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Biodun@bbcnews.com

Thursday, 22 April 2010

Explosions kill 1, wound dozens in Bangkok
Topic: thailand, xian wan, bbc news, bi

by Xian Wan, BBC News Analyst, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

– 12 mins ago

BANGKOK – At least five grenades exploded Thursday in the center of Bangkok near a massive encampment of anti-government protesters, killing one person and wounding at least 70, sending panicked people running through the streets and fleeing an elevated train station.

The area of the explosions has been the site of a tense standoff between Red Shirt protesters, who are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign, and armed troops over the past several days.

More recently, a rival group of protesters has rallied in the area, occasionally hurling stones and insults at the Red Shirts, creating a volatile mix. Several of the blasts were near where the rivals have gathered, under the elevated tracks of a Skytrain station.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said in a speech broadcast Thursday night on all Thai channels that five M-79 grenades were fired from launchers within the Red Shirts' encampment.

Three fell through the roof of the station, which runs above Silom Road, the center of Bangkok's business district and also home to several strips of go-go bars. A fourth exploded on the pavement near the five-star Dusit Thani Hotel and the fifth near a bank, he said.

TV stations reported several more blasts. Previously, explosions at the site have been from fireworks.

The government's Erawan emergency center said the blasts killed one person, identified as a Thai woman, and wounded at least 70.

The TPBS television network reported three foreigners were among the wounded. Associated Press reporters saw at least four people injured, two with serious wounds who were not moving.

The streets were full of people tending to the injured and carrying away bloodied people.

Suthep, who heads the government's Center for the Resolution of Emergency Situation, expressed sorrow over the casualties. "The government has tried to set up measures to protect the people by sending security forces in to protect people," he said.

He asked the people who had been protesting against the Red Shirts to leave the area for their own safety.

A Red Shirt protest leader denied the group had any involvement in the blasts. "The explosions had nothing to do with us," said Weng Tojirakarn, who suggested the blame could lie with a variety of other groups, including the rival protesters, the government, the army or the police.

The Red Shirts, who believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately and are pushing for him to call elections immediately, have rallied in the streets for several weeks. On Thursday, the army warned that time was running out for the protesters to clear the streets, saying soldiers would crack down soon.

"To take people in Bangkok hostage is not right," army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd warned the Red Shirts. "Your time to leave the area is running out." The army has issued several warnings that it will move to break up the protests if they are not ended voluntarily. They are already in violation of several laws, including a state of emergency.

Prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis appear slim, and every night brings a new flurry of rumors of an imminent crackdown.

A failed April 10 attempt by security forces in Bangkok to flush protesters from their first encampment erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead.

At the intersection where Thursday night's blasts occurred, the Red Shirts have erected a formidable looking barrier of sharpened bamboo sticks and old tires atop which their guards perch. Behind the Red Shirts' line is their redoubt, which extends for more than a mile (2 kilometers) up to another intersection, where tens of thousands of supporters gather around a stage to hear nearly nonstop speeches.

Across from the Red Shirt wall on Silom Road are several police trucks, dozens of police in riot gear, and a few hundred anti-Red Shirt demonstrators.

The anti-Red Shirt group includes office employees, middle class families, academics, some low-wage workers and members of the Yellow Shirts, a group that supports the current government and who themselves rampaged through Bangkok and seized the city's airports two years ago.

While some are genuinely aggrieved by the inconveniences wrought by the protests, many seem to have primarily political objections to the Red Shirts, including claiming the movement is directed against the country's widely revered monarch. A songsheet distributed to followers included hateful right-wing songs used in military-backed anti-communist campaigns of the 1970s.

Weng accused the government of hiring the mob in order to cause trouble that could be blamed on his group.

In one effort to avert further violence, the head of a pro-Red Shirt political party has asked for an audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who in the past has stepped in to end violent political crises, the newspaper Matichon reported.

The ailing, 82-year-old king has been hospitalized since Sept. 19 and has made no comments on the current turmoil. In 1992, the king ended a bloody confrontation between the military and pro-democracy protesters by calling in leaders of the opposing sides and instructing them, on nationwide television, to cease hostilities.

Now, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, a former prime minister who now heads the pro-Red Shirt Pheua Thai Party, is seeking a similar intervention.

The protesters consist mainly of poor rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006 after months of demonstrations by the Yellow Shirts.

