Hot Spot News

Klinsmann dismissed as Bayern Munich coach

2009-04-27T17:33:00.002-07:00

German champions Bayern Munich have sacked coach Jurgen Klinsmann and appointed the experienced Jupp Heynckes as his replacement for the final five games of the Bundesliga season.

Klinsmann's fate was sealed after Bayern Munich's 1-0 home defeat by Schalke on Saturday.

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Klinsmann's fate was sealed after a meeting with club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, general manager Uli Hoeness and director Karl Hopfner on Monday morning.

The 44-year-old took charge of Bayern last July, after leading an unfancied Germany side to the 2006 World Cup semifinals on home soil.

However, despite taking the club to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, he has been dismissed after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Schalke left the club three points adrift of league leaders Wolfsburg.

Saturday's defeat, following the 5-1 Champions League aggregate reverse to Barcelona, and elimination by Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup, has proved he final straw for the club's board, eager to ensure qualification for next season's Champions League.

A statement on the Bavarian club's official Web site confirmed the decision: "The board have informed Jurgen Klinsmann that we have decided to end our co-operation. This also applies to the assistant coaches Martin Vasquez and Nick Theslof.

"The board has seen the minimum aim for the season come under threat with our recent results and has therefore decided to take this step. The board thanks Jurgen Klinsmann and his coaching team for their work and wish them all the best for the future."

Klinsmann also issued a statement on the official Web site saying: "Of course, I am very disappointed at the moment. Nevertheless, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Bayern Munich, the fans, the coaches, the players and my colleagues for an exciting time. We have laid the foundations for the future. I still believe that the team can be German champions this season."

Talking about the decision, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "We did not come to this decision lightly. But the results of the past weeks, the way in which they came about and above all, the situation we find ourselves in five games before the end of the season forced us to act out of a sense of responsibility to the club.

"In Jupp Heynckes and Hermann Gerland, we have two experienced coaches who will take over the running of the team until the end of the season."

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Klinsmann signed a two-year contract when he joined the club last July, his first-ever domestic coaching role.

However, despite remaining in the hunt for the Bundesliga for the majority of the season, there have been many un-Bayern like moments for the club's supporters to endure. The first signs of trouble came last September when Werder Bremen embarrassed Bayern 5-2 in front of their own fans at Munich's Allianz Arena.

The 4-2 German Cup defeat by Leverkusen in March was another low-point, as was the 5-1 hammering at league leaders Wolfsburg earlier this month.

Klinsmann's replacement Heynckes has already successfully coached Bayern, winning two consecutive Bundesliga titles in 1989 and 1990 in his first coaching stint in Munich between 1987 and 1991.

He then coached Athletic Bilbao between 1992 and 1994, Eintracht Frankfurt and Tenerife before moving to Real Madrid where he delivered the Champions League to the Spanish giants in 1998 after a 32-year wait.

A lack of domestic success saw him replaced at the Bernabeu and he had brief stints at Benfica and a return to Athletic Bilbao before heading back to the Bundesliga as coach of Schalke in June 2003.

In June 2006, he was appointed coach of Borussia Moenchengladbach but stepped down after a dreadful run of results that saw the team drop to 17th place in the table after 14 consecutive games without a win.

Yemeni troops free oil tanker; 11 pirates arrested

2009-04-27T17:33:00.001-07:00

A Yemeni oil tanker hijacked in the Gulf of Aden was freed Monday and 11 Somali pirates were arrested, Yemen's official news agency said.

11 pirates were arrested by Yemeni security forces in an operation to free the oil tanker.

Three marines were wounded in the operation conducted by Yemeni forces, according to the SABA news agency.

The tanker was seized Sunday on its way to Aden, SABA said. Aden is a port city in southwestern Yemen.

Meanwhile, two pirates were killed and one injured when Yemeni troops freed three other ships Sunday, SABA reported. Four pirates were also arrested in the operation, it added.

Piracy has become a major problem in recent years in the waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective government since 1991.

Despite the introduction of international naval patrols in the region, pirates have continued to attack commercial vessels and collect large ransoms, running into millions of dollars, from shipping companies.

Attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia's coast accounted for 61 of the 102 attacks during the first quarter of this year. That compares with six incidents for the same period in 2008, said the International Maritime Bureau, which issues regular reports on piracy worldwide.

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More than $200M pledged to beat Somali pirates

The European Union and several nations, including the United States, have naval forces in the region to protect vessels against pirate attacks. The head of EU naval forces in the waters off Somalia said recently that restoring long-term stability to Somalia will be what ultimately stops the attacks.

Rear Adm. Philip Jones said: "It'll be a long period of time before that's successful, and we must be ready to secure the seas until that's in place."

White House apologizes for low-flying plane

2009-04-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

A White House official apologized Monday after a low-flying Boeing 747 spotted above the Manhattan skyline frightened workers and residents into evacuating buildings.

Witnesses reported seeing the plane circle over the Upper New York Bay near the Statue of Liberty.

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The huge aircraft, which functions as Air Force One when the president is aboard, was taking part in a classified, government-sanctioned photo shoot, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," said Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption."

Witnesses reported seeing the plane circle over the Upper New York Bay near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River. It was accompanied by two F-16s. Watch the plane fly over Manhattan »

Two officials told CNN the White House Military Office was trying to update its file photos of Air Force One. The officials said the president was angry when he learned Monday afternoon about the flight, which sparked fear in the New York-New Jersey area.

"The president was furious about it," one of the officials said. The incident outraged many New Yorkers, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"First thing is, I'm annoyed -- furious is a better word -- that I wasn't told," he said, calling the aviation administration's decision to withhold details about the flight "ridiculous" and "poor judgment."

"Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo op right around the site of the World Trade Center defies the imagination," he said. "Had we known, I would have asked them not to." Watch the White House respond to questions about the scare »

"I was here on 9/11," said iReporter Tom Kruk, who spotted the plane as he was getting coffee Monday morning and snapped a photo. Kruk called the sight of the aircraft low in the sky "unsettling."

Linda Garcia-Rose, a social worker who counsels post-traumatic stress disorder patients in an office just three blocks from where the World Trade Center towers once stood, called the flight an "absolute travesty."

"There was no warning. It looked like the plane was about to come into us," she said. "I'm a therapist, and I actually had a panic attack."

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Garcia-Rose, who works with nearly two dozen post-traumatic stress disorder patients ages 15 to 47, said she was inundated with phone calls from patients Monday morning.

"They're traumatized. They're asking 'How could this happen?' They're nervous. Their anxiety levels are high," she said.

Garcia-Rose is considering filing a class-action suit against the government for sanctioning the plane's unannounced flight. "I believe the government has done something really wrong," she said.

Capt. Anna Carpenter of Andrews Air Force Base said local law enforcement agencies and the Federal Aviation Administration had been given notice of the exercise.

New York Police Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne said the department had been alerted to the flight by the federal agency "with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it."

Sen. Chuck Schumer echoed the mayor's sentiments in a separate news conference Monday afternoon, saying the Federal Aviation Administration should have notified the public to avoid panic.

"It is absolutely outrageous and appalling to think that the FAA would plan such a photo shoot and not warn the public, knowing full well New Yorkers still have the vivid memory of 9/11 sketched in their minds," the New York Democrat said. Schumer said the FAA's decision to not announce the fly-by "really borders on being either cruel or very very stupid."

Building evacuations also took place across the Hudson River in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Venezuelan official granted asylum in Peru

2009-04-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Manuel Rosales, the mayor of Maracaibo, Venezuela, has been granted political asylum in Peru, Peru's foreign minister said Monday.

Manuel Rosales denies that he illegally enriched himself as governor of Zulia state.

Rosales, a leading political opponent who lost the 2006 presidential race to Hugo Chavez, faces corruption charges in Venezuela.

He was supposed to have turned himself in to authorities last week but failed to appear. His attorney said then that Rosales had fled to Peru and would seek asylum there.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde said that the asylum was granted on humanitarian grounds and that recent statements by Rosales against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez were not taken into account, the state-run Andina news agency said.

Venezuelan officials say Rosales illegally enriched himself as governor of Zulia state from 2002 to 2004.

Rosales denies the allegation, saying Chavez is out to get him for political reasons and is persecuting him on trumped-up corruption charges.

"Since they haven't been able to take me off the political map by the electoral route, now they're using the power they have in all the movements of the public prosecutor," Rosales told CNN en Español last month.

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One of Rosales' lawyers noted that Chavez said publicly in October 2008, before Rosales was charged, that he wanted the mayor in prison.

In last month's interview, Rosales called the charges that he had illegally accepted money "totally false," and said he not only declared all of his income, but paid taxes on it.

Katiuska Plaza, district attorney for Zulia state, said in a 26-count complaint last month that Rosales illegally enriched himself in 2002 and 2004.

Rosales called the district attorney's actions "a manipulation," and said the prosecutor "is acting on Chavez's orders."

Another prominent Chavez opponent was arrested this month on corruption charges.

Former Venezuelan Defense Minister Raul Baduel played a key role in turning back a coup attempt against Chavez in 2002 but broke with him in November 2007 over constitutional changes Chavez was proposing. Baduel has been a strong Chavez critic since then.

Baduel, who also was the president's military general-in-chief, was arrested at gunpoint in front of his wife April 2, the general's attorney said at the time. It was Baduel's second arrest on charges that he stole $14 million from the armed forces.

He has denied the allegation and said last year the charges were politically motivated.

And Antonio Ledezma, an opposition figure who is mayor of Caracas, is finding his powers reduced. Last week, the pro-Chavez National Assembly shifted many of his powers to the federal government.

Ledezma has accused Chavez of orchestrating protests against him.

Ship's cook seized by pirates blames employers

2009-04-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

A crew member on a U.S.-flagged cargo ship captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia is suing his employers, claiming they sent him into pirate-infested waters without adequate protection, his attorney said Monday.

Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse has been charged with piracy in federal court in New York.

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Richard Hicks of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, a crew member on the Maersk Alabama, was set to file suit Monday against Waterman Steamship Corp. and Maersk Line Limited, according to the attorney, Terry Bryant.

A spokeswoman for Mobile, Alabama-based Waterman Steamship Corp. said she did not know about the suit and did not immediately comment.

A spokeswoman for Maersk Line Limited did not immediately return a call from CNN seeking comment.

The Maersk Alabama was hijacked by pirates April 8.

Hicks, working as chief steward and preparing food for other crew members, heard over the loudspeaker that pirates were on board, and he and other crew members gathered in the ship's engine room for nearly 12 hours, Bryant said in a news release.

"The engine room was dark and hot, maybe 130 degrees," Hicks said in the news release. "We were all cramping up with heat stroke symptoms when we were able to take a pirate hostage and tried to negotiate the return of our captain."

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The pirates promised to exchange Capt. Richard Phillips for the pirate hostage, but reneged on that agreement, the news release said.

Phillips had offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the freedom of his crew. He was held on a lifeboat until U.S. Navy snipers on a nearby ship fatally shot three pirates. Phillips was rescued, and a fourth pirate was arrested.

The ship's owners -- the two companies -- knowingly exposed their employees to danger and took no steps to provide appropriate security and safety for the crew, Bryant alleges.

"Waterman Steamship Corp. and Maersk Line Limited chose to rely on the United States military and taxpayers to provide after-the-fact rescue operations," Bryant said in the news release.

"This choice caused substantially more cost and risk to human life than what would have been incurred by defendants had they provided appropriate levels of security in the first place."

Hicks is seeking at least $75,000 and "reserves the right to amend this pleading for a certain amount in the future, as it is too early to determine the maximum amount of plaintiff's damages," according to the suit.

Hicks is still suffering from injuries as a result of the incident and is afraid to return to work, the news release said.

Taliban suspends regional peace talks

2009-04-27T17:28:00.002-07:00

Taliban militants have suspended talks with the provincial government in the midst of fighting in the country's volatile northwestern region.

Pakistani soldiers on patrol in Buner district.

"Due to the military operation in Lower Dir ... we have decided to suspend dialogue with the (North West Frontier Province) government," Amir Izad, a spokesman for Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM), a Taliban-aligned group, said Monday.

This comes after Pakistan's Frontier Corps launched an offensive against suspected militants and their hideouts in Lower Dir, which neighbors the violence-plagued Swat area.

The TNSM lost contact with Sufi Muhammed, an Islamist fundamentalist leader who has been negotiating on behalf of the Taliban, on Sunday, Izad said.

"We have not been able to get any information about his whereabouts, make contact with him, or his family," according to Izad. "We will not restart the dialogue until these operations stop."

The suspected militant hideouts targeted by the military are in Islampura and Lal Qila in Lower Dir. A "heavy exchange of fire" was reported at Kala Dag and Lal Qila, the Pakistani military said Sunday.

There were reports of many Taliban deaths, including that of an "important local commander." One security force member was killed and four others were wounded, the military said.

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Army Col. Attiq Ahmed told CNN about the military operation, and a Taliban spokesman in the area confirmed it.

Taliban spokesman Mullah Mansoor Dadullah said the militants were "resisting the army operation."

The Taliban "know who the people are who raise their voices for the operation," Dadullah said. "We know them; they are on our hit list and we will target them."

Lower Dir is one of the districts included in a recent peace deal between the government and the Taliban.

The agreement signed by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari allows the Taliban to implement Islamic law, or sharia, in the region in exchange for an end to fighting. Under the Taliban's strict interpretation of sharia law, women would be prevented from even being seen in public without their husbands or fathers.

The peace deal encompasses the Malakand Division, which includes the following areas: Swat, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Buner, Shangla, Chitral and Malakand. Kohistan, which is not in Malakand division, is also covered under the deal.

Last week, the Taliban overran large sections of the Buner district, bringing them within 60 miles of the capital, Islamabad, in violation of the peace accord. The takeover of Buner brought the Taliban closer to the capital than it had been since it mounted its insurgency.

A Pakistani government official said Friday that the insurgents had completely withdrawn from the district by the end of the week, but a human rights group said people in Buner were reporting that local Taliban remained in the district.

White House could release more memos on treatment of detainees

2009-04-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

As President Obama approaches day 100 of his administration, some in Washington caution that the torture tug-of-war could be a costly distraction.

Leg restraints await detainees at Guantanamo Bay in this 2006 photo.

Earlier this month, the Obama administration released four Bush-era memos detailing "enhanced interrogations" of suspected al Qaeda members. Now, the White House is reviewing former Vice President Dick Cheney's request to make more memos public.

Two weeks before Obama released any memos, Cheney submitted a request to the National Archives calling for the release of other documents.

He says that what he requested will prove that the Bush interrogation tactics -- which critics have called a torture program -- worked.

"I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country," Cheney said in an interview with Fox News last week.

