly denied that its army or government knew about Khan's proliferation activities. Still, Khan's allegations matches expert assessments that running such a network would have been very difficult without some involvement from Pakistan's security apparatus.

Musharraf's spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, rejected Khan's claims. "I can say with full confidence that it is all lies and false statements," he said.

Khan has been agitating for an end to his virtual house arrest and backed off his 2004 confession that he was solely responsible for spreading nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

In a speech Friday, Musharraf made no mention of Khan's allegations, but said he would not quit the presidency — as political opponents have been demanding.

The army spokesman declined to respond Friday and could not immediately be reached Saturday.

Khan is regarded as a hero by many in Pakistan for his key role in giving it the Islamic world's first nuclear bomb in 1998, seen as a deterrent against historic archrival India.

After his 2004 confession and a televised statement of contrition, Khan was pardoned by Musharraf but has effectively been kept under house arrest at his spacious villa in Islamabad.

Since a new civilian government took power after February elections, eclipsing Musharraf, the retired scientist has increasingly spoken out in the media. He had not previously implicated anyone or explicitly said that the army was aware of nuclear shipments.

His comments Friday appeared to stem from his growing frustration over the restrictions on his movements. Khan and his wife have appointed an attorney to petition the Islamabad High Court for an end to his detention.

Khan said he took sole responsibility for the nuclear proliferation because he had been persuaded that it was in the national interest. Khan said that in return he had been promised complete freedom, but "those promises were not honored."

Khan's proliferation activities are alleged to have begun in the late 1980s.

In his autobiography, "In the Line of Fire," Musharraf says that in 1999, a year after becoming army chief, he became suspicious of Khan and questioned him over reports that North Korean nuclear experts had arrived at his laboratories for secret briefings on centrifuges. Khan denied it, according to Musharraf.

Musharraf recounts authorizing a raid on a charter aircraft going to North Korea for conventional missiles after receiving reports it would be carrying some "irregular" cargo on Khan's behalf. Khan's people were tipped off before the raid and never loaded the cargo, Musharraf wrote. It was not clear if he was referring to the same shipment as Khan.

Musharraf's suspicions over Khan prompted him to remove the scientist in March 2001 from his position as head of Khan Research Laboratories, Pakistan's main nuclear lab named after him.

Pakistan says it has taken extra steps to tighten control of its nuclear assets since Khan's network was uncovered in late 2003. But Khan's bald accusation that the military establishment was in the know adds to widespread skepticism that he could have exported nuclear technology under the radar of Pakistan's pervasive security apparatus.

Political and military analyst Talat Masood said it made sense that the effort was coordinated by more than one person.

"If the requirement of an aircraft was there, the requirement of dealing with another country was there, it's not just one man who could have done it," Masood said. "Whether they were doing it individually or collectively or as a state policy or informally — that needs to be determined."

Pakistan has refused to let outsiders question Khan, including from the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency, but says it has shared the findings of its own questioning of Khan.

Aghan official says US strikes killed 22 civilians

2008-07-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

Aghan official says US strikes killed 22 civilians

KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. military said airstrikes by its attack helicopters hit two vehicles carrying insurgents in eastern Afghanistan. The province's governor said 22 civilians, including a woman and a child, were killed. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said Friday the airstrikes in Nuristan province hit militants who earlier attacked a U.S. military base with mortars.

The helicopters identified the militants' firing positions, tracked them down and destroyed the vehicles they were traveling in, said 1st Lt. Nathan Perry.

"These were combatants. These were people who were firing on us," Perry said. "We have no reports of noncombatant injuries."

He gave no account of casualties in the vehicles.

Nuristan's Gov. Tamim Nuristani said, however, 22 civilians were killed in the Waygal district of Nuristan province. "This afternoon (Friday), two civilian vehicles were hit by airstrikes," Nuristani said over the phone.

Among those killed were a woman and a child. All 22 dead bodies were brought to a provincial hospital, Nuristani said. Seven other people were wounded.

"Last night, the opposition fired rockets at the (U.S.) base ... and today this incident happened," said Nuristani, speaking from Kabul.

The military base is 6 miles away from the place where the airstrikes happened, Nuristani said.

It was impossible to independently verify any of the claims because of the remoteness of the area.

In other violence, gunmen lobbed a grenade and sprayed a police checkpoint with gunfire in the southern Kandahar province, killing eight officers, said provincial police chief Sumanwal Matiullah.

Overall, more than 8,000 people were killed in insurgency-related attacks in Afghanistan last year — the most since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Violence has claimed more than 2,100 lives so far this year.

G-8 leaders face ominous economic woes this year

2008-07-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

G-8 leaders face ominous economic woes this year
SAPPORO, Japan - Between surging oil prices, food inflation and a credit crunch that's depressed global growth, leaders from the Group of Eight economic powers face the gravest combination of economic woes in at least a decade when they gather next week.The outlook has darkened dramatically since last year's summit in Germany, when the leaders declared the global economy was in "good condition" and oil cost $70 a barrel — which seemed high at the time.

Since then, the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis has erupted, roiling markets and battering financial firms. Oil has doubled to above $140 and food prices have jumped, hurting the poor in particular and raising the threat of political instability.

"Things have changed for the worse across the board," said Robert Hormats, vice chairman at Goldman Sachs (International) Corp. in New York.

Hormats argues that the economic problems now are more serious and widespread than during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, where the pain was largely limited to emerging markets.

"Now you have a financial disorder where the epicenter is the U.S.," he said. And fuel and food inflation "are serious matters that affect large numbers of people."

Host Japan put global warming at the top of the summit's agenda, but the dilemma of how to respond to accelerating inflation and slowing global economic growth could grab the spotlight.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has said he hopes the July 7-9 meeting at a hot springs resort in Hokkaido, Japan's northern island, will "show some direction" in tackling oil and food prices but stressed it was only "one step" in a longer process.

On oil, analysts are skeptical that the G-8 leaders — representing the U.S., Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Canada — will come up with much beyond urging major petroleum producers to boost output, reiterating the message of their finance ministers, who met last month in Osaka.

Foreshadowing possible disagreement among the leaders, the finance ministers were divided on where to assign blame for the run-up in oil prices. Germany, France and Italy held speculators largely accountable, while the U.S. and Britain said the focus needed to be on boosting production capacity that has barely kept up with growing global demand.

Soaring crude prices have already forced India, Malaysia, and Indonesia to cut subsidies and raise state-set prices on gasoline and other fuels. Last month, China hiked fuel prices as much as 18 percent.

At the same time, prices of corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and other farm goods have surged due to changing diets, urbanization, expanding populations, extreme weather, growth in biofuel production and speculation.

Spiraling fuel and food costs could drive millions into poverty, the Asian Development Bank has warned. In India, inflation has jumped to a 13-year high of 11.4 percent.

On the food front, the G-8 leaders may announce an aid package or pledging agricultural investment in poorer countries, experts say.

The credit crisis and global market turmoil are sure to be discussed, but with central bankers absent the leaders will most likely avoid saying anything specific about interest rates and currencies. The European Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate a quarter point Thursday, suggesting it saw inflation as a greater threat than slower growth.

Overall, the summit's main goal will be demonstrating confidence that they can "work through the oil crisis without causing the global economy to melt down," said Tom Cooley, dean of New York University's Stern School of Business.

Given the meeting's emphasis on climate change, the leaders could highlight the links between energy issues and global warming by stressing the importance of energy efficiency and alternative forms of energy, said Hormats of Goldman Sachs.

"The key thing is not what they do at these meetings but what they do at home," he said.

Oil and energy have remained recurring themes at the annual summits, said Hormats, who participated in several of the first meetings, which started in 1975. The initial gathering came after the 1973-74 oil embargo, when fuel prices surged after Middle East oil producers cut off the U.S. and other countries supporting Israel.

"We now have another oil crisis," Hormats said.

The summits were originally meant to focus on economic issues, but the agenda has expanded to include terrorism, Africa's development and the environment.

The group's membership also has grown from six to eight, adding Canada in 1976 and more recently Russia in 1997.

But many argue that it should be expanded to include China, the world's fourth-largest economy, and other emerging powerhouses like India and Brazil — especially to tackle global issues like energy and climate change.

"At what point will the G-8 realize we're no longer the steering committee for the world economy?" said Lael Brainard, a former deputy national economic adviser in the Clinton administration who attended several summits in the 1990s and now is a director at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

Already, the G-8 has been reaching out. It plans meetings with African leaders on the summit's first day, and later with leaders from China, India, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa — countries that someday might be a part of the Group of 13.

"These countries are critical to the solution of any of these problems," said Brainard. "I believe it's only a matter of time" until the club expands.

McCain to meet Mexican president at end of tour

2008-07-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

McCain to meet Mexican president at end of tour

MEXICO CITY - Immigration and trade are high on John McCain's agenda as he wraps up a three-day Latin American visit Thursday with a meeting with Mexican President Felipe CalderonThe Republican presidential hopeful planned an early morning visit to Mexico City's famed Basilica de Guadalupe accompanied by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, brother of President Bush, before meeting with Calderon.

The Basilica de Guadalupe is Mexico's holiest site for Roman Catholics, and Catholic and Hispanic voters are expected to be key swing voters in the November election. McCain's Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, has worked to woo Catholics and Hispanics as well after those groups voted heavily for Hillary Rodham Clinton during the primary season.

McCain has said he planned to seek Calderon's help in addressing illegal immigration, a key issue for Hispanic and many conservative voters. The Arizona senator has called for increased security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico was billed primarily as an opportunity to promote free trade in the Western Hemisphere.

He has spoken out this week in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico and the proposed Colombia Free Trade deal currently stalled in Congress. On Wednesday, he said as president he might pursue a possible free trade agreement that would cover the entire Western Hemisphere.

Obama has spoken out against NAFTA and the Colombian free trade pact, both of which have been unpopular in important general election swing states like Ohio. McCain wants to help workers displaced by free trade agreements to receive job training and other benefits.

McCain and his wife, Cindy, planned to fly back to Arizona on Thursday to spend the Fourth of July holiday with family.

Tokyo talks agree on project to boost Palestinian economy

2008-07-02T06:08:00.000-07:00

Tokyo talks agree on project to boost Palestinian economy
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan and Middle Eastern leaders agreed Wednesday on a project to bring thousands of badly needed jobs to the West Bank, voicing hope it would lay the groundwork for a Palestinian state. Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority said after talks in Tokyo that they aimed to start building a Japanese-funded agro-industrial park in the region by early next year.

The project's "success would provide local people with new jobs, promote the economic development of Palestine and provide hope for the future," Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said.

"It is necessary to create a Corridor for Peace that enables a free transfer of people and goods across borders," he added.

The four sides said in a joint statement that the initiative "will contribute to creating a future viable Palestinian state, living in co-existence and co-prosperity with Israel."

Saying there was an "urgent need" to improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians, the four said the project would create jobs and "build trust among all the parties."

Japan is spearheading the project as part of its drive to increase its clout in the Middle East and broaden its global influence. Japan timed the meeting before it hosts next week's summit of the Group of Eight industrial powers.

The talks came amid new violence in the region with a Palestinian man killing at least three people when he rammed a bulldozer into a bus and cars in central Jerusalem.

The Japanese project, first proposed in 2006, would export fruit and vegetables via Jordan to the Gulf and provide jobs for up to 6,000 Palestinian, mostly around the West Bank town of Jericho, according to Japanese officials.

"The vision is bold, the task is daunting but I am confident that Japan has the experience and the goodwill to bring this project to its successful conclusion," said Palestinian planning minister Samir Abdullah.

Israeli Environment Minister Gideon Ezra, who also deals with security issues, said he hoped the project would get underway "with no delay."

"Let us use all of our efforts to realise as soon as possible the success of this project," Ezra told a ceremony.

A feasibility study undertaken by Japan is to be completed in November and the four countries called for cooperation from the Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian private sectors.

But officials and experts point to the complexities of the project as Israel controls security, water resources and Jewish settlements in the region.

Japan pressed Israel to freeze the construction of settlements and move ahead with a "road map" for peace as outlined by a November summit in Annapolis, near Washington.

"It is extremely important that both sides execute measures agreed to in the road map including a halt to settlement construction and violence," Komura said.

"It is also important to alleviate the painful situation of Palestinians living in Gaza," Komura said.

In response, the Israeli minister said that his country "will continue to abide by the road map and continue to pursue negotiations with the Palestinian side," according to a statement from Japan.

Israeli authorities last month approved a plan to build 40,000 new homes in Jerusalem over the next 10 years, including in the annexed Arab eastern sector of the city.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir told reporters that the Japanese project "demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between prosperity and ensuring a lasting peace of all of our region."

Japan has portrayed itself as a neutral broker in the Middle East due to its lack of historical baggage. But it has long maintained friendly ties with Arab states and Iran on which the resource-poor Asian power depends heavily for oil and gas

McCain presses Colombia's Uribe on human rights

2008-07-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

McCain presses Colombia's Uribe on human rights

CARTAGENA, Colombia - John McCain said Tuesday he had pressed Colombia President Alvaro Uribe to improve his government's record on human rights but praised his efforts to stabilize the country and reduce the flow of drugs into the United StatesI've been a supporter of human rights for my entire life and career," McCain said after a nearly two-hour meeting with Uribe at the president's seaside mansion here. "We have discussed this issue with President Uribe and will continue to urge progress in that direction. I believe progress is being made and that more progress needs to be made."

It was the first meeting for the GOP presidential hopeful on a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico.

McCain is a strong supporter of a proposed free trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia and he planned to promote it and other hemispheric trade deals during the visit. His Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, opposes the Colombian agreement, which has stalled in the House amid concerns about continuing intimidation and violence against labor leaders in the country. Thirty-one trade unionists have been murdered in Colombia so far this year, eight fewer than last year, according to the Medellin-based Escuela Nacional Sindical, a labor research institute.

Speaking to reporters, Uribe said he and McCain had discussed Obama and what Uribe described as "positive" comments by the Illinois senator about Colombia. It was unclear what Uribe was referring to.

Pressed to elaborate, McCain said he and Uribe hadn't discussed the presidential campaign but agreed on the importance of bipartisanship in dealing with international matters.

"The only discussion I had concerning the presidential campaign is that I believe any partisanship ends at the water's edge. I won't speak of the presidential campaign," McCain said.

McCain praised Plan Colombia, a program the U.S. government launched 10 years ago to reduce cocaine production in the country. Because of Plan Colombia and other efforts, the price of an ounce of cocaine on U.S. streets had risen substantially, McCain said.

The Arizona senator flew south after a campaign swing through Indiana and Pennsylvania, accompanied by his wife, Cindy, and two colleagues and top supporters of his presidential effort, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut.

On Wednesday, he planned meetings with other government officials and business leaders, and a tour of a Naval base before departing for Mexico City in the evening.

Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane en route to Colombia, McCain said fighting illegal drugs would be as much a focus of the visit to Latin America as promoting free trade agreements, which are widely unpopular in several general election battleground states that could determine the outcome between him and Obama.

"We want to talk about drugs to a large degree. We'll talk about drugs, talk about free trade, talk about relations with our countries, talk about a lot of the issues we have," McCain said.

McCain is a strong supporter of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has been blamed for draining manufacturing jobs away from industrial states like Ohio and Michigan. Obama has vowed to renegotiate NAFTA if elected to include enforceable labor and environmental provisions.

Earlier Tuesday, Obama's campaign organized a call with labor leaders to criticize McCain's trip.

"He's hopping on a plane and going to Colombia and Mexico to talk about how much our trade agreements are going to help those countries, rather than talking about what we can do to help this country," said United Auto Workers Vice President Terry Thurman.

McCain has acknowledged his support for NAFTA is a hard sell in industrial states reeling from the loss of jobs. But he insisted the voters there know the U.S. economy is changing and that retraining for the new economy will be beneficial to the country and to their families over time.

"I'm confident that the American people — a majority of them understand we are in a period of transition," McCain said. "And meaningful re-education and training programs will give our workers another opportunity to be part of the information revolution we're in today."

NAFTA and other free trade deals were a flash point in Obama's primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton.

McCain's trip to Latin America followed a visit last month to Ottawa, Canada, where he also promoted free trade.

In Mexico City, McCain also planned to address illegal immigration — an emotional issue both for Hispanic voters and many conservatives.

McCain co-sponsored Senate legislation that would have allowed illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes, and clearing a background check. The measure failed last year and McCain since has talked primarily about the importance of boosting border security, and less about a pathway to citizenship for those in the country illegally.

He batted away questions about whether the trip was designed to curry favor with Hispanic voters, an increasingly influential voting bloc in some states.

"I try to reach out to all voters," he said. "I try to reach out to mothers whose children have succumbed to addiction to this terrible drug. I am reaching out to all Americans who believe our relationships in this hemisphere are important."

Jamie-Lynn Spears Welcomes Baby Daughter!

2008-06-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Jamie-Lynn Spears Welcomes Baby Daughter!

With everything going as planned, Jamie-Lynn Spears welcomed a baby girl into the world at Mississippi Southwest Regional Medical Center on Thursday morning (June 19).

According to People magazine reports, the baby was named Maddie Briann, with a source telling: "Just the family was there. Everyone is healthy and happy."

As previously reported by Fropki.com, Jamie-Lynn's big sister Britney and her brother and father arrived in their hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana yesterday afternoon - meeting up with mother Lynne, who has been busy preparing for the arrival of her granddaughter.

Meanwhile, Jamie-Lynn, 17, and her babydaddy, Casey Aldridge, 19, were engaged this past March - recently purchasing a three-bedroom home in Liberty, Miss., where they plan to raise their daughter.

Enjoy the pictures of Jamie-Lynn Spears and Casey at El Dorado Mexican Bar & Grill on Wednesday (June 18).

David Beckham In His Undies!

2008-06-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

David Beckham In His Undies!
It just may be a girl's dream come true… David Beckham has been immortalized in the new Emporio Armani underwear advertising campaign wearing nothing but his underwear!

Yesterday, Macy's West CEO Jeff Gennette introduced the soccer stud at the campaign launch in San Francisco, California, with a giant backdrop of Becks in his skivvies.