The Red Shirts believe Abhisit's government is illegitimate because it came to power under military pressure through a parliamentary vote after disputed court rulings ousted two elected pro-Thaksin governments.

___

Posted by biginla at 6:37 PM BST

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Obama slams Wall Street ways while asking support
Topic: melissa gruz, bbc news, obama ad

Play Video CBS 2 New York – Pres. Obama Makes Case For Reform In NYC

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AP – President Barack Obama arrives at JFK International Airport in New York, Thursday, Apr. 22,2010, on his …

by Judith Stein and Melissa Gruz, BBC News Analysts, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla. Melissa Gruz is covering the Obama Administration for Biodun Iginla.

– 35 mins ago

NEW YORK – President Barack Obama rebuked Wall Street for risky practices Thursday even as he sought its leaders' help for "updated, commonsense" banking regulations to head off any new financial crisis.

"Ultimately there is no dividing line between Main Street and Wall Street. We rise or we fall together as one nation. So I urge you to join me," Obama said in a high-stakes speech near the nation's financial hub.

The president acknowledged differences of opinion over how to best protect bailout-weary taxpayers but denounced criticism from some Republicans who claim a Democratic-sponsored bill headed for Senate action would encourage rather than discourage future bailouts of huge banks.

"That may make for a good sound bite, but it's not factually accurate," Obama said. He said the overhaul legislation would "put a stop to taxpayer-funded bailouts."

Obama's speech came at a delicate time in negotiations over the Senate measure, which could be debated next week. The House has passed its own version of financial overhaul legislation. Obama did not say which one he favored but told an audience that included dozens of financial leaders "both bills represent significant improvement on the flawed rules we have in place today."

He portrayed his appearance at Cooper Union college, in lower Manhattan, as a reprise of a campaign speech he gave at the same location in March 2008 to offer an agenda for financial regulatory reform.

"Since I last spoke here two years ago, our country has been through a terrible trial," he said, pointing to the loss of more than 8 million jobs, the losing of "countless small businesses," trillions of dollars in lost savings and people forced to put off retirement or postpone college.

"I take no satisfaction in noting that my comments have largely been borne out by the events that followed," Obama said.

Obama said that today, the economy is recovering in what he called "the fastest turnaround in growth in nearly three decades."

"But we have more work to do. Until this progress is felt not just on Wall Street but Main Street we cannot be satisfied," he added.

Taking his argument for stronger oversight of the financial industry to the city where the economic meltdown began, Obama said it was "essential that we learn the lessons of this crisis, so we don't doom ourselves to repeat it. And make no mistake, that is exactly what will happen if we allow this moment to pass."

He spoke for about 25 minutes in the college's Great Hall. The crowd response to his words was more polite than enthusiastic.

"To those of you who are in the financial sector let me say: We will not always see eye to eye. We will not always agree," Obama said. "But that does not mean we have to choose between two extremes. We do not have to choose between markets unfettered by even modest protections against crisis, and markets stymied by onerous rules that suppress enterprise and innovation."

His speech was an effort to ramp up pressure on Congress for legislation imposing new financial regulations.

He also used it to take the financial industry to task. "A free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it," Obama said. "That is what happened too often in the years leading up to the crisis. Some on Wall Street forgot that behind every dollar traded or leveraged, there is a family looking to buy a house, pay for an education, open a business or save for retirement. What happens here has real consequences across our country."

He called on the financial leaders to tone down what he called "furious efforts" by an army of lobbyists to derail or water down the legislation. "I am sure that many of those lobbyists work for some of you," he said.

The speech was given in the hall where Abraham Lincoln in February 1860 spelled out his position on freedom and slavery ahead of the presidential campaign that year. It also came just six days after the Securities and Exchange Commission's fraud case against the huge investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Obama has denied any White House involvement in the timing of the SEC case, but the charges have emboldened Democrats in their criticism of Republicans who oppose the administration's overhaul proposal — even though measures in the proposal may not have stopped the transactions involved in the Goldman case.

Goldman's CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, was among those in the audience.

The sweeping regulation proposal represents the broadest attempt to overhaul the U.S. financial system since the 1930s, and aims to prevent another crisis. Democrats are preparing to bring the Senate version of the bill up for debate, but solid GOP opposition has complicated the effort. Senate negotiators say they had made progress toward a compromise bill that could command support from both sides.

