Syria tests internet freedom theory

Syria tests internet freedom theory

Syria, now in political upheaval, had been going through an internet revolution before protests began

(CNN) -- In the wake of Egypt's "Facebook revolution," which was fueled in part by online social networks, much has been made about the role of technology in encouraging or even creating democracy.

"If you want to liberate a society, just give them the internet," said Wael Ghonim, one of Egypt's tech-savvy revolutionaries.

Syria, the latest country in the region to announce reforms in the wake of protests, is a curious test of that theory.

The country -- squished between Iraq and Turkey -- is known as one of the world's toughest police states. But unlike in Egypt and Tunisia, the government supported the development of local technology, at least before the protests that pushed President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday to announce the resignation of most of the country's government officials.

The president has not given up power. He addressed the country on Wednesday, blaming the protests on an international conspiracy and calling the situation "a test of our unity."

There are at least three ways to read this fluid situation.

First: Syria is an exception to Ghonim's theory about internet freedom, since the tools of online revolution have failed, at least to date, to bring about a fundamental change in power in the country. Some scholars say Syria has successfully used the internet to monitor would-be dissidents, keeping them from using the internet to organize.

Second: We're watching another tech-led revolution unfold. The Syrian government reportedly unblocked access to Facebook amid the turmoil in Egypt and Tunisia. Perhaps that was enough to spark recent changes.

Third: The internet has had little impact on Syrian reform. Conflicting reports suggest the internet and some mobile apps may have been blocked recently.

Coming events in Syria will challenge or support these theories.

No matter the outcome, a look at Syria's nascent tech renaissance -- bubbling long before violence in the country started making headlines -- offers a framework for understanding these current events.

Local techies hosted iPhone app development contests; they created websites, including a Syrian version of Foursquare; they went to internet cafes, which are so common "you can't walk without stumbling upon one," one blogger said; they blogged, sometimes under real names; and they used proxy servers to access Western sites and information.

About one in five Syrians is online and nearly half use mobile phones. Those tech penetration rates are only slightly lower than in Egypt.

If internet equals freedom, then these activities should lead to the end of the regime -- meaning internet technology would be something the Syrian government should fear. In reality, however, Syria's ruling party at times supported the digital tools that have spelled disaster for authoritarian regimes elsewhere.

"We're going to see dramatic changes still in the ways Syrians use the internet," one Syrian tech entrepreneur said by phone before protests broke out. "Now (people) feel more comfortable doing this; they're not doing something that is going to be frowned upon. They're not doing it under the table. They're doing it openly."

'There is change'

Many of Syria's tech entrepreneurs seem to have no political aspirations.

In interviews before the recent protests, they were quick to say they're interested in technology for technology's sake.

One Syrian app developer, referred to here as Ahmed to protect his real identity, moved back to the country after going to school in Texas. When he arrived, there weren't many "social" websites or apps to speak of, so he created one.

The reason: He wanted to know the hippest place to grab dinner or a beer with friends. He said he's not the type to dabble in politics.

Syria is becoming a good place for tech entrepreneurs, he said.

"I'm the kind of person who thinks things are getting better here," he said. "There is a change. Maybe it's not as fast as everybody hopes -- but it is happening."

Syria's 'Day of Rage'

Syrians organized a "Day of Rage" on Facebook, similar to the Facebook event that helped kick off Egypt's revolution.

Unlike in Egypt, where protests raged for 18 days and eventually toppled the 30-year regime of Hosni Mubarak, only a dozen people showed up to that first planned event, which was scheduled for February 4, according to news reports.

Those who did were arrested or dispersed.

Subsequent protests in the south of Syria have attracted more attention and clashes with security police have resulted in the deaths of 73 people, according to Human Rights Watch.

Conversely, tens of thousands of people crowded the streets of Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday in support of the government.

It was soon after that initial February 4 demonstration that the government legalized Facebook, which had been banned since 2007, according to local internet users. Members of Syria's tech elite saw this as a vote of support from the government -- a sign the government trusted people to use social media for personal reasons while keeping their digital hands out of coup-plotting.

"Facebook is like part of the culture right now, it's unbelievable. Everybody knows Facebook," one tech entrepreneur said.

People outside the country, however, who are freer to speak their minds without fear of government intimidation, were skeptical of Syria's motives.