The LA Galaxy star spent the afternoon meeting, greeting, and signing autographs for the first 175 fans to purchase $200 worth of underwear. And he looked slick in a grey suit with a platinum tie.

Beckham will be the brand's face for the next three years, with an annual fee rumored to be $20 million, plus royalties. The new collection will be available here in the States this August.

Enjoy the pictures of David Beckham at the unveiling of his new ad campaign (June 18).

Zimbabwean runoff gets off to slow start

2008-06-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

Zimbabwean runoff gets off to slow start
HARARE, Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe's one-candidate presidential runoff is getting off to a slow start, with just 10 voters waiting at Harare's main polling station when it openedDuring the first round in March, hundreds of people were at polling stations by the time they opened at 7 in the morning. Friday morning, 10 people were at the main polling station in the capital and even fewer were seen at other stations.

Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew because of violence unleashed on his supporters during the campaign. That leaves longtime President Robert Mugabe the only candidate, though Tsvangirai's name remains on the ballot.

Tsvangirai won the first round. But the official tally said he did not gain the votes necessary to avoid a runoff against Mugabe.

Ky. gunman argued with boss over phone, goggles

2008-06-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ky. gunman argued with boss over phone, goggles

HENDERSON, Ky. - A 25-year-old press operator shot and killed five co-workers and himself at a plastics plant in rural western Kentucky just hours after arguing with his supervisor about not wearing safety goggles and using his cell phone while on the assembly line, police said WednesdayAuthorities said Wesley N. Higdon of Henderson was so riled by the argument with his supervisor that he called his girlfriend and told her that he wanted to kill his boss. The girlfriend didn't warn anyone, police said, and just two hours later he argued with another co-worker at a gas station near the plant, then returned and shot and killed his supervisor as they walked outside. He went back inside and shot at co-workers in a break room and on the plant floor.

But in an interview with a local newspaper, the girlfriend, Teresa Solano Ventura, said through an interpreter that Higdon had threatened to kill himself, not his supervisor.

"He said to her that he was going to kill himself," Abby Valasquez told The Gleaner of Henderson, translating for her cousin, who does not speak English well.

A man who called 911 frantically described the violent scene early Wednesday to a dispatcher, tallying up the number of dead around him.

"There's more than two people dead. There's like one, two, three, four, five people dead," the man said. "The supervisor is dead, too."

Authorities said Higdon was known to keep a .45-caliber pistol in his car, which is not illegal in Kentucky.

Ventura said she was not aware that Higdon carried a gun in his car, the newspaper said. She described him as generous and "a good person." Ventura has a 7-month-old son with Higdon, the newspaper said.

The first shooting took place as the supervisor was escorting Higdon from the building. Other co-workers were shot in the break room and on the plant floor. One worker was injured and was being treated in the critical care unit at St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center in Evansville, Ind.

"He just walked in, looked like he meant business and started shooting at everybody," Henderson Police Sgt. John Nevels said at a news conference.

The killings stunned the Ohio River town of about 28,000 people, where a local leader said many residents know or are related to a worker at the plant. The plant, operated by Atlanta-based Atlantis plastics, employs about 160 people and makes parts for refrigerators and plastic siding for homes.

Henderson County Coroner Bruce Farmer identified the supervisor as Kevin G. Taylor, 30, of Dixon. The slain co-workers were Trisha Mirelez, 25, Rachael Vasquez, 26, and Joshua Hinojosa, 28, all of Sebree; and Israel Monroy, 29, of Henderson. The hospitalized survivor was identified as Monroy's sister, Noelia Monroy.

"Our whole community is in shock," Henderson County Judge-Executive Sandy Watkins said.

The plant sent employees home Wednesday, but the company said that it hoped to resume limited operations at night. Atlantis Plastics CEO Bud Philbrook told The Associated Press that the company was reeling.

"It's just total shock. It's something you read about in the paper," Philbrook said.

Investigators were trying to piece together the timing of the shooting spree. Philbrook said that Higdon didn't appear to have any previous disciplinary problems at the plant.

Four of the victims were members of St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sebree, Ky., said the Rev. Jason McClure, who had spent much of the morning with the victims' families.

"They are very upset and hurting deeply and just trying to figure out what to do next," McClure said.

A prayer vigil was held for the victims Wednesday night at the Henderson County Courthouse.

Atlantis Plastics said on its Web site that it is a leading U.S. manufacturer of three kinds of products: polyethylene stretch films for wrapping pallets of materials, custom films for industrial and packaging uses and molded plastic pieces used in products such as appliances and recreational vehicles.

The company has annual sales of $110 million, according to business directory Hoovers.

"This is a devastating loss to this community which we have been a part of for more than 40 years," Philbrook said in a statement late Wednesday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families and we will work with them to provide our help and support."

UN declares fair presidential vote impossible

2008-06-24T01:27:00.000-07:00

UN declares fair presidential vote impossible

UNITED NATIONS - Outraged at the turmoil in Zimbabwe, the U.N. Security Council declared that a fair presidential vote is impossible because of the "campaign of violence" waged by President Robert Mugabe's governmentThe 15-nation council Monday unanimously said it "condemns the campaign of violence against the political opposition ahead of the second round of presidential elections," which has resulted in the killing of scores of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans.

The move came after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the vote — reportedly fearing for his safety — and police raided his Harare headquarters, hustling away dozens of his supporters. Tsvangirai took refuge in the Dutch embassy.

Tsvangirai was fleeing soldiers when he took refuge at the Dutch Embassy in Harare, Senegal's president said, offering some of the first details on the latest twist in the southern African's country's political crisis.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade made the comment in a statement released late Monday about his attempts to mediate in the Zimbabwean crisis.

Recent bloodshed widely blamed on supporters of Mugabe has killed dozens of opposition activists and other Zimbabweans.

The non-binding presidential statement was the council's first formal action on Zimbabwe's political and humanitarian crises. Council members also agreed that the violence and restrictions on opposition activists imposed by the Mugabe government "have made it impossible for a free and fair election to take place" on Friday.

The 84-year-old Mugabe and United Nations Zimbabwean Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku pledged to press ahead with Friday's vote, despite the international criticism and the lack of opposition.

Tsvangirai said the election was rigged and his supporters face too much violence for him to keep running. He won the first round of voting on March 29, but lacked an outright majority against Mugabe.

"There has been too much violence, too much intimidation," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon told a brief news conference, and a runoff "would only deepen divisions within the country and produce a result that cannot be credible."

Ban said he was working with South Africa and the African Union to find a solution. Dumisani Kumalo, South Africa's ambassador to the U.N., told reporters that it should be left up to the Zimbabweans to decide whether to delay Friday's voting or to revert to the earlier result and consider Tsvangirai the interim president.

Most of the council's negotiations were conducted privately. Members met openly for less than a half-hour to get an update on what is happening from U.N. Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe.

He said ample evidence shows Mugabe's government is waging a "widespread campaign of retaliation and threat" and spreading "fear, hostility and attacks" against its opponents.

Mugabe's government is no longer capable of holding a legitimate election, Pascoe told the council, and Mugabe's plan to push ahead with a runoff Friday "would only increase divisions and produce discredited results."

Already, tens of thousands of Zimbabweans have been uprooted from their homes and 85 people have died in election violence, human rights groups say. Tsvangirai has repeatedly been detained by police and contended with warnings of a state-sponsored assassination plot. His top deputy was arrested on treason charges that carry the death penalty.

The U.S., Britain, France and other Western powers tried but failed to include language asserting that Tsvangirai should be considered the legitimate president, until another fair election can be held.

They faced opposition mainly from South Africa and China, Zimbabwe's biggest trading partners, and from Russia, which had previously opposed discussions on Zimbabwe. The all-day discussions on the various drafts extended into the evening

But many of the farms instead went to his loyalists

2008-06-23T02:13:00.001-07:00

But many of the farms instead went to his loyalists

HARARE, Zimbabwe - Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of Zimbabwe's violence-wracked presidential runoff Sunday, declaring that the election was no longer credible and the loss of life among his supporters was simply too highThe announcement cleared the way for President Robert Mugabe to continue his 28-year rule, despite mounting condemnation from even loyal African allies that the former independence hero has become a despot who has bankrupted the country's once thriving economy.

"We can't ask the people to cast their vote on June 27 when that vote will cost their lives. We will no longer participate in this violent sham of an election," Tsvangirai said.

He addressed a news conference in Zimbabwe's capital after thousands of militants loyal to Mugabe prevented opposition supporters from gathering for its main campaign rally.

As night fell, militia groups roamed the capital and hotels sent their workers home early out of fear for the safety. Normally busy Sunday traders packed up early.

Tsvangirai called on the United Nations, the European Union and the Southern African regional bloc to intervene.

He said he would put forward new proposals by Wednesday on how take the country forward. The opposition has repeatedly said it would welcome a government of "national healing" including ruling ZANU-PF party members but not Mugabe himself.

Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said Friday's runoff would go ahead in accordance with the constitution — and to prove Zimbabweans' support for Mugabe, who has held power since independence from Britain in 1980.

"The constitution does not say that if somebody drops out or decides to chicken out the runoff will not be held," Ndlovu said.

"It is an election of the people of Zimbabwe against Britain and America," he said, returning to the government's theme of portraying Tsvangirai as a puppet of Western powers out to re-colonize Zimbabwe. The opposition, Britain and the United States reject such claims.

Tsvangirai won the first round of the presidential election on March 29, but did not gain an outright majority against 84-year-old Mugabe. That campaign was generally peaceful, but the runoff has been overshadowed by violence and intimidation, especially in rural areas. Independent human rights groups say 85 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes, most of them opposition supporters.

Ndlovu reiterated government claims that the opposition was to blame for the violence.

Tsvangirai complained that he was being treated like a "common criminal," with his attempts to tour the country stymied by police at roadblocks.

The state-controlled media have banned opposition advertisements, claiming they "contain inappropriate language and information." The media cited one ad that claimed that Tsvangirai won the election, "which is not the case, hence the runoff."

Tendai Biti, the opposition party's No. 2, was arrested within minutes of his return from South Africa last week and is being held on treason charges.

Tsvangirai had hoped to address his main campaign rally for the runoff Sunday afternoon.

But thousands of ruling party militants blockaded the show ground site and set up road blocs at the main approach streets, ripped branches from trees and hurled stones at cars. Hundreds of militants, many with sticks and wearing ZANU-PF ruling party colors, marched past its headquarters chanting slogans. ZANU-PF trucks, warning lights flashing and crammed with passengers, circled the grounds.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change claimed that the militants were beating opposition supporters who were trying to reach the venue and said at least two were seriously injured. It said the militants attacked journalists and forced African election monitors, who had been driving around the rally site, to flee. Election monitors could not immediately be reached for comment.

Zimbabwe has barred Western observers and most journalists, but permitted African election monitors.

Mugabe has shrugged off mounting international condemnation. But never before has he faced such criticism from other African leaders who now openly say Mugabe is an embarrassment.

Even one of Mugabe's staunchest allies, Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos, urged him to end "all acts of intimidation and violence," while current African Union chair Tanzania said it doubted the elections would be free and fair. The leaders of Rwanda and Kenya — which have both suffered deadly political violence — have been especially scathing.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa said Sunday that the runoff must be postponed. Mwanawasa, who currently holds the rotating chair of the Southern African Development Community and has long been among Mugabe's most outspoken critics in the region, said Zimbabwe had failed to meet minimum election standards.

He voiced particular frustration that he had been unable to reach South African President Thabo Mbeki, the region's designated mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, and criticized Mbeki for not sharing information.

Mbeki is increasingly isolated both abroad at at home for his appeasement of Mugabe and his refusal to flex South Africa's economic muscle against his neighbor.

Mbeki's spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said Tsvangirai had called Mbeki earlier Sunday to inform him he was withdrawing.

"Of course we would like to encourage the MDC to continue to play a role in the normalization of the political process in Zimbabwe. And we are encouraged that Mr. Tsvangirai says he is not closing the door completely on negotiations," said Ratshitanga.

The European Union on Friday threatened to step up sanctions against Mugabe's government, and the United States and Britain want a special U.N. Security Council meeting.

"The government of Zimbabwe has failed to put in place the conditions necessary for free and fair run-off elections," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in an unusually blunt statement. "The campaign of violence and intimidation that has marred this election has done a great disservice to the people of the country and must end immediately."

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also voiced sympathy for the opposition decision.

"It's evident Morgan Tsvangirai was left with no choice as he wanted to preserve the life and limb of his people," Miliband told the British Broadcasting Corp. "What's clear is that his (Mugabe's) rule has no legitimacy."

At a rally in the western city of Bulawayo on Friday, Mugabe said the opposition was lying about the violence and that everywhere he visited was peaceful. His powerful police chief pinned the blame firmly on the opposition and said that police would clamp down.

Mugabe was lauded early in his rule for campaigning for racial reconciliation. But in recent years, he has been accused of ruining the economy and holding onto power through fraud and intimidation.

People are going hungry in what was once the region's breadbasket, with the world's highest inflation rate putting staples out of reach.

The economic slide has been blamed on the collapse of the key agriculture sector after often-violent seizures of farmland from whites. Mugabe claimed he ordered the seizures, begun in 2002, to benefit poor blacksBut many of the farms instead went to his loyalists

Red Cross: 155 dead in Philippines typhoon

2008-06-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Red Cross: 155 dead in Philippines typhoon

MANILA, Philippines - Two men who struggled to shore after escaping from a passenger ferry that capsized during Typhoon Fengshen said Sunday hundreds of people may have died when they were trapped inside the shipThe storm, which has submerged entire communities and set off landslides, has left at least 155 dead in the Philippines, said Sen. Richard Gordon, head of the national Red Cross, based on field reports from his staff.

But there were concerns the death toll would jump dramatically. The 72 people listed as missing does not include the more than 740 passengers and crew aboard the MV Princess of Stars.

Gordon said he has asked U.S. authorities for help in finding anyone who might still be alive inside the ferry and was told "they are going to try very, very hard."

A rescue ship battling huge waves and strong winds reached the ferry, its bow jutting out of the water, more than 24 hours after it lost radio contact Saturday. There was no sign of survivors, and only four people who were on board were known to have reached shore alive.

"They haven't seen anyone. They're scouring the area. They're studying the direction of the waves to determine where survivors may have drifted," coast guard spokesman Lt. Senior Grade Arman Balilo said.

Villagers found six bodies — including a man and a woman who bound themselves together — along with children's slippers and life jackets that washed up near where the ferry went down.

Officials were checking reports that a large number of survivors might have reached one island and that a lift raft was spotted off another, coast guard spokesman Cmdr. Antonio Cuasito said.

"We can only pray that there are many survivors so we can reduce the number of casualties," he said.

Reynato Lanoria, a janitor on the ship, estimated about 100 people could have survived, "but the others were trapped inside."

"I think they are all dead by now," he told DZMM radio after jumping from the ship and reaching a life raft.

Lanoria said he was on the top deck when a crew member ordered people to put on life vests around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. About 30 minutes later, the ship tilted causing elderly people and children to fall on the rain-slick deck.

Passenger Jesus Gica also worried that many people were trapped below when the ship listed.

"There were many of us who jumped overboard, but we were separated because of the big waves," he said. "The others were also able to board the life rafts, but it was useless because the strong winds flipped them over."

The death toll from the storm includes 59 people who drowned in the central province of Iloilo, where another 40 are missing, Gov. Neil Tupaz said.

"Almost all the towns are covered by water. It's like an ocean," Tupaz said, adding thousands have been displaced in the province that is home to 1.7 million people.

The ferry initially ran aground a few miles off central Sibuyan island Saturday, then capsized, said Mayor Nanette Tansingco of Sibuyan's San Fernando.

With the upturned ferry visible from her town, she appealed for food, medicine and formalin to embalm bodies.

The typhoon lashed the central Philippines for about four hours Saturday, setting off landslides and floods, knocking out power and blowing off roofs.

Packing sustained winds of 74 miles per hour and gusts of up to 93 mph, the typhoon shifted course Sunday to the northwest and battered Manila at dawn, dumping heavy rain on the capital. Major streets were flooded, and numerous traffic lights were out.

Rescue vessels aborted an initial attempt Saturday to get to the 23,824-ton ferry. Efforts resumed in stormy weather Sunday, coast guard chief Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said, although the churning sea kept smaller vessels away. Four coast guard ships and three from the navy were deployed, and the air force was asked to send aircraft as soon as the weather clears.

The ferry — with 626 passengers and 121 crew members on board — was "dead in the water" after its engine failed around noon Saturday, Tamayo said.

About two dozen relatives trooped to the Manila office of Sulpicio Lines, some quietly weeping as they waited for news about their loved ones.

"I'm very worried. I need to know what happened to my family," said Felino Farionin, his voice cracking. His wife, son and four in-laws were on the ferry.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who left for the United States late Saturday, talked to officials in a teleconference aired live on nationwide radio Sunday, scolding coast guard officials for allowing the ferry to leave Manila late Friday despite the bad weather.

Ferries are the main form of inter-island transportation in the sprawling Philippine archipelago, site of the world's worst peacetime maritime disaster when the ferry MV Dona Paz sank in 1987, killing more than 4,341 people.

Wildfire burns homes along N. California coast

2008-06-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Wildfire burns homes along N. California coast

SAN FRANCISCO - A fast-moving fire erupted Friday along the Northern California coast, burning homes, forcing hundreds of residents to flee and backing up traffic for miles on a scenic highway.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials said that the 500-acre fire was 50 percent contained by Friday evening. Cal Fire expected full containment Saturday.

While 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate earlier in the day, the improving situation resulted in Santa Cruz County closing its overnight evacuation center at 9 p.m., according to Chris Hirsch, a county spokeswoman. Residents who needed overnight housing were being sent to an evacuation center set up by the Red Cross.

A number of homes were destroyed, but there was no indication how many. Hirsch said at least nine structures had burned.

"There are homes threatened, but we're not exactly sure how many right now," Hirsch said.

Battalion Chief Paul Van Gerwen, a Cal Fire spokesman, said helicopters were dropping water and fire retardant. About 600 firefighters had been called in to battle the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Van Gerwen noted that multiple grass fires appeared to have merged into the larger blaze.