The White House is signaling that not only is it considering honoring Cheney's request, it may go even further.

"I think the president, as you know, is a big believer in transparency," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think one of the things that will have to be examined is whether there are additional memos that have to be released that give a broader picture of what's gone on in enhanced interrogation techniques."

The almost daily revelations are dividing Democrats between those calling for full disclosure and those urging caution.

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"We don't just turn the page without reading it. We want to make sure what the mistakes were so that the Obama administration doesn't make these mistakes," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont. said Sunday.

But Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, warned Sunday against moving to quickly.

"We need to find these things out, and we need to do it in a way that's calm and deliberative and professional, because I think all of this, on the front burner, before the public, does harm our intelligence gathering, it does harm America's position in the world," she said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Across the aisle, Republicans are insisting the Justice Department drop any investigation of Bush administration officials who authorized harsh interrogations.

"I think that would be a stab in the back. I think he has already demoralized the CIA, put them in a CYA mode," Sen. Kit Bond, R-Missouri, said Sunday on Fox News.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, said prosecuting those who gave legal advice is wrong.

"I don't think those memos should have been released, but the fundamental point now is whether to prosecute people who gave the president, in my view, legitimate advice, even though it was wrong," he said. "We should not be prosecuting people who gave legal advice. It's wrong to do that to them, and it sets a terrible precedent for the future."

Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio are calling on the White House to release a list of who was briefed about the interrogation programs.

"Congress and the American people deserve a full and complete set of facts about what information was yielded by CIA's interrogation program, and they deserve to know which of their representatives in Congress were briefed about these techniques and the extent of those briefings," Boehner said in a statement Monday.

"To date, the administration has fallen short in providing this information. ... The American people have been provided an incomplete picture of exactly what intelligence was made available by the interrogation program," he said.

But Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, said the whole debate over the memos is "moot."

"What do we gain, first, by releasing the memos; but, secondly, what do we gain from indicting lawyers for their opinions, if that is a possibility here? ... It will poison the water here in Washington. It will achieve nothing. It will make it harder for President Obama to do some of the big things he wants to do for the country," he said.

WHO raising swine flu alert level, U.S. says

2009-04-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert level in response to the outbreak of swine flu that originated in Mexico.

Relatives of flu patients wait oustside Mexico's National Institute of Respiratory Diseases.

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The move to a level four alert indicates the world body has determined the virus is capable of significant human-to-human transmission.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general, said the move did not mean a pandemic was inevitable. He added the agency would focus efforts on mitigating, rather than containing the virus.

More cases were confirmed Monday in the United States, Canada and Europe. The WHO said the U.S. has confirmed 47 cases, Mexico 26, Canada six and Spain one. Two more were confirmed in Scotland.

In Mexico the virus is believed to be responsible for at least 149 deaths -- though most of those have not yet been confirmed -- while almost 2,000 have been hospitalized.

Some health experts fear the disease could become a pandemic, partly because it has killed young, healthy adults in Mexico.

Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos said. "The number of cases, unfortunately, will continue to increase," he said. Watch how the disease is emptying churches and soccer grounds »

Mexico closed all schools until at least May 6 to help curb the spread of swine flu, officials announced Monday.

A U.S. federal official confirmed the U.S. figure -- up from 20 with all the new cases coming from a New York school where eight cases were previously confirmed.

The European Union's health commissioner Monday urged people "to avoid non-essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the center of the clusters" of a swine flu outbreak.

Andorra Vassiliou's latest comments soften an earlier statement urging people "to avoid traveling to both Mexico and the United States due to concerns about swine flu." iReport.com: Do you think we should be worried about swine flu?

The EU issued a statement clarifying that Vassiliou's remarks were her personal comments and that travel advisories can be issued only by member states and not by the EU itself.

The first case of swine flu in Europe was confirmed Monday in Spain. Health minister Trinidad Jimenez said a 23-year-old man who returned from studying in Mexico last Wednesday tested positive for the virus at a hospital in southeastern Spain.

At least 16 more cases are being treated as possible swine flu, Jimenez told a news conference. Earlier, Jimenez met with health officials to discuss Spain's response to the crisis.

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"We do not have an emergency situation in Spain, but we are working to prevent any possible development, and we are taking action in accord with the World Health Organization," she said.

Spain's Ministry of Health has urged travelers recently returned from Mexico and the U.S. to be on the lookout for symptoms of the virus, including fever, coughing and respiratory problems.

A few hours later, Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Tests have demonstrated conclusively that the two Scottish cases of swine flu are positive."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said: "We are concerned that this virus could cause a new influenza pandemic. It could be mild, in its effects, or potentially be severe. We do not yet know which way it will go. But we are concerned that, in Mexico, most of those who died were young and healthy adults.

Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, said the EU warning was "not warranted." Watch the CDC assessment »

President Barack Obama said Monday that the outbreak was a "cause for concern" but not a "cause for alarm."

He said the federal government was "closely monitoring" emerging cases and had declared a public health emergency as a "precautionary tool" to ensure the availability of adequate resources to combat the spread of the virus.

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MayoClinic.com: Influenza (flu)

Israel and New Zealand, where 22 students and three teachers were quarantined after returning for a three-week trip to Mexico, are also investigating suspected cases. South Korea says it will test travelers arriving from the U.S.

Swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease that usually affects pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.

When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off because people have no natural immunity.

The symptoms are similar to common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The virus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

Researchers are trying to determine how easily it can jump from person to person. Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general, said it was too early to predict whether there will be a mild or serious pandemic.

In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. And in 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.

Rebels: Sri Lanka still bombing civilians

2009-04-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka ordered an end to combat operations against Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north, the president's office said Monday. But the rebels accused the military of continuing to bomb civilians.

Sri Lankan soldiers stand guard next to a tank captured from the Tamil Tigers.

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"Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy-caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties," according a statement from the Presidential Secretariat.

A rebel Web site, Tamilnet.com, immediately accused the government of violating its own order and "deceiving the international community."

"Two Sri Lanka air force fighter bombers continued to bomb civilian targets in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal after the announcement by the Sri Lankan forces that it would not deploy heavy weapons or carry out air attacks," Tamilnet said, citing S. Puleedevan, director of the Tamil Peace Secretariat.

"Obviously we need to see what that means in practice," John Holmes, the head of U.N. humanitarian operations, said about the government announcement to end combat operations. "But, on the face of it, I think it's good news."

The military will now concentrate on "saving" and "rescuing civilians," who have been caught in the fighting between government forces and rebel fighters, the presidential statement said.

The government's decision followed an unscheduled meeting of the National Security Council called by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The session included the commanders of the army, navy and air force.

The developments came a day after Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposed cease-fire from the Tamil rebels, warning instead that government troops would continue a new offensive until the group surrendered, a senior government official told CNN.

"The government is firm that (the rebels) lay down their arms and surrender. We do not recognize this so-called offer," said Lakshman Hulugalle, director of Sri Lanka's Media Center for National Security.

The Tiger leadership had asked the international community to "pressure the Sri Lankan government to reciprocate" on the cease-fire offer. The United States, the United Nations, the European Union and India have called for a cease-fire.

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The foreign ministers of three nations are due in Sri Lanka on Wednesday -- David Miliband of the United Kingdom, Bernard Kouchner of France and Carl Bildt of Sweden.

The rebels' proposed cease-fire came six days after the Sri Lankan army launched a new offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). Government troops made significant advances into rebel-held territory on Friday and Saturday, according to Sri Lankan army sources.

A government-imposed deadline for the Tigers to surrender passed last Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced civilians currently remain wedged in a dwindling swath of territory controlled by the Tigers along the country's northeastern coast.

Government troops say they have rescued 39,000 civilians trapped in the area, but a U.N. refugee agency said Friday that a wave of "fresh displacement" now exceeds 100,000 people. Watch civilians describe what they are experiencing »

Fifty metric tons of relief supplies -- which landed in Colombo on Monday -- will be sent by UNICEF to the north to help displaced residents.

UNICEF, which called the situation in the north a "catastrophe for children," said the displaced lack food, water and basic medical supplies.

The rebels estimate the number of civilians still located in the territory at more than 160,000.

The Sri Lankan military said it "freed 3,254 civilians from LTTE clutches" in operations Sunday.

The Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in Sri Lanka's northeast since 1983. As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began, and the group has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

Quake strikes near Acapulco, Mexico

2009-04-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

A moderate quake measuring 5.6 in magnitude struck southwestern Mexico near the resort city of Acapulco on Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

USGS measured the quake's epicenter in the state of Guerrero about 43 miles northeast of Acapulco.

Authorities in Acapulco evacuated hotels there, although there were no reports of damage, according to CNN affiliate TV Azteca.

The temblor was felt about 145 miles (230 km) to the north in Mexico City. Watch evacutions in Mexico City »

CNN Producer Lonzo Cook, who is in the Mexican capital, said people there headed out into the streets after a vibration shook the building for about 30 to 40 seconds. There was no visible damage, he said.

"People in neighboring office buildings -- quite a majority of them wearing masks because of the swine flu outbreak -- were piling out into the streets," Cook said. "There were a few humorous people on the stairways saying, 'This is the apocalypse. First the swine flu, and now this.' " iReport.com: Send photos, video

However, most people were in "high spirits," Cook said.

Swine flu cases confirmed in Europe, U.S. and Canada

2009-04-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

More cases of swine flu were confirmed Monday in the United States, Canada and Europe as the World Health Organization described the outbreak as a "public health emergency of international concern."

Relatives of flu patients wait oustside Mexico's National Institute of Respiratory Diseases.

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more photos »

It said the U.S. has confirmed 40 cases, Mexico 26, Canada six and Spain one. Two more were confirmed in Scotland.

In Mexico the virus is believed to be responsible for at least 149 deaths -- though most of those have not yet been confirmed -- while almost 2,000 have been hospitalized.

Some health experts fear the disease could become a pandemic, partly because it has killed young, healthy adults in Mexico.

Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordoba Villalobos said. "The number of cases, unfortunately, will continue to increase," he said.

Mexico closed all schools until at least May 6 to help curb the spread of swine flu, officials announced Monday.

A U.S. federal official confirmed the U.S. figure -- up from 20 with all the new cases coming from a New York school where eight cases were previously confirmed.

The European Union's health commissioner Monday called on people to avoid traveling to both Mexico and the United States. Watch how the disease is emptying churches and soccer grounds »

People "should avoid traveling to Mexico or the U.S. unless it is very urgent for them," Andorra Vassiliou said.

At least 16 more cases are being treated as possible swine flu, Jimenez told a news conference. Earlier, Jimenez met with health officials to discuss Spain's response to the crisis.

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"We do not have an emergency situation in Spain, but we are working to prevent any possible development, and we are taking action in accord with the World Health Organization," she said.

Spain's Ministry of Health has urged travelers recently returned from Mexico and the U.S. to be on the lookout for symptoms of the virus, including fever, coughing and respiratory problems.

A few hours later, Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Tests have demonstrated conclusively that the two Scottish cases of swine flu are positive."

Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, said the EU warning was "not warranted." Watch the CDC assessment »

President Barack Obama said Monday that the outbreak was a "cause for concern" but not a "cause for alarm."

Health Library

MayoClinic.com: Influenza (flu)

When the flu spreads person-to-person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off because people have no natural immunity.

The symptoms are similar to common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. And in 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.

Top militant 'arrested in Iraq'

2009-04-26T15:07:00.001-07:00

TV network Al-Arabiya ran an alleged photograph of the little-known leade

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said that a man arrested in Baghdad last week is a top figure in the al-Qaeda-related insurgency.

Mr Maliki told the BBC Abu Omar al-Baghdadi had been tracked for more than two months by Iraqi security services.

His arrest was reported last Thursday but the reports were not confirmed.

Baghdadi is a nom de guerre for a shadowy figure thought to lead the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of radical Sunni factions.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad, Mr Maliki disclosed that a purely Iraqi intelligence operation had tracked the wanted man's movements from the inside.

Nom de guerre

He had been identified by former close associates who had worked with him, and attended his inauguration as leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Prime Minister Maliki said Mr Baghdadi was being interrogated, and that the results would be made public.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is a shadowy figure - some American commanders have even cast doubt on his very existence, our correspondent says.

The name is a nom de guerre - Iraqi officials say his real name is Ahmad al-Mjamei, though he has also been known under other names.

Jim Muir, BBC correspondent in Baghdad

With around 150 people killed in just two days this week, Iraqis are wondering whether the latest attacks herald a return to those black times.

Nobody can be sure that they don't.

But so far, they are a blip on the screen - a big blip, but not one that takes the country anywhere near back to the levels of violence prevailing two years ago.

Read Jim's thoughts in full

The capture or killing of other senior al-Qaeda or related leaders in the past has not on its own made a perceptible difference to the state of the insurgency, our correspondent adds.

Protest

The arrest of Baghdadi on Thursday came amid an upsurge of the violence in Iraq.

About 150 were killed in just two days, sparking fears of a slide back into the bloody chaos that was a hallmark of Iraq following the US-led invasion.

Meanwhile on Sunday, a woman was shot dead during a US raid on a house in the southern Iraqi town of Kut in which at least five people were arrested.

The US military said she had been nearby during the operation, and had moved into the line of fire.

But the death was condemned as a crime by the local provincial council, and hundreds of people gathered at the local morgue to protest, reported the Associated Press news agency.

Italian cruise ship foils pirates

2009-04-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

A captain of an Italian cruise ship has given the BBC a dramatic account of how his crew fended off a pirate attack near the coast of Somalia.

Capt Ciro Pinto said six pirates in a speedboat approached his Melody ship and opened fire, but then fled after security men fired in the air.

He said his crew also sprayed water on the gunmen when they tried to climb aboard using a ladder.

No-one was hurt in Saturday's incident. Some 1,500 people were on the vessel.

Somali pirates have also seized an empty Yemeni oil tanker and clashed with coast guards on Sunday, a Yemeni official said.

Two pirates were killed in the action as the Yemeni coast guard tried to free the vessel, a Yemeni government official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The official said three pirates and two Yemeni coast guards were also wounded in the exchange.

See map of how piracy is affecting the region and countries around the world

Last year, pirates attacked more than 100 ships in the region, demanding huge ransom for their release. Their attacks have intensified recently.

'Throwing chairs'

Capt Pinto told the BBC that the pirates tried to hijack his ship late on Saturday, about 290km (180 miles) north of Victoria in the Seychelles.

"One white small boat with six people on board approached the port [left] side of the ship and started shooting."

The captain said the pirates fired some 200 rounds of shots on the vessel.

His said "our security started shooting in the air... and also we started spraying some water" to beat off the attackers.