"The message is clear: They don't want people talking," said a young Syrian blogger now living in the United States, referred to here as Salam. "Unblocking Facebook and YouTube was just a charade. They wanted to show that they had some confidence and they weren't afraid of such protests going on in Syria."

Evgeny Morozov, an internet scholar at Stanford University and author of "The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom," put it this way:

"The end result is that the Syrian police will be able to monitor its opponents much better, and if they want to, they would be able to trace their locations, they would be able to arrest them and intimidate them."

It seems, despite Ghonim's claim that the internet will liberate people, technology can be used as tool for both freedom and repression.

Crack-down on dissent

Fears of arrest and intimidation have been very real inside Syria.

Shortly after Syria made Facebook legal, the government arrested and four days later released a blogger, Ahmad Hadifa, 28, who allegedly had been critical of the regime, according to the human rights group Reporters Without Borders.

Authorities in February also handed down a five-year prison sentence to Tal Al-Mallouhi, then age 19, who the group says is the world's youngest imprisoned blogger.

Reporters Without Borders puts Syria on its "Enemies of the internet" list for spying on citizens and using digital tools to crack down on dissent. According to The Atlantic, a 50-year-old "emergency law" in Syria "outlaws unofficial gatherings and abets the regular practice of beating, imprisoning, torturing, or killing political dissidents, human rights workers, and minorities."

Watching such events creates a chilling climate of self-censorship, said Salam, the Syrian-born blogger. It's difficult to press the "send" button on anything that could be considered even remotely controversial.

"You're always cautious of what you write. You're always wondering if what you write will get you in trouble," he said. "The Syrian bloggers who were writing about the recent arrests ... had to contemplate things for a few days or a week before posting."

Encouraging the internet

While it may not encourage the open expression of ideas, Syria certainly has encouraged the development of an internet infrastructure.

This is a shift from past practices.

Salam remembers the first time he got online, in 2000, when the Syrian government first decided to let the technology in.

"It's like somebody who got a new toy basically and they were so excited to figure out what they could do with it," he said.

Soon, he had started a blog -- "typos, teen angst, stuff like that" -- from his parents' home in a town in the southern part of the country.

It wasn't long before it was shut down, he said.

"Basically it feels like you were violated when you did nothing wrong," he said. "It was absurd. There was no good reason given."

At least before the recent protests, Syria's president, who has a Facebook page and is the former head of the country's computer society, appeared to see the internet boom as a continuation of Syria's history -- not a tool that would change its course.

"We are the fastest growing internet user in the Middle East," al-Assad told The Wall Street Journal in a rare interview published January 31. "And this is because of the nature of the Syrians: They are very open generally ... They want to learn."

Building a tech scene

Some Syrians have been geeks-in-training for years.

At age 3, Ahmed, the app developer, used his father's screwdriver to dismantle a radio. Then the family got a VCR -- and he took that apart, too, wanting to see how it worked. "My dad used to lock the drawer where he had all the screw drivers because he was afraid I would do something," he said.

Now he plans to keep building.

He's unsure if his social website will take off in Syria.

But, at least before the recent wave of protests, he was encouraged by how quickly Syria is taking to technology.

Where that tech adoption will lead remains an open question.

Can Syrians break the fear barrier?

Can Syrians break the fear barrier?

Anti-government protesters on the streets of Daraa, 100km south of the capital Damascus, on March 23

CNN) -- Fear has been one of the biggest hurdles for those pushing for political change in Syria.

Recent protests in Syria are unprecedented in a country that has had a state of emergency in place since 1963. A Syrian government spokesman has indicated that the emergency laws may be lifted, but no timescale has been given.

Arbitrary arrests, intimidation, torture and travel bans are widespread, according to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Amnesty International has urged President Bashar Al-Assad, in power since taking over from his father in 2000, to lift the country's "repressive laws."

At least 37 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, particularly in the cities of Daraa and Latakia in the past week, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.

While there are some signs that the fear barrier has begun to break down, many still feel scared to speak openly.

A 26-year-old Syrian blogger, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, said: "I disagree with protest, not because I'm with government, but because I know what the government will do and how it will deal with such thing, Daraa as an example. People know things will go bloody for sure."

He added: "Many Syrians have broken through a fear barrier in the past week, especially young people, but too many are still scared."