A six-mile stretch of Highway 1 was closed for much of the day, although southbound lanes reopened in the early evening.

In southeastern New Mexico, firefighters were trying to corral a lightning-caused blaze that had scorched 64 square miles of desert grass, shrubs and cacti in the Guadalupe Mountain foothills

Fidel Castro criticizes EU sanction vote

2008-06-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Fidel Castro criticizes EU sanction vote
HAVANA - Fidel Castro on Friday slammed an EU decision lifting diplomatic sanctions against Cuba but imposing tough human rights conditions, calling it an "enormous hypocrisy" in light of Europe's new rules on illegal immigrationThe ailing 81-year-old former leader, who handed power over to his younger brother Raul in February, said in an online essay that the EU has no right to lecture Cuba on human rights given what he called the "brutal" immigration policy.

"At my age and in my state of health, you don't know how long you're going to live," he wrote on the CubaDebate Web site. "But from now on I wish to register my scorn for the enormous hypocrisy behind this decision."

Castro also said neither the sanctions nor their end would have "absolutely any economic consequence" for Cuba, which is also the target of a decades-old U.S. economic embargo.

The immigration measures adopted by the European Union this week seek to standardize the process by which illegal immigrants are held and deported in member nations. It contains some contentious provisions, such as allowing for migrants to be held for as long as 18 months before being expelled.

Raul Castro's government has yet to comment on the lifting of the sanctions. But a number of Cuban dissidents expressed disappointment Friday.

Opposition writer and economist Oscar Espinosa Chepe said he worries about Europe lifting pressure on Raul Castro's government before it improves human rights policies.

The EU decision "could send a bad message to the Cuban government, which hasn't released the prisoners," said Chepe, who was among 75 government opponents arrested and sentenced in a 2003 crackdown that prompted the EU sanctions.

He was one of 20 in that group who were later released for medical reasons.

Espinosa Chepe's wife, Miriam Leiva, said EU members seeking an open dialogue with Cuba will be disappointed to find "only a monologue."

But at least one government opponent welcomed the move.

Dissident Manuel Cuesta Morua, who calls himself a social democrat, said the EU move could promote open dialogue with Europe and encourage Cuba to undertake some reforms. "Confrontation doesn't work," he said.

Thursday's EU decision was largely symbolic since the sanctions, which banned high-level Cuban officials from visiting EU nations and promoted inviting dissidents to embassy cocktail parties in Havana, were suspended two years after they were imposed. The EU decided the tactic was not helping dialogue with the island's government, and many European nations dropped dissidents from their embassy party lists to encourage higher-level Cubans to attend the soirees.

But the EU said it might take new measures if Cuba fails to release all political prisoners, give all Cubans access to the Internet and allow EU delegations in Cuba to meet opposition figures as well as government officials.

Officials said the EU will evaluate Cuba's progress in a year.

The U.S. government said it supports the EU's conditions for measuring Havana's progress on rights issues over the next 12 months.

"These benchmarks send the right message about what is important: the need for the Cuban government to change the way it treats its citizens," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. "If the Cuban government intends to undertake meaningful change, it will take concrete steps to improve its human rights record."

Obama, Hillary Clinton to campaign together

2008-06-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Obama, Hillary Clinton to campaign together

CHICAGO - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign announced Friday that he will campaign with former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton next week, a step toward unifying a fractured Democratic Party after a bruising primary fightObama's campaign said in a brief e-mail that said the two senators and former opponents will campaign together for the first time on Friday, June 27, and more details would be forthcoming.

A day earlier, Obama and Clinton also plan to meet in Washington with some of her top contributors in an effort to calm donors who remain frustrated with Obama's presidential campaign. The former first lady will introduce Obama to her financial backers.

Clinton, a New York senator and former first lady, suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination earlier this month after Obama, an Illinois senator, secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

Obama's campaign disclosed the joint appearance — but offered few details — one day after announcing that he would reverse an earlier position and reject some $85 million in public financing for the general election. That announcement opened him up to a flood of criticism and dominated the news cycle.

Thus, Obama's campaign sought to redirect attention by putting word out a full seven days in advance that Obama and Clinton would campaign together.

Clinton ended her campaign on June 7, four days after Obama got enough delegates to clinch the nomination. "I endorse him and throw my full support behind him," she said at the time.

The two met privately on June 5 after ditching reporters to make sure there would be no photos or coverage of the first post-race meeting. Obama was asked Wednesday whether they were talking.

"I have not had conversations with Senator Clinton because she has been getting a well-deserved vacation," he said at the time. "We will be speaking I think in the next few days or certainly the next week and will be having an ongoing conversation."

Venezuela rebuffs US on Hezbollah aid

2008-06-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Venezuela rebuffs US on Hezbollah aid

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's foreign minister on Thursday rejected U.S. government accusations that a Venezuelan diplomat helped finance Hezbollah in LebanonForeign Minister Nicolas Maduro did not specifically refer to Ghazi Nasr al Din, who was targeted Wednesday in a U.S. Treasury Department action ordering any assets he controls in the United States to be frozen and forbidding U.S. citizens from doing business with him.

But Maduro told reporters that "there are no terrorists here," and said officials should be going after the assets of President Bush.

"If they want to search for terrorists, look for them in the White House," he said.

Washington considers the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah a terrorist group and has no dealings with it. Hezbollah is both an armed group and a political party in Lebanon.

Wednesday's action accuses Nasr al Din of using his position as a diplomat and a leader of a Caracas-based Shiite Islamic center to help the group. There were conflicting reports from the United States and Venezuela over whether he was stationed in Lebanon or Syria.

The main Shiite Muslim center in Caracas is the Imam al Hadi Venezuelan Islamic Center, said Mohamad Mtayrek, a 42-year-old Lebanese immigrant who helps manage the small mosque and community center in a two-story house.

Mtayrek said the center has no link to Hezbollah and dismissed Washington's allegations as "politics." He said he knows Nasr al Din but declined to speak about him, saying "it's not my business."

The Treasury action also targeted Lebanese-born businessman Fawzi Kan'an, the owner of two Caracas-based travel agencies. Kan'an called allegations that he helped finance Hezbollah "pure lies."

Venezuela has a large Lebanese population, many of them immigrants who arrived long before President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999.

US to probe why Guantanamo detainees talked

2008-06-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

US to probe why Guantanamo detainees talked
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - U.S. military officers responsible for defending Guantanamo detainees said they will investigate why five men accused in the Sept. 11 attacks were allowed to talk among themselves at their arraignment, allegedly pressuring one of the defendants to reject his lawyers. All five said they would represent themselves in the death penalty trial, the first U.S. attempt to prosecute those believed to be directly responsible for killing 2,973 people in the bloodiest terrorist attacks ever on U.S. soil.

None entered pleas, and two said they hope to become martyrs for their anti-American cause.

Lawyers for Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi complained he was pressured by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the former third-ranking al-Qaida leader and alleged mastermind of the 2001 attacks.

"It was clear Mr. Mohammed was trying to intimidate Mr. Hawsawi," said Army Maj. Jon Jackson, his lead military attorney. "He was shaking."

Jackson complained to the judge after an interpreter overheard other defendants asking al-Hawsawi questions like, "So, you're in the Army now?"

Al-Hawsawi, who allegedly helped Sept. 11 hijackers prepare for the attacks with money and Western-style clothing, looked thin and frail as he sat on a pillow on his chair. The others appeared to be in robust health.

Chief military defense counsel Stephen David, an Army colonel, said it's troubling that the alleged coconspirators were allowed to talk unhindered in their first meeting since they were captured years ago.

"We will have to investigate," David said.

Army Col. Lawrence Morris, the chief prosecutor, said his office was not responsible for controlling when defendants talk to each other, but that "the government is as concerned as the defense" about the issue.

Thursday's arraignment at this isolated U.S. Navy base marked Mohammed's first appearance since his capture in Pakistan in 2003. Noticeably thinner and wearing prison-issue glasses, a turban and a bushy, gray beard, he appeared starkly different from the slovenly man with disheveled hair, unshaven face and T-shirt in the widely distributed capture photo.

Judge Ralph Kohlmann warned Mohammed he faces the death penalty if convicted of organizing the attacks on America. But the accused mastermind of the terrorist attacks said he can't accept U.S. lawyers — only Islamic "Sharia" law — and would welcome being executed.

"This is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time," Mohammed said. "I will, God willing, have this, by you."

Ramzi Binalshibh, the alleged main intermediary between the 19 hijackers and al-Qaida leaders, responded similarly: "If this martyrdom happens today, I welcome it. God is great. God is great. God is great."

One of the civilian attorneys he spurned, David Nevin, told The Associated Press he would try to meet with Mohammed to "hear him out and see if we can give him information that is helpful."

Asked how any attorney can defend a man who wants the death penalty, the Boise, Idaho, lawyer said: "It's a tricky matter. I don't have a good answer for you."

Waleed bin Attash, who allegedly selected and trained some of the hijackers, asked the judge whether they would be buried at Guantanamo or if their bodies would be shipped home after execution.

Kohlmann, a Marine colonel with a crewcut who was dressed in black robes, refused to address the question.

The judge said he would set a trial schedule later. Even the timing of the war crimes trial is controversial.

The defense has moved to dismiss the charges, accusing the military of rushing the case to get the detainees convicted just before the Nov. 4 presidential election. The tribunals also could be derailed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to rule this month on the rights of Guantanamo detainees.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain both say they want to close the detention center. But while McCain supported the Military Commissions Act that resurrected the tribunals in 2006 after a Supreme Court setback, Obama opposed it.

NASA begins fueling shuttle Discovery for launch

2008-05-31T05:02:00.000-07:00

NASA begins fueling shuttle Discovery for launch
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA began fueling space shuttle Discovery on Saturday for a late afternoon launch to the international space station.Everything seemed to be going NASA's way, including the weather. With no hurdles in sight, the launch team began pumping more than 500,000 gallons of fuel into Discovery's big external tank soon after daybreak.

Already loaded aboard Discovery was Japan's precious lab, a $1 million addition for the space station that will be the biggest room by far. It's named Kibo, Japanese for hope.

Also tucked away in the space shuttle: a new pump for the space station's finicky toilet. For more than a week, the three occupants have had to manually flush the toilet with extra water several times a day, a time-consuming job.

NASA and Russian space officials are hoping that the pump — which was rushed to Kennedy Space Center from Moscow just three days ago — gets the toilet back in normal working order.

Japanese journalists and space program officials jammed NASA's launch site, their excitement growing with every passing minute of the countdown. As many as 400 Japanese were expected for the liftoff.

Their enthusiasm was catchy.

"We are on the verge of a very historic event, the launch of this amazing spacecraft, the first major manned element for the Japanese Space Agency," said NASA payload manager Scott Higginbotham.

The Japanese lab is 37 feet long and more than 32,000 pounds, and fills Discovery's entire payload bay. The first part of the lab flew up in March, and the third and final section will be launched next year.

The entire lab, with all its pieces, cost more than $2 billion.

A large political contingent was also on hand led by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who's newly married to Discovery's commander, Mark Kelly. They invited numerous bigwigs from Arizona and Washington.

Kelly's brother, Scott, didn't need an invitation to the launch — he's also a space shuttle commander. They're identical twins.

Three spacewalks are planned during Discovery's 14-day flight, to install Kibo, replace an empty nitrogen-gas tank and try out various cleaning methods on a clogged solar-wing rotating joint.

One of Discovery's astronauts, Gregory Chamitoff, will move into the space station for a six-month stay. He'll replace Garrett Reisman, who will return to Earth aboard the shuttle.

Charlie Sheen marries real estate agent

2008-05-31T04:57:00.000-07:00

Charlie Sheen marries real estate agent

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Charlie Sheen, star of the television comedy "Two and a Half Men," married fiancee Brooke Mueller in Beverly Hills on Friday night, according to several media reportsIt is the third marriage for Sheen, 42, and the first for Mueller, 30, described as a real estate agent and former actress. The couple had been engaged since July 2007.

The actor has enjoyed a long career in Hollywood that includes work on TV and in movies ranging from the 1986 Vietnam War film "Platoon" to baseball comedy "Major League."

He is the son of actor Martin Sheen and brother to actor and director Emilio Estevez, both of whom were guests at the wedding, according to Us magazine's website, Usmagazine.com.

His daughters with his former wife Denise Richards, from whom he was divorced in 2006, were flower girls in Friday's ceremony, according to the website.

Natalie Portman’s Stylish White Dress Modeling

2008-05-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Natalie Portman’s amfAR Evening

Wearing a gorgeous Givenchy gown, Natalie Portman was a red carpet stunner at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2008 benefit on Thursday (May 22).

Held at Le Moulin de Mougins during the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Natalie watched Madonna talk about her new documentary, I Am Because We Are, which "concerns children orphaned by AIDS in Malawi."

The V for Vendetta actress then intently watched a few movie clips shown by the Material Girl before happily making her way to the event's lavish afterparty.

Accompanying Portman at the event were high rankers including Christian Slater, Joely Richardson, Alan Cumming, amFAR's CEO Kevin Robert Frost and Kenneth Cole.

Enjoy the pictures of Natalie Portman throughout her amfAR evening (May 22).

Clinton vows to continue campaign

2008-05-07T22:30:00.001-07:00

Clinton vows to continue campaign

Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton has vowed to continue her campaign despite losing ground in the latest primary contests and her financial problems.

Mrs Clinton beat rival Barack Obama by just two points in Indiana's primary, while he won by 14 in North Carolina.

The votes were the final major Democratic primaries which help decide the party's White House candidate.

Mrs Clinton is also facing a funding crisis - she was forced to loan her campaign $6.4m (£3.3m) last month.

Unhealthy sign

Speaking to reporters, she pledged to remain in the race "until the nominee is chosen", although she did not reveal whether this meant she would stay in until the party's nominating convention in August.

Mrs Clinton also appealed to supporters for more funds to carry on the fight.

That is not a healthy sign, says the BBC's Justin Webb in West Virginia, where Mrs Clinton is campaigning.

Contributors will not throw money at what they see as a lost cause, and without daily infusions of cash, presidential campaigns cannot survive, our correspondent says.

PRIMARY RESULTS
North Carolina
Senator Obama 56%
Senator Clinton 42%
Indiana
Senator Clinton 51%
Senator Obama 49%
Figures from AP

In pictures: US primaries
Who are the delegates?
Send us your comments

The two candidates are locked in a drawn-out battle to stand for the Democratic Party against Republican John McCain in November's presidential election.

With neither likely to win enough pledged delegates to the party conference in August to clinch the nomination, the outcome hangs on the decision of nearly 800 so-called super-delegates - senior party members - who can choose which candidate to back.

The Clinton campaign is hoping that it can still persuade a majority of the remaining undecided super-delegates to back the New York senator.

Mrs Clinton met some of them on the day after her North Carolina defeat in an effort to shore up her support.

I honestly believe that she will find a way to get out of the race before the next primaries

John Zogby
US pollster

Clinton 'heading for the exit'
Democratic voters' reaction

So far she has received endorsements from 271 superdelegates, to Mr Obama's 256, with 270 still undecided, according to the Associated Press.

Many super-delegates say they will vote for the candidate chosen in the primary of their home state.

But the campaign suffered a setback when former senator and 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern announced that he was switching his support from Mrs Clinton to Mr Obama.

Mr McGovern, who is not a super-delegate and will therefore not have a vote at the party's nominating convention, also called on Mrs Clinton to withdraw from the race.

Her team are also still arguing that the delegates from Michigan and Florida - barred by party chiefs from attending the convention after the states broke party rules by holding their contests early - should be allowed to take their seats at the convention after all.

Mrs Clinton did well in the disputed contests, and would benefit if the party opted to overturn its earlier ruling.

Mr Obama is leading the race in delegates who will choose the presidential nominee by 1,840 to 1,684, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Race split

Speaking to a raucous rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday night, Mr Obama said: "Tonight we stand less than 200 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination for president of the United States."

Analysts said Mr Obama's win was vital after a recent difficult campaign stretch.

He has been dogged by controversy over his gaffe that small-town residents were "bitter", and racially charged comments by his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

A win in Indiana was seen as critical for Mrs Clinton to stay in the race to stand against Republican John McCain in November's presidential vote.

At her election gathering in the Indiana state capital, Indianapolis, she told cheering supporters it was "full speed on to the White House".

But despite her defiant words, Mrs Clinton seems to have lost some of her trademark fighting spirit, says BBC Washington correspondent Jonathan Beale.

The rivals, courting voters suffering from an ailing economy, spent recent days sparring over Mrs Clinton's proposal to suspend the federal petrol tax for the summer.

Mid-western Indiana is home to large numbers of blue-collar workers, a bloc which has backed Mrs Clinton in previous contests.

According to exit polls conducted for AP, about two-thirds of white voters in both states who had not completed a college education supported Mrs Clinton.

In North Carolina, Mr Obama won the backing of 90% of the state's African-American voters, who make up more than a third of the state's electorate.

Mrs Clinton won 58% of non-black voters in the state, according to the polls.

There are just six primary contests left: West Virginia, Oregon, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota.

The Republicans also held primaries in Indiana and North Carolina on Tuesday, but the votes were largely symbolic as Senator John McCain has effectively secured the nomination.

Warm US welcome for Pope Benedict

2008-04-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

Warm US welcome for Pope Benedict

Pope Benedict XVI has received an unprecedented presidential greeting from George W Bush after arriving for his first official visit to the US.

Mr Bush and his wife Laura were waiting on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base when the Pontiff's plane touched down.

During his six-day visit, the head of the Catholic Church will address the UN and lead prayers at Ground Zero.

Before arriving the Pope told reporters on board his plane that he was "deeply ashamed" of sexual abuse by US clergy.

Pope Benedict, who was elected three years ago, vowed to work against a recurrence of the crisis, which tarnished the Church's reputation, saying "we will absolutely exclude paedophiles from the sacred ministry".

In recent years, the US Catholic Church, which has around 65 million followers, has paid $2bn (£1bn) to settle clergy sexual abuse cases.