Capt Pinto said the pirates were forced to give up after about five minutes of shooting and a high-speed chase.

Samantha Hendey from Durban, South Africa, told the BBC that her sister Tabitha Nicholson was on board the ship during the attack and the situation was "pretty dramatic".

"She said that there were lots of passengers on deck watching it unfold and they even took action themselves by throwing chairs overboard, trying to hit the pirates," Samantha said.

"She said there were lots of bullet holes in the ship but that they were not serious enough to force it to return to port."

The head of the Italy's MSC Cruises, which owns the Meloday, credited the captain for his "cool-headed" handling of the incident, Italy's Ansa news agency reported.

The ship was on a cruise from South Africa to Italy. It was now headed as scheduled for the Jordanian port of Aqaba.

Somali pirates have hijacked about a dozen ships since the start of April, despite the presence of around 20 foreign naval vessels in the area.

International warships have been patrolling the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden in recent months as part of an effort to counter piracy.

They have freed a number of ships, but attacks have continued.

Somalia has been without an effective administration since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has allowed piracy to thrive.

Shipping companies last year handed over about $80m (£54m) in ransom payments to the gangs.

Sri Lanka rebels call ceasefire

2009-04-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

This undated photo released by pro-Tamil media reportedly shows a government air strike inside a no-fire zone and civilians fleeing

Tamil Tiger rebels fighting government forces in north-east Sri Lanka have declared a unilateral ceasefire.

Rebel spokesman Seevaratnam Puleethevan told the BBC the move was due to an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis".

Sri Lanka's defence secretary however dismissed the announcement as "a joke", insisting the rebels must surrender.

The rebels have been beaten back to a 12 sq km (5 sq m) area. The UN says some 50,000 civilians remain trapped but the army puts the number at 15,000.

See a map of the region

The defence ministry reports capturing the village of Valayanmadam, and says 23 rebels surrendered and 200 civilians were "rescued" there on Sunday morning. The report could not be verified independently.

The Tigers' announcement came as the United Nations' top humanitarian official, John Holmes, was meeting Sri Lankan officials to call for access for aid workers to the war zone and government-run camps for thousands of displaced people.

Aid workers have been barred from the area since the fighting escalated last year and the rebels say the government is deliberately blocking food aid - a charge the Sri Lankan authorities deny.

Propaganda war

The rebels said they were responding to calls made by the UN, EU, the governments of India and others.

From Charles Haviland in Colombo

Outlawed as a terrorist group by many countries, the Tigers are trying to show they are clearly aligned with the UN and Western countries at this point, in contrast to the Sri Lankan government which is continually rejecting the chorus of international calls for a halt in its offensive.

This is not the first time the Tigers have declared their readiness for a ceasefire in recent months. Their past offers have often been sent to key international players with an interest in the Sri Lankan situation.

The government claims the war is nearly at an end and alleges that the Tigers have used past ceasefires to regroup and re-arm.

Analysis: Stark end game

They said the unilateral ceasefire would come into immediate effect.

Spokesman Mr Puleethevan added that the Tigers would maintain their ceasefire only if the government reciprocated.

"It is purely for humanitarian purposes and the duration will depend on the response of the Sri Lankan government," he told AFP news agency by phone from inside rebel-held territory.

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the BBC the Tigers were the "the losing side."

Saying the army was within "walking distance" of rebel-controlled areas, he called for the rebels to surrender immediately and release all civilians within the conflict zone.

Images from surveillance drones showed there were 15,000 civilians left in the war zone, he added.

Denying media reports that he had been stopping food supplies to trapped civilians, he said that he himself had asked the World Food Programme and the Red Cross to deliver relief to them.

A bitter propaganda battle is in progress, the BBC's Charles Haviland reports from the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

The Tigers accuse the government of bringing the threat of starvation to civilians inside the war zone.

Troops have ringed off the Tigers

The government and pro-government media accuse the Tigers of keeping Tamil civilians as hostages and murdering people trying to flee their control, including little children.

The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war, but that figure could now be far higher because of intensified fighting in recent weeks.

Hospitals and government-run camps for displaced people in the north-east have been flooded by people fleeing the shrinking rebel-held zone as the military closes in on the rebels.

'Very dire' situation

Speaking in Thailand on his way to Sri Lanka, Mr Holmes said the civilians caught up in the conflict were suffering not only a high casualty rate from the fighting but from a lack of access to food, clean water and medical supplies.

"The situation of these people is very dire and that's why we need to somehow find a way to stop the fighting and get them out of there so we can look after them properly," he said.

A UN document being circulated around diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka estimates that nearly 6,500 civilians have died and 14,000 have been injured since the end of January.

The White House said it was "deeply concerned about the plight of innocent civilians caught up in the conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers and the mounting death toll".

It called on both sides to adhere to international humanitarian law and to "stop fighting immediately and allow civilians to safely leave the combat zone".

China and Taiwan investment deal

2009-04-26T15:03:00.002-07:00

The agreements were signed in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing

China and Taiwan have agreed to allow investment across the Taiwan Strait in the latest sign of improving relations between them.

Chiang Pin-kung of the Straits Exchange Foundation signed agreements with Chen Yunlin of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits.

In a joint statement they pledged to "realise the normalisation of cross-strait economic ties".

It was the third set of deals since Taiwan's new government came to power.

President Ma Ying-jeou has been in power for a year since running for election on a promise to improve the economy through closer ties with the Chinese mainland.

In the past, while there has been a great deal of mainland investment from Taiwanese firms, Chinese companies have needed permission from the Taiwanese government to invest in Taiwan.

In a joint statement, the two sides said that they faced a "rare and historic opportunity" and that they would "encourage and promote mainland businesses to... invest in Taiwan".

Taiwan's economy went into recession late last year and both sides said they hoped their agreements would help both sides to weather the economic storm.

Rwanda bans BBC local broadcasts

2009-04-26T15:03:00.001-07:00

Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the genocide

Rwanda has suspended BBC broadcasts in the local language Kinyarwanda because of what it says is bias in BBC reports concerning the 1994 genocide.

A statement announcing the temporary ban singled out a programme it said amounted to blatant denial of genocide against the Tutsi and moderate Hutu.

The editor of the BBC programme denied that there had been any bias.

He said that the programme had offered to include a government spokesman in the programme, but it had declined.

The government added that Rwanda believed in differences of opinion and press freedom and had patiently continued to seek common ground and co-operation on the part of the BBC Great Lakes leadership.

But broadcasts giving free scope to "genocidaires and negationists of the genocide" would not be tolerated, said Minister of Information Louise Mushikiwabo on Rwanda Radio.

The editor of the BBC programme, broadcast at the weekend, Ally Mugenzi, said the difficulties had arisen because of the interpretation which the government was putting on the genocide.

'Suicide bid' in Italy cafe case

2009-04-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

The couple have said they fled because they had no mone

A German man has attempted to kill himself days after he and his girlfriend abandoned her three children at a restaurant in Italy, reports say.

Sascha Schmidt, 24, had allegedly tried to hang himself with a belt in his cell in northern Italy on Saturday.

Italy's news agencies said he was in a critical but stable condition.

Mr Schmidt and his girlfriend Caterina Remnof, 26, left the children in the northern town of Aosta last Sunday after ordering them a pizza.

The two left the pizzeria, supposedly for a cigarette, but never returned.

The children - believed to be aged four, two and eight months - are now in care in Germany. Mr Schmidt is not their biological father, according to German police.

Staff at the Aosta pizzeria only realised they had vanished after 10 minutes

Mr Schmidt and Ms Remnof were found by police last Thursday in a wood outside Aosta. The couple said they had fled because they had no money.

Ms Remnof was released after being charged with abandoning the children.

But Mr Schmidt was held pending extradition to Germany, where prosecutors say he failed to return to prison while on parole.

The prosecutors say he was serving a prison sentence for crimes including blackmail.

US calls for 'fair' Lebanon poll

2009-04-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8019542.stm

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made a brief, unannounced visit to Beirut where she held talks with the president and foreign minister.

Mrs Clinton called for the upcoming general election on 7 June to be fair and free of outside interference.

She also laid a wreath on the tomb of former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.

His killing in 2005 was blamed on Syria and triggered massive demonstrations that led to an end of decades of Syrian control over Lebanon.

It was a very short trip, her first trip ever to Lebanon, with a very powerful message.

Mrs Clinton said Washington supported Lebanon's sovereignty and would never make a deal with Syria that would sell out Lebanon and the Lebanese people.

Resurgent Hezbollah

The Obama administration has started to engage with Damascus after several years of tense ties between Syria and the US.

A senior American official told the BBC that Washington was keen to assure the Lebanese that those discussions would not be at their expense.

Syria is Lebanon's former power broker, but its allies in Beirut, including the militant group Hezbollah, are expected to regain more power in the upcoming polls.

It is a source of worry for Washington, which has made support for Lebanon's army a pillar of the cooperation between the two countries, since a pro-Western government came to power in 2005.

The US official said Washington would have to re-evaluate its military assistance to Lebanon, depending on the makeup of the next cabinet.

Mrs Clinton would not speculate about the outcome of the elections, but said Washington supported the forces of moderation.

The US secretary of state was accompanied by the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, a former ambassador to Beirut.

Darfur rebels sentenced to death

2009-04-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

The unprecedented rebel attack on Khartoum left more than 200 de

A Sudanese court has sentenced 11 Darfur rebels to death for an attack on Khartoum in 2008.

The members of the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) were found guilty of involvement in the unprecedented assault on the Sudanese capital.

Some 80 Jem members have already been sentenced to death for the attack, which left more than 200 people dead.

The Jem fighters drove across the desert to reach Khartoum and were only stopped near the presidential palace.

On Sunday, Judge Hafez Ahmed at the court in Khartoum found the 11 rebels guilty of terrorism and illegal possession of weapons, the AFP news agency reported.

"For their actions in terrorising the people, and threatening the foundation of the state... aggressive sentences are required," the judge told the courtroom.

Eight other men were acquitted.

The attack in May 2008 was the closest the rebels have ever been to Khartoum.

Local residents said the fighting lasted several hours.

Jem is currently the most significant fighting rebel force in Darfur.

In February, Jem signed a "declaration of intent" for a peaceful settlement of the war during talks with Sudan's government in Doha, Qatar.

But Jem is now refusing to return to the peace talks, accusing Khartoum of not honouring confidence-building accords.

World 'well prepared' for virus

2009-04-26T14:55:00.002-07:00

WHO flu expert Dr Keiji Fukuda: 'The picture is evolving'

The international community is better prepared than ever to deal with the threatened spread of a new swine flu virus, a top UN health chief has said.

As the UN warned the outbreak might become a pandemic, Dr Keiji Fukuda said years of preparing for bird flu had boosted world stocks of anti-virals.

Canada is the latest country to confirm cases after as many as 81 deaths in Mexico and 20 cases in the US.

Washington has warned the flu may yet claim American lives.

"I do fear that we will have deaths," Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.

Eight cases have been confirmed among New York students, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.

Several countries in Asia and Latin America have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms.

There is currently no vaccine for the new strain of flu but severe cases can be treated with antiviral medication.

Symptom puzzle

Speaking in Geneva, an expert from the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN's health agency, expert said the swine flu virus could be capable of mutating into a more dangerous strain but that more information was needed before raising the WHO's pandemic alert phase.

SWINE FLU

Swine flu is a respiratory disease found in pigs

Human cases usually occur in those who have contact with pigs

Human-to-human transmission is rare and such cases are closely monitored

Q&A: Swine flu

UK monitoring swine flu outbreak

Only a handful of the Mexican cases have so far been laboratory-confirmed as swine flu, while in the US confirmed cases had only mild symptoms.

Health experts want to know why some people become so seriously ill, while others just get a bit of a cold, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Switzerland.

The WHO added that there was no evidence to suggest the outbreak was a bio-terrorist attack.

It is advising all countries to be vigilant for seasonally unusual flu or pneumonia-like symptoms among their populations - particularly among young healthy adults, a characteristic of past pandemics.

Officials said most of those killed so far in Mexico were young adults - rather than more vulnerable children and the elderly.

It is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other flu strains.

WHO experts will meet again in Geneva on Tuesday to discuss whether to raise the pandemic alert phase.

Sick travellers

H1N1 is the same strain that causes seasonal flu outbreaks in humans but the newly detected version contains genetic material from versions of flu which usually affect pigs and birds.

FLU PANDEMICS

1918: The Spanish flu pandemic remains the most devastating outbreak of modern times - infecting up to 40% of the world's population and killing more than 50m people, with young adults particularly badly affected

1957: Asian flu killed two million people. Caused by a human form of the virus, H2N2, combining with a mutated strain found in wild ducks. The elderly were particularly vulnerable

1968: An outbreak first detected in Hong Kong, and caused by a strain known as H3N2, killed up to one million people globally, with those over 65 most likely to die

It is spread mainly through coughs and sneezes.

The Canadian cases were recorded at opposite ends of the country: two in British Columbia in the west, and four in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia.

Suspected cases have been detected beyond Mexico, the US and Canada

Ten New Zealand students from a group which visited Mexico have tested positive for Influenza A, making it "likely" they are infected with swine flu
In France, a top health official told Le Parisien newspaper there were unconfirmed suspicions that two individuals who had just returned from Mexico might be carrying the virus
Spain's health ministry says three people who returned from a trip from Mexico with flu symptoms are in isolation and being tested
In Israel, medics are testing a 26-year-old man who has been taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms after returning from a trip to Mexico

Mexican shutdown

Not knowing exactly how the virus works and how it can be killed off creates a horrible uncertainty

BBC reader Mariana, Mexico City

Italian cruise ship thwarts pirate attack

2009-04-26T14:55:00.001-07:00

The captain of an Italian cruise ship foiled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday by ordering his security crew to fire back, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

Six armed pirates in a speedboat attacked the ship, which had about 1,500 people onboard, ANSA said. They fled after the security crew fired back.

The cruise ship Melody, which is owned by an Italian company, was on its way back to Italy after a cruise, ANSA said.

No one was injured in the attack about 180 miles north of the Seychelles.

Piracy is rampant off the coast of Somalia despite the presence of foreign navies. The area hardest hit off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya, including the Gulf of Aden, is more than 1.1 million square miles -- four times the size of the state of Texas.

Pakistan launches offensive against Taliban

2009-04-26T14:54:00.001-07:00

Pakistani security forces and Taliban militants traded fire Sunday in the country's volatile northwestern region, and reports of battle casualties have emerged, the military said.

Pakistani army soldiers on patrol.

This comes as Pakistan's Frontier Corps launched an offensive against suspected militants and their hideouts in Lower Dir, which neighbors the violence-plagued Swat.