The legislation would create a mechanism for liquidating large, interconnected financial firms that are so big that their sudden collapse could shake the economy. At the height of the crisis in 2008, the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve provided billions of taxpayer dollars to prop up the giant insurer American International Group Inc., several banks and various financial institutions considered too big to fail. The moves were highly unpopular with voters.

The bills also, for the first time, would impose oversight on the market for derivatives — complicated financial instruments whose value is derived from the value of other investments. The measures also would create a council to detect threats to the broader financial system and establish a consumer protection agency to police consumers' dealings with banks and other financial institutions.

Republicans contend that Democratic plans to create a $50 billion fund, paid for by the industry, to help unwind failing institutions would encourage Wall Street banks to take risks and to expect future bailouts. Democrats say the fund would lead to bankruptcy, not rescue. The administration does not support the fund and would not object to its being removed from the bill.

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday approved a bill by its chairwoman, Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., to limit banks' ability to trade derivatives and to make such transactions more open. Lincoln's proposal is more sweeping than those offered by the Obama administration and the House, but it is expected to become part of the Senate financial overhaul bill.

At the same time, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the panel's top Republican, have been trying to negotiate a compromise measure that could win GOP support.

Democrats have accused Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky of aiding efforts by the financial industry and others to fend off the attempt to impose tighter regulation.

McConnell has raised concerns about the bill. But he also has said the measure can be fixed and he has pushed for the bipartisan talks to continue.

"Both sides have expressed a willingness to make the changes needed to ensure without any doubt that this bill won't put taxpayers on the hook for future bailouts of Wall Street banks," McConnell said.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — who has expressed reservations to the overhaul legislation — was in the audience of approximately 700 financial industry leaders, consumer advocates, presidential advisers, local officials, students, faculty and others for Obama's speech.

___

Posted by biginla at 6:10 PM BST

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Watch Bill Clinton Live--today Earth Day
Topic: bill clinton, Earth day, biodun

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day today, we're honored to announce that our special edition of Digg Dialogg with President Bill Clinton is now live. You've submitted your questions, you've Dugg them up, and now it's time to watch President Clinton answer them!

President Bill Clinton answers your environmental questions

Find out what President Clinton has to say about current environmental issues, including:

* The key challenges with electric cars
* His recommendation to close all the landfills in America
* Glacier National Park's odds of existing for the next generation

View the President Clinton Dialogg Now

We'll be announcing more Digg Dialogg guests soon, so stay tuned!
Thanks,

The Digg Team

About the Clinton Foundation’s
“Take Initiative”
Earth Day campaign

The William J. Clinton Foundation addresses global problems, including climate change and sustainable growth and development, through the Foundation’s Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative, and through the Clinton Global Initiative. They focus on increasing efficiency in cities, catalyzing the large-scale supply of clean energy, and working to stop deforestation. You can learn more about the Clinton Foundation’s “Take Initiative” Earth Day campaign by visiting clintonfoundation.org/earthday.

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Posted by biginla at 5:54 PM BST

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European airlines press to get everyone home
Topic: europe travel, france24, bbc new

Play Video AFP – Europe's airspace reopens for business

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Condensation trails of aircraft are seen over Frankfurt, central Germany, Thursday, April 22, 2010, as German air traffic returned to normality after

AP – Condensation trails of aircraft are seen over Frankfurt, central Germany, Thursday, April 22, 2010, as …

by Natalie de Vallieres, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

– 8 mins ago

BRUSSELS – European airports sent thousands of planes into the sky Thursday after a week of unprecedented disruptions, with airlines piling on more flights and bigger planes to try to get as many people home as possible.

Nearly all of the continent's 28,000 scheduled flights, including more than 300 trans-Atlantic routes, were going ahead. Every plane was packed, however, as airlines squeezed in some of the hundreds of thousands who had been stranded for days among passengers with regular Thursday tickets.

Airlines said, despite their efforts, there was no quick and easy solution to cut down the backlog of passengers.

"Quite frankly we don't have an answer to this," said David Henderson, spokesman for the Association of European Airlines, which predicted it would take several days to get all stranded passengers to their destinations. "We don't know where they are and in what numbers, so we would expect it will go on into the early part of next week."

Shifting winds sent a new plume of volcanic ash over Scandinavia, forcing some airports to close again. The new airspace restrictions applied to parts of northern Scotland, southern Norway, Sweden and Finland, said Kyla Evans, spokeswoman for Eurocontrol, the European air traffic agency.

Some oil rig workers were trapped Thursday on platforms in the North Sea because helicopters were grounded.