The BBC's David Willey, who is travelling with the Pope, says that damage limitation over past scandals is not the main purpose of the Pontiff's first trip to the US though.

Our correspondent says he wants to deliver a message of Christian hope to American Catholics and non-Catholics alike, describing his journey as a pilgrimage to a "great people and a great country".

Pilgrimage

Hundreds of spectators had turned out for Pope Benedict's arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington.

The crowds cheered and clapped as he made his way onto the runway to be met by Mr Bush, his wife Laura and daughter Jenna.

On Wednesday, the Pope will pay a formal call upon Mr Bush at the White House.

It is more important to have good priests than many priests

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope's tour: Reporter's diary
Latinos welcome Pope's words

During the flight from Italy, he said he would talk to Mr Bush about the plight of some Hispanic immigrants in the US, our correspondent says.

The US Church has been changing in recent years with the arrival of millions of new Latino immigrants.

The Pope also paid tribute to the fact that there was no state religion in the US, adding that a secular state where all religions can be welcomed is a positive model from which Europe can learn, our correspondent adds.

During the visit the Pope is due to celebrate two huge Masses at baseball stadiums in Washington and New York, as well as praying at Ground Zero, the New York site where the World Trade Centre was destroyed on 11 September 2001.

Birthday dinner

Although there have been 24 previous meetings between a sitting US president and a Pope - and Benedict XVI's predecessor, John Paul II, visited the White House in 1979 - there will be numerous firsts during this visit.

A crowd expected to number 10,000 will gather on the White House's South Lawn on Wednesday to mark his official arrival.

The unprecedented crowd, even larger than the 7,000 who greeted Queen Elizabeth II during a 2007 visit, will hear the anthems of both the US and the Holy See, as well as a 21-gun salute.

Mr Bush is due to host a lavish dinner in the White House's East Room to mark Pope Benedict's 81st birthday on Wednesday.

The meal's Bavarian-style menu will celebrate the Pope's German heritage, although the Pontiff himself is unable to attend.

Instead, he is expected to lead US bishops in a prayer service in Washington.

The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says the theologically conservative Pope may get a warmer reception for his views in the US than in Europe.

Mr Bush is close to the Pontiff in opposing abortion, gay marriage and stem cell research.

But the two differ on issues including the war in Iraq and capital punishment, both of which the Vatican has opposed.

Personal suffering

On board his flight to Washington, the Pope briefed reporters on his handling of the clerical sex-abuse crisis.

The sexual abuse by clergy had been a great suffering for the US Catholic Church and for him personally, he said.

"I am deeply ashamed and will do whatever is possible so that this does not happen in the future," he said.

"It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound."

The Pope has been asked to meet some victims of clerical abuse and their families during his visit but has so far declined to do so.

Three more arrested over disappearance of British girl

2008-04-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Three more arrested over disappearance of British girl

LONDON (AFP) - Three women have been arrested and bailed on suspicion of perverting the course of justice by police investigating the case of a girl who went missing for three weeks, they said ThursdayAmanda Hyett, 25, her sister Caroline Meehan, 29, and their mother Alice Meehan, 49, were questioned over the disappearance of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews in Dewsbury, northern England in February.

They have been bailed pending further inquiries.

Shannon was found after 24 days in the base of a bed in a flat a mile from her home.

Those arrested Thursday are the sisters and mother of Craig Meehan, partner of the girl's mother Karen Matthews, 32, who was charged with perverting the course of justice and child neglect earlier this week.

Prosecutors allege that the mother, who led a high-profile campaign to find her missing daughter, concealed information from police about where the girl was.

Hyett and Alice Meehan were previously arrested and bailed last week.

Craig Meehan's uncle, 39-year-old Michael Donovan, has been charged with Shannon's kidnap and imprisonment, and his trial has been provisionally scheduled for November 11 at Leeds Crown Court.

Craig Meehan, 22, has been charged with 10 counts of possessing indecent images of children.

54 Myanmar migrants die in Thailand

2008-04-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

54 Myanmar migrants die in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand - Fifty-four illegal migrant workers from Myanmar suffocated in the back of an unventilated truck Thursday, while the rest of the passengers being smuggled to Thailand pounded on the container and screamed in vain for the driver's help.More than 100 migrants, mostly women, were about two hours into their trip to the resort island of Phuket late Wednesday when they started collapsing, police and survivors said. At that point, in Ranong province near Myanmar, their ruckus caused the driver to stop. When he unlocked the container and discovered the dead workers, survivors said he ran off.

The victims, along with 67 survivors, had been forced to stand in the 7 foot by 20 foot locked and sweltering container area of the truck, normally used to carry seafood, police and survivors said. Temperatures in the province reached 93 Wednesday."I thought everyone was going to die," Saw Win, a 30-year-old survivor, told The Associated Press from police custody. "If the truck had driven for 30 minutes more, I would have died for sure."

He said that about 30 minutes into the trip the occupants pounded on the inside of the truck, screamed for air and used a mobile phone to call the driver, who briefly turned on air conditioning.

The air conditioning later shut down, and they called the driver again 30 minutes later but his phone was off. They continued pounding and screaming until he stopped the truck about an hour later, unlocked the door and ran off when he saw the state of the victims, Saw Win said.

A translator for police gave a slightly different account of the incident based on his conversations with survivors.

He said the air conditioning had broken down while the truck was waiting for a police checkpoint to close for the night.

The translator, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the driver ran away without unlocking the door.

It was only when nearby villagers heard screams and banging from the vehicle that they came to investigate and opened the doors, he said.

"When police got to the scene, they found that 54 of the workers were already dead in the packed container truck," said Col. Kraithong Chanthongbai, police chief for Ranong's Suksamran district. Thirty-seven of the dead were women and 17 were men.

Kraithong said late Thursday that two survivors remained hospitalized, while another 65 were being held for questioning by police. The announced number of survivors was originally lower because not all those detained had been counted.

No officials at Thailand's Labor Ministry, which regulates foreign workers, were available for comment, despite repeated phone calls to their offices.

Television reports showed police lifting bodies out of the truck until it was emptied except for a few pieces of clothing.

The dead — many wearing little more than T-shirts, shorts and sandals — were laid out on the floor of a storage facility of a local charity.

Survivors told police that they each paid $315 to be smuggled into Thailand.

Police were searching for the truck's driver and members of the smuggling gang they believed arranged the trip.

The truck's owner, who was detained for questioning, claimed he was unaware the vehicle was being used to transport migrants from Myanmar, police said. He was not under arrest.

The survivors told police they arrived in Ranong province, about 290 miles south of Bangkok, from Myanmar's Victoria Point by fishing boat Wednesday night, Kraithong said.

There are about a million Myanmar workers registered to work in Thailand, and an additional million estimated to be working here illegally. Large numbers of illegal migrants also come from Thailand's other poor neighbors, Cambodia and Laos.

The illegal workers lack legal protection and are often ruthlessly exploited.

The incident was reminiscent of the deaths in 2001 of 58 illegal Chinese migrants in a sweltering tomato truck in Britain, which exposed the murky underworld of people-smuggling gangs profiting from migrants who hope to earn a living in more developed countries

More US troops for Afghan force

2008-04-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

More US troops for Afghan force

The US intends to send a "significant" number of extra troops to aid Nato's effort in Afghanistan in 2009, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said.

The unspecified increase will come regardless of whether US troop levels in Iraq are reduced later in 2008.

US President George W Bush had told Nato leaders about the anticipated troop boost during their ongoing summit in Romania, Mr Gates said.

The US currently has about 17,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan.

"The president indicated that he expected in 2009 that the United States would make a significant additional contribution," said Mr Gates.

He was speaking to reporters on his plane as he flew from the Bucharest summit to the Gulf state of Oman.

'Bipartisan support'

The defence secretary added combating Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan would remain a high priority for the next US president, regardless of their political affiliation.

"I believe this is one area where there is very broad bipartisan support in the United States for being successful and I think that no matter who is elected they will want to be successful in Afghanistan," said Mr Gates.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had earlier said more French troops would be deployed to Afghanistan, easing fears of a crisis within the Western coalition there.

The US says the French move, expected to involve up to 1,000 extra soldiers, will free up some of its troops to move to southern Afghanistan, where Canada had demanded Nato reinforcements be sent.

Canada's parliament voted last month to extend its military mission in volatile southern Afghanistan to 2011 - but only if its allies sent reinforcements.

It’s all about the energy

2008-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

keeping up with her energetic superstar husband Tom Cruise.

The 29-year-old actress is losing weight, not getting enough sleep and reportedly nearly fainted in a Los Angeles restaurant, reports a website.

A source said, “Tom has boundless energy. She just can’t compete with Tom.” The couple married in 2006 after a whirlwind romance.

Cyrus is Kids Choice winner - twice

2008-03-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - It was the best of both worlds at Saturday's Kids Choice Awards for Miley Cyrus, who took home trophies for favorite female singer and TV actress and rocked the show with a spirited performance of her hit song, "GNO — Girls Night Out."

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It was also a slime spectacle for the Nickelodeon children's television network, which broadcast the 21st annual show live from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in front of 10,000 screaming fans, almost all of them teens and preteens.

Akon crashed a dune buggy into giant containers of Nickelodeon's trademark green slime, Usher blasted a sumo wrestler several yards with slime fired from a cannon and supermodel Heidi Klum, attached to a bungee cord and wearing a specially equipped "butt spike belt," flung herself into a wall covered with slime-filled balloons.

"Don't try this at home," boxer Laila Ali said as Usher turned the cannon on the sumo wrestler.

The slime stunts and other assorted foolishness — which included a soundtrack of celebrities burping as an instrumental version of the Village People song "YMCA" played in the background — took up so much time that presenters never got around to announcing three awards.

In the categories that were announced, teen heartthrob Drake Bell was another double winner, collecting his third consecutive orange blimp-shaped trophy for favorite TV actor and another for favorite TV show for "Drake and Josh."

"Drake and Josh" upset Cyrus' hit program "Hannah Montana" in the TV show category.

Other winners were Eddie Murphy for favorite voice from an animated movie for "Shrek the Third," "American Idol" for favorite reality show and, one of the biggest crowd favorites of the night, the Jonas Brothers for favorite music group. The ever-polite Jonas Brothers each offered brief thank-yous. Chris Brown won for favorite male singer.

Ryan Seacrest accepted the reality show award saying he looked forward to presenting it to "two of the three" of the show's judges.

Cyrus, in a black dress with silver spangles, thanked several people, including her mother, father, agent, manager "and my lord and savior Jesus Christ."

She returned a few minutes later to perform her song, and had a camera crew scampering to get out of the way when she charged into the audience, microphone in hand.

The Naked Brothers Band also performed a song from their forthcoming album "I Don't Want To Go To School."

Cameron Diaz injected one serious moment into the 90 minute show when she accepted a silver blimp as this year's Wannabe Award winner, for the person kids most want to be like. After a montage of clips from both her movies and her efforts on behalf of environmentalism was shown, she encouraged the crowd to do their part to protect the planet.

"You're going to change the world. Every one of you kids is the future," she told the audience. "Everybody go out and make the world a better place."

Diaz, who was the first ever Kids Choice Awards burping contest winner, has long said that was the favorite of all her awards. She said this one trumped it.

Jason Lee accepted the favorite movie award for "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and said it was one of his biggest thrills.

"I'm going to hang this from the ceiling because it's the greatest award anyone could receive because it was voted on by the kids," he said as he held his blimp.

Awards are voted on by people who cast their ballots at Nickelodeon's Web site, with voting continuing until the day of the show.

The show's host, Jack Black, announced that 88 million votes were cast this year, more than twice last year's record number of 40 million.

The show concluded with Black and Orlando Bloom sitting in chairs high above the audience being drenched with what Black claimed was 27 million gallons of green slime.

___

UN says 'criminals' killed Hariri

2008-03-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

UN says 'criminals' killed Hariri
Evidence suggests the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated by a "criminal network", an investigating UN team has said.
No suspects were named, but the investigators said a "Hariri Network" had Mr Hariri under surveillance before the assassination.

The ex-PM and 22 other people died in a huge car bombing in Beirut in 2005.

Past UN inquiries suggested that Syrian and Lebanese intelligence forces had played a role - which Syria denied.

The UN panel, headed by Canadian former prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, said in the 10th report on the case that it could now confirm that "on the basis of available evidence... a network of individuals acted in concert to carry out the assassination", said the news agency AFP.

The commission suggests this network was responsible for other attacks against high-profile Lebanese figures, and at least part of the network continued to operate after Mr Hariri's killing.

Lebanon has been in crisis and without a president for months, amid a drawn-out power struggle between the pro- and anti-Syrian factions.

Problems

The report suggests progress is being made in identifying the bomber who killed Mr Hariri, reports the BBC's Matthew Price at UN headquarters in New York. It says it has received close co-operation from Lebanese authorities, and "generally satisfactory" co-operation from Syria - a country which continues to deny official involvement in the Hariri killing.

However, the report identifies some problems hampering the investigation - including the political and security situation in Lebanon, and a lack of resources from the UN itself.

The commission is using forensic information and DNA profiling in its investigation.

Complex politics

Mr Hariri's death triggered huge demonstrations in Lebanon against the Syrians.

Despite its denial of involvement, Damascus eventually bowed to international pressure, pulling out its troops after nearly 30 years of military presence.

Investigators have previously pointed to links between Mr Hariri's death and many other attacks in Lebanon since 2004.

Analysts say Lebanon is the most politically complex and religiously divided country in the Middle East.

Peru says Chavez backs domestic revolt

2008-03-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Peru says Chavez backs domestic revolt
LIMA, Peru - Hugo Chavez has been accused of using Venezuela's oil riches to meddle in Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Now, Peru's president says the Venezuelan leader may be doing In recent weeks, Peruvian police have arrested nine people the government alleges are militants bankrolled by Venezuela. And the head of a Congressional investigatory committee accused Venezuela of supplying funds to outreach centers he says agitate against the government.

President Alan Garcia supports the ongoing investigation into the centers.

Venezuela and allies Bolivia and Ecuador "want to destabilize Peru so that our country adheres to their type of thinking, so that Peru fails," said the government's lead anti-terrorism prosecutor, Julio Galindo.

Venezuela vehemently denies the allegations, and denies funding Peruvian militants or the anti-poverty centers. Venezuela's ambassador in Peru, Armando Laguna, said the government should "ask me to leave Peru" if it finds proof.

The accusations come in the context of a regional showdown over alleged Venezuelan and Ecuadorean attempts to destabilize Colombia's U.S.-backed government. Colombian authorities claim a seized rebel laptop indicates that Venezuela planned to give $300 million to rebels fighting to topple it.

The opposition in Nicaragua, Argentina and Bolivia have accused Chavez of funneling funds to political pals. Among the alleged recipients is Ollanta Humala, the fiery populist Garcia narrowly defeated in 2006. Venezuela has denied the charges, which have never been proven.

The arrested Peruvian militants allegedly are from the Coordinadora Continental Bolivariana, a Venezuela-based leftist movement. Authorities say its Peruvian members are mostly former militants of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, which was all but decimated in 1997 after it took hostages at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima.

Peruvian officials say they arrested seven members on Feb. 29, including the group's alleged leader, Roque Gonzalez, who spent eight years in prison for kidnapping a Bolivian politician. Two more alleged members were arrested on March 17 trying to carry in $65,000 from Ecuador — money Peruvian authorities suspect is Venezuelan.

But Coordinadora founder Fernando Rivero told The Associated Press in Venezuela that the group is entirely autonomous. While it supports the "revolutionary struggle" of Colombian rebels to more equitably
it here by funding militants and anti-poverty centers that preach populist revolutiondistribute wealth, it receives no support from Venezuela, he said.

Garcia calls the anti-poverty centers, which have sprung up in poor Peruvian neighborhoods over the past three years, "a rallying point for everyone who is against the democratic system and national institutions," according to the Andina state news agency.

Congressman Rolando Sousa says there are 150 centers, and accuses Venezuela of funding them. He persuaded Congress this month to formally extend his investigation into the centers, granting it the power to scour phone and bank records to track their sources of support.

"Where does the money come from?" he asked.

The head of one of the centers says their goals are humanitarian, and that they have helped thousands of poor Peruvians get medical care they could not otherwise afford. They deny any Venezuelan funding.

"We only give information to our people" about medical and educational programs, said Marcial Maydana, who runs a center in the highland city of Puno.

Many of the medical procedures are performed in Venezuela and Bolivia, often by Cuban doctors, he said, but insisted the trips are paid for by Peruvian mayors and transportation companies when the patients cannot afford them.

A former Peruvian interior minister, Fernando Rospigliosi, said he believes the Garcia government is exaggerating the influence of the missions and the Coordinadora.

It wants "to make the public believe that social movements arising for other reasons can be attributed to external influence," he told The Associated Press.

US admits economy is in downturn

2008-03-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

US admits economy is in downturn

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has admitted that the US economy is facing a "sharp decline" at the moment but hoped for a recovery later in the year.
The news comes after the US central bank, the Federal Reserve intervened to rescue troubled bank Bear Stearns, providing $30bn in emergency support.

Mr Paulson said that he did not believe investors saw the move as a bail-out.

The Fed is expected to slash interest rates later on Tuesday to help boost confidence in financial markets.

Meanwhile, two other leading Wall Street banks reported sharply reduced profits for the first three months of the year.

Goldman Sachs posted earnings of $1.5bn, while Lehman Brothers, whose shares had fallen sharply on Monday, earned $489m, or 60% less than in the same period last year.

But the numbers were not as bad as expected, lifting Wall Street shares.

The benchmark Dow Jones stock index jumped more than 230 points, or almost 2%, to 12, 209.3. The wider Standard & Poor's index and technology-dominated Nasdaq also rose.

More rate cuts

We know we're in a sharp downclimb and there's no doubt that the American people know that the economy has turned down

Hank Paulson, US Treasury Secretary

Readers' financial woes
The global credit crunch in figures

Economists are forecasting that the benchmark US interest rate will be cut by up to one percentage point from 3% to 2%. The decision will be announced at 1815 GMT (1415 EST).