The suspected militant hideouts targeted by the military are in Islampura and Lal Qila in Lower Dir. A "heavy exchange of fire" was reported at both Kala Dag and Lal Qila.

There were reports of many Taliban deaths, including an "important local commander." One security force member was killed and four others were wounded, the military said.

Army Col. Attiq Ahmed told CNN about the military operation, and a Taliban spokesman in the area confirmed it.

Taliban spokesman Mullah Mansoor Dadullah said the militants were "resisting the army operation."

The Taliban "know who the people are who raise their voices for the operation," Dadullah said. "We know them, they are on our hit list and we will target them."

Lower Dir is one of the districts included in the recent peace deal between the government and the Taliban.

Fabregas double extends Arsenal unbeaten run

2009-04-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Captain Cesc Fabregas scored both goals as Arsenal extended their unbeaten Premier League run to 20 matches with a comfortable 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Cesc Fabregas rounds goalkeeper Brad Jones for Arsenal's second goal in their 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough.

On a warm sunny afternoon in north London, Russian Andrey Arshavin -- who scored all four of Arsenal's goals at Liverpool on Tuesday -- again pulled the strings for Arsene Wenger's side, who go into Wednesday's Champions League semifinal against Manchester United at Old Trafford in good heart.

Just 48 hours after receiving an English FA misconduct charge following the FA Cup clash with Hull City last month, Spanish playmaker Fabregas put Arsenal ahead with a sublime 26th-minute goal.

Nicklas Bendtner flicked the ball to Fabregas in the center-circle, who immediately released Arshavin down the left.

The Russian raced into the area before laying the ball back across into the path of the on-rushing Fabregas, who drilled his shot past keeper Brad Jones, low in the far corner.

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Boro almost snatched an equalizer when former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere took a through ball on his chest and raced into the area, but returning goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, fit again after an ankle injury, was quick off his line to make a crucial block.

On 67 minutes, Arsenal cut the visitors' defense wide open again. Arshavin stepped inside to find a square pass to Emmanuel Eboue, who slid the ball through into the path of Fabregas.

Jones rushed out to close down the Arsenal captain, but was promptly rounded before Fabregas rolled the ball into the empty net.

The result means fourth-placed Arsenal are now 10 points clear of Aston Villa, with four matches to play, and need just one more win to confirm the final Champions League qualifying place.

However, they are only six points behind Chelsea, with the two still to face each other, and could still snatch third position.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Middlesbrough remain third bottom of the table, but will drop to second bottom if Newcastle claim at least a point against Portsmouth on Monday.

In the day's other match, Blackburn aided their fight against relegation by defeating Wigan 2-0 to move up to 15th place in the table, six points above the drop zone.

CNN 'twitterer' completes London Marathon

2009-04-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

A CNN.com journalist has achieved his goal of "tweeting" the London Marathon.

A blurry Pete Wilkinson texts from his cellphone as he runs in Sunday's London Marathon.

Peter Wilkinson, a digital news producer at CNN.com in London, updated his Twitter page during Sunday's race via text messages from his cellphone and completed the course in three hours, 30 minutes -- well inside his four-hour target time.

"I've done it 3 hours 30 exactly," Wilkinson wrote as he crossed the finishing line.

Wilkinson had been worried before the race that tapping messages into his phone and running at the same time would be "incredibly hard."

But he completed the race mostly without mishap -- apart from risking damage to his phone by "tweeting" as he ran through a shower to cool off.

"I don't feel too bad, it was a lot easier than I thought because I'm so used to texting," Wilkinson told CNN. "I didn't run into anyone."

Don't Miss

Wilkinson started the race with a friend who had guided him as he texted in the early stages. But Wilkinson left him behind after 10 miles. "I think the conditions were too hot for him," he said.

Wilkinson said his spirits had been raised in the final miles by hearing a band playing a cover version of "A Forest" by the Cure, the music fan's favorite band.

"3 miles to go on about 20th drink never been cheered at by so many million people feels great legs holding up fine," Wilkinson wrote towards the end of the race. Follow Peter's tweets

Prior to the event, Wilkinson had said he wasn't sure if his plan would work."My main problem is going to be not crashing into other people," Wilkinson told CNN's Isha Sesay. "I don't think I'll have time to stop for too long."

"Here we go! Walking to the start now. Greetings to all cnn viewers and readers," Wilkinson wrote in his first tweet of the day.

Wilkinson said he was standing at the start next to runners dressed as the Sergeant Pepper-era Beatles. "Gonna be long winding road," he wrote.

Wilkinson isn't the first marathon runner to tweet during the race -- a Google search turned up one runner who tweeted during last year's Boston Marathon and another who planned to do it during Sunday's race in London.

"I'm hoping it will detract attention from my running," he said. "It seemed a good way to do something new." Watch Peter explain why he wants to tweet his epic run »

Wilkinson was also running for charity and said any extra attention it brought to his cause "can't be a bad thing."

The London Marathon starts in Greenwich, in the southeast of the city, and goes along the River Thames. It takes in a number of landmarks including the Tower of London, Parliament and Big Ben before ending at Buckingham Palace.

More than 35,000 runners took part, according to marathon organizers.

Race officials had advised Wilkinson not to tweet while running because of safety, concerned he might bump into other runners or trip over.

The Flora London Marathon, as the race is officially known, takes place each April and is one of the top marathons in the world.

All six male and female medallists from the marathon at the Beijing Olympics last year were running in the event along with celebrities including chef Gordon Ramsay and ITN correspondent Tim Ewart.

In the men's race Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru set a new course record as he ran to victory in two hours, five minutes and nine seconds. Defending champion Germany's Irina Mikitenko won the women's race in a time of two hours, 22 minutes and 11 seconds.

Unidentified copters buzz Somali 'pirate hub'

2009-04-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

Two low-flying helicopters drifted over a suspected pirate base in northeast Somalia on Sunday morning, sending residents into a panic, a local journalist source told CNN.

The crew of the Maersk Alabama exchange some words with media after the ship docked in Mombasa, Kenya.

Residents believed the helicopters were planning an air raid over the port of Harardhere, according to the journalist.

"The fishermen decided not to fish in the morning because of the helicopters, they are scared," the journalist said.

The reported sighting comes a day after the FBI announced it is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship by Somali pirates, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The four pirates took the ship's captain, Richard Phillips, hostage.

The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which is responsible for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region.

The path of the investigation will be affected by whether any of the pirates are taken into custody, one official said. The vessel, the Maersk Alabama, reached a port in Mombasa, Kenya on Saturday.

Meanwhile, crewmembers aboard the freed cargo ship described how some of their colleagues attempted to "jump" their pirate captors.

A scuffle ensued and one of the sailors stabbed a pirate in the hand in the battle to retake the container ship, one of the sailors told CNN.

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Snippets of information are starting to emerge about how the Alabama's crew managed to retake the ship after it was hijacked by pirates Wednesday about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean.

Capt. Phillips is being held by pirates in the ship's lifeboat in the Indian Ocean.

Crew members smiled broadly as they stood on the ship's deck under the watchful eyes of security teams. Although they were kept away from the media, CNN's Stan Grant got close enough to ask them what happened after the pirates climbed aboard the ship.

A crew member said he recalled being woken around 7 a.m. as the hijacking began. View a timeline of the attack and its aftermath »

"I was scared," Grant quoted the man as saying.

Some of the crew managed to hide in a secure part of the Alabama as the pirates stormed the ship, the sailor said.

As the men described the clash, a crew member pointed to his shipmate and said, "This guy is a hero, he and the chief engineer they took down the pirate... he led him down there to the engine room and then they jumped him."

The fellow shipmate then added that he stabbed the pirate in the man and tied him up.

Another crew member shouted, "Captain Phillips is a hero."

Phillips became a captive sometime during the hijacking Wednesday. Since then, the destroyer USS Bainbridge has arrived on the scene to try to free Phillips with the help of the FBI.

An attempt to escape from the 28-foot, covered lifeboat was thwarted by a pirate who dove into the Indian Ocean after him. Phillips' captors appear to have tied him up afterward, Pentagon officials said.

The Alabama left on Thursday for Mombasa, its original destination, carrying food aid and an armed 18-person security detail.

Maersk president and CEO John Reinhart told reporters Saturday that the crew will stay on board in Mombasa while the FBI conducts an investigation.

Thai capital under state of emergency

2009-04-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced a state of emergency Sunday in the capital city, Bangkok, and surrounding areas in an attempt to contain days of intensifying anti-government protests.

Protesters surround a damaged car inside the interior ministry compound in Bangkok.

Immediately after the prime minister's announcement, dozens of protesters stormed the country's interior ministry and pelted Abhisit's car with rocks, chairs, flags and sticks as he escaped.

Protesters climbed atop two military armored cars after laying down on the road and blocking its path. A police officer was also led away by demonstrators and later beaten, said Sathit Wongnongtoey, an official in the prime minister's office.

The emergency measure will allow officials to arrest and detain protesters without a court order and restrict gatherings, authorities said. Watch more about the attacks »

Also Sunday, police arrested a leader of the "red shirt" movement -- named for the color of their demonstrators' attire. The leader, Arismun Pongruengrong, was charged with inciting people to break the law, police said.

Arismun led demonstrators who forced their way into a hotel Saturday where Asian leaders were to meet.

The action prompted the indefinite postponement of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the southern coastal city of Pattaya, authorities said.

Thousands of "red shirt" protesters have rallied for days to demand Abhisit's resignation.

The red shirts have given the prime minister repeated deadlines to resign, but those have come and gone.

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was disappointed by the summit's delay.

"I understand the circumstances that led the Thai government to take this difficult decision. While I had hoped to have exchanges with the leaders of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, I continue to look forward to engaging again with them in the near future," Ban said.

The protesters are loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

They have said Abhisit's government was not democratically elected and want him to resign and schedule elections.

Abhisit, who has held the position for four months, has rejected calls to step down.

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Suicide bomber kills 9 in Iraq

2009-04-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest killed at least nine people and injured 31 others Saturday in Iraq's interior, officials said.

The bomber struck about 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the town of al-Iskandariya, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) south of Baghdad, said an official with Iraq's Interior Ministry.

Members of "awakening councils" were visiting their headquarters to collect salaries at the time of the attack.

Iraqi soldiers and members of the councils were among the killed and wounded.

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Awakening councils, also known as Sons of Iraq, are primarily a Sunni movement composed of former insurgents or sympathizers who have turned against al Qaeda.

The U.S. military credits the councils with having played a key role in bringing about the nationwide drop in violence that coincided with the "surge" in U.S. forces in Iraq.

Iskandariya is in Babel province.

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Zaki apologises for late return

2009-04-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Zaki flew back to Manchester on Thursday

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Wigan have confirmed that striker Amr Zaki has apologised for returning late from international duty with Egypt.

Zaki, 26, reported back on Thursday, 48 hours later than the club had expected.

Manager Steve Bruce claimed it was the fourth time Zaki had returned late and said he was the most "unprofessional" player he had ever worked with.

He has been fined by the club and chief executive Brenda Spencer told their website: "Zaki said the reason for his behaviour was personal."

The fine imposed on the striker, who is on loan from Egyptian side El Zamalek until the end of the season, was the maximum amount allowed for by the Professional Footballers Association guidelines.

606: DEBATE

What do you think of the whole episode?

"The whole affair has been very disappointing and the club are keen to draw a line under it," added Spencer.

"Steve has told him that the door is not closed for him but he has a lot to do to earn a place back in the team. That is before we discuss anything more long term."

Zaki, who picked up an injury while on international duty, is reported to have told Egyptian television that both he and Bruce were "laughing" after the apology was made.

"I clarified many things to Bruce," said the striker.

"He understood my reasons for staying in Egypt during the past week but told me I should have returned immediately to England after the Zambia match.

"He wanted my hamstring injury to be assessed by Wigan medics. I apologised to him and we ended up laughing.

"I may return to training after a week. I'm determined to do my best in the remaining Premier League matches."

The player's agent, Nader Shawky, has said Zaki is keen to continue playing in England next season and that "several" clubs had made inquiries about him.

And Zamalek's marketing director, Khaled Refaat, told BBC Sport Manchester City made an inquiry about the striker in January and that "two or three" other clubs had expressed an interest in the 26-year-old.

Zaki scored seven goals in his first eight Premier League games, but has not scored in open play since 18 October.

Pirates hijack second US vessel

2009-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

US warships are heading to the area following Capt Phillips' capture

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Somali pirates have hijacked a US-owned tugboat in the Gulf of Aden with 16 crew on board, reports say.

Maritime industry sources say the tug, which sails under an Italian flag, was towing two barges at the time of the attack, at 1100 local time (0800 GMT).

The crew are said to be unharmed. The US and Italian governments have not confirmed the hijacking.

Meanwhile pirates holding a US captain hostage have warned that using force to rescue him could result in "disaster".

The pirates said they hoped to transfer Capt Richard Phillips from a lifeboat to a bigger vessel, as US and other naval ships made their way to the area.

He is being held by four pirates hundreds of kilometres off Somalia.

In other developments:

Sailors on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier repulsed a pirate attack with water hoses. Nato officials on a nearby Portuguese warship said an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade landed in the commanding officer's cabin
On Friday, one Frenchman and two pirates were killed in a rescue operation by French troops on another vessel captured off Somalia. Four others, including a child, were freed from the yacht

Growing concern

Earlier reports suggested that a group of Somali elders were preparing to mediate between American officials and the pirates for Capt Phillips' release, but there has been no news of any progress.

The US national was taken hostage on Wednesday after pirates hijacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama, as it sailed towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa carrying food aid.

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The 32,500-tonne Malaspina Castle, UK-owned but operated by Italians, seized on 6 April 2009.

Q&A: Somali piracy

Profile: Capt Richard Phillips

After a long struggle, crew members regained control of the ship. It is thought Capt Phillips offered himself as a hostage in order to save his crew.

The Maersk Alabama is expected to arrive in Mombasa in a matter of hours.

There has been rising concern in the US over the fate of Capt Phillips - Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Washington on Friday that the safe return of the captain was a "top priority".

FBI experts are helping negotiate his release, but analysts have said the process could be lengthy.

Capt Phillips tried to escape on Friday by jumping overboard and swimming towards a nearby US ship, but was recaptured.

Reports in the US say the pirates are demanding a ransom of $2m for his safe release.

The US Navy destroyer, USS Bainbridge, is at the scene of the confrontation with other American warships on the way.

Stories circulating in Somalia claim that extra pirate ships are also making their way towards the area.

The pirates say they hope to transfer Capt Phillips to a bigger and better-protected vessel.

The Pentagon is also said to be considering other options, including possible military force, US sources say.