A week of airspace closures caused by the ash threat to planes created the worst breakdown in civil aviation in Europe since World War II. More than 100,000 flights were canceled and airlines are on track to lose over $2 billion. The aviation crisis that began with an April 14 volcanic eruption in Iceland left millions of passengers in limbo and sparked calls for a wholesale reform of Europe's air traffic system.

Some travelers got a break. Authorities chartered a luxury cruise ship — the Celebrity Eclipse — to pick up 2,200 tourists in the northern Spanish port of Bilbao on Thursday and bring them back to England. A British Royal Navy ship also arrived in Portsmouth, southern England, carrying 440 troops coming home from Afghanistan and 280 civilians back from Santander, Spain.

Countries and airlines pitched in to resolve the crisis.

Spain, which was mostly open during the crisis, arranged for more than 600 special flights to help move an estimated 90,000 stranded passengers out over the past three days.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and its partners were expanding capacity on high-traffic routes from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport in hopes of decreasing the backlog. The routes included New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Sao Paolo, Dubai, Cairo, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Osaka.

In Germany, Frankfurt and Munich airports reported about 90 percent of flights operating. Fraport AG, which operates Frankfurt International Airport — Europe's third-busiest — said it would waive parking charges for planes stuck there over the last week.

All of British airspace was open and major airports such as London's Heathrow — Europe's busiest — were running nearly full schedules. British Airways said all of its flights from London's Gatwick and City airports would take off, as well as the "vast majority" from Heathrow.

Still, flights around Britain posed potential ash ingestion problems. The ministry of defense said training flights by Typhoon fighters were suspended Thursday after ash was found in one jet's engine.

It was not immediately clear where the flight was conducted. But military jets are more susceptible to volcanic ash than civilian planes because their engines operate at higher temperatures due to more extreme performance requirements. That makes it more likely the ash will melt inside the engine and cause disruptions.

The U.S. Air Force said normal flights resumed at its bases in Britain, Italy and Germany.

Many trans-Atlantic planes between the United States and Europe were assigned flight paths above the ash cloud that still hovered east of Iceland, flying at over 35,000 feet (10,670 meters) high.

Scientists at Iceland's meteorological office said the Eyjafjallajokull volcano produced very little ash Thursday but remained quite active, with magma boiling in the crater. The plume of ash was below 10,000 feet (3 kilometers) and winds were not expected to take it over 20,000 feet.

Geophysicist Steinunn Jakobsdottir said volcanic ash was expected to fall south and southwest of the crater in southern Iceland in the coming days but it would not disrupt air travel between Europe and North America.

The volcano threw up magma chunks the size of cars and sent powerful shock waves into the air as an Associated Press reporter, photographer and television crew flew over it Wednesday in a helicopter.

In a black crater in the middle of a glacier, red magma thrashed about, propelling steaming blobs of lava onto the surrounding ice. Charges of gas — which surge from deep inside the mountain through the magma and cause tremors 15 miles (25 kilometers) away — exploded occasionally in a molten rock fireworks show.

The air around the volcano shivered with a constant, menacing growl. Bolts of lightning shot through the fumes and an eerie glow pervaded the pit of fire.

In response to the flight disruptions, Eurocontrol — the Brussels-based intergovernmental agency comprising 38 nations — was assembling a team of experts to analyze the lessons of the airspace closure,

EU spokeswoman Helen Kearns said Thursday the crisis had exposed serious flaws in the continent-wide air traffic control system. "Consumers and businesses have paid a high price over the past few days for a fragmented patchwork of air spaces," she said.

The EU has 27 national air traffic control networks, 60 air traffic centers and hundreds of approach centers and towers. The airspace is a jigsaw puzzle of more than 650 sectors. French traffic controllers have gone on strike to protect their lucrative jobs.

In contrast, the U.S. air traffic management system manages twice the number of EU flights for a similar cost but uses only about 20 control centers.

European governments and civil aviation authorities have defended their decisions to ground fleets and close the skies — and later to reopen them — against heated accusations by airline chiefs that the decisions were based on flawed data or unsubstantiated fears.

The International Air Transport Association has called on the EU to quickly compensate airlines for lost revenue, much like the U.S. government did following the 9/11 terror attacks.

IATA also demanded that the EU's strict passenger rights rules — which force airlines to pay for hotels and meals for routine flight delays — be relaxed to reflect the extraordinary nature of the ash crisis.