The blogger works mostly in Algeria, but is returning home to Syria this week. He said he would be clearing his laptop hard-drive and emptying his email account before arriving.

He said: "Recently I passed the red line a little bit on my blog. I started blogging on real social issues and the Syrian ministries. All people who know me ask me to stop writing because they love me and want me to be safe. I do feel threatened."

He estimated there was a 40% chance he would be arrested or detained for questioning when he returned to Syria this week.

The blogger said he noticed when he wrote on political issues, Syrians were too afraid to respond to his blog.

"Now it's very dangerous and a lot of people stop contacting me," he said. "They are afraid to put 'like' on Facebook. I know they are reading what I wrote because I see statistics."

A British journalist living and working in Damascus, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said fear levels were still high.

"There's a sense of tension as to whether there will be more bloodshed. People are still scared because we have all seen the response has been pretty brutal," he said.

"However, people are feeling a bit bolder. I wouldn't be surprised to see people talking a bit more openly about politics."

The journalist cut short his phone call with CNN because he was in a café and nervous of speaking in a public place. He said working as a journalist in Syria was difficult.

"Journalists are being clamped down on. Many have been arrested and others are stopped from going to certain places. We have to remain low-key about what we are doing," he said.

"Generally, Syrian journalists practice self-censorship to avoid getting into trouble. Foreign journalists risk being thrown out of the country. I write without bylines."

The British journalist added that he believed there would be some change.

"The protests have definitely got the government worried. We have already seen the recognition of problems from the government. This government is not used to being questioned, so even though the protests have not been on the same scale as elsewhere they are enough to cause change."

Ribal Al-Assad, director of the London-based Organization for Democracy and Freedom in Syria, agrees that the fact that Syrians have taken to the streets in protest could create real change.

Al-Assad, a cousin of the Syrian president who has lived in exile since the age of nine, said: "I'm confident that things will change because the genie can't be put back in the bottle. We can't let this pass. Everybody in Syria has a satellite dish and they follow the news. They see how other people live around the world and they want to live better too.

"We will not accept any less than what our brothers in Egypt and Tunisia have. People are starving and they see the corruption of those around them."

Berlusconi: Migrants to leave Lampedusa in 48 hours

Berlusconi: Migrants to leave Lampedusa in 48 hours

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has promised that the island of Lampedusa will soon be free of migrants.

Mr Berlusconi had earlier described the immigrants as "poor wretches"

Thousands of people have arrived on the island south of Sicily since January, travelling from Tunisia and Libya.

Officials say sanitary conditions have become "desperate" and islanders have staged protests at the town hall.

On a visit to the island, Mr Berlusconi announced to a crowd that in "48 to 60 hours Lampedusa will be inhabited only by Lampedusans".

About 20,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean since the upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East began in January.

Emergency

Some 6,000 migrants - more than the total population of the island - are now living there in makeshift camps.

There were no new arrivals on Tuesday night, Italian media reported, the first night with no new immigrants for some time.

On Wednesday morning, five ships arrived, sent by the Italian government to Lampedusa to take migrants to camps on the mainland. One of the ships was the naval vessel San Marco and the rest were civilian ferries, reports said. Another boat was expected later.

Mr Berlusconi's plane arrived on the island shortly after 1300 local time.

After meeting the regional governor and mayor of Lampedusa, he addressed a crowd of islanders outside the town hall, promising a series of measures including tax breaks and welfare benefits.

He also said there would be a plan to relaunch Lampedusa's tourist industry, which has been badly hit by the influx from North Africa.

The previous evening, he had described the immigrants arriving on Lampedusa as "poor wretches" fleeing a world without freedom and democracy.

Repatriation

Although most of the immigrants on the island are expected to be transferred to Sicily or camps on mainland Italy, negotiations are said to be under way to repatriate a number of people to Tunisia.

Most of the arrivals since January have sailed from Tunisia, but in recent days boats have come from Libya as well.

he BBC's Duncan Kennedy, in Rome, says that Italy, as the former colonial power in Libya, does not want to provoke the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, into sending thousands more migrants fleeing.

Early on in the crisis, Col Gaddafi threatened to do just that, if the EU backed military action.

Migrants who can prove they are refugees from a conflict are eligible for asylum in the EU under human rights conventions.