But the Somali pirate commander warned against any forcible intervention.

"I'm afraid this matter is likely to create disaster because it is taking too long and we are getting information that the Americans are planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did," Abdi Garad said.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has allowed the pirates to thrive.

Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies. Last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m).

Efforts to stop the pirates have so far had only limited success, with international naval patrols struggling to cover the vast areas of ocean where pirates operate.

Liverpool 4-0 Blackburn

2009-04-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

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Torres (centre) is mobbed by team-mates after heading Liverpool's second

Liverpool kept up the pressure on title rivals Manchester United with a commanding home win over Blackburn.

Fernando Torres put them ahead with a brilliant swivel and volley into the corner after controlling on his chest.

Torres was in irresistible mood and headed in a Xabi Alonso free-kick as the home side dominated proceedings.

Daniel Agger fired in a ferocious 30-yard strike late on before David Ngog nodded in from point-blank range to round off the impressive win.

There had been a poignant build up to the last match at Anfield ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy in which 96 fans died during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

A minute's silence was impeccably observed and it was a significant occasion as well as a significant game - one which Jamie Carragher had called the most important league match of his career as Liverpool chase a first title since 1990.

606: DEBATE

What are your thoughts on the game?

Carragher gathered the Reds players in a huddle before kick-off to deliver a rallying call and duly backed up his words with actions.

He flighted a ball to Torres, who controlled it with his back to goal before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the far corner past keeper Paul Robinson's despairing dive.

It was a goal of the highest quality and one which Javier Mascherano should have added to after a swift counter attack.

The Argentine had a one-on-one after being played in by Dirk Kuyt only to sidefoot too close to keeper Paul Robinson, who blocked the ball away.

Torres blazed the rebound high but the Reds were in inspired form and were zipping the ball about with confidence and purpose.

Emiliano Insua and Albert Riera, in particular, were combining to penetrative effect down the left flank as Blackburn were left chasing shadows.

Insua whipped in an inviting cross for an unmarked Kuyt, who failed to capitalise on the chance by heading straight at Robinson.

But Liverpool did not have to wait long to double their lead as Torres again showed his finishing prowess by nodding in Alonso's free-kick.

Blackburn afforded the hosts far too much time and space, which was a surprise considering their precarious position in the table, although injuries to a number of key players did not help.

Riera went close with a couple of shots as Liverpool continued to cruise, although Blackburn centre-back Christopher Samba nearly made the home side pay for not being as ruthless in the final third during the second half.

The ball fell to him at the far post but the makeshift striker slipped as he got his shot away and Jose Reina saved in a rare moment of action on his 200th appearance for Liverpool.

The home side eventually increased their lead when Agger delivered a piledriver into the top corner and Ngog added the fourth in injury time after Lucas headed across goal as the Reds moved top of the table before Manchester United's game against Sunderland at 1500 BST.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez:

"We had confidence and were always in control. The first goal was very important, it opened the game up and we were able score.

"My only concern was that we did not score more. Goal difference will be very important if this title race goes to the wire.

"After what happened in midweek against Chelsea, that was the perfect response. We have done our side of the job, the pressure is on Manchester United now."

Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce:

"I think there was a little bit of fear in the team. We should have got tighter, instead we just let them play their game plan.

"They are certainly capable of winning the title, even if Manchester United have a game in hand.

"If Liverpool keep playing like that and continue with that pace and confidence, it is possible they can win it.

"There will be a lot of twists and turns yet and they certainly believe they can do it."

BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Liverpool's Fernando Torres on 9.13 (on 90 minutes).

Please note that you can still give the players marks out of 10 on BBC Sport's Player Rater after the match has finished

Pirates seeking hijacked lifeboat turn back

2009-04-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Pirates holding a German cargo ship returned to port Saturday after failing to reach a lifeboat containing four pirates and their American hostage, a local journalist told CNN.

The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, is now at the scene.

The German ship Hansa Stavanger was among several hijacked vessels that pirates were using to reach the lifeboat some 300 miles off the Somali coast, a Somali journalist told CNN.

The ship had set sail to help the pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips, but turned back because of the U.S. naval presence, the journalist said. The Hansa Stavanger is now at the Somali port of Eyl, the journalist said.

The Hansa Stavanger, with a crew of 24, was hijacked April 4 off the Somali coast.

Pirates have been searching the waters off Africa's coast to try to find the lifeboat, a U.S. military official with knowledge of the situation said Friday. They are using hijacked vessels and skiffs launched from larger ships, the official said. Watch more about the pirates »

The USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has now joined the USS Bainbridge in the area, and a third ship, the USS Boxer -- with a medical facility aboard -- should be there by the end of the day.

Phillips is being held by four gunmen in the covered, fiberglass lifeboat. He jumped overboard at one point to try to escape, but one of the pirates jumped into the water after him and brought him back onboard the 28-foot boat.

The pirates fired shots, the military official said, without providing further details.

Phillips appeared to be tied up by the pirates after the escape attempt, a Defense Department official told CNN.

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For the U.S. Navy, bringing in more firepower is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent.

Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats, he said.

The pirates have shown no signs of giving in.

Phillips' ship, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, was on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was attacked Wednesday. It was the first time in recent history that pirates had targeted an American ship. Watch the latest on the cargo ship »

The ship was hijacked about 350 miles off Somalia's coast, a distance that used to be considered safe for ships navigating in the pirate-infested waters. There were 21 American crew members, including the captain, on board at the time.

The American crew regained control of the vessel, but the ship's owners -- the Norfolk, Virginia-based Maersk company -- would not say how.

The Maersk Alabama resumed its journey to Mombasa on Thursday, along with an 18-person armed security detail on board. It was due to arrive at its destination Saturday.

The U.S. Navy -- which is in charge of the situation -- requested help from the FBI to resolve the standoff.

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'Catastrophic failure' caused North Sea copter crash

2009-04-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

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The transport helicopter that crashed into the North Sea this month suffered a "catastrophic failure" of its main rotor gearbox that caused the blades to separate from the aircraft and slice off the tail, accident investigators said.

Super Puma aircraft (pictured) are used for offshore transport and search-and-rescue and emergency work.

The rotor blades detached from the helicopter and then struck the tail, causing the tail boom and pylon -- which holds the tail rotor -- to become severed from the fuselage, the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said.

The findings came in an interim report that describes the April 1 crash in vivid detail.

All 16 people aboard the Super Puma helicopter died when it went down about 11 miles off Scotland's northeastern coast. The chopper had been on its way from a gas platform to Aberdeen when it went down.

The report says the crash happened 50 minutes into a 70-minute trip from the Miller Platform in mostly clear skies and a light wind.

The combined cockpit voice and flight data recorder showed that 12 seconds after the co-pilot radioed his estimated arrival time, one of the pilots made a mayday call, then radioed the helicopter's position. The radar controller then tried unsuccessfully to contact the crew.

Radar information shows the chopper flying toward Aberdeen at 2,000 feet, climbing momentarily to 2,200 feet, then turning right and descending rapidly.

A witness in a supply vessel two miles away heard the helicopter and saw it descend rapidly before hitting the surface of the sea, the interim report says.

"Immediately after impact, he saw the four main rotor blades, still connected at their hub, strike the water," the report says. "Around this time, he also heard two bangs close together.

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"He immediately raised the alarm and the ship turned towards the accident site, which by now was marked by a rising column of gray, then black, smoke."

The ship launched a fast rescue boat, which arrived to find "an area of disturbed water, roughly 150 meters (164 yards) in diameter containing debris from the helicopter," the report said.

The AAIB did not say why it believes the main rotor gearbox failed. It said it was still analyzing the data recorder, which contained "some system warnings," as well as the gearbox.

In the meantime, the AAIB is issuing safety recommendations urging further checks and enhanced monitoring of the gearbox on all helicopters of the same type, the AS332L2 Super Puma. It also recommended that the chopper's manufacturer, Eurocopter, improve the warning systems on the helicopter to provide adequate alerts.

The AS332L2 is an older version of the Super Puma, an aircraft used often for offshore transport but also search-and-rescue missions and emergency work, like firefighting and medical transport, according to Eurocopter.

The helicopter's operator was Bond Offshore Helicopters, which runs regular flights between Aberdeen and oil and gas platforms in the North Sea.

Of the 16 people who died in the April 1 accident, two were crew members and the rest were passengers, including 10 members of the drilling crew on the Miller Platform.

Fawcett's cancer battle brings attention to rare illness

2009-04-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

The news that one of America's TV icons is suffering from cancer brought sadness. Learning the type of cancer she had made some squeamish.

Farrah Fawcett, shown here in 2004, learned she had cancer in 2006.

Former "Charlie's Angels" actress Farrah Fawcett, 62, was hospitalized this week. She received a diagnosis of anal cancer in 2006.

This type of cancer is less common than rectal and colon cancer, and the location of the tumor and risk factors make people squeamish about discussing it openly, doctors said.

Colon cancer at one time also was not openly talked about, because of the body part and functions affected, but with the public awareness campaigns and celebrities advocating for screenings, it has been largely destigmatized. Anal cancer is less familiar.

Fawcett has not publicly confirmed the specifics of her illness, but is working on a documentary, titled "A Wing and a Prayer," about her health battle.

Anal cancer affects more women and the illness is usually found in people who are in their early 60's. The American Cancer Society estimates that 5,000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year and about 680 people die from it annually. Meanwhile, colorectal cancer has 148,000 new cases and about 50,000 deaths each year.

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The numbers of anal cancer cases are rising, although experts haven't been able to pinpoint why.

Cultural squeamishness about certain body areas could prevent early diagnosis and treatment of anal cancer, said Dr. Petr F. Hausner, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Patients in the United States hate to be examined in these areas," said Hausner, who trained in Czechoslovakia. "They like to keep their private parts more private than in Europe. In the U.S., the patients hate those exams and physicians hate to do them. The examination is incomplete."

The cultural discomfort might be a minor factor, though.

"The bigger role is the virus," he said referring to the human papilloma virus, a key risk factor for anal cancer that also can cause cervical cancer. Getting vaccinated against HPV is a step in prevention, Hausner said.

More than half of anal cancer patients experience bleeding as a symptom. Others have no symptoms or report common conditions, such as hemorrhoids, fissures, or warts. Symptoms also include itching or pain in that area, changes in the diameter of stool, abnormal discharge, swollen lymph nodes in the anal or groin areas, according to the American Cancer Society.

"The most common thing is people think it's a hemorrhoid," said Dr. Cathy Eng, associate professor in the department of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Patients should consult with their physicians, she said.

Anal pap smears are routine only for HIV-positive patients, who are at higher risk for this cancer. There are no anal cancer screening recommendations for non-HIV individuals, because it remains a rare disease, Hausner said.

People whose immune system are suppressed, from HIV or drugs taken after organ transplants are at risk for anal cancer. Other risk factors include a sexual history with many partners, a medical history of human papilloma virus (HPV), sexually transmitted diseases or gynecological cancers.

People tend to view anal cancer negatively, because they associate the cancer with a few of its risk factors -- such as sexually transmitted diseases or anal sex, Eng said.

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"It's one of the risk factors, not the only risk factor," Eng said. "It's fair to say people are stigmatized, she said, primarily because of the disease's association with that type of sex.

When anal cancer is caught early, chemotherapy and radiation are highly effective. But if the cancer doesn't respond to treatment and spreads to other areas of the body, the five-year survival rate plummets to 20 percent, Eng said.

"Anal cancer is unique," she said. "The majority of time you can cure the patient, but if you have recurrent or residual disease, you could end up losing your sphincter."

The sphincter are muscles that holds in urine and feces. If the sphincter is removed, the patient must have a special bag, called an ostomy pouch, that collects the waste.

Anal cancer is "much rarer than colon cancer," Hausner said. "For 50 colon cancer patients, we see one anal cancer... It's a rare disease. It is becoming a little bit more frequent. I would say that people are not aware."

China: Trade showing signs of recovery

2009-04-10T06:44:00.002-07:00

China's exports increased last month, but still were down 17 percent year-on-year, according to figures released by the government Friday.

Exports totaled $90.3 billion in March -- a $25 billion increase from the previous month -- according to China's General Administration of Customs. Imports to China dropped 25 percent year-on-year to $72 billion.

While still less than last year, government officials note total trade has been on the rise in recent months and "shows obvious signs of recovery," according to a statement on a government Web site.

Total trade was $162 billion in March, compared to about $142 billion in January.

China's trade driven economy has been decelerating in recent years, with an annual growth rate of 17.8 percent last year compared to 35.7 percent in 2004, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

U.S. not lined up to defeat al Qaeda, top official warns

2009-04-10T06:44:00.001-07:00

The nation's chief counterterrorism official says despite a "seriously diminished" threat to the homeland, the U.S. government is still not properly organized to support the "team" effort needed to defeat al Qaeda.

Pakistani soldiers watch area where al Qaeda operates. A top U.S. official says al Qaeda grows stronger there.

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Mike Leiter, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said the government has made vast improvements since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but budgets, plans, programs and personnel are still set up along individual departments and agencies.

"This is a team sport, but the structures are not organized to support the team," explained Leiter.

Leiter discussed the current state of al Qaeda, and future threats, during a conference Thursday at the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington.

The threat al Qaeda poses to the United States homeland from its safe haven along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has "seriously diminished" over the past year, according to Leiter. But in its base region, the local threat from al Qaeda "is probably as bad as we have ever seen."

The recent attack against a police facility in Lahore, Pakistan, was cited by Leiter as an example of how militant groups in the region have aligned themselves with al Qaeda to try and undermine the stability of the weak Pakistani government. Some of those groups have also launched attacks against U.S. and coalition forces operating out of Afghanistan.

The director reiterated the often-stated concern that Pakistan wasn't doing enough to help the situation.

"There are many times the U.S. government wished the Pakistani government -- intelligence and military services -- had the greater willingness and capability to do some of the things we think need to be done," said Leiter.

Leiter attributed the reduced threat to the U.S. homeland to a series of successful actions taken by the United States.

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Over the past year, the CIA has launched missile strikes from unmanned planes against suspected terrorists operating out of the ungoverned regions of Pakistan.

According the counterterrorism chief, the ability of al Qaeda leadership to train and deploy crews to attack the U.S. has diminished.

"Al Qaeda and its ability to project threats to Western Europe and the U.S. is much lower than it was last year and lower than it has been for some time," he said, but he warned, "lower does not mean the threat is not alive."

Leiter expressed concerned about the resurgence of al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula in the past six to 12 months. He cited the increasing number of attacks by terrorists in Yemen and the growing influence of al Qaeda and the Islamist group al Shahab in Somalia.