Budget airline Ryanair did a surprise U-turn Thursday and agreed to pay for stranded customers' hotel and food bills after being faced with huge EU fines if it did not.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary has called the EU travel rights rules "absurd" and discriminatory against airlines because ferry, rail and bus companies only have to pay for the price of a passenger's ticket.

___

Posted by biginla at 3:57 PM BST

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Your email updates, powered by FeedBlitz Here are the FeedBlitz email updates for biginla@bbcnews.com
Topic: feedblitz, bbc news, biodun igin

Wed, April 21, 2010 7:38:47


To:	biginla <biginla@bbcnews.com>

Twitter / BiodunIginla

BiodunIginla: Feds: Blackwater president had 'scofflaw attitude' - http://tinyurl.com/28zg668 and more...

BiodunIginla: Feds: Blackwater president had 'scofflaw attitude' - http://tinyurl.com/28zg668

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Posted by biginla at 3:51 PM BST

Updated: Thursday, 22 April 2010 3:52 PM BST

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German bishop offers to resign over abuse
Topic: catholic church sex scandal, suz

by Natalie de Vallieres, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

34 minutes ago

BERLIN — A leading conservative Roman Catholic bishop in Germany has written to Pope Benedict XVI offering to resign amid persistent allegations of physical abuse of children and financial misconduct, the Augsburg Diocese said Thursday.

Bishop Walter Mixa wrote a letter to the pope on Wednesday, the Augsburg diocese said in a statement, offering to step down in hope of allowing a "new start" for his diocese. He said he would cooperate fully with investigators and offered an apology.

"I ask the forgiveness of all those to whom I may have been unfair and to those who I may have caused heartache," Mixa wrote, acknowledging that he was "fully aware of my own weaknesses."

The Vatican does not comment on possible resignations.

Mixa was unavailable for comment, his diocese said, adding he had "retreated for the time being."

Mixa has been accused of hitting children while a priest decades ago. He initially denied ever using violence against youngsters in a televised interview, but after intense pressure, acknowledged several weeks later that he may have slapped children years ago.

Although the case does not involve any allegations of sexual abuse, Mixa has been a key member of Germany's Bishops Conference for more than a decade and his initial denial of physical violence fueled frustration among German Catholics who saw it as fresh evidence that the church was unwilling to come clean on the issue of abuse.

"The step was long overdue. I don't understand how he could withhold it for such a long time, and I'm anxious to see what will happen to the allegations," Klaus Moeller, a resident of Augsburg, told AP Television News.

Adding to Mixa's troubles, a special investigator has found financial irregularities at a children's home under his responsibility around the same time as the allegations of abuse.

Mixa said in his letter he would support efforts for a "thorough investigation" into all the allegations.

On Wednesday, the head of Germany's national bishops' conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, urged Mixa to take leave until the allegations are cleared up. On Thursday, Zollitsch praised Mixa's decision and said the bishops' conference had accepted it.

Yet it remains to be seen whether the move will be enough to convince disillusioned Catholics that their church is trying to change. Church authorities in Augsburg say they have seen a 60 percent increase in people leaving the church since the allegations first surfaced in late March.

"It was already clear to me when he gave his first interview where he disputed he ever touched any children that things don't work this way," said Guenther Schatzelmeier, who has not left the Catholic church despite the scandals. "Somehow all these people have lost touch with reality."

Posted by biginla at 3:41 PM BST

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BBC News, London, UK--April 22, 2010, by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, London, UK
Topic: bbc 2, biodun iginla



	Wednesday, 21 April, 2010, 23:00 GMT 24:00 +01:00:Europe/London




TOP STORIES

	Europe skies head back to normal Air traffic in Europe should be back to "almost 100%" after six days of unprecedented travel chaos, air traffic officials say.

	Oil platform blaze off Louisiana US coast guards search the Gulf of Mexico for at least 11 people missing after an explosion and fire on an oil rig.

	Sun 'microscope' returns images Stunning new images are released of huge explosions and looping gases on the Sun, captured by Nasa's new solar mission.

	Luxury South Africa train crashes A South African luxury tourist Rovos Rail train carrying 55 people derails in Pretoria, killing at least two people.

	Syrian smoking ban takes effect Syria becomes the first Arab state to implement a ban on smoking in public places, including restaurants and cafes.




AFRICA

	Luxury South Africa train crashes A South African luxury tourist Rovos Rail train carrying 55 people derails in Pretoria, killing at least two people.