The European Commission says EU member states must address the surge in migration produced by the unrest in North Africa.

Some 20,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean since the upheavals began

Workers endure austere conditions in averting nuclear disaster

Workers endure austere conditions in averting nuclear disaster

Austere conditions for Fukushima workers

Tokyo (CNN) -- They sleep anywhere they can find open space -- in conference rooms, corridors, even stairwells. They have one blanket, no pillows and a leaded mat intended to keep radiation at bay.

They eat only two meals each day -- a carefully rationed breakfast of 30 crackers and vegetable juice and for dinner, a ready-to-eat meal or something out of a can.They clean themselves with wet wipes, since the supply of fresh water is short.

These are the grueling living conditions for the workers inside Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. They've been hailed as heroes risking their lives by braving high levels of radiation as they work to avert a nuclear meltdown.

But until now, the outside world has known little about the workers' routine.

Tuesday, safety inspector Kazuma Yokota, who spent five days at the plant last week, spoke with CNN about the plight of the 400 workers staying in a building within 1 kilometer (.6 of a mile) of Reactor No. 1. Japanese officials ordered mandatory evacuations for everyone else within 20 (12.4 miles) kilometers of the plant.

The workers look tired, Yokota said. They are furiously connecting electrical cables, repairing instrument panels and pumping radioactive water out.

They work with the burden of their own personal tragedies always weighing heavily.

"My parents were washed away by the tsunami, and I still don't know where they are," one worker wrote in an e-mail that was verified as authentic by a spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the Fukushima plant.

"Crying is useless," said another e-mail. "If we're in hell now, all we can do is crawl up towards heaven."

But they are doing it all with the kind of determination required in a task with such high stakes. There's no room for plummeting morale and the workers are not showing any signs of spirits flagging, Yokota said.

However upbeat the workers are, there's no denying the conditions are beyond difficult.

"On the ground at the nuclear power plant, the workers are working under very dangerous and very hard conditions, and I feel a great deal of respect for them," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters Tuesday.

The workers spend three days on site and go off for one. They start their work day at 8 a.m. and go for 12 long hours.

Gary Was, a nuclear engineering expert at the University of Michigan, told CNN Tuesday that contaminated seawater brings potential danger "and they need to take all precautions."

Particulates that land on the skin or are ingested "can be a constant source of radiation into the future," Was said. "You need to be very careful not to ingest any of that."

Was said officials need to remove and store contaminated water.

Last week, three men who were laying electrical cable in the turbine building of the No. 3 reactor stepped in tainted water, exposing themselves to high levels of radiation. Tokyo Electric apologized and said their exposure might have been avoided with better communication.

Radiation alarms went off while the three men were working, but they continued with their mission for 40 to 50 minutes after assuming it was a false alarm. They were hospitalized after it was determined they had been exposed to 173 to 181 millisieverts of radiation -- two of them with direct exposure on their skin. They were later released.

By comparison, a person in an industrialized country is naturally exposed to 3 millisieverts per year, though Japan's Health Ministry has said that those working directly to avert the nuclear crisis could be exposed to as much as 250 millisieverts before they must leave the site.

The incident also prompted further criticism of Tokyo Electric and how well it is safeguarding the workers.

Yokota said the power company hoped to improve living conditions for the workers by moving them to another facility. Edano said officials also hope to find replacements in order to relieve the workers at the plant.

Until then, they will continue as the faceless heroes in Japan's tragedy, the nation's only hope of thwarting further disaster.

Man faces terrorism charges after Toronto arrest

Man faces terrorism charges after Toronto arrest

Al-Shabaab fighters form an armed group of mostly young adherents in Somalia with links to al-Qaeda. Mohamed Sheikh Nor/Associated Press

A man suspected of travelling to Somalia to join what has been deemed by Canada as a terrorist group has been arrested and charged in Toronto by RCMP.

The man was arrested at Pearson International Airport without incident Tuesday evening, the RCMP said in a release.

It's alleged the man was bound for Cairo after a stop in London, England.

The man was then due to travel to Somalia "to join [the militant group] al-Shabaab and participate in their terrorist activities," RCMP allege.

He faces charges of attempting to participate in terrorist activity, and providing counsel to a person to participate in terrorist activity.