The Mumbai, India, attacks late last year, where a group of terrorists used more conventional means to attack multiple locations, showed a change of tactics and raised the question of how the terrorist threat might manifest itself in the future. Leiter said the focus has been on suicide bombers, but, "Mumbai reminds us that old-school tactics like AK 47s (rifles) can be effective."

Should the United States continue to refer to the efforts against jihadists as the war against terrorism? That's what the Bush administration called it, but many in the Obama administration have been reluctant to do so.

Leiter said there has been an evolution of understanding about terrorism. Immediately after 9/11, he said, it was impossible to think of this in terms other than a war.

The battle against terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan could still be considered a war, but Leiter said the terminology can be counterproductive. He referred to it as a campaign against terror.

Iraq suicide bombing kills five U.S. soldiers

2009-04-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Five U.S. soldiers were killed Friday in a suicide bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the U.S. military said.

A suicide truck bomber breached the outer security barrier of Iraqi National Police headquarters in southern Mosul, and detonated his explosives, killing eight people and wounding 60 others, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. A U.S. soldier was also among the wounded, the U.S. military said.

The ministry said those killed include five Americans, two Iraqi policemen and an Iraqi soldier. At least two individuals suspected of being involved in the attack were detained, the U.S. military said.

Despite a number of military operations in this volatile city during the past year, Mosul remains one of the most violent places in Iraq. Last year the U.S. military said Mosul was the last urban stronghold of al Qaeda in Iraq.

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Mosul is the provincial capital of Nineveh and is about 260 miles, or 420 kilometers, north of Baghdad.

U.S. and Iraqi military forces plan to pull out of Mosul to allow Iraqi police to control security in the city. But police are not quite ready yet, according to an Iraqi general.

"We need to bring the police to the required level. The deadline is the end of July, and it's not enough time to prepare the police," said Gen. Hassan Karim, commander of Nineveh operations for the Iraqi army. "(That) means we'll need U.S. forces to stay in Mosul.

Captain tried to escape pirates, U.S. official says

2009-04-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Richard Phillips, the captain of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, tried to escape from pirates Thursday night by jumping out of the lifeboat where he's being held, a U.S. official said Friday.

Capt. Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama is being held by pirates on a lifeboat off Somalia.

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Phillips was believed to be trying to swim to the USS Bainbridge, a naval warship that is in communication with the gunmen holding Phillips off Somalia's coast, the official said.

The pirates jumped into the water, recaptured him, and returned him to the lifeboat, according to the official.

The U.S. military has every reason to believe that he was unharmed in the incident, the official said.

Phillips has been held since Wednesday, when the hijackers briefly seized control of his ship, the Maersk Alabama.

He is being held by four gunmen in the lifeboat about 300 miles off the Horn of Africa.

Meanwhile, two U.S. warships were on their way Friday to help the crew of the Bainbridge secure Phillips' release.

For the U.S. Navy, the show of strength is more than just a means to resolve a hostage situation, said Chris Lawrence, CNN's Pentagon correspondent. Watch security expert explain the negotiation process »

Attacks in the area have picked up so drastically in recent months that the Navy has to reposition some of its fleet to deal with the threats, he said.

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The ships that are en route to help the USS Bainbridge are the USS Halyburton, which is armed with guided missiles and carries helicopters on board, and the USS Boxer, which has a large medical facility on board.

The pirates have shown no signs of giving in. iReport.com: How should the U.S. respond?

The Maersk Alabama was on its way to Mombasa, Kenya, with a cargo of food aid when it was attacked Wednesday. It was the first time in recent history that pirates had targeted an American ship.

The ship was hijacked some 350 miles off Somalia's coast, a distance that used to be considered safe for ships navigating in the pirate-infested waters. There were 21 American crew members, including the captain, on board at the time.

The American crew regained control of the vessel but the ship's owners -- the Norfolk, Virginia-based Maersk company -- would not say how the crew did so. Watch crew member's fiancee describe ordeal »

"There will be time for due diligence and retrospective review once we have the safe return of all parties and the opportunity for a full debriefing," it said in a statement. Watch how piracy increases shipping costs »

On Thursday, the Maersk Alabama resumed its journey to Mombasa with an 18-person armed security detail on board.

The U.S. Navy, which is in charge of the hostage situation, requested help from the FBI to resolve the standoff.

Thousands mourn Italian quake victims

2009-04-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

The youngest hadn't lived half a year. The oldest had lived nearly a hundred.

A rescue worker Friday kisses the coffin of a child killed by this week's earthquake in central Italy.

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The official government list of victims from this week's earthquake in central Italy reached 287 on Friday, as Italians held a mass state funeral to lay the victims to rest.

They included Antonio Loavan Ghiroceanu, who was born December 11. He would have been 6 months old on Saturday.

The oldest-known victim of the quake was Evandro Testa, 96, who was born in 1913.

More than 200 caskets were lined up at the funeral, draped with flowers. At least one small white coffin belonging to a child sat atop a larger coffin, a baby's pastel outfit hanging off the side.

The funeral was being held outside a hangar in Coppito, a town adjacent to the earthquake's epicenter of L'Aquila.

Officials elected to hold the Mass in the open air to avoid the risk of injury from falling debris. Aftershocks continue to shake the region more than four days after the earthquake, and some were even felt during Friday's funeral.

All of the area's cardinals and bishops, along with 100 priests, attended the special funeral Mass. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was also there, greeting and embracing some of the thousands of mourners before the service.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone presided over the Mass as an envoy from Pope Benedict XVI, who plans to visit the region after Easter. Watch Italy bury its dead »

Bertone said the funeral was a "precious moment" to understand the meaning of life and death.

"Everything can stop in a second -- projects, plans -- everything finishes. All that remains is love," he said. Watch more on funeral

Mourners, who were transported to the funeral on buses, dabbed their eyes and noses. Some stared at the ground or held each other. Few appeared focused on anything but remembering the victims.

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"I feel rebirth in the heart, because below that rubble there is a will to rebuild, to start again, to plan and to dream," Bertone said, offering a message of hope.

The towns of L'Aquila and the surrounding region, he said, "will come back stronger, will have more courage and give life to these places with that power and strength and dignity of the soul that distinguishes them."

As well as sending Bertone to deliver his message, the pope sent holy oils to L'Aquila and a chalice with which to take Communion.

Archbishop Giuseppe Molinari of L'Aquila also planned to deliver a message.

The 6.3-magnitude quake Monday morning left about 30,000 people without their homes. Almost 20,000 of them are braving chilly nights in tents while about 11,000 others are staying in hotels, said Agostino Miozzo, a spokesman for the Italian Civil Protection Agency. Watch more on the aftermath

Recovering from such losses and rebuilding the city of L'Aquila will take several years, according to Miozzo. The medieval city is about 120 km (75 miles) northeast of Rome.

Berlusconi has said rebuilding will cost several billion euros.

Aftershocks have heightened anxiety in the area -- including a moderate 5.6 magnitude tremor that struck the area Tuesday.

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"The mood is a little bit afraid," said Marco Volponi of the Civil Protection agency. He was working in a tent camp, housing people whose homes were inhabitable.

In the nearby village of Onna, 40 people -- more than one out of every eight residents in the town of 300 -- were killed in the earthquake. On some streets, every single home was destroyed.

Anna Rita Difilice lost her son, Fabio, 20, to the quake -- the deadliest to strike Italy in decades and the first major quake in the country in seven years.

She said she doesn't know what comes next for her. Her village has become populated with tents, fold-up beds and feeding stations handing out food, water and other supplies for survivors.

But she said she knew one thing: she's not going anywhere.

"My son died here," she said. "There is no way I'm leaving this town -- not ever.

Late start for Masters favorite Tiger

2009-04-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods has been given a late start on Thursday as he begins his bid for a fifth Masters green jacket.

Woods is all smiles as he contemplates a fifth Masters green jacket.

The world number one will go out in the penultimate group with Ryder Cup teammate Stewart Cink and Jeev Milkha Singh of India.

With unpredictable weather forecast for the first major of the season, Woods may be handed the advantage of playing in anticipated warmer afternoon conditions.

Cold and windy weather in the build-up to the tournament mean Woods will tee off for real without having played a full practice round at Augusta.

He completed 11 holes on Sunday, five late on Monday, none on Tuesday with only nine planned for Wednesday when he will also skip the traditional eve-of-Masters par-three competition.

"Hopefully the weather will be good enough where the scores will be a little bit lower," he told Press Association.

"The last two years, we have had terrible weather conditions and the weather hasn't allowed us to shoot really low numbers.

"The weather this week is going to be interesting again. We'll see how it plays out."

Woods will be playing in the group directly behind defending Masters champion Trevor Immelman of South Africa, Adam Scott of Australia and teenage New Zealand amateur sensation Danny Lee.

Immelman relegated Woods to second place last year before Tiger claimed his 14th major at the U.S. Open, playing through the pain barrier to beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff.

Extensive knee surgery followed that triumph at Torrey Pines and after a nine- month break, Woods returned to win the third tournament of his comeback at Bay Hill two weeks ago.

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It has given him renewed confidence that he can complete a sweep of the majors this season.

Well, I know I can do it. I've done it," he said.

"It's hard for me to sit here and tell you that it can't be done because I've done it before. Hopefully it will start this week for me."

The group behind Woods contains three of the most promising players in world golf, Ryder Cup hero Anthony Kim of the United States, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan.

World number two Phil Mickelson has a morning start, paired with flamboyant Colombian Camilo Villegas and U.S. veteran Jim Furyk.

Mickelson, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, can claim top spot in the rankings from Woods if he wins his fourth major and Woods finishes lower than fifth.

The other big attraction for the galleries on Thursday will be the return to the Masters after seven years of Australian veteran Greg Norman, who qualified after his third place finish at the British Open last year.

He partners 1985 winner Bernhard Langer of Germany and Lee Westwood of England.

Padraig Harrington, who edged out Norman at Royal Birkdale and then took the PGA Championship in the absence of the recovering Woods, will begin his bid for a third straight major with a morning start with Mike Weir of Canada and Japan's Ryuji Imada.

Woods said that the Irishman faces a tough task as he bids for a "Paddy Slam."

"It's not going to be easy -- I remember trying to do it myself and it's hard," he said. "

"People don't realize that just one gust of wind here or there could cost you the tournament on Thursday. Sometimes it does."

"This article is brought to you from CNN.com, So if you like it please digg it so so others can enjoy it too."

"We always care to provide you with the latest hot news."

Osteens: Obama doing great job, loves the Lord

2009-04-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

Joel Osteen is the senior pastor for the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. It's America's largest congregation. His wife, Victoria Osteen, is the co-pastor there.

Joel and Victoria Osteen appear on "Larry King Live" Tuesday night.

The Osteens, known for their optimistic outlook on life, visited "Larry King Live" Tuesday night for a wide-ranging interview that covered President Obama, same-sex marriage, the recent outbreak of mass shootings, the state of religion in America and more.

The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity:

Larry King: Since you were last on, we have sworn in our first African-American president. What are your impressions [of Barack Obama]?

Joel Osteen: Well, I think he's doing a great job. I'm impressed with his skill, his calmness, his just strength under pressure. These are tough times for him.

King: And you, Victoria?

Victoria Osteen: I've been really impressed. In fact, I've been impressed [with] the first lady. She stepped up, and she's done a remarkable job.

King: Recent polls show 12 percent of Americans still believe Obama is a Muslim, and 35 percent say they don't know his religion, but to most of them it don't matter. Should it matter?

Joel Osteen: Well, it matters to me. It matters to me that I know he loves the Lord, and I think it's important that he has convictions from his faith. So to me, it matters when I'm making my personal decisions.

King: Does it matter to you, Victoria?

Victoria Osteen: It does. It matters to me. ... I believe he is a Christian.

King: The "Hope for Today Bible." This is a new Bible [from you]. How is this different from other Bibles?

Joel Osteen: It's a living translation of the Bible, which is an easy version to read. And then it's got our notes besides certain passages. And it's just to help people maybe to understand the Bible a little bit easier.

King: Do you think that eventually many more states are going to allow same-sex marriage?

Joel Osteen: You know, I don't know where it's all going ... I'd love to see it stay between a male and a female, not knocking anybody else.

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King: Supposing there were more states that had it. What would be the harm?

Victoria Osteen: We really want to see marriage between a man and a woman. There [are] going to be people who get together and have relationships and have what they call their families. But I just think marriage should be sanctified by the church. It should be between a man and a woman.

King: Should a gay couple be allowed to adopt?

Joel Osteen: I think that, again, it's best for a male and a female. I'm not saying that gay people aren't good people. ...

King: Or good parents. Watch Larry King's interview with the Osteens »

Joel Osteen: Yeah, exactly. But again, I like to shoot for God's best, and that is a father and a mother in the home. It doesn't always happen. I know a lot of people raised by single parents. And you know what? We bless them and pray for them as well. But I think God's best is a male and female.

King: In the new issue of Newsweek, the lead story by Jon Meacham is "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." Just off the premise of that headline, do you accept that? That Christian America is in trouble?

Joel Osteen: I'm trying to think where he's coming from. ... I see faith in America at an all-time high.

King: The Newsweek article quotes our Albert Mohler Jr. And he's president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. And he said, "The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the heart of our very culture."

Joel Osteen: Well, he's a smart man and I respect him. You know, maybe what he's saying is true. ... America is more diverse than it was 50 years ago. And I don't know that that means we as Christians are any less. I would like to think our influence is still there. ... And I'm sure I'm an optimistic by nature.

King: What do you make of these mass shootings?

Joel Osteen: You know, it's really sad. People get deranged. People get confused. ... I believe there are dark forces in our world. There are evil forces that, unfortunately, we can give into. And some of it is just from depression, just that mental illness.

King: Do you pray for them, Victoria? The shooters?

Victoria Osteen: Oh, absolutely. You've got to pray for them. They're obviously tormented. They're deceived and not cherishing life. ... So yeah, we do pray for them.

King: We've had a mass depression in this country, recession. Do you think that might be at the core of some of these things?

Victoria Osteen: I think it is. When you've lost your job and you've just been beaten down and you don't see any future, it's easy to start letting those negative thoughts play. ... You don't have anything to live for. It's never going to get any better. And I think that if you don't watch it, you'll just spiral down and down and down.

And that is why we feel so strongly about just giving people hope. Even at your lowest moment, you never know what God can do. He can turn any situation around. You can be just one night from getting the break you need, getting the job you want.

King: How do you deal with death, having to console people [who are] dying?

Joel Osteen: Well, it's difficult. But Larry, we have the hope of heaven. We believe we'll see our loved ones again. And as hard as it is, we'll just try to encourage people that death is just a separation. ... I lost my dad 10 years ago, and he was my best friend. But it's amazing the peace that God gave me. So I believe that God can give you a strength and a new beginning.