	Kagame rival arrested in Rwanda A Rwandan opposition leader is arrested on charges that include collaborating with a terrorist organisation and denying the genocide.

	Reprisal killings in Jos, Nigeria Nigeria's military exhumes seven bodies from shallow graves near Jos, as apparent revenge killings continue.




AMERICAS

	Oil platform blaze off Louisiana US coast guards search the Gulf of Mexico for at least 11 people missing after an explosion and fire on an oil rig.

	Brazil awards Amazon dam contract A consortium of nine companies wins the right to build a controversial dam on a tributary of the Amazon in Brazil.

	Civil rights leader Height dies One of the pioneering voices of the US civil rights movement, Dorothy Height, dies at the age of 98.




ASIA-PACIFIC

	China remembers earthquake dead Flags fly at half mast across China as it holds a national day of mourning for the more than 2,000 victims of the Qinghai quake.

	Thai reds fortify city barricades Thai anti-government protesters build up barricades in Bangkok, as hints emerge of possible new talks.

	Bakiyev defiant over Kyrgyz role Ousted Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, in exile in Belarus, says he is still his country's legitimate leader.




EUROPE

	Europe skies head back to normal Air traffic in Europe should be back to "almost 100%" after six days of unprecedented travel chaos, air traffic officials say.

	'Paltry' carbon curbs point to 3C Pledges made at the Copenhagen summit are very unlikely to keep global warming below 2C, researchers find.

	Former IOC chief Samaranch dies Former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch dies in hospital after being taken ill at the weekend.




MIDDLE EAST

	Lebanese PM denies missile claim The Lebanese PM Saad Hariri denies Israel's allegation that militant group Hezbollah has been supplied with Scud missiles.

	Anger over Israel settler 'riot' Israel's military dubs as "intolerable" what it described as a riot by settlers in the West Bank.

	US Navy man denies Iraq cover-up A US Navy officer goes on trial over an alleged attack on a man accused of killing four Blackwater private security guards.




SOUTH ASIA

	India steps up tax probe into IPL Indian tax officials widen their investigation into alleged corruption in the Indian Premier League as semi-finals begin.

	India sex scandal guru arrested Police in India say a Hindu holy man facing charges of obscenity over a video sex scandal has been arrested.

	New Sri Lankan premier sworn in Sri Lanka's president appoints a party veteran as prime minister after his coalition wins a landslide in elections.




UK

	Thousands return after ash chaos Thousands of air passengers return to the UK after a six-day flight ban caused by volcanic ash.

	Boycott threatens Sats test chaos Head teachers have announced plans to boycott next month's Sats tests for primary school pupils in England.

	Clegg denies donation wrongdoing Nick Clegg has denied any wrongdoing after money given by party donors was paid to his private account.




UK POLITICS

	Brown confirms election on 6 May Prime Minister Gordon Brown, flanked by members of his cabinet in Downing Street, calls the UK General Election for 6 May.

	Live: General election 2010 Live text and video coverage of all the latest developments as the 2010 general election campaign gets under way.

	Election is 'not two-horse race' Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says the election will not be the usual "two-horse race" between Labour and Conservatives.




ENGLAND

	Mother jailed for neglecting baby A mother whose 13-month-old son was found in front of a gas fire at their Manchester home is jailed for neglect.

	Charity boss tortured prostitutes The ex-boss of a Liverpool children's charity is jailed for the "sadistic torture" of women in a string of sex attacks.

	Wallaby on loose in Dorset caught A wallaby on the loose in Dorset is safely captured by RSPCA officers and taken to a local foster home.




NORTHERN IRELAND

	Flights resume as air ban lifted Some flights arrive and take off from Belfast International Airport and George Best City Airport after restrictions on UK airspace are eased.

	Pipe bomb explosion investigated Police in Limavady are investigating reports that a pipe bomb exploded outside a house.

	Easing of Quinn's UK trading ban Ireland's Financial Regulator partially lifts restrictions placed on Quinn Insurance that prevented it from issuing new cover in the UK.




SCOTLAND

	Five cleared over da Vinci plot Five men accused of conspiring to extort £4.25m for the return of a Leonardo da Vinci painting are cleared.

	Man guilty of murdering soldier A 28-year-old man is found guilty of stabbing a soldier to death outside his family home in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire.

	Campaign focus on jobs and energy The UK election drive in Scotland is taking on an energy and jobs theme, as campaigning north of the Border continues.