His arrest comes after a joint investigation by the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team and the Toronto Police Service's intelligence division.

The man is in custody pending a court appearance later Wednesday.

His identity will be revealed after his charges are entered in court, RCMP said.

Australian illustrator wins children's book award

Australian illustrator wins children's book award

Melbourne author and illustrator Shaun Tan has won a prestigious award for children's literature.

Tan also won an Oscar in February for best animated short film for The Lost Thing. 

Tan has been awarded Sweden's Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is named after the Swedish creator of Pippi Longstocking.

The prize amounts to 5 million kroner ($765,000), making it the world's richest for the genre.

Tan also won an Oscar in February for best animated short film for The Lost Thing.

He says the latest award is an unexpected bonus.

"If you've been labouring over something for a long enough time, you're so focused on the creative side of things that all the practical concerns become somewhat secondary to that, they're just a supporting framework," he said.

"This is fantastic because it means that ultimately I'll have more time to do my own creative work by having that financial assistance."

Tan has illustrated more than 20 books, including The Rabbits (1998), The Red Tree (2001), The Arrival (2006) and Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008).

Astrid Lindgren award jury praised Tan as a "masterly visual storyteller, pointing the way ahead to new possibilities for picture books."

"His pictorial worlds constitute a separate universe where nothing is self-evident and anything is possible."

Australian author Sonya Hartnett won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2008.

Woodstock apartment blast leaves 2 still missing

Woodstock apartment blast leaves 2 still missing

 'We should be prepared for what could be a difficult day,' fire chief says after 5 located

Firefighters pour water on the apartment in Woodstock, Ont., on Sunday after an explosion destroyed the middle portion of the structure. Police originally thought up to 11 people were missing, but lowered that number to two by Monday morning. (Dave Chidley/Canadian Press)

Police have located five of the seven people who were unaccounted for after an explosion tore through an apartment building in Woodstock, Ont., but two remain missing.

Police were able to track down the five after going through a tenant list and setting up a hotline through the Red Cross, said Woodstock fire Chief Rod Freeman on Monday.

Seven people were also injured in the blast at the three-storey building at Victoria Street South and Henry Street , which exloded around 8:35 a.m. ET on Sunday, destroying the middle portion of the structure.

Freeman told reporters the expectation is there will likely be fatalities, though he declined to release details of the two who have not been found.

"Given that 24 hours have passed … we should be prepared for what could be a difficult day. But beyond that I could not speculate," he said.

Police originally thought up to 11 people were missing, but lowered that number to seven later Sunday afternoon.

"If you look at the devastation of the building, there's a frame left in some parts, but the rest has collapsed in on itself," said CBC reporter Steven d'Souza in Woodstock on Monday. "They're going under the assumption that those two individuals are most likely in the centre of the building where the building has completely collapsed."

The housing complex contained 45 units with about 100 residents, Freeman said. Most of them are now staying with family and friends or being housed at the local Quality Inn.

There is no further danger to the surrounding community as fire officials continue their investigation into the possible causes of the explosion, he said.

"I can't stress enough that right now we have an explosion and a fire, and we have no evidence to indicate anything criminal in nature."

Engineers were going through the building Monday to determine whether it was safe to enter, Freeman said.

'I don't expect anybody will be allowed in the building for quite sometime…. If you look at that devastation, it is not inhabitable right now."

D'Souza said there was a crew of at least 40 people there working around the scene, including firefighters, OPP, various utilities, as well as a canine unit with sniffer dogs.
30 firefighters tackled blaze

About 30 firefighters tackled the blaze and the Office of the Fire Marshal and Ontario Provincial Police were also on the scene Sunday.

CBC reporter Gary Ennett described the destruction as "unbelievable," with a third of the building "just gone."

"It's just rubble," he said. "There's no roof. It was blown right off, apparently, and all we have is piles of smouldering rubble."

Heidi Dantes, emergency room director at Woodstock General Hospital, said staff treated seven adults, most for minor injuries. Six of the seven were released and the remaining person's injuries are not critical, Dantes said.

One firefighter was treated for a broken leg.
Blast woke residents

Some residents told reporters they couldn't understand how an explosion could happen because the building had electric heat. Gas has since been shut off to all residents of Victoria Street, according to the Woodstock Sentinel-Review.