It would be the fifth rate cut since the credit crunch started.

Mr Paulson has been touring the US breakfast television studios in an attempt to reassure markets and consumers about the economic situation.

"We know we're in a sharp downclimb and there's no doubt that the American people know that the economy has turned down," he said.

He said that policy was focused on calming the financial markets.

"The big focus on the part of all policy makers is to minimise the spillover to the real economy," he added.

Slowing economy

Mr Paulson declined to use the word recession to characterise the US economy, but recent polls of both economists and the public have revealed that they disagree.

The latest economic figures to suggest a sharp slowdown were the industrial production figures, published on Monday, which fell by 0.5% in February.

US job growth was also negative in February, but Mr Paulson said he expected the economic package and further rate cuts to lead to 500,000 more jobs this year.

But the Fed also faces worrying pressures over inflation.

US producer prices, released on Tuesday, rose by 0.3% in February compared to the month before, but a key measure of producer core inflation rose by 0.5%, the fastest pace in well over a year.

MAIN SUB-PRIME LOSSES SO FAR
Citigroup: $18bn
HSBC: $17bn
Merrill Lynch: $14.1bn
UBS: $18.4bn
Morgan Stanley $9.4bn
Credit Agricole: $5bn
Deutsche Bank: $3.2bn
Bank of America: $3bn
Barclays: $2.6bn
Royal Bank of Scotland: $2.6bn
Freddie Mac: $2bn
JP Morgan Chase: $3.2bn
Credit Suisse: $1.8bn
Wachovia: $1.1bn
IKB: $2.6bn
Source: Company reports

Timeline: Sub-prime crisis
Q&A: Bear Stearns crisis

The US Federal Reserve has been trying to restore confidence in the banking business.

It has already cut interest rates from 5.25% to 3% since mid-September in a bid to boost the economy.

Banks have been unwilling to lend to each other because they are worried about losses on investments backed by US mortgages.

Those investments have been hit by the slump in the US housing market.

New figures showed that housing starts and building permits fell, the latter to the lowest annual rate since 1991.

"The housing industry is in a recession," said Josh Stiles, bond strategist at IDEAGlobal.

"There is no reason for the Fed not to be aggressive," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com.

"The economy is in a recession, the financial system is in disarray and inflation is low," he added.

Global credit crunch, facts and figures

The panic in world financial markets has led to sharp falls in share prices and led to the contraction of credit markets. BBC News looks at how key indicators around the world have moved as recession fears grow.

Twelve months ago interest rates were 5.25%. By 30 January they had dropped to 3%. They are now expected to fall to 2% on 18 March.

Wall Street bank Bear Stearns collapsed when other banks lost confidence in the value of its investments in sub-prime mortgages. It was bought by JPMorgan Chase in March.

COLLAPSING US HOUSING MARKETS
Underlying the financial market wobblies is a real decline in US house prices nationwide for the first time since the l930s.

The crunch bites deeper in the US

The credit crunch has hit the US economy hard. From Wall Street to Main Street, loans that looked rock-solid a year ago now look shaky.

And the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, is throwing away the rule book to contain the effects.

We're all sub-prime now

Kevin Logan, Dresdner Kleinwort

Kevin Logan of Dresdner Kleinwort, one of the less gloomy New York economists, summarises the state of play as the credit crunch has spread to different types of assets as follows: "We're all sub-prime now".

The Fed will almost certainly cut its main interest rate on Tuesday for the fifth time since September - possibly by as much as one percentage point, to 2%.

That would be a big deal: it would mean that interest rates were actually negative in real terms.

But amid the drama of the past few weeks, it almost seems par for the course.

Whether it's rate cuts or special funding arrangements for Wall Street, the more the Fed does, the more the markets seem to need.

Bernanke's problems

America's chief economic fire-fighter, Fed boss Ben Bernanke, faces two core problems.

There's the slide in the real economy, which many now think fell into recession in February.

But there's also the crunch in the financial system, which rate cuts alone cannot cure.

The fact that banks are wary of lending even to each other and are desperate to offload their debt is as much about confidence as it is about interest rates.

These two crises are distinct.

But they stem from the same fundamental cause - the fact that US house prices have fallen nationwide for the first time since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Housing problems

Across the US economy, everyone from homeowners to hedge funds has borrowed literally trillions of dollars on the assumption that such a fall could never happen.

Now that house prices have dropped by 10%, a lot of those borrowers, small and large, are turning out to have very little room for shocks.

Consider the homeowners first.

Back in 1976, the average down-payment for a first-time buyer in the US was 18%.

But between mid-2005 and mid-2006, almost half of first-time buyers put down nothing at all, according to the National Association of Realtors.

If house prices had fallen 10% in the 1970s, most of those first-time buyers would still have been OK.

Now, if they are in negative equity, they look like borrowers who have every reason to walk away from their mortgages.

Uncertain losses

The investors and financial institutions that are sitting on assets linked to those mortgages don't know how many of those loans will end up in default.

They do know it's a scary number and it's going up.

Every time they revise their guesstimates, the price of those mortgage-linked assets goes down further.

And the losses multiply for hedge funds and others who bet a lot more than the average homeowner on house prices continuing to go up.

The Carlyle Capital Corporation, the investment fund connected to the Carlyle private equity group that defaulted on $17bn (£8.5bn) of debt last week, had $31 in debt for every $1 invested.

Moral hazard

There are some who say that the Fed should let all these institutions suffer the consequences - to the point of bankruptcy if need be.

The trouble is, the Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, knows that financial markets are now all too interconnected.

In less turbulent times he might have been able to afford to let a Bear Stearns go under.

Now it risks a domino effect in the markets and possible blame for a Japan-style economic "lost decade".

Everyone in the markets knows that the Fed is absolutely determined to avoid the mistakes of Japan in the 1990s, when the Bank of Japan failed to prevent a financial crisis sinking the real economy.

That's a large part of the reason why the dollar is falling and the gold price is reaching record high.

Self-fullfilling prophecy

In essence, traders around the world have concluded that the Fed now thinks that inflation would be a nice kind of problem to have, because inflation would tell you that the US was not going the way of Japan.

Even if supply limits keep the oil price at a high level over the next year, inflation is not going to be the Fed's core problem if the downward spiral in the markets gets out of hand.

The big fear is that in over-estimating the losses out there in the housing market, the financial institutions will make those estimates a self-fulfilling prophesy.

That is because the more mortgage assets get marked down, the greater the hit to banks' balance sheets, and the less they can lend to firms and households at decent rates.

That reduction in lending would take house prices down further, leading to more losses and the whole vicious cycle starting again.

Ben Bernanke is looking for the magic solution that will stop that dangerous dynamic taking hold.

He hasn't found it yet.

US economic crisis: Readers' experiences

With the US economy experiencing one of its rockiest spells in years, many American homeowners and workers are fearful of what the future holds for them.
The BBC News website spoke to a number of readers affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis last November. Here we revisit some of them to see how they are coping with the ever-increasing uncertainty in their once-thriving economy.

MELANIE KELLETT, GLOCESTER, RHODE ISLAND
In November, Melanie wrote:
We have been badly affected, both as homeowners and people whose main source of income is directly tied to the housing market - we own a vinyl siding company. Since people aren't buying, builders aren't building, and we haven't seen steady work in a year-and-a-half. We can't afford the payments on our home, but we can't sell because houses aren't selling. We're terrified and struggling to survive.

It's still a pretty tough time.

There were a few months when we thought we would lose our home because there was no work and no wages coming in.

The construction industry is still very slow. Although it has seemed to pick up slightly only this month, it is still nowhere near what it was three years ago.

Things are still pretty bad here. It is a very scary time for us

Melanie Kellett

Your say: Are you affected?
Our tax returns have helped us get through the winter months, otherwise we probably would have lost the house.

I gave up any thoughts of going back to my job as a real estate agent because house prices continue dropping, as do the sales.

So I got a part-time job in December as an office manager for a construction firm, but won't expect an increase in hours until the summer, as the construction industry is still so slow.

My pay just barely covers groceries and oil to heat the house and with added daycare costs for my daughter, it's all pretty tight.

So all in all things are still pretty bad here. It is a very scary time for us.

CINDY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
In November, Cindy wrote:
We have an adjustable rate mortgage from one of the sub-prime lenders. We had a terrible financial year last year and fell behind in paying off our credit cards. As a result our credit is even worse this year and now as our mortgage goes up, we can't refinance due to horrible credit. This is all despite the fact that I am finally making more money and am now able to pay higher mortgage payments. It is a terrible place to be.

I applied for a modification on my mortgage back in December. I am still waiting to hear from my mortgage company.

I call them about every two weeks and they just keep telling me that I haven't been assigned to anyone yet.

In the meantime I am trying to stay positive.

I am still two months behind on my repayments and I don't want to get any further behind.

Despite this, I am making the most money I ever have.

However, since I have spent the last two years robbing Peter to pay Paul, in terms of trying to handle all my debts, it sure doesn't feel like I am making more.

I am a sales consultant and drive for a living. Gas prices are really soaring and that isn't helping, even though my company pays per mile.

Our government says it is going to send us some stimulus money, but I think most people will need that to pay off debt or to simply save it.

I don't think many will be able to afford to spend it.

Official: 4 Belgians freed in Guatemala

2008-03-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Official: 4 Belgians freed in Guatemala
PUERTO BARRIOS, Guatemala - Four Belgian tourists held hostage by protesting farmers were released late Saturday after security forces in boats and helicopters located the group in Guatemala's eastern jungle, officials saidThe four Belgians, their Guatemalan guide and a boat operator were traveling in a tourist area 155 miles northeast of Guatemala City when they were abducted Friday by farmers demanding the release of their jailed leader.

Authorities had been negotiating with the kidnappers, while at the same time 150 police officers in boats and soldiers in helicopters searched the jungle area for the hostages to mount a rescue mission if talks failed, officials said.

Late Saturday, Ronaldo Robles, the communications secretary of Guatemala's presidency, said the Belgians were free. "We can confirm that the Belgian citizens in the hands of the farmers have been freed," Robles told The Associated Press by telephone.

Luis Chol, a member of the farmers' group that took the six hostages, said they were forced to release the Belgians because they were being attacked.

The police "followed us and attacked us and killed one of our comrades," Chol told the AP by telephone.

Robles denied anyone was killed. He said the hostages will be taken to a naval base on the Guatemalan Caribbean and then flown to Guatemala City early Sunday.

The Belgians were identified as Eric Stosstris, 62, his wife Jenny Stosstris, 59, and their friends Gabriel and Mary Paul Van Huysse, ages 64 and 62, all from Ghent.

Robles said they were exchanged for three farmers who had been arrested by police earlier Saturday. It was unclear if the two Guatemalans had been released.

Rolando Yoc, a human rights official who was mediating the standoff, said "now it is up to the government to set up negotiations as planned."

The government had said they wouldn't meet any of the farmers' demands until the tourists were released.

The farmers are demanding the legalization of their land claims and freedom for their leader, Ramiro Choc, who was arrested Feb. 14 on charges of illegal land invasion, robbery and holding people against their will. They contend they have lived on the disputed land for more than a decade and that a powerful person is trying to kick them off it.

In a phone interview earlier Saturday, a leader of the farmers who identified himself as Roberto Xol had said the hostages "are being well cared for. They have food, they're calm, and we've made them conscious of the struggle in Izabal state and why they're participating in this."

Xol said the kidnappers sailed along the river to throw police off their track and then took the captives to a town, whose name and location he declined to reveal.

Eric Stosstris told the AP on Saturday, by cell phone, that the captives had not been hurt and the abductors were giving them food.

The travelers were touring caves in the region when they were accosted by two men armed with machetes, according to Stosstris.

"When we returned to the boat, two people that we didn't know ... came on board and suddenly we had 15 people on the boat," he said on Friday.

The kidnappers belong to the same group that took 29 policemen hostage last month in the Caribbean coastal town of Livingston, said Jose Roberto Goubaud, spokesman for Guatemala's national tourism institute.

Obama Denounces Pastor's 9/11 Comments

2008-03-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday denounced inflammatory remarks from his pastor, who has railed against the United States and accused the country of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism.

Obama called the statements appearing on television and the Internet "completely unacceptable and inexcusable" in a Fox News interview and said they didn't reflect the kinds of sermons he had heard from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright while attending services at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Obama, a member of the church since the early 1990s, said he would have quit Trinity had such statements been "the repeated tenor of the church. ... I wouldn't feel comfortable there."

Earlier Friday, Obama responded by posting a blog about his relationship with Wright and Trinity on the Huffington Post. Wright brought Obama to Christianity, officiated at his wedding, baptized his daughters and inspired the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope."

Obama wrote that he's looked to Wright for spiritual advice, not political guidance, and he's been pained and angered to learn of some of his pastor's comments for which he had not been present. Obama told MSNBC that Wright had stepped down from his campaign's African American Religious Leadership Committee.

"I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies," Obama said in his blog posting. "I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Reverend Wright that are at issue."

In a sermon on the Sunday after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Wright suggested the United States brought on the attacks.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Wright said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."

In a 2003 sermon, he said blacks should condemn the United States.

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

He also gave a sermon in December comparing Obama to Jesus, promoting his candidacy and criticizing his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Barack knows what it means to be a black man to be living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people," Wright told a cheering congregation. "Hillary can never know that. Hillary ain't never been called a nigger."

Obama told MSNBC that he would not repudiate Wright as a man, describing him as "like an uncle" who says something that he disagrees with and must speak out against. He also said he expects his political opponents will use video of the sermons to attack him as the campaign goes on.

Questions about Obama's religious beliefs have dogged him throughout his candidacy. He's had to fight against false Internet rumors suggesting he's really a Muslim intent on destroying the United States, and now his pastor's words uttered nearly seven years ago have become an issue.

Obama wrote on the Huffington Post that he never heard Wright say any of the statements, but he acknowledged that they have raised legitimate questions about the nature of his relationship with the pastor and the church. He wrote that he joined Wright's church nearly 20 years ago, familiar with the pastor's background as a former Marine and respected biblical scholar who lectured at seminaries across the country.

"Reverend Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life," he wrote. "And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor and to seek justice at every turn."

He said Wright's controversial statements first came to his attention at the beginning of his presidential campaign last year, and he condemned them. Because of his long and deep ties to the 6,000-member congregation church, Obama said he decided not to leave.

"With Reverend Wright's retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis Moss III, Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good," he wrote.

Also Friday, the United Church of Christ issued a 1,400-word statement defending Wright and his "flagship" congregation. The statement lauded Wright's church for its community service and work to nurture youth and the pastor for speaking out against homophobia and sexism in the black community.

"It's time for all of us to say no to these attacks and to declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends," John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ's president, said in the statement.

Call Girl Laments Use of Exotic Photos

2008-03-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) -- The lawyer for the call girl linked to the downfall of Gov. Eliot Spitzer lashed out at the media on Friday for thrusting the 22-year-old woman into the "public glare" without her consent and publishing revealing photos.

Since her identity was disclosed, newspapers and Web sites have splashed photos of Ashley Alexandra Dupre in suggestive poses on front and inside pages. Dupre was known as "Kristen" in court documents accusing Spitzer of paying thousands for prostitutes' services.

Her attorney, Don D. Buchwald, said she did not consent to the use of her photos in this manner, and the usage may be a violation of federal copyright laws. He said the photos have appeared on commercial Web sites without her consent.

Buchwald stopped short of saying Dupre would sue media outlets, but he contended that she is not a public figure and said he would take "all steps that we deem necessary or appropriate to protect Ms. Dupre from any unwarranted exploitation of her name, picture, voice or likeness for purposes of profit."

He did not specify the publications to which he was referring. The New York Post ran four photos Friday in which Dupre, topless, barely covers her breasts, as well as two other images of her scantily clad. The pictures, credited in the paper to Wesley Mann at Contact Press Images, have become an Internet sensation. The Post had no comment on Buchwald's statement.

The Daily News of New York also published a photo in which Dupre appears to be topless, but it wasn't clear where the image came from. The Daily News did not return calls seeking comment Friday.

Other media outlets, including The New York Times and The Associated Press, published other images that were from Dupre's MySpace page. The AP distributed three of those images, in one of which she is wearing a bikini, and issued a disclaimer authorizing the use of the photos only with reports or commentary on the Spitzer scandal. The photos were also restricted from commercial sale.

"The Associated Press discussed the photos obtained from the MySpace page in great detail and found that they were newsworthy," said Associated Press National Photo Editor V.W. Vaughan. "We distributed the photos that were relevant to the story. Those photos did not show nudity, nor were they explicit."

The Times did not return calls seeking comment.

Spitzer resigned earlier this week amid the prostitution scandal. The married father of three teenage girls was accused of spending tens of thousands of dollars on prostitutes - including a tryst with the call girl "Kristen" in Washington the night before Valentine's Day. Lt. Gov. David Paterson is taking his place on Monday.

Buchwald said the montage of Dupre's suggestive photos has nothing to do with the Spitzer story.

"While the circumstances surrounding Governor Spitzer's resignation are newsworthy, some publications, in violation of journalistic norms, have used the occasion of Gov. Spitzer's political misfortunes as an excuse to exploit Ms. Dupre's persona for commercial purposes," he said.

But media interest in Dupre still swirled. Hustler Publisher Larry Flynt told the AP Friday that he had e-mailed Dupre, offering her $1 million to pose nude for his magazine. He said he hadn't heard back.

"It will be something that will very tastefully done," Flynt said of the proposed photo spread, but he added that Dupre would have to appear completely naked and not just topless.

"Hustler readers don't like to compromise," he said. "They want the whole enchilada."

Flynt acknowledged he wasn't sure whether Dupre would accept, adding she is likely being approached with offers from other men's magazines, as well as book publishers and other media.

Media outlets had been camped outside her apartment in Manhattan's Flatiron district for days. A spokesman for her building issued a statement Thursday night saying she was not there and indicated Dupre's fellow tenants - who pay $6,595 for two-bedroom apartments - were fed up with the media circus and curiosity-seekers.