WALES

	Recovery 'fragile' admits Brown Gordon Brown sets out how Labour would tackle the economic recovery on his first election campaign visit to Wales.

	Warning as Cardiff flights resume Cardiff Airport managers say a number of flights are resuming after a six-day no-fly ban imposed because of volcanic ash.

	Aamir murder appeal over vehicle Police investigating the murder of teenager Aamir Siddiqi seek information about a car seen in the area the day he died.




ENTERTAINMENT

	Worthington tipped to be next 007 Avatar actor Sam Worthington is tipped to become the next 007 in the wake of news the 23rd Bond film has been placed on indefinite hold.

	Notorious death case is dismissed A wrongful death civil law action against the city of Los Angeles over the shooting of rapper Biggie Smalls in 1997 is dismissed.

	Clarkson slated for tobacco link US pop singer Kelly Clarkson is attacked for allowing an upcoming gig in Jakarta, Indonesia to be sponsored by a local cigarette brand.




SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

	'Paltry' carbon curbs point to 3C Pledges made at the Copenhagen summit are very unlikely to keep global warming below 2C, researchers find.

	Sun 'microscope' returns images Stunning new images are released of huge explosions and looping gases on the Sun, captured by Nasa's new solar mission.

	Light shed on bee-tricking orchid The secrets of orchids that trick male insects into pollinating them by mimicking females are revealed by scientists.




TECHNOLOGY

	Banking virus is back warns firm A new version of Zeus, a virus that steals usernames and passwords, is spreading fast say experts.

	Google shows official data calls For the first time Google releases data on how often countries ask it to hand over user data or to censor information.

	Facebook shuts down its Lite site Facebook shuts its Lite site, a stripped down version of the original aimed at users with slow or poor internet connections.




HEALTH

	Cancer gene therapy result hailed Strathclyde University scientists believe they may have made a "breakthrough" in using gene therapy to treat tumours.

	Hospital death rates 'poor test' Death rates are a poor measure of hospital care and should not be used to trigger public inquiries, experts say.

	Brain training 'boost' questioned Brain training games do not improve overall brain power, a scientific study launched by the BBC suggests.

ON THIS DAY NEWS FROM THE BBC ARCHIVES

1945: Red Army enters outskirts of Berlin
Russian troops capture some outlying suburbs of Berlin at the beginning of what promises to be a bitter battle for control of the city.

1987: Tamil Tigers blamed for bus garage blast
More than 100 people have been killed after a bomb exploded in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

1975: Vietnam's President Thieu resigns
The President of South Vietnam steps down accusing the United States of betrayal in a blistering attack broadcast to the nation

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Posted by biginla at 3:34 PM BST

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Obama keeps up pressure for financial overhaul
Topic: us economic downturn, melissa gr

Play Video CBS 2 New York – Pres. Obama Makes Case For Reform In NYC

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AP – President Barack Obama and bipartisan Senate leaders discuss the Supreme Court vacancy left by the retirement …

by Melissa Gruz, BBC News Analyst, covering the Obama Administration for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

– 5 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is taking his argument for stronger oversight of the financial industry to the city where the economic meltdown began. Without change on Wall Street, he says, America is doomed to repeat the past.

In a speech Thursday at New York's Cooper Union college to hundreds of students, faculty, local leaders and business executives two miles from Wall Street, Obama was ramping up pressure on Congress for legislation imposing new financial regulations and explaining the risks of doing nothing.

The president also was calling on Wall Street to join — not fight — the overhaul effort.

Obama spoke at Cooper Union as a presidential candidate in March 2008 and decried practices that he said too often rewarded financial manipulation instead of productivity and sound business practices.

"I take no satisfaction in noting that my comments have largely been borne out by the events that followed," Obama said in excerpts of his prepared remarks for Thursday, which the White House released several hours before the speech.

"But I repeat what I said then because it is essential that we learn the lessons of this crisis, so we don't doom ourselves to repeat it. And make no mistake, that is exactly what will happen if we allow this moment to pass — an outcome that is unacceptable to me and to the American people," he said.

The sweeping regulation represents the broadest attempt to overhaul the U.S. financial system since the 1930s, and aims to prevent another crisis. Democrats are preparing to bring the Senate version of the bill up for debate, but solid GOP opposition has complicated the effort. Senate negotiators said they had made progress toward a compromise bill that could command support from both sides.