King: Where do you believe he is?

Joel Osteen: I believe he's in heaven.

King: Which is a place. ...

Joel Osteen: I believe it's a real place. ... You've had people on a lot about near death experience, and I've talked to them too, how they've had an accident and all of a sudden, they're up watching themselves. And I believe that our spirit's on the inside.

My belief as a Christian is when we receive Christ as salvation that that gives us a guarantee for heaven.

Michelle Obama wax figure wows adoring fans

2009-04-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

First lady Michelle Obama was not in Washington on Tuesday, but one might have thought so from the commotion on F Street.

Crowds lined up around the block to see the new Michelle Obama wax figure at Madam Tussauds in Washington.

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A likeness of the first lady was unveiled at Madame Tussauds, the world-famous wax museum, with all of the fanfare that typically follows Obama in real life. A line stretched down the block outside the museum by noon, while inside, a circus of media and visitors swarmed around the exhibit for its grand opening.

Dressed in a custom-designed red sleeveless dress and black cardigan, the life-size wax figure stands in the museum's replica Oval Office. The figure is beside President Obama's likeness, which was unveiled in February 2008.

"The dress that she's wearing today is inspired by the purple dress that she wore the night that her husband clinched the nomination," said Shameka Lloyd, a museum spokesperson. Watch visitors greet the wax Michelle Obama »

The museum's artists began working on the wax figure in late December, Lloyd said. While Obama did not pose for the artists, they were able to achieve a lifelike representation of the first lady by poring over photographs and video footage of her.

"The hardest thing to capture is the essence," Lloyd said. "Every time you see Michelle Obama walk into a room, she just kind of takes the oxygen out of the room. She's so fashionable, she's a loving mother, loving wife, so we really hope that we capture that essence of a first lady."

A quick crowd survey seemed to suggest the artists were successful, as most museumgoers thought the likeness was dead-on.

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"Exactly like her," said Felecia Bryant of Tampa, Florida. "I do think it captures her essence... she is a people person. She likes to go around talking to everyone. She's not too untouchable. She has a heart for people."

Michelle Obama is one of only three first ladies to be immortalized by the wax museum. Figures of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Hillary Clinton are also on display. The museum decided to make the figure because of the high public interest in Michelle Obama, Lloyd said.

"We had tons of feedback from visitors that told us, OK, you have President Obama. Where is the first lady?" Lloyd said.

Since her husband has taken office, Obama has garnered unprecedented popularity, experiencing a level of interest in her fashion choices usually reserved for supermodels, and even drawing comparisons to royalty.

Many of the onlookers at the museum seemed to appreciate the public's fascination with the first lady.

"She's a great role model for young girls. I have two daughters, and I'm pleased that she's coming across as a strong, powerful woman," said Sandra Motusesky of Robbinsville, New Jersey. Motusesky brought her three children to the exhibit.

Eleven-year-old Madelyn Tuck, however, thought the media frenzy at the museum might not have been a good idea.

"It's only wax. It can melt," she said.

U.S.-crewed cargo ship 'hijacked' off Somalia

2009-04-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

Ship carrying 20 Americans believed hijacked off Somalia

Pirates near Somalia's coastline attacked a cargo ship Wednesday with a crew of at least 20 U.S. nationals, according to the company that owns the vessel.

The hijacked ship is believed to be similar to the vessel pictured.

It is believed that the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama then was hijacked, according to a statement from Maersk Line Ltd. If so, it would be the sixth hijacking over the past week.

The vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 310 miles (500 kilometers) off Somalia's coast, the statement said.

U.S. government sources said the attack happened at about 7:30 a.m. local time. The nearest U.S. Navy warship was about 300 nautical miles, or 345 miles, away at the time, they said. The U.S. Navy issued another notice Tuesday warning mariners that the Somali piracy activity was extending hundreds of miles offshore.

A Maersk subsidiary in Norfolk, Virginia, owns and operates the cargo ship, Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard said. He would not provide any details about the security arrangements on board the Maersk Alabama.

"We have very strict policies on the vessel. ... Crews are trained to handle these types of situations," Storgaard said from Maersk's headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He said the company is in the process of contacting the crew members' relatives and setting up assistance for them.

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"That is at this moment our primary concern," Storgaard said.

The Maersk Line is one of the U.S. Defense Department's primary shipping contractors, but the Maersk Alabama was not under the Pentagon's contract at the time of the attack, according to Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. military's 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

Storgaard said the Maersk Alabama was carrying "general cargo," most likely including aid supplies to East Africa.

No action has been taken so far against the pirates, Christensen said.

"There is a task force present in the region to deter any type of piracy, but the challenge remains that the area is so big and it is hard to monitor all the time," he said.

He said U.S.-flagged ships are not usually escorted by the military unless they request it from the U.S. Navy.

Recent attacks off Somalia's coast, which have taken place south of the area patrolled by U.S. and coalition ships, show pirates are changing their tactics and taking advantage of tens of thousands of square miles of open water where fewer military ships patrol, according to U.S. military officials.

"They [pirates] are going where we are not; they are looking for targets where there is limited coalition presence," according to a U.S. military briefing document shown to CNN.

Christensen said, "It appears the pirates are operating in a different fashion. It's a lot like cops on a beat. The criminals will go where they're not."

Coalition ships mainly patrol in the busy sea lanes of the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and northern Somalia as ships come out of and head toward the mouth of the Red Sea.

"Despite increased naval presence in the region, ships and aircraft are unlikely to be close enough to provide support to vessels under attack. The scope and magnitude of the problem cannot be understated," according to a Navy news release.

At least 150 killed in Italian earthquake, officials say

2009-04-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Rescuers worked into the early morning hours Tuesday in hopes of finding survivors of a powerful earthquake that ripped through Italy's mountainous Abruzzo region, killing scores of people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

People cue in line to receive aid in L'Aqulia following Monday's earthquake.

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Tearful survivors, many of them clad in pajamas and blankets, watched as bodies were pulled from the rubble in the medieval city of L'Aquila, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Rome.
The magnitude 6.3 quake killed at least 150 people, L'Aquila's fire department said late Monday. Italy's Civil Protection agency reported at least 1,500 injured and 50,000 without shelter.
"I can say there's hardly a building which was left without some sign of what has happened in the historical center of L'Aquila," Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said during a visit to the region. "All the public buildings have been affected."
Berlusconi said 4,000 people were working on the rescue effort. Civil defense officials said they are prepared to house up to 30,000 people, but many of those displaced have gone to hotels.
Of the 150 dead, about 100 bodies have been identified, the officials said.
The quake, which struck about 3:30 a.m. local time, is the deadliest to strike Italy in decades and the first major temblor to strike the country in almost seven years.
Joshua Brothers, an American missionary in L'Aquila, said the quake "sounded as if a 747 [jet] was actually coming in to land."
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The quake left stone buildings in heaps, with rubble spilling over parked cars and into alleyways. Frightened residents rushed into the streets, many of them bringing luggage with them, Brothers said. See images of the destruction »
"If you look along the way, there are many palazzi that are cracked, walls have fallen in on some of them," he said. Watch Brothers describe devastation »
L'Aquila's hospital was damaged as well, forcing doctors to evacuate the most seriously hurt. Agostino Miozzo, the director-general of Italy's Civil Protection agency, called it "a disaster on a huge scale." iReport.com: 'The house shook for such a long time'
Berlusconi declared a state of emergency and canceled a trip to Russia to oversee the rescue efforts.
Journalist Delia Gallagher said rescuers were forced to use their hands to dig through ruined buildings in the hunt for survivors.
She described how one woman was pulled alive from the wreckage of a building that had collapsed. Ten hours after the quake hit, rescuers were trying to listen for more survivors.
Gallagher said she saw residents carrying their remaining possessions in battered suitcases as they walked away from ruined areas.
L'Aquila is the capital of the Abruzzo region. With some areas yet to report the extent of the damage, the death toll was expected to rise.
Part of the region is without electricity, and crews were checking for gas leaks. See map showing epicenter »
Three significant aftershocks -- ranging from magnitude 4.3 to 4.8 -- shook the area within six hours of the 6.3 quake. Learn more about how earthquakes are measured »
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake came less than six hours after another quake hit the northern part of the country, the U.S. Geological Survey said. That quake registered 4.6 and happened about 55 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Bologna.
Italy is close to two major geological fault lines, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in Europe.
A 6.5-magnitude quake in southern Italy in 1980 killed nearly 3,000 people. Other quakes in 1908, 1915 and 1930 killed tens of thousands.
In 1997, an earthquake killed 10 people in the Umbria region, left tens of thousands homeless and seriously damaged monuments and artwork, including the town of Assisi's famed Basilica of St. Francis.
Pope Benedict XVI was praying for the "victims, especially the children," killed in Monday's quake, the Vatican said, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

Man Utd 3-2 Aston Villa

2009-04-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Macheda produced a moment of magic to win the game for United

Federico Macheda scored a stunning late winner as Manchester United regained top spot in the Premier League.

The 17-year-old substitute turned in the box and curled in a superb strike to make his debut the stuff of dreams.

Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring from an indirect free-kick after a James Milner backpass, before John Carew's header restored parity.

Gabriel Agbonlahor headed Villa in front only for Ronaldo to level with a low shot and Macheda to snatch victory.

It was an incredible finish to a match that twisted and turned - and had looked to be going the way of Villa rather than the champions.

But after digging deep, and finding inspiration from an untried teenager, United have leapfrogged Liverpool at the top of the table.

Macheda impact impresses Phelan

And they also avoided a third successive league defeat, which would have been more galling given that Villa were thumped 5-0 by Liverpool in their last match.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez said his side's last-gasp 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday had placed the pressure on United, and he looked to be right from the way they started against Villa.

They struggled with an unfamiliar back four that was forced upon them because of Rio Ferdinand's injury and Nemanja Vidic's suspension.

Gary Neville, returning from injury, was brought in to partner John O'Shea in the heart of defence, but that proved to be a costly mistake.

Carew quickly served notice that he would enjoy the mismatch against Neville when his header was scrambled clear via Darren Fletcher and the post.

And the visitors were in the mood to expose United's vulnerabilities.

606: DEBATE

This has been one of the best seasons for the Premier League in years - the title keeps swinging one way then the other and its still not quite done with

WOLF_HAMMER

The pace of Agbonlahor, back in the side for the injured Emile Heskey, and the poise and passing of Gareth Barry was causing United all manner of problems.

But United were handed a lifeline when Milner passed the ball back to Brad Friedel, who picked the ball up, and the resulting free-kick in the area was cracked in by Ronaldo after Ryan Giggs had rolled the ball to him.

The goal settled United's nerves and they began to stroke the ball around with more confidence, but without really penetrating.

And Villa remained dangerous on the break, particularly through Agbonlahor, whose speed was a big problem for Neville.

Ashley Young's free-kick was tipped over by Edwin van der Sar as Villa threatened.

From another quick counter Villa deservedly restored parity, Barry's excellent right-wing cross powerfully headed into the bottom corner by Carew as Neville stood by helplessly.

Shortly after, Neville was switched with right-back Jonny Evans - but it had been a half-hour to forget for the United skipper.

O'Neill praises 'terrific' Villa

He would have felt better if Ronaldo's glancing header had gone either side of Friedel rather than straight at the keeper and given United a half-time lead.

Instead, Villa struck again on 58 minutes when Ronaldo was caught in possession and Villa moved the ball quickly to Carew, and his cross was headed in by Agbonlahor.

United's response was to bring on Macheda for Nani.

The young Italian, who signed professional terms with United in August 2008, hit a hat-trick for the reserves against Newcastle on Monday.

He appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty after he fell under challenge from Curtis Davies, then at the other end Davies was close to converting Ashley Young's free-kick.

United needed something special from somewhere and it came from Ronaldo, who picked up the ball on the edge of the box and fired a low drive into the bottom corner to drag his side level.

Neville hails 'brilliant' Macheda

The impetus was all with the hosts now and it took a fine save from Friedel to deny Fletcher from 12 yards.

Substitute Danny Welbeck was next to be thwarted by Friedel as he saw his shot saved at point-blank range.

But United were not to be denied and Macheda produced a moment of magic to win the game when he turned and curled a peach of a shot into the far corner.

North Korea launches rocket, sparks international criticism

2009-04-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

North Korea followed through Sunday on its intention to launch to a long-range rocket, defying a series of warnings from the international community and setting off a firestorm of criticism.

Conservative activists protest the North Korean rocket launch on Sunday in Seoul, South Korea.

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The North Korean government characterized the act as a successful, peaceful launch of a satellite into orbit. U.S. and South Korean officials condemned the launch as a provocative act. American military sources said the launch was a failure, saying that the rocket's payload failed to enter into orbit.

North Korea's news agency, KCNA, said that "scientists and technicians of the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] have succeeded in putting satellite Kwangmyongsong-2, an experimental communications satellite, into orbit by means of carrier rocket Unha-2 under the state long-term plan for the development of outer space."

"We are happy, we are happy," said Sin Son Ho, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations. "It was successful."

Officials from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, and the U.S. Northern Command countered that the rocket's payload cleared Japanese airspace but later fell into the Pacific Ocean.

"Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean," according to a statement from NORAD and the Northern Command, read by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. See details of the rocket and its path »

"No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan," the statement added. "NORAD and [the Northern Command] assesses the launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch."

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It is unclear whether the rocket's payload was a satellite. The United States and South Korea had disputed North Korea's claims that the rocket would be used for a peaceful satellite launch. A number of countries expressed concern that the launch could be a missile with a warhead attached.

An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council concluded Sunday without an official reaction to North Korea's launch.

"Consultations will go on among members to see what is the appropriate position that the council will take," said Claude Heller, the current head of the council's rotating presidency, and Mexico's U.N. ambassador. When the council would reconvene wasn't clear.

President Obama, in what may be the most significant international crisis since the start of his administration, was quick to condemn the launch.

"Now is the time for a strong international response," Obama said in a speech before a huge crowd outside the medieval Prague Castle in the Czech Republic. "And North Korea must know that the path to security and respect will never come through threats and illegal weapons. All nations must come together to build a stronger global regime. That's why we must stand shoulder to shoulder to pressure the North Koreans to change course."

In a statement after the launch, Obama said, "With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint and further isolated itself from the community of nations."

He said, "We will immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and [South Korea] and ... bring this matter before the [Security] Council. I urge North Korea to abide fully by the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and to refrain from further provocative actions." World reaction to the rocket launch

The rocket -- launched at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday (10:30 p.m. ET Saturday) -- was a "provocative act in violation" of a Security Council resolution on North Korea's weapons program, State Department spokesman Fred Lash said.