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TV's Top Gear to go on world tour

2008-03-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

TV's Top Gear to go on world tour

TV car show Top Gear is to be turned into a live event for a world tour that will visit 15 countries.
The BBC Two show's presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are expected to sign up for the British leg of the Top Gear Live tour.

BBC Worldwide said the live shows would "incorporate the drama of film and theatre with the thrills and spills of stunts and special effects".

It will visit Earls Court in London and Birmingham's NEC later this year.

The show will be part of the Prestige and Performance Motor Show, which will be held at both venues in October and November.

Global reach

Top Gear is currently seen on 32 channels around the world and the first two overseas versions have been commissioned in the US and Australia.

BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm, said "elements" of the TV show would be brought to life as a "live motoring experience".

Money from ticket sales will be ploughed back into the corporation's coffers through BBC Worldwide.

Adam Waddell, managing director of Top Gear, BBC Worldwide, said: "Taking Top Gear Live on tour is tremendously exciting and ties in perfectly with our plans to reach out to audiences around the globe."

A BBC Worldwide spokesman said he did not know which other countries the tour would visit.

Bush yearns for Texas in rare singing performance

2008-03-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush donned a cowboy hat and sang an early goodbye to Washington on Saturday night with a performance that lampooned White House journalists and Vice President Dick Cheney among others.

Bush surprised cabinet secretaries, diplomatic officials and journalists at the annual Gridiron dinner by taking the stage and giving the first public singing performance of his eight-year presidency, which ends in January 2009.

To the tune of country song "Green Green Grass of Home," Bush sang of longing for his ranch in Crawford, Texas and his dog Barney.

"And there to meet me is my mama and my papa, down the lane I look and here comes Barney, heart of gold and breath like honey; it's good to touch the brown brown grass of home."

Bush, singing only slightly off key, then turned to some of the long-term members of his team including Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"For there's Condi and Dick, my old compadre, talking to me about some oil rich Saudi, but soon I'll touch the brown brown grass of home."

"That old White house is behind me, I am once again carefree, don't have to worry 'bout a crisis in Pyongyang. Down the lane I look, Dick Cheney is strolling with documents he'd been withholding, it's good to touch the brown brown grass of home."

Bush told the audience, which erupted in applause and gave him a standing ovation, that they had witnessed "the first and final performance of George Bush and the Busharoos."

The Gridiron Club holds an annual dinner at which journalists put on songs and skits lampooning Democrats and Republicans alike.

Chavez calls for calm over crisis

2008-03-07T08:56:00.000-08:00

Chavez calls for calm over crisis
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called for a cooling of tensions over the recent cross-border raid into Ecuador by Colombian troops.
Mr Chavez was speaking at a regional summit in the Dominican Republic, where the dispute could take centre-stage.

Venezuela and Ecuador cut diplomatic ties and sent troops to their borders after Colombia's raid on a rebel camp.

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez said he hoped the summit would be a chance to "consolidate relations".

People should go cool off a bit, chill out their nerves

Hugo Chavez
Venezuelan President
The start of the long-planned Rio Group summit, which had been due to focus on energy and other issues, was delayed after Mr Chavez and his Nicaraguan ally Daniel Ortega met Mr Fernandez.

The Dominican president is said to be trying to find consensus on the wording of a declaration on the dispute.

Correspondents say key countries like Brazil and Chile will also be working to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Mr Chavez said he hoped the summit would be positive.

"People should go cool off a bit, chill out their nerves," he told journalists at his hotel before leaving for the summit, AP news agency reports.

"I think the meeting today is going to be positive, because it is going to help the debate. We have to debate, talk, and this is the first step toward finding the road."

Apology

On Thursday, Mr Ortega announced that he too was breaking off relations with Bogota, accusing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of "political terrorism".

During Saturday's raid inside Ecuador, Raul Reyes, a senior commander of Colombia's Farc rebels, was killed along with more than 20 other people.

Colombia has waged a four-decade conflict with rebels who finance themselves through involvement in drug-trafficking and also take hostages for ransom or political leverage.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa and Mr Chavez are demanding a stronger apology from Colombia for its actions.

Mr Correa, who has been touring Latin American capitals to rally opposition to Colombia, said Colombia had to promise not to violate its neighbour's territory and end its allegations that Ecuador supported the guerrillas.

"Of course we can put an end to... the conflict in this meeting... It's as easy as hearing unconditional apologies from President Alvaro Uribe," Mr Correa said on arrival in the Dominican Republic.

For his part, Mr Chavez, a staunch opponent of the Bush administration, alleged that the US was involved in planning and directing the cross-border operation.

He repeatedly accuses the Colombian government, which receives billions of dollars in US aid to fight drug-trafficking, of being a lackey of Washington.

Arrests

Mr Uribe, who made no comment on arrival in the Dominican Republic, says he has already apologised to Ecuador.

He has also called on Colombia's neighbours to do more to stop rebels taking refuge in their territory.

On the eve of the summit, Ecuador announced that it had captured five alleged Farc guerrillas.

Defence minister Gustavo Larrea said the suspected rebels were detained by the army during a search of farms and houses close to the Colombian border.

The Rio Group meeting was scheduled long before the crisis erupted.

Israelis mourn 8 killed at seminary

2008-03-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Israelis mourn 8 killed at seminary

JERUSALEM - Thousands gathered Friday outside a bullet-scarred Jewish seminary in Jerusalem to mourn eight students killed by a Palestinian gunman. Hamas militants in Gaza claimed responsibility for the attackMasses of mourners marched in funeral processions after a rabbi recited Hebrew psalms line by line, the crowd repeating them after him in memory of the dead. Israeli officials said the victims were between ages 15 and 19 except one, who was 26. They identified one of the slain as 16-year-old Avraham David Moses, an American citizen whose parents moved to Israel in the 1990s.

Israel slapped a closure on the West Bank and beefed up security and emergency forces around Jerusalem and other areas in the wake of the shooting, the first major attack in Jerusalem in four years and the deadliest in Israel since a suicide bomber killed 11 people in Tel Aviv on April 17, 2006.

The attack came on the heels of a surge in fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza. More than 120 Palestinians and three Israelis died in the clashes, which were sparked by an increase in militant rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel.

A Hamas radio presenter said the group's military wing had "promised a jolting response" to the Israeli offensive, and called on believers to "celebrate this victory against the brutal enemy."

Some Israeli lawmakers called on their government to break off peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' moderate, West Bank-based government, but an Israeli official said the negotiations would continue.

Israel will push ahead with talks "so as not to punish moderate Palestinians for actions by people who are not just our enemies but theirs as well," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the government had yet to make an official announcement.

The family of Alaa Abu Dheim, a 25-year-old from east Jerusalem, said he had carried out the attack on the seminary, a prestigious center of Jewish studies identified with the leadership of the Jewish settlement movement in the West Bank. They described him as intensely religious, but said he was not a member of a militant group and had planned to get married in the summer.

Abu Dheim had been transfixed in recent days by the news of bloodshed in Gaza, said his sister, Iman Abu Dheim.

"He told me he wasn't able to sleep because of the grief," she said.

Israeli defense officials confirmed only that the gunman, who was slain, came from Jabel Mukaber in east Jerusalem, where Palestinian residents hold ID cards giving them freedom of movement in Israel, unlike Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told mourners that Arabs in east Jerusalem who have been involved in militant activity should be expelled to the West Bank.

Mark Regev, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman, said that the shooting had almost certainly been organized in the West Bank. He would not confirm that Israel had reached a decision to continue peace talks, but did not deny the other official's statement that negotiations would go on.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the attacker walked through the Mercaz Harav yeshiva seminary's main gate and entered the library, where witnesses said some 80 students were gathered. He carried an assault rifle and pistol, and opened fire with both weapons.

Students scrambled to flee, jumping out of windows as the gunman fired. Holy books drenched in blood littered the floor. Rosenfeld said at least six empty bullet clips were found on the floor.

David Simchon, head of the seminary, said the students had been preparing a celebration for the new month of the Jewish calendar, which includes the holiday of Purim.

"We were planning to have a Purim party here tonight and instead we had a massacre," he told Channel 2 TV.

A seminary graduate who is an army officer and lives nearby rushed into the seminary with his weapon and killed the gunman, Simchon told Israel Radio.

"He saw the terrorist shooting, and with amazing resourcefulness he went into one of the rooms and managed to kill him," he said.

The seminary serves some 400 high school students and young Israeli soldiers, and many of them carry arms.

Jewish seminarians gathered outside the library and screamed for revenge, shouting, "Death to Arabs," while in Hamas-controlled Gaza thousands of Palestinians celebrated in the streets.

Abu Dheim's family set up a mourning tent outside their home and hung green Hamas flags along with one yellow flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Family members said several relatives had already been taken for questioning by Israeli police.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who called the attack an "act of terror and depravity," told Abbas in a phone call Friday that she would do everything in her power to restore calm as soon as possible, said Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Abbas.

Abbas, who condemned the seminary attack, suspended negotiations this week because of the spike in violence in the Gaza Strip, but later backed down under pressure from U.S. Rice, who was in the region to push the talks forward.

Egypt presses Hamas on Gaza truce

2008-03-06T09:02:00.000-08:00

Egypt presses Hamas on Gaza truce
CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt was trying to persuade Hamas Thursday to accept a truce that would halt rocket attacks on Israel in an effort to end Gaza violence and salvage Middle East peace talksDeputies of Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman met with officials from the Islamic militant Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad in the city of el-Arish in the Sinai peninsula, security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to discuss activities of the intelligence services.

A truce was high on the agenda of the talks, said one security official.

Israel on Tuesday ended a week-long offensive aimed against Gaza militants barraging southern Israel with rockets. Gaza officials say more than 120 Palestinians were killed.

There were fears of a fresh round of violence after Palestinian militants ambushed an Israeli army jeep on the border with Gaza Thursday, killing one soldier and wounding three. The death brought to four the number of Israelis killed in fighting since last week.

Moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has proposed a truce under which Hamas would halt rocket fire into Israel, Palestinian officials said. In return, Israel would stop military activity in the Gaza Strip, ease the blockade of Gaza and the main border crossing between Gaza and Egypt would be opened. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the deliberations were private.

Egyptian officials have not said whether the truce discussions with Hamas were centered on Abbas' proposal. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said earlier this week that Egypt is holding talks with Hamas "to push it to sop the firing of missiles."

"This is the only way to pressure Israel to halt its attacks," he said.

It is unclear whether Israel would accept Palestinian demands for a loosening of the Gaza closure to allow more goods and people into the impoverished territory. Israel fears that weapons and money will be brought into Gaza, which Hamas violently seized control of from Abbas' rival Fatah faction in June.

Abbas now wields little influence over Gaza and its Hamas government.

Asked about the Palestinian proposal, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev would not address the specifics.

"If the rockets were to cease, that would bring about peace and quiet which could be a first step to a return to normality," he said.

Israeli officials say privately that if the rockets stop, there would be an easing of the blockade "of some sort. It won't be all of a sudden peace and love."

Hamas said an end to the blockade in Gaza was a requirement for any truce.

Hamas official Ahmed Youssef said a truce is possible "if the siege is lifted and the almost daily assaults are stopped and the Rafah crossing is reopened."

Another Hamas official, Mushir al-Masri, said the militant group must have a say in the running of the border crossings — a demand Israel would likely oppose. Egypt has reportedly sought to have Abbas' Palestinian Authority manage the crossings as it did before Hamas' takeover of Gaza.

Al-Masri said Abbas' "monopolizing of the crossing management is an extinct ... experiment, and we don't want to fall into those same slippery road again."

Egypt appears to have launched its mediation bid under heavy pressure from its ally, the United States.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks with Egyptian leaders on Tuesday. During the visit, she announced she had waived the withholding of $100 million in U.S. aid to Egypt called for last year by Congress — and some in Cairo saw the waiver as a gesture to win Egyptian help with Hamas.

Rice would not comment Thursday on whether Washington supports the Egyptian talks with Hamas. But she noted that Egypt was a full participant in Mideast peace talks the U.S. sponsored at Annapolis, Md., in the fall.

"I trust what the Egyptians are doing is exactly in that course," she said. "It's extremely important to bring calm."

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Welch met with Suleiman and Aboul Gheit on Thursday to discuss the Egyptian mediation efforts.

Welch told journalists he was "reassured by the commitments" he heard "about Egypt's intentions in that regard."

Arab diplomats in Cairo said Egypt's ability to push Hamas is limited, saying Syria and Iran have greater influence with the group.

Abbas calls for Middle East truce

2008-03-04T08:01:00.000-08:00

Abbas calls for Middle East truce

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has called for a truce between Israel and Palestinian militants before the Middle East peace progress can progress.
He urged Israel to "halt its aggression so the necessary environment can be created" after meeting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah.

Mr Abbas suspended the talks in protest at Israel's offensive in Gaza, in which more than 110 Palestinians have died.

Mr Rice insisted she still believed a peace deal could be achieved this year.

Before flying to the West Bank, Ms Rice held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo and other senior government officials.

At the meeting, Mr Rice called for militants in Gaza to halt rocket attacks on Israel, but also said she had told the Israelis to be aware of the effects of their military operations on innocent civilians.

She also stressed US commitment to the Annapolis process launched in November, which envisages an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel by the end of 2008.

‘Shores of peace'

After meeting Ms Rice in Ramallah, Mr Abbas said peace and negotiations with Israel were his government's "strategic choice", but fell short of announcing a resumption of the process he suspended at the weekend.

No-one can justify the killing actions of the Israeli army over the past few days

Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian Authority President

An asymmetric fight
In pictures: Gaza aftermath

"I call on the Israeli government to halt its aggression so the necessary environment can be created to make negotiations succeed, for us and for them, to reach the shores of peace in 2008," he told a news conference.

Mr Abbas said at least 20 children had been among the dozens of civilians killed in the Gaza Strip during Israel's recent five-day offensive, which was launched in an attempt to suppress rocket fire.

"No-one can justify the killing actions of the Israeli army over the past few days," he added.

"It has always been our conviction that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be achieved through violence or counter-violence, but through negotiations with terms of reference and international support."

Ms Rice said she was concerned about the recent violence, but urged the Palestinian Authority to resume talks with Israel.

"What we are trying to achieve is not easy... but I do believe it can be done. We need very much for everybody to be focused on peace," she said.

"We look forward to the resumption of those negotiations as soon as possible."

Ms Rice warned that the "real threat" to peace process were "extremists" such as the Islamist movement Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June, who she said opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Earlier, Hamas repeated its accusation that the US administration was giving Israel a green light to "massacre" Palestinians in Gaza.

"[Mr Abbas] must put an end to the negotiations and not to content himself with suspending them," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.

Rocket barrage

The violence in Gaza has transformed Ms Rice's trip to the region. She had hoped to be nudging Israel and Mr Abbas towards progress in peace talks, but is now attempting a rescue mission to prevent them from completely collapsing.

Israel and the West have shunned Hamas over its refusal to recognise Israel and opposition to the peace process. Hamas ousted Mr Abbas's forces from Gaza in June, but he remains in control of Palestinian-administered parts of the West Bank.

The Israeli military has now pulled its troops out of Gaza, but has warned of fresh action to prevent militants firing rockets at populated areas in southern Israel.

On Tuesday, a rocket hit the nearby Israeli town of Sderot, causing extensive damage.

Israeli forces launched several air and ground strikes on rocket squads and Hamas installations, killing at least two militants.

Three Israelis have died in recent days - a civilian killed by a rocket and two soldiers in the Gaza clashes.

Human rights groups say about half of the approximately 115 Palestinian fatalities have been civilians, and Israel has been accused of a disproportionate military response in breach of the laws of war.

Utah home search planned in ricin case

2008-03-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

Utah home search planned in ricin case

LAS VEGAS - FBI agents hope to search a Utah house linked to a man whose hospitalization led to the discovery of deadly ricin in a motel room he had occupied. Roger Von Bergendorff, the focus of the investigation, had lived in the house near Salt Lake City for more than a year before moving to Las Vegas about a year ago, said Tammy Ewell, who lives across the street.

"He just barely got by in life. He'd just barely make it," Ewell said Saturday of the 57-year-old Von Bergendorff.

He lived there with his cousin Thomas Tholen and his wife, said Ewell, who described the couple as close friends.

Officials secured Tholen's home, but did not immediately search it because they were awaiting court approval for a warrant, FBI spokesman Juan Becerra said later Saturday.

In a brief telephone interview, Thomas Tholen told The Associated Press that Von Bergerdorff was "holding his own" in the hospital.

Tholen, 53, wouldn't say much more about his cousin or the discovery Thursday of several vials of ricin — which is deadly in minuscule amounts — at Von Bergendorff's extended-stay motel room on the Las Vegas Strip.

Authorities have not said how much ricin was involved but expressed confidence they have seized all of it.

Health officials were still trying to confirm whether Von Bergendorff's respiratory ailment stemmed from ricin exposure.

Police and health officials have tried to assure Las Vegas residents there is no public health threat. There was no apparent link to terrorist activity and no indication of any spread of the deadly substance, they said.

Adding to the mystery, police said late Friday that firearms, an "anarchist-type textbook" and castor beans, from which ricin is made, were found in the room where the poison was discovered.

The firearms and the book, which was tabbed at a spot containing information about ricin, were seized Tuesday, police Capt. Joseph Lombardo said. He did not elaborate.

Ewell, the Tholens' neighbor, said Von Bergendorff was a "loner" and that she often saw him walking his German shepherd on the street. It wasn't clear what he did for a living or how he spent his time.

Toward the end of his stay, he started attending the local Mormon church and briefly moved out of the Tholen home into a neighbor's camper, she said.

Tholen is a former high school art teacher who now sells insurance with his wife, she said.

"The Tholens were the last ones we'd expect anything to happen to," Ewell said.

Tholen went to Von Bergendorff's Las Vegas motel room on Feb. 22 and took the vials to the motel office in a plastic bag while retrieving his cousin's belongings, authorities said.

Police previously said tests did not detect the material in the motel office, the room where Von Bergendorff stayed, or a room at the Excalibur hotel-casino where Tholen stayed Wednesday night.

After the vials were taken to the motel office, Tholen and six other people were decontaminated at the scene and taken to hospitals for examination. None have shown any signs of being affected by ricin, officials said.