The legislation would create a mechanism for liquidating large, interconnected financial firms that are so big that their sudden collapse could shake the economy. At the height of the crisis in 2008, the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve were forced to provide billions of taxpayer dollars to prop up the giant insurer American International Group Inc., several banks and various financial institutions considered too big to fail. The moves were highly unpopular with voters.

Democrats have accused Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky of aiding efforts by the financial industry and others to fend off the attempt to impose tighter regulation.

McConnell has raised concerns about the bill. But he also has said the measure can be fixed and he has pushed for the bipartisan talks to continue.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was expected in the audience of approximately 700 financial industry leaders, consumer advocates, presidential advisers, local officials, students, faculty and others for Obama's speech.

___

Posted by biginla at 3:21 PM BST

Updated: Thursday, 22 April 2010 3:25 PM BST

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The Insider Weekly by Biodun Iginla, BBC News, London, UK
Topic: entertainment, movies, biodun ig

Wedding Bells for Christina Applegate

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Larry King: Publicity Stunt or Heartache

Last week, it was announced that Larry King and wife, Shawn Southwick were filing for divorce. Now his lawyer has said that he might not go through with the divorce after all. Do you think this is the real deal, or just a publicity stunt to boost his ratings?
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Posted by biginla at 3:16 PM BST

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Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Feds: Blackwater president had 'scofflaw attitude'
Topic: blackwater, Gary Jackson, suzann

by Suzanne Gould, BBC News, for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

– 12 mins ago

RALEIGH, N.C. – Federal prosecutors launched a scathing assessment of Blackwater Worldwide's former president Wednesday, declaring in an initial court appearance that he operated the security firm with "sheer arrogance" and a "scofflaw attitude."

Gary Jackson and four past colleagues indicted last week appeared Wednesday morning before a judge who allowed them to go free as they await trial. A magistrate judge denied a government request to place a bond on each defendant but ordered them to turn over passports and refrain from possessing firearms.

The first court hearing offered a brief glimpse into the combative nature of a case that pits the federal government against former officials at a company that for years played a crucial role as a government contractor protecting U.S. officials in war zones.

Prosecutors slammed Jackson, arguing that he flouted federal regulations while building the lucrative security enterprise. As an example, assistant US attorney John Bowler said Jackson participated in an effort to falsify federal documents to hide that the company had provided guns as a gift to the king of Jordan.

"It is just another display of sheer arrogance and scofflaw attitude," Bowler said.

Ken Bell, an attorney for Jackson, said federal officials were frequently aware of Blackwater's activities and were on scene when the company provided weapons to Jordanian officials. He dismissed the charges as nothing more than "regulatory offenses."

"At most, certain forms were not filled out," he said.

The charges against Jackson, 52, include a conspiracy to violate firearms laws, false statements, possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm. Also indicted were former Blackwater general counsel Andrew Howell, 44; former executive vice president Bill Mathews, 44; former procurement vice president Ana Bundy, 45; and former weapons manager Ronald Slezak, 65.

Each of the defendants was charged as part of a conspiracy to violate firearms laws. Mathews also was charged with possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered weapon. Howell was charged with two counts of obstruction of justice. Slezak was charged with false statements. Bundy was charged with obstruction of justice.

All five, wearing suits, quietly sat together in the first row of a cramped courtroom, talking only when a judge asked them brief questions. Next to them was a group of tattooed defendants who wore T-shirts and handcuffs during their first appearance on drug charges.

Jackson and other top officials at Blackwater left the Moyock-based firm last year during a management shake-up, around the time the company changed its name to Xe Services.

Blackwater has been trying to rehabilitate its image since a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that killed 17 people, outraged the Iraqi government and led to federal charges against several Blackwater guards. The accusations later were thrown out of court after a judge found prosecutors mishandled evidence.

In the current case, prosecutors cited several cases in which they say Blackwater bypassed federal rules. In one, they accused the company of setting up a straw purchase in which the firm acquired machine guns such as AK-47s by using a North Carolina sheriff's letterhead. In another, they said the company converted long-barrel rifles to short-barrel weapons for its contractors and didn't register the guns as federal rules require.

Bell said the automatic weapons were acquired in conjunction with the Camden County Sheriff's Office. He said Blackwater had all the licenses required to manufacture short-barrel weapons, something he said contractors needed to do their government work.

"They were not able to perform these functions — and keep themselves alive — with long-barrel weapons," he said.

The maximum penalty for each charge ranges from five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Posted by biginla at 8:18 PM BST

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