An October 2006 resolution condemned North Korea for missile launches in the summer and a nuclear test that month.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said his country's military was not forced to intercept any missile, which it had pledged to do if necessary.

CNN correspondent Kyung Lah said that Japan is "breathing a sigh of relief."

Japanese ships were moving Sunday to the area they believe rocket parts fell in an effort to retrieve them, government officials said. Watch Japan's reaction to the launch »

Kawamura said his government's position is that even a communications satellite would be in violation of the Security Council resolution, saying Japan "formally denounces" the move.

A representative for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he "regrets that, against strong international appeal, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK] went ahead with its planned launch. Given the volatility in the region, as well as a stalemate in interaction among the concerned parties, such a launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace and stability."

Chinese and Russian officials had a softer response, calling for restraint and calm. Russian officials also appeared to differ from the U.S. military in terms of their assessment of the launch's success.

"North Korea sent an artificial satellite into an Earth orbit on the morning of April 5. The parameters of the satellite's orbit are being specified now," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in a statement on the ministry's Web site.

The South Korean president's office condemned the launch, calling it a "serious threat" to world peace, the state-sponsored Yonhap news agency reported.

"We cannot withhold our regrets and disappointment that North Korea has caused such a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the world by firing a long-range rocket when the entire world is joining efforts to overcome the global economic crisis," presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said, according to Yonhap.

Earlier Sunday before the launch, South Korea's national security council called an emergency meeting amid concerns that a North Korean rocket launch was imminent, a presidential representative said.

Retired Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, former director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, said the launch apparently involved a "multistage rocket," with possibly up to three stages, referring to reports that debris fell off Japan. Watch questions concerning the rocket's payload »

"That means it was able to go through the staging event," signaling success in the rocket reaching long-range capability.

Stephen Bosworth, the Obama administration's special envoy to the six-party talks, said last week that it didn't matter if the North Koreans were trying to put a satellite in space or testing a ballistic missile that could threaten Japan or the United States.

"Whether it is a satellite launch or a missile launch, in our judgment makes no difference. It is a provocative act," Bosworth said. Watch analysis of possible motivations for the launch »

U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued a statement late Saturday.

"It is alarming that North Korea carried out this missile launch in direct defiance of the international community," Berman said. "The test is an unnecessary provocation that raises tensions in the region, and I urge the North Koreans to stop using their missile and WMD programs to threaten their neighbors and the rest of the world."

U.N. fails to reach accord on rocket launch

2009-04-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council concluded Sunday without an official reaction to North Korea ignoring repeated international warnings and launching a long-range rocket, the council president told reporters.

South Koreans watch broadcast reports in Seoul of a North Korean rocket launch.

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The launch, at about 11:30 a.m. Korean time on Sunday, set off an immediate firestorm of criticism, inflamed tensions in the Far East, and heightened fears over the North Korean regime's potential ability to undermine nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

The North Korean government said the act was a peaceful launch of a satellite, but a U.S. State Department spokesman declared it a "provocative act in violation" of a 2006 Security Council resolution prohibiting North Korea from conducting ballistic missile launches.

"The launch constituted a clear-cut violation" of the resolution, said Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. North Korea's action "merits a clear, strong response" and in the U.S. view, that would come in the form of a council resolution, Rice said. Watch analysis of Sunday's launch »

Japan's U.N. representative, Yukio Takasu, who requested the emergency meeting, agreed, saying the council's response should be clear and unified.

Still, the U.N. ambassador from China -- a council member and ally of North Korea expected to resist a resolution -- said the formal reaction to the reclusive nation should be "cautious and proportionate."

"We are now in a very sensitive moment," the ambassador said. "All countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking action that could lead to increased tension."

The North Korean government claimed the launch put a satellite into orbit. American military sources, however, said the launch was a failure, adding that the rocket's payload cleared Japanese airspace but failed to enter into orbit.

The following is a sampling of reaction to the launch from world leaders before the Security Council meeting:

• U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: "The Secretary-General regrets that, against strong international appeal, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK] went ahead with its planned launch," said a spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a prepared statement.

"Given the volatility in the region, as well as a stalemate in interaction among the concerned parties, such a launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace and stability. The Secretary-General urges DPRK to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, and all countries concerned to focus on ways to build confidence and restore dialogue, including the early resumption of the six-party talks."

• Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura: "We have been urging North Korea to cancel their rocket launch. However, it went ahead with the launch, we regard this as a violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution[s] 1695 and 1718. This is very unfortunate, and ... the Japanese government has demanded an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to be convened and we have denounced North Korea's action." Watch Japanese reaction to reports of at launch »

• Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry: "We hope all countries will remain calm and restraint will resolve this in appropriate way." The government referred to the North Korean rocket launch as one that carried a satellite.

• Russia's foreign minister also called for restraint after the launch, the Russian Interfax news agency reported Sunday, saying that Russian officials would examine whether it violated any U.N. Security Council resolutions.

• South Korea's government condemned the launch, calling it a "serious threat" to world peace, the state-sponsored Yonhap news agency reported.

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"We cannot withhold our regrets and disappointment that North Korea has caused such a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the world by firing a long-range rocket when the entire world is joining efforts to overcome the global economic crisis," Lee Dong-kwan, a presidential spokesman said, according to Yonhap.

Earlier Sunday, before the launch, South Korea's national security council called an emergency meeting amid concerns that a North Korean rocket launch was imminent, a presidential spokesperson told CNN on Sunday.

• U.S. President Barack Obama, in Prague, Czech Republic, for a meeting with European Union leaders, criticized the reported launch.

"With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations," Obama said in a statement after the launch.

"We will immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and [South Korea], and members of the U.N. Security Council to bring this matter before the Council," Obama added. "I urge North Korea to abide fully by the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and to refrain from further provocative actions."

• British Foreign Secretary David Miliband: "I strongly condemn North Korea's action in conducting a satellite launch earlier today. Pyongyang [North Korea] continues to pursue a hostile policy towards the rest of the world, it cannot hope to take its rightful place within the international community."

• Joint U.S.-European Council statement released by the White House: "The launch of a missile by North Korea defies U.N. Security Council resolutions and harms peace and stability in northeast Asia.

"We call on North Korea to honor its commitment to abandon all nuclear weapons programs, to abide by recognized norms of international relations, and to work to promote peace and stability in northeast Asia.

"North Korea's development of a ballistic missile capability, regardless of the stated purpose of this launch, is aimed at providing it with the ability to threaten countries near and far with weapons of mass destruction." Watch analysis of what North Korea's motivations may be from the launch »

• The European Union presidency, currently held by the Czech Republic, said in a statement: "The EU strongly condemns the 'experimental communications satellite' launch performed on 5 April 2009 by the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in breach of the UNSC Resolution 1718.

"These actions place additional strains on regional stability at a time when the unresolved nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula requires mutual confidence building. Such actions are also a matter of more general concern due to their global proliferation implications."

"The EU urges the DPRK to comply with the UNSC Resolution 1718 and immediately to suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme, and abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner."

North Korea's news agency, Korean Central News Agency, reported Sunday that the launch was applauded by political parties and organizations in various countries -- despite criticism by the U.S. and other nations

A secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union blasted the United States on Tuesday for its "outrageous interference in the internal affairs" of North Korea, the agency reported. Trade organizations in the Czech Republic also hailed the projected launch, KCNA said.

Thousands gather at funeral for reality TV star Jade Goody

2009-04-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Thousands of mourners and well-wishers gathered Saturday at a church east of London for the funeral of controversial reality TV star Jade Goody.

Goody's husband Jack Tweed and mother Jackiey Budden leave the family home Saturday.

more photos »

The 27-year-old lost a public battle with cervical cancer last month, prompting sympathy and headlines around the world.

As Goody's white coffin was carried into the church at Buckhurst Hill, Essex, east of London, a gospel choir began singing "Amazing Grace." Pallbearers included her husband Jack Tweed, who she married in February.

Inside the church the congregation heard a reading from Tweed as well as watching a multimedia tribute to Goody's life.

Outside thousands of well-wishers gathered in the spring sunshine to watch the funeral service on large TV screens.

Flowers thrown by well-wishers covered the hood of the vintage hearse carrying Goody's coffin as it arrived at the church. Send your tributes to Jade Goody.

Crowds earlier applauded as the cortege slowly made its way through Bermondsey, south London, where Goody grew up amid deprivation and drug abuse. At one point the procession stopped to release a white dove.

Wreaths included one in the shape of a pink heart, another that resembled a blue handbag and another shaped like a camera -- reflecting Goody's love of the limelight.

The cortege then headed for Goody's recent home in an upmarket part of Essex before heading for the church.

Goody had burst into the spotlight in the British version of "Big Brother" in 2002 but attracted global notoriety five years later when she made racist comments -- for which she later apologized -- to Indian actress Shilpa Shetty.

Well-wisher Vicky Scott, a security consultant from Bedfordshire, central England, waiting outside the church, told CNN: "She had very much to live for and she had achieved so much. She had a tough life and she gave us so much."

"I think she was an inspiration to many women, the way she brought cervical cancer to many women's minds."

Max Clifford, Goody's publicist, said in comments reported by the Press Association, that she would have been delighted by the reaction from the public.

"It is very much the way she wanted it," said Clifford. "In life she loved being loved and it is pretty clear that this is the overwhelming feeling today. She will have a big smile on her face when she sees what is going on today."

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He added, the agency said, that Goody's mother Jackiey Budden was "distraught" and Tweed was "heartbroken."

Goody's two sons, Bobby, 5, and Freddie, 4, are not expected to attend the service, the Press Association reported. They are believed to have gone to Australia with their father, TV host Jeff Brazier.

Medical officials have reported a big rise in the number of screenings for cervical cancer after Goody's diagnosis was announced live on India's version of "Big Brother" last August, a phenomenon some have dubbed the "Jade Goody effect."

Images of her shrinking frame and bald head dominated the pages of British media after she announced she had just weeks to live.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown had previously praised Goody's work in raising awareness of cervical cancer. "In many years to come, there will be an awful lot of women who've got an awful lot to thank Jade Goody for," he said.

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Despite her weakening state Goody continued to open her door to the media, saying she needed to keep selling her story to help secure the future of her sons.

With Clifford's help, she organized her wedding to boyfriend Tweed, who had only just been released from prison after serving a sentence for assault, selling the exclusive rights to OK! magazine for a reported $970,000. It was also filmed for her reality TV show.

Clifford said Goody would be remembered as someone who "had a very, very difficult childhood, but got on and (had) taken hold of every opportunity and made it work for her, in very much her own way."

"She died knowing that she had touched a lot of hearts and minds across the world," Clifford told CNN.

He said Goody had loved her time in the spotlight. "I think they've (she and the media) exploited each other. Both have benefited. In Jade's own words, she's loved the last seven years. They've been wonderful. All the people's she's met, all the things she's done."

Tribeca Filmmakers to Swarm the Apple Store

2009-04-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

In the next few weeks, the Apple store in Soho will be transforming into a glass-gated mecca of independent film. Like Vanity Fair, Apple has been an early sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival. And for the past five years, its “Meet the Filmmaker” Q&A's have been some of the festival’s coolest events—because they’ve attracted top talent and because they’re free and because they’re open to anyone who happens to wander in the store. (This open-door policy can sometimes lead to pandemonium, like the time Robert Pattinson's appearance to promote Twilight threatened to devolve into a Blade-like frenzy of bloodthirsty tweens as their high-frequency squeals nearly shattered the sleek glass surroundings. (See above video.) Or the time Amy Adams and John Patrick Shanley were there talking about Doubt and this looney off the street was raving about how sexual relations between a priest and a child could be a beautiful thing.)

Spike Lee will kick off the lineup on April 22,discussing his two films in contention, his adaptation of the musical Passing Strange and Kobe Doin’ Work, a basketball version of the Zidane movie. Other speakers throught the festival will include Gael Garcia Bernal, Natalie Portman, and Eric Bana. In addition to the Q&A’s, which will be presented in partnership with Indiewire, the Soho Apple store will host over 30 filmmaking workshops between April 22 and May 3. (Since both Benjamin Button and No Country For Old Men were edited entirely on Macs running Final Cut Pro, that’s reason enough to check it out.) A full schedule will soon be available on Apple’s Tribeca website. And now for the complete “Meet the Filmmaker” program.

Wednesday, April 22nd
7:00 p.m.—Spike Lee (Passing Strange and Kobe Doin’ Work)

Friday, April 24th
3:30 p.m.—Natalie Portman (entertainment web project)
6:00 p.m.—Dan Fogler (Hysterical Psycho)
7:30 p.m.—Lee Daniels (Precious)

Saturday, April 25th
4:00 p.m.—So Yong Kim (Treeless Mountain and Bradley Rust Gray (Exploding Girl)
6:30 p.m.—Ti West (The House of the Devil)

Sunday, April 26th
5:00 p.m.—Connor McPherson (The Eclipse)

Monday, April 27th
5:00 p.m.—Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and writer Carlos Cuarón (Rudo Y Cursi)
6:30 p.m.—Gabriel Noble (P-Star Rising)
8:00 p.m.—Atom Egoyan (Adoration)

Tuesday, April 28th
6:30 p.m.—Eric Bana (Love the Beast)

Thursday, April 30th
5:00 p.m.—Kirby Dick (Outrage)

Friday, May 1
7:00 p.m.—Nia Vardalos and Donald Petrie (My Life in Ruins)

Saturday, May 2
5:00 p.m.—Student Filmmakers panel

Romania's targets at the NATO summit: maintaining commitments for Ukraine and Georgia, neutrality regarding Kosovo

2009-04-04T05:13:00.001-07:00

NATO must uphold the commitments it made to Georgia and Ukraine during the summit in Bucharest, with the clear mention that the two states must "prove conscientiousness in reform" and fulfill the accession criteria,, said president Traian Basescu, who will participate in the 60th NATO summit on Friday.

In the Western Balkans area, Romania wishes to maintain its neutrality towards Kosovo: "We don't wish for a political commitment, only for a military one, when it comes to Kosovo", said Basescu.

Romania's main objectives:

- The final statement of the summit must include a message of opening towards Serbia's accession to the NATO structures;

- The statement must mention the Black Sea area as a region of interest and a strategic security element within NATO's security policy;

- Maintaining the commitments the Alliance made on full coverage of the NATO territory by the anti-missile shield;

- Maintaining the commitment to protect the energy infrastructure;

- Romania supports the re-launching to the NATO - Russia cooperation;

- The final document must encourage Montenegro and Bosnia in their intention to join NATO.