As little as 500 micrograms of ricin, about the size of the head of a pin, can kill a human, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The only legal use for ricin is cancer research.

Las Vegas police, who have refused to identify Von Bergendorff or Tholen by name, said Friday that the hospitalized man was unconscious and that investigators had been unable to speak with him.

They have said Tholen arrived in Las Vegas after Von Bergendorff summoned an ambulance and was hospitalized Feb. 14 in critical condition

Raul Castro meets with Vatican No. 2

2008-02-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

Raul Castro meets with Vatican No. 2

HAVANA - The Vatican's No. 2 official expressed the Roman Catholic Church's concern about prisoners in Cuba during a Tuesday meeting with President Raul Castro, but stopped short of asking the communist government to free inmates.

Raul Castro's meeting with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was the new Cuban president's first with a visiting dignitary since taking over from his 81-year-old brother Fidel two days ago. Bertone is Pope Benedict XVI's secretary of state.

Wrapping up a six-day visit to the communist-run island, the cardinal said the relationship between the Church and Cuba's government "will always be challenging, but also full of opportunities to promote the well-being of Cubans."

He said that during the closed-door meeting, with the "utmost respect for the sovereignty of the country and its citizens, I expressed to President Raul Castro the Church's worries for prisoners and their families."

Bertone's visit marked the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba and its timing, just after Fidel Castro announced his resignation, was a coincidence. Following the late pontiff's trip in 1998, Cuban authorities released a large number of inmates, including 99 held for political crimes.

Bertone touched on the theme of prisoners before the meeting with Cuba's prisoners.

Earlier, the cardional told the news agency of the Italian Bishops Conference, SIR, that in discussions with Cuban officials he had not asked "directly" for the release of political prisoners.

"It would look like interference," he was quoted as saying. "The Church does not impose, but proposes."

He also told the agency that the island's leaders had assured him they would allow some Roman Catholic broadcasts on state-controlled media.

"Authorities have promised me more openness in the print press and the radio — and in some exceptional cases, in television as well," he said. "We do hope for some openness, because nothing is impossible."

Bertone has called for improving often-strained relations between Cuba's government and the Church, and reacted warmly to official invitations for Benedict to visit the island.

Besides requests that some Catholic services be aired on official media outlets, Church officials have long urged the government to ease bans on religious schools. But Bertone told SIR that he "did not ask for Catholic schools, but for greater space in formation and education."

During his visit, Bertone has also called the U.S. embargo against Cuba "ethically unacceptable."

Addressing reporters moments before he left Cuba, Bertone said that he assured Raul Castro of "the Holy See's promise to promote bringing the world closer to Cuba."

Cuba's single-party, communist government never outlawed religion, but expelled priests and closed religious schools upon Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959. Tensions eased in the early 1990s when the government removed references to atheism in the constitution and let believers of all faiths join the Communist Party. They warmed more with John Paul's visit.

But in a message to Cuban bishops last week, Benedict said some Catholics on the island are frustrated by difficulties, mistrust and a lack of resources.

Since arriving in Cuba, Bertone has presided over large Mass services in Havana and Santiago, as well as in Guantanamo, which borders the U.S. naval base.

Annan suspends talks to end Kenya crisis

2008-02-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

Annan suspends talks to end Kenya crisis

NAIROBI, Kenya - Mediator Kofi Annan suspended on Tuesday the talks to end Kenya's deadly postelection crisis after weeks of negotiations brought little progress. Annan said he will now meet with President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to try to spur progress.

"I hope people will understand this is a move intended to speed up action," Annan said in announcing that he was calling off the talks.

The negotiations have failed to resolve the dispute Kibaki and Odinga, who says the Dec. 27 presidential election was a sham. Kibaki was declared the winner but international and local monitors say the results were manipulated, making it unclear who would have won.

Kenya was once a beacon of stability in a tumultuous region but the contentious vote sparked widespread fighting as both sides claimed victory. Violence has largely subsided in recent weeks, but attacks that left more 1,000 dead and forced 600,000 from their homes have left the country on edge and worried about the potential for more unrest.

Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential vote, giving him a second five-year term, after Odinga's lead in polls evaporated overnight.

2008 Oscar Award Winners

2008-02-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

2008 Oscar Award Winners

Meanwhile, French actress Marion Cotillard took home best actress for her work in La Vie En Rose, while Daniel Day Lewis garnered best actor accolades for his riveting role in There Will Be Blood.

The complete list of 2008 Academy Award winners is as follows:

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
WINNER:No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
WINNER:Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
WINNER:Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS
WINNER:Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
WINNER:Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WINNER:Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
WINNER:The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Beaufort (Israel)
Katyn (Poland)
Mongol (Kazakhstan)
12 (Russia)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
WINNER:Ratatouille
Persepolis
Surf's Up

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER:No Country For Old Men
Atonement
Away from Her
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
There Will Be Blood

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER:Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages

BEST MUSIC (SCORE)
WINNER:Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

BEST MUSIC (SONG)
WINNER:Falling Slowly - Once (performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
Happy Working Song - Enchanted (performed by Amy Adams)
Raise It Up - August Rush (performed by Jamia Simone Nash and Impact Repertory Theatre)
So Close - Enchanted (performed by Jon McLaughlin)
That's How You Know - Enchanted (performed by Amy Adams)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
WINNER:Taxi to the Dark Side
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
War/Dance

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
WINNER:Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari's Mother

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER:The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER:There Will Be Blood
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country For Old Men

BEST ART DIRECTION
WINNER:Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
There Will Be Blood

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
WINNER: Peter and the Wolf
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)

BEST SHORT FILM
WINNER:Le Mozart des Pickpockets
At Night
Il Supplente
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
WINNER:Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Across the Universe
Atonement
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST MAKE-UP
WINNER:La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

BEST SOUND MIXING
WINNER:The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country For Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

BEST SOUND EDITING
WINNER:The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country For Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

BEST FILM EDITING
WINNER:The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Government quashes calls for nationwide DNA database

2008-02-23T06:06:00.000-08:00

Government quashes calls for nationwide DNA database

LONDON (AFP) - The government rejected on Saturday police appeals for the DNA of every British resident to be put on a national database, claiming that the proposal would impinge on civil liberties and create security impracticalitiesThe conviction of Suffolk serial killer Steve Wright and Sally Anne Bowman's murderer Mark Dixie through DNA evidence linked to the current database has prompted calls for the sytem to be extended to cover the whole country.

The existing DNA database contains around 4.5 million profiles taken from criminal suspects and led to the convictions of Wright and Dixie, who were both registered after committing minor offences.

Det Supt Stuart Cundy, who led the hunt for Bowman's murderer, said: "It is my opinion that a national DNA register - with all its appropriate safeguards - could have identified Sally Anne's murderer within 24 hours.

"Instead it took nearly nine months before Mark Dixie was identified and almost two and a half years for justice to be done," he added.

However, there has been opposition from civil liberties groups who are worried about the system being abused and from the government regarding the security implications.

"Maintaining the security of a database with 4.5m people on it is one thing," Home Office minister Tony McNulty told BBC; "Doing that for 60m people is another."

10 dead, 9 missing in Brazil shipwreck

2008-02-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

10 dead, 9 missing in Brazil shipwreck

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A ferryboat carrying more than 100 passengers collided with a barge loaded with fuel tanks and sank to the bottom of the Amazon River on Thursday, officials said. At least 10 people died, and another nine were missing and feared dead.The Almirante Monteiro capsized at dawn near the isolated Brazilian town of Itacoatiara in the jungle state of Amazonas, state fire spokesman Lt. Clovis Araujo said.

He said 92 people were rescued by several small boats and the state's floating police station, a 32-foot vessel that travels up and down the river and was in the area at the time of the shipwreck.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of four children, five women and one man, Araujo said, and a check of the boat's passenger manifest indicated nine people were still missing.

"The chances of finding them alive are remote," he said. "We will keep searching until the last body is found.

He said he did not know how many people were on the barge, but "no one was hurt and the barge was not damaged."

Many of the missing were likely passengers who were asleep in cabins inside the two-story wooden vessel and were unable to get out before the boat sank, state public safety department spokesman Aguinaldo Rodrigues said.

"As far as we can tell, just about all the survivors were passengers sleeping in hammocks on the deck," Rodrigues said.

Rodrigues said it was too early to determine the causes of the accident, but "visibility was very poor" at the time of the collision during the lunar eclipse that began Wednesday night.

The survivors were taken to the small town of Novo Remanso and sheltered in the local church. They were to be taken by helicopter to the state capital of Manaus.

Colombia knows location of hostages

2008-02-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

Colombia knows location of hostages

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombian military intelligence knows where leftist rebels are holding four hostages that they have promised to release, the government said Thursday.
Reading from a statement, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said officials have "known for some time" that hostages Gloria Polanco, Orlando Beltran Cuellar, Luis Eladio Perez and Jorge Gechem are being held in the same area where two other hostages were released last month.

It was never confirmed where the two hostage were released, but inhabitants of the southern guerrilla stronghold of Guaviare province said it occurred in their region.

The defense minister said the information came from "various human sources in military intelligence" and that the four hostages are being held by a "narco-terrorist known as ,Arnubal.'"

Santos would not say what the government intends to do with the information or if the military intends to try to rescue the four captive Colombian politicians, who have been held of about six years. Almost all of the families of those kidnapped oppose such missions.

"As has been the policy of this government, we have done everything in our power to facilitate these unilateral and unconditional releases, and in this case we call for the process of liberation to be speeded up," said Santos.

Santos declined to take questions from journalists.

In a Jan. 31 statement, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, said it would hand over three kidnapped politicians, Polanco, Beltran Cuellar and Eladio Perez, to a representative of the Venezuelan government. The FARC have long admired Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said while visiting Venezuela that the FARC had agreed to release a fourth unidentified hostage. Lucy de Gechem, wife of captive congressman Jorge Eduardo Gechem, told local radio she was assured by a politician close to the FARC that it was her husband who was to be freed.

The FARC hold more than 40 high-value hostages, including French-Colombian former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. defense contractors, which the group is offering to exchange for the release for hundreds of imprisoned rebels.

Cubans hope Raul Castro brings reform

2008-02-20T18:19:00.000-08:00

Cubans hope Raul Castro brings reform

HAVANA - After a 19-month tryout by acting president Raul Castro, Cubans seem ready to focus on what his government will bring once Fidel Castro formally steps down as Cuba's all-powerful leader on Sunday.Their expectations, already raised by Raul Castro's talk of "structural changes" and "big decisions" to come, couldn't be higher. Many Cubans hope he will let more people open businesses, own homes and even travel abroad.

But given that Raul is already 76, it could fall to a new generation of leaders to fulfill or frustrate Cubans' dreams of prosperity.

As acting president, Raul Castro has only hinted at reforms, a reticence many see as a sign of respect for his more doctrinaire older brother. And while hoping that Raul and his likely No. 2, Carlos Lage, will advocate for change, Cubans wonder how that will fly with 81-year-old Fidel, who made it clear Tuesday that he isn't going away, even though he's stepping down as president.

"There has to be some change, more freedom with Raul," said Andres, 63, who like many Cubans wouldn't give his last name for fear of reprisal when talking about the Castro brothers. "The other one always nipped that off at the bud."

The resignation, announced Tuesday, should give Raul Castro more autonomy than he's had as the government's caretaker since Fidel was sidelined by intestinal surgery in July 2006.

The younger Castro raised expectations of openings in the state-controlled economy with his reported fascination with Chinese-style capitalism, calls for unspecified "structural changes," and acknowledgment that government wages averaging $19 a month do not satisfy basic needs. He also encouraged Cubans to open a fearless and critical debate, as long as they remember that the final decisions will be made by the island's Communist leaders.

"That way we reach decisions, and I'm talking about big decisions," he told student leaders in December 2006.

Many Cubans want to hear more such talk from their next leader. Inspired by Raul, some leading Cuban cultural figures have called recently for dropping onerous visa requirements and other limits on their freedoms, a message that resonates with ordinary Cubans.

"This is what we needed. I hope to God people have more freedom — the freedom to have opinions and always speak their minds," 37-year-old Lydis Perez said after dropping her son off at school. "People talk in the hallways or the back rooms. ... There's a lot of fear."

Fidel Castro, however, insisted in his resignation letter Tuesday that he won't disappear — or stay quiet if he sees his revolution going astray.

"This is not my farewell to you," he wrote. "My only wish is to fight as a soldier in the battle of ideas. I shall continue to write under the title, 'Reflections of Comrade Fidel.' It will be another weapon you can count on. Perhaps my voice will be heard."

As the Council of State's first vice president, Raul Castro has been his brother's constitutionally designated successor for decades, so the big question is who will take his place as No. 2 on Sunday when the National Assembly selects Cuba's new leadership.

A leading candidate is Lage, the de-facto prime minister, who at 56 is a full generation younger than the Castros. He's among the most experienced leaders in a power structure dominated by septuagenarian former rebels, and he has built a reputation as a reformer.

A less likely possibility could emerge from a handful of leaders in their 30s and 40s, such as Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, whose Communist fervor earned them the collective nickname of "Young Talibans."

While no less loyal to the elder Castro, Lage was the architect of reforms that saved the island from economic collapse in the early 1990s. His moves allowed foreign investment in state enterprises, a measure of self-employment, and legal use of the U.S. dollar.

Raul Castro appears to get along with Lage, who is a quiet, pragmatic organizer like himself. Raul backed Lage's earlier reform proposals, especially farmers markets where excess crops are sold at market prices.

But both Lage and Raul Castro say any change will not be at the expense of socialism. And Lage has dampened hopes that Cuba would follow China and Vietnam in allowing capitalist markets to thrive.

"Their successes and failures should enrich our efforts," Lage told managers of state enterprises last year. "But the building of socialism in Cuba is only possible as a result of our own experiences."

Raul also has championed the concept of closer ties to the United States, offering again and again to discuss normalizing relations with Washington. But the Bush administration ruled that out Tuesday, deriding Raul Castro as "Fidel Lite."

That means that the nearly five-decade U.S. embargo of Cuba will remain in place for the known future — frustrating both Cubans and many Americans who see much potential in trade with the island, not only for business but as a catalyst for change.

And despite a detailed U.S. plan meant to encourage a "democratic transition" from the Castros' rule, Cuban officials insist the island's socialist political and economic systems will endure.

For now, that means Cuba's tiny dissident community can only wait, and hope that the new leadership will be more open to change from within.

"History will say if it is a good day," said Oswaldo Paya, whose Varela Project seeking a referendum on civil rights and electoral reforms was quashed under the elder Castro's rule

UN says Iraqi refugees need more help

2008-02-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

UN says Iraqi refugees need more help

AMMAN, Jordan - Iraq's government and international community must give more funding and support to resettle Iraqi refugees displaced by sectarian bloodletting, the United Nation's top official for refugees said MondayAntonio Guterres spoke with reporters in the Jordanian capital at the end of a Mideast tour that included stops in Syria and Iraq. Some 2 million Iraqi refugees have been sheltered in neighboring countries since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Guterres said the current period presents a "moment of hope for Iraqi refugees," because Syria and Jordan remain committed to helping refugees despite huge economic and social burdens that influx of Iraqis has placed on their own populations.

But the international community needs to be "more engaged in supporting Iraqis and these host countries, which have paid such a high price for their generosity," Guterres said. He did not give a specific figure for the financial aid needed.

Jordan has said that hosting some 500,000 to 750,000 Iraqis has cost the kingdom $1.7 billion annually.

Guterres also said more opportunities were needed for the Iraqis to resettle in other regions, mainly in North America, Europe and Australia.

Last year, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees referred 22,000 Iraqis for resettlement in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey. This year, Guterres said he expected his agency to refer at least the same number.

The refugee agency's first priority is to resettle widows with children, survivors who have lost many relatives and people who have suffered torture, he said.

Guterres said the Iraqi government needed to be "more engaged with support to its citizens abroad and to the host countries."

US satellite shoot-down part of space 'arms race': Russia

2008-02-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

US satellite shoot-down part of space 'arms race': Russia

MOSCOW (AFP) - Moscow fears a US plan to shoot down a damaged spy satellite in the coming weeks is a veiled weapons test and represents an "attempt to move the arms race into space," Russia's defence ministry saidThe operation, which Washington says is motivated only by the desire to avoid a damaging crash on Earth, "does not look as innocent as they are trying to present it," the ministry said in a statement released late Saturday.

"The impression arises that the United States is trying to use the accident with its satellite to test its national anti-missile defence system as a means of destroying satellites," the Russian ministry said.

The ability to shoot down satellites is seen by many analysts as crucial in future conflicts due to the dependence of modern military equipment on satellite-based communications.

Washington says a US warship will fire a surface-to-air missile at the US satellite, which is roughly the size of a bus, to ensure any Earth-bound debris will splash into the ocean. Without intervention, the satellite would hit earth in early March, a US official said.

The United States denies the shoot-down aims at protecting the satellite's technological secrets or at demonstrating anti-satellite capability.

However, the Russian defence ministry said the US plan was "in many ways close" to China's controversial shoot-down of an old weather satellite in January, which was condemned by the United States as a demonstration of its military reach in space.

The US State Department last week said that the Chinese operation was "designed specifically" to test their ability to destroy satellites, whereas the US plan was aimed only at protecting people on the ground.

Russian concerns about the US plan are compounded by Washington's repeated refusal to take part in talks on limiting space-based weapons, the defence ministry said.

Iran says its space probe sending data to earth

2008-02-17T16:29:00.000-08:00

Iran says its space probe sending data to earth

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Sunday said a probe it sent into space on the back of rocket whose launch caused international concern was sending data back to earth from an altitude of up to 250 kilometres (155 miles).Kavoshgar (Explorer) was launched earlier this month on what Iran touted as its first rocket to be sent into space on a mission to prepare for the launch of its first home-produced Iranian satellite later this year.

"Kavoshgar has reached an altitude of 200 to 250 kilometres (125-155 miles)," Mohsen Mir Shams, the deputy head of Iran's space organisation, told the government newspaper Iran.

"Since its launch Kavoshgar has been sending real-time data back to base which we are analysing to see if its systems are working perfectly or not," he added.

He said the satellite, which Iranian officials have predicted will be launched this summer, will be put into orbit at a "altitude of 650 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth and can pass over Iran six times every 24 hours."

The Kavoshgar probe would be returning to earth, he added, without giving further details.

The United States condemned the rocket launch as unfortunate and said it risked further isolating Iran from the international community at a time of growing tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has also said Moscow "does not approve of Iran's permanent demonstration of its intentions to develop its rocket sector."

But President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lauded the launch as a national success and said Iran would launch two more rockets before the satellite is sent into space.

Iran has pursued a space programme for several years, and in October 2005 a Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-1 was put into orbit by a Russian rocket.

In a separate development, Iran on Sunday said it had successfully tested an "upgraded" version of its Russian-made surface-to-air S-200 missile defence system.

"This missile system has been upgraded and optimised by Iranian specialists," the state-run IRNA agency said.

Hezbollah chief threatens Israel

2008-02-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hezbollah chief threatens Israel

BEIRUT, Lebanon - The chief of Hezbollah told throngs of supporters at a funeral for slain commander Imad Mughniyeh his group would retaliate against Israeli targets anywhere in the world after accusing the Jewish state of killing the militantIsrael ordered its military, embassies and Jewish institutions overseas to go on alert earlier in the day, fearing revenge attacks for the car bomb that killed Mughniyeh Tuesday night in Damascus. The former Hezbollah security chief was one of world's most wanted fugitives, accused of masterminding attacks that killed hundreds of Americans in Lebanon in the 1980s.

While Hezbollah supporters bid farewell to Mughniyeh, tens of thousands of their pro-Western political opponents filled a downtown Beirut square to mark former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's 2005 assassination. The opposing gatherings reflected Lebanon's divided soul and fearing clashes, authorities deployed thousands of troops. But by early evening, there were no reports of violence.

Hezbollah and its Iranian backers blamed Israel for killing Mughniyeh but Israel denied involvement. In a videotaped eulogy broadcast on a giant screen to thousands attending the south Beirut funeral, Nasrallah said Israel had taken the fight outside the "natural battlefield" of Israel and Lebanon.

"You have crossed the borders," he said. "With this murder, its timing, location and method — Zionists, if you want this kind of open war, let the whole world listen: Let this war be open."

Thousands gathered in a hall in the Roueiss neighborhood of Beirut where Mughniyeh's coffin lay draped in a Hezbollah flag. A band played Lebanon's national anthem and the guerrilla group's anthem. Outside in the rain, tens of thousands more stood in silence.

Nasrallah — himself in hiding because of fears of assassination since the 2006 summer war with Israel — warned Israel that its alleged killing of Mughniyeh was a "very big folly" which will be avenged.

"Mughniyeh's blood will lead to the elimination of Israel. These words are not an emotional reaction," he said, drawing roars from the crowd which raised fists into the air.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in the summer of 2006 and Nasrallah maintained that the war has not ended.

He said the killing of Mughniyeh did not weaken his organization, but rather provided an incentive for "tens of thousands" of guerrillas ready to fight Israel.

Soon after he finished speaking, volleys of celebratory gunfire echoed around the city's southern suburbs.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who came to the funeral in Lebanon, offered condolences to the family and Mughniyeh's associates, before accepting condolences himself. Underlining Iran's close ties to Hezbollah, he sat between Mughniyeh's father and Hezbollah's deputy leader.

"He's not the first martyr, nor will he be the last on this path," Mottaki said, reading a statement of condolences from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with an interpreter translating into Arabic. "There will be hundreds and millions more" like him.

Muhniyeh's killing was "another shameful spot in the history of Zionism and their protectors in the world," Mottaki said, adding: "These crimes will shorten the lifespan of those criminals."

Mughniyeh's killing exacerbated tensions at a time when Lebanon is already entrenched in a long-running political crisis that has left it without a president and with its parliament paralyzed.

As the funeral proceeded in south Beirut, across the city tens of thousands gathered in the main Martyrs' Square to commemorate the third anniversary of Hariri's assassination. The anti-Syrian rally appeared larger than the crowds at Mughniyeh's funeral, but it had been planned weeks in advance.

They braved rain and the cold, waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain Hariri and party banners.

Crowds also paid respects at Hariri's gravesite next to the downtown square as his brother, Shafik, unveiled a statue of the slain leader at the spot where he was killed, a few hundred yards away on a seaside boulevard. A flame was lit and a taped message broadcast from Hariri's widow, Nazek, who lives in Paris, urging against "falling into hatred" and calling on "unity to save the country."

In the square, the sound of beating drums mixed with cheers from the crowd as speakers lashed out at the opposition.

Saad Hariri, leader of the parliamentary majority and the late premier's son, launched a scathing attack against the Syrian government. But he spared Hezbollah and its opposition allies, apparently in deference to the funeral. He even reached out to the opposition, saying: "Our hand will remain extended no matter what difficulties and conspiracies there are."

He also called for the election of a president in parliament, accusing Syria of obstructing it since November through its Lebanese allies.

When Hariri alluded to Mughniyeh's funeral on the other side of the city, the crowd booed.

"He fell under the eyes of the Syrian regime," he said of the slain Hezbollah commander, adding sarcastically: "God knows better."

Druse leader Walid Jumblatt, a sharp critic of Hezbollah, said the government will not succumb to opposition efforts to deliver Lebanon "to the Iranian-Syrian black evil world." Jumblatt accused Syria and the "treacherous regime" of President Bashar Assad of killing Mughniyeh.

Suleiman Abu Ezzedine, 35, holding an umbrella against the rain, said he left work to come to "remind that we are the majority. We want justice, truth and peace."

Hariri's supporters blame Syria for killing the prominent politician in a massive suicide truck bombing in Beirut and for a series of bombings and assassinations since. Hariri's assassination ignited mass protests and international pressure that forced Syria to withdraw its army from Lebanon after 29 years of control.

Authorities deployed some 8,000 troops and policemen to protect the Hariri rally. Armored vehicles took up positions on major intersections, and additional razor wire was brought in to separate the two sides on rain-drenched streets. But there was no sign of violence by early evening.

Amid fears of street violence, the U.S. Embassy encouraged Americans in Lebanon to limit all but essential travel Thursday. Across Beirut, businesses and shops put off popular Valentine's Day celebrations for later in the week.

Mughniyeh was on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists, and the U.S. had offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to his arrest or conviction. He was indicted in the U.S. for his role in planning the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner in which a U.S. Navy diver was killed.

He was also accused of carrying out or directing a series of spectacular attacks, including engineering the suicide bombings of the U.S. Marines barracks and two embassy compounds in Beirut in 1983-84.

A total of about 260 Americans were killed in those attacks. Mughniyeh was also believed to be the mastermind behind the kidnappings of Americans and other Westerners in Beirut in the 1980s. Israel and Argentine prosecutors accused Mughniyeh of involvement in the 1992 and 1994 bombings of the Israeli embassy and a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, attacks that killed more than 100 people.

Astronauts out on ISS spacewalk

2008-02-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

Astronauts out on ISS spacewalk

US and European astronauts have embarked on their second spacewalk of the current space shuttle mission.
Hans Schlegel is taking part in this outing after being replaced on the first spacewalk when he fell ill.

He joins American Rex Walheim on the activity, during which they will install a new nitrogen tank on the International Space Station (ISS).

Europe's space lab, Columbus, was unloaded from the shuttle Atlantis and docked with the ISS on Monday.

After 1430 GMT (0930 EST) Mr Schlegel floated outside the linked space shuttle Atlantis and ISS with Mr Walheim two days after missing out on the flight's first spacewalk.

He had earlier refused to say what had been ailing him: "Medical issues are private," he said.

Space agency officials stressed there would be no changes to Wednesday's six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk as a result of Mr Schlegel's illness, and that he would do everything just as he had practiced before last week's launch.

No one was opposed to him going outside to perform the strenuous spacewalking work, officials said.

Mr Schlegel said he backed Nasa's decision to pull him from the first spacewalk because of his illness and delay Columbus' installation by a day.

Monday's spacewalk to help install the orbiting laboratory lasted nearly eight hours - longer than expected.

Mr Schlegel was replaced by shuttle crew member Stan Love, who ventured into space with fellow American Rex Walheim.

The 12.8-tonne Columbus module was plucked from its berth in the Atlantis shuttle's payload bay at 1956 GMT by the station's robotic arm.

Routine inspection

Columbus cost about $2bn (£1bn) and has room for three researchers in fields ranging from crop breeding to the development of advanced alloys.

The lab is the first part of the ISS that Esa will control.

Before docking with the space station on Saturday, astronauts aboard Atlantis guided the shuttle in a back-flip manoeuvre that allowed crew on the space station to photograph the shuttle's protective heat-resistant tiles.

Engineers on Earth will check the images for any possible damage that may have been caused to the tiles during lift-off.

This became a routine safety measure after the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entering the Earth's atmosphere in 2003.

Esa astronaut Leopold Eyharts will be staying on the station to commission Columbus, a process that should take a few weeks to complete.

Its installation will mean Esa becomes a full member of the orbital project.

Atlantis was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, and is due to return to Earth now on 19 February, a day's extension to the originally planned 11-day mission.

An intensive programme of research in weightless surroundings is planned once Columbus is up and running.

The experiments will also help researchers better understand the physiological demands of long-duration spaceflight, something that will be important if humans are ever to colonise the Moon or travel to Mars.

Sick astronaut prepares to spacewalk

2008-02-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Sick astronaut prepares to spacewalk

HOUSTON - German astronaut Hans Schlegel floated out of the international space station for his first spacewalk on Wednesday, two days after an illness forced the shuttle Atlantis crew member to skip an outing to install a new European lab. Schlegel and American astronaut Rex Walheim ventured outside minutes before the space station passed over Cologne, Germany. They will spend the day replacing a nitrogen tank on the orbiting outpost.

"Hello to all the people of Germany," Walheim said. "What a pleasure it is to be up here spacewalking with one of your native sons, Hans Schlegel."

Schlegel said spacewalking is great.

"It's great to be a part of an international team ... doing research in space," he added.

In a series of broadcast interviews Tuesday, Schlegel said he was feeling great but was a little anxious about his first venture outside the safe confines of the cabin. He refused to say what had been ailing him, insisting "medical issues are private."

NASA and European Space Agency officials stressed there were no changes to Wednesday's 6 1/2-hour spacewalk on Schlegel's behalf, and that he would do everything just as he'd practiced before last week's launch. No one was opposed to his going outside to perform the strenuous spacewalking work, officials said.

Schlegel, 56, said Tuesday he backed NASA's decision to pull him off the first spacewalk because of his illness and delay Columbus' hookup by a day, even though it was a bitter pill.

"Nobody could have been happier than me when we finished (Monday's spacewalk) with the major objectives all done," he said.

Schlegel and the nine other space travelers spent Tuesday opening up the $2 billion Columbus lab and getting its equipment running. They were continuing that work Wednesday.

The astronauts — wearing goggles to guard against floating dust, metal chips or other debris — opened up floor panels to get to the equipment underneath, and turned on computers, heaters and fans. A few of the systems had startup trouble, but that's normal for a brand new piece of hardware, NASA managers said.

The European space station program manager, Alan Thirkettle, said it was thrilling to see astronauts inside Columbus, which was immaculate and brilliantly white.

"They're doing the first thing that the crew does, which is to make a complete mess of what was a beautiful piece of clean hardware inside," Thirkettle joked.

Muslim athlete disqualified over uniform

2008-01-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - A high school track star has been disqualified from a meet because officials said the custom-made outfit she wears to conform to her Muslim faith violated competition rules.

Juashaunna Kelly, a senior at the District of Columbia's Theodore Roosevelt High School, has the fastest mile and 2-mile times of any girl runner in the city this winter. She was disqualified from Saturday's Montgomery Invitational indoor track and field meet.

Kelly was wearing the same uniform she has worn for three seasons while running for Theodore Roosevelt's cross-country and track teams. The custom-made, one-piece blue and orange unitard covers her head, arms, torso and legs. Over the unitard, she wears the same orange and blue T-shirt and shorts as her teammates.

The outfit allows her to compete while adhering to her Muslim faith, which forbids displaying any skin other than her face and hands.

"It's not special," Kelly said. "It doesn't make me perform better."

But meet director Tom Rogers said Kelly's uniform violated rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations, which sanctioned the event. Uniforms are required to be "a single-solid color and unadorned, except for a single school name or insignia no more than 2 1/4 inches," he said.

Montgomery County Public Schools spokeswoman Kate Harrison said the decision about the uniform was not made by Rogers, but by referees who were part of an independent organization.

The organization told the school system that the decision was based solely on the multicolored top, she said.

Rogers said that he knew Kelly was wearing the uniform for religious reasons and that he offered her several options to conform to the rules while still respecting her faith, including placing a plain T-shirt over her unitard and then wearing her team uniform over it.

Kelly's mother, Sarah, and Roosevelt Coach Tony Bowden disputed that account. They said officials made several demands of her daughter before officials made the decision.

"First, they said she had to take her hood off," Sarah Kelly said. "Then, they said she can't have anything with logos displayed. Then, they said she had to turn it inside out. When I told them that there weren't any logos on it, they said she had to put a plain white T-shirt on over it."

Juashaunna Kelly has worn the same uniform for three years without any problems, including at last year's Montgomery Invitational. Rogers said officials must have missed the uniform last year.

"It wasn't a problem last year, and it's a problem this year? Make me understand why," Bowden said.

Kelly, whose 1,600-meter time of 5 minutes 17.49 seconds and 3,200-meter time of 12:00.81 are the fastest of any D.C. girl, was hoping to run fast enough at the Montgomery Invitational to qualify for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York on Feb. 8-9.

Bowden said the team has no other meets scheduled that would allow her to qualify for the event, which attracts dozens of college recruiters.

Chavez: Help free Colombia captives

2008-01-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

Chavez: Help free Colombia captives

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez on Monday urged world leaders to support efforts to negotiate the release of more rebel-held hostages, including three Americans, after leftist guerrillas freed two high-profile captives in Colombia.I ask for help from the governments of Latin America, from the governments of the world, so we free all of them," Chavez told reporters in Guatemala. "We can achieve the liberation of all of them."

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, released Colombians Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez to Venezuelan officials last week, after about six years in captivity.

Chavez said even the most high-profile hostages could eventually be freed, such as former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three American defense contractors whose plane went down in rebel territory in 2003.

Chavez, who on Monday attended the inauguration of Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, recalled that country's transformation after 36 years of bloody civil war.

"Today Guatemala enjoys peace. If that happened here, can't it also happen in Colombia?" he asked.

The former captive Gonzalez, meanwhile, returned to Bogota on Monday, four days after being reunited with relatives in Caracas.

Gonzalez arrived carrying proof from rebels that eight other hostages remain alive and planned to pass on the evidence to their families. It was not clear which eight hostages were involved.

"I am intensely happy to return to my country free," said Gonzalez, who missed the birth of a grandaughter and the death of her husband while in captivity.

Her fellow hostage Rojas returned to Bogota on Sunday and was reunited with her 3-year-old son, who was fathered by a guerrilla fighter and later separated from his mother.

Despite calls for an end to kidnapping, Colombia's navy on Monday reported that rebel gunmen had kidnapped six tourists from a Pacific island off Colombia, adding to the more than 700 hostages it still holds for ransom or political leverage.

The FARC has proposed swapping 44 high-profile hostages for hundreds of its jailed fighters, including two now imprisoned in the United States.

Chavez drew an angry rebuke from Colombia's government on Friday, when he suggested that FARC rebels should no longer be classified as terrorists, but rather as a legitimate insurgent group.

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack dismissed Chavez's call to end the FARC's terrorist classification. "They earned their way onto the terrorism list," he said.

Bodies of 4 youths found in D.C. home

2008-01-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

Bodies of 4 youths found in D.C. home

WASHINGTON - The decomposing bodies of four young people were found Wednesday by U.S. marshals delivering an eviction notice, and a woman who answered the door was taken into custody for questioning.

Investigators were trying to determine whether the woman was related to the four victims, who had been dead at least two weeks, authorities said. Her name was not released.

"She was apparently calm throughout," U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Cole Barnhart said.

Mayor Adrian Fenty said the condition of the bodies made it difficult to identify them. "It is going to take scientific tests run by the chief medical examiner's office," he said.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the bodies appeared to be of females ranging in age from 5 to 18. Authorities were investigating how and when they died.

The case may not be ruled a homicide until the medical examiner determines the cause of death, police said. Lanier said there were no signs of forced entry into the home.

The bodies were found upstairs in the southeast Washington apartment, part of a block of virtually identical apartment houses near Bolling Air Force Base in one of this city's poorest areas, authorities said.

Larry Jones, who lives next door, said that a woman and two or three children live at the home but that he had not seen them since the summer. The children appeared healthy at the time, he said.

Jones added that in recent months he had noticed a "strange odor" coming through his vent.

"We thought it was probably dead mice in the vent or something," he said, adding that he had talked to the landlord about it.

D.C. Council member Marion Barry, who represents the neighborhood where the bodies were found, questioned why no one had reported the four missing.

"Somebody should have known that some people were not in school," said Barry, the former mayor.

D.C. schools spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said none of the children thought to be living in the home was currently enrolled in the school system. One child at that address had attended Stuart-Hobson Elementary School but withdrew in 2006 as a fifth-grader, she said.

Mindy Good, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Child and Family Services agency, said it had received one report about a family at that address in April through the city's child abuse and neglect reporting hot line.

"We made several attempts to make contact with these people. We were unable to have any face-to-face contact with them," Good said. "On the last attempt (in early May), it appeared they were no longer living at the address."

Investigators later found a new address for the family in Maryland and alerted county authorities there of the report on the family, Good said. She would not say where the family was believed to be living.

"This is a sickmaking situation. It's a horrible thing," she said.

Area resident Rowand Simpkins said that her neighbors tend to keep to themselves and that she never saw the woman or children.

"It's really a mystery," she said of the youths' deaths. "It's a sad situation."