Jen Carr said she was awakened Sunday morning by a loud noise, and her house was shaking, so she went to the window.

"I saw ambulances everywhere, people running around," she said. "It was pretty crazy."

Maciej Podlesny, who lives about a kilometre from the building, was also awakened by the blast.

"It felt like a car hitting the house. The level of the flames which reached [an estimated] height of at least five or six storeys."
Building 'just engulfed'

Julius Wolf, who lives across the street from the damaged building, said he heard a "terrible explosion" and thought a car had driven into the house or a bomb had gone off.

"The apartment building across the street was just engulfed," he said.

Wolf said he saw a firefighter approach the collapsed part of the building to help a woman when a wall toppled over on him. The firefighter stayed and with the help of another firefighter got the woman out of there, Wolf said.

Debris was blown across the street, he said. The Salvation Army also set up a canteen at a nearby Via Rail station for emergency workers, while the Red Cross is set up at the Goff Hall community centre.

Len Murphy, president of the local branch of the Red Cross, said the agency would provide food, shelter and clothing for at least 72 hours.

Anyone concerned about loved ones should call the Red Cross at 1-866-280-1735.

Libyan rebels target Gadhafi's birthplace

Libyan rebels target Gadhafi's birthplace

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libyan opposition fighters continued their march west Monday with a key target in their sights: Sirte, Moammar Gadhafi's birthplace.

Taking the city would be a symbolic victory for the rebels, who regained control of several significant towns over the weekend as coalition airstrikes continued in the North African nation.

Rebel forces claimed to have gained control of the town of Ras Lanuf on Sunday. The opposition also appeared to have taken control of the key oil town of al-Brega. Victories in those cities marked a comeback for the ragtag group of amateur soldiers who are unified by one mission: toppling Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule.

On Monday, opposition troops and Gadhafi's security forces battled over the town of Nawfaliyah. Opposition forces told CNN they had gained control of the city.

CNN could hear explosions and see plumes of smoke in the area of Nawfaliyah and Sirte.

Rebels said the fight to take over Sirte could be their toughest and bloodiest battle yet.

They credited coalition airstrikes with helping them regain ground, noting that they had encountered little resistance as they headed west over the weekend.

CNN spoke with a wounded rebel about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Sirte, bandaged on the left side of his head and face. He said he and a group of fellow opposition fighters had reached about 30 kilometers (nearly 20 miles) from Sirte, near the city's main entrance.

They came across a group of Gadhafi forces who raised a white flag -- a suggestion that they would not shoot. But as the opposition approached the group, the Gadhafi forces fired on them indiscriminately, killing some of the opposition members and wounding others, he said. Vehicles were destroyed as well, he said.

The rebel told CNN's Arwa Damon the opposition needs more airstrikes before it can advance further.

Coalition officials say they are enforcing a U.N. Security Council resolution approved on March 17 that creates a no-fly zone above Libya and mandates the protection of civilians.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov countered that claim Monday, telling reporters in Moscow that the coalition's actions seemed to expand beyond the U.N. resolution's scope.

"There are reports -- which go undenied -- that the air forces of the coalition conduct airstrikes on Gadhafi's troops and support the military actions of rebels. There is an obvious controversy there," he said. "We believe that the interference into what is, essentially, an internal civil war is not sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution."

Russia abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution but did not veto it.


 Libyan government officials have also argued that coalition forces target only troops loyal to Gadhafi.

"The rebels are making their advance and no one is stopping them. And no one is even talking to them or saying, 'Where are you going?' or 'Why are you taking offensive positions and attacking the Libyan army and Libyan cities?'" Moussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, told reporters in Tripoli.

He accused NATO of "starving the Libyan population to get Libya on its knees to beg for mercy."

"They are trying to weaken our spirits. They are not trying to protect civilians," he said.

NATO, which has 28 member countries, formally approved plans Sunday to take control of enforcing the U.N. Security Council resolution.

The coalition enforcing the resolution has been led by the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

NATO officials said the handover of enforcing the no-fly zone from the United States and allies should be complete by Monday.

But it could take until Thursday or Friday for the organization to take over the entire mission. NATO officials described the transition as a phased and seamless operation.

"Our mandate is very clear. We're there to protect civilians against attacks. No more, no less," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN.

Rasmussen said military commanders will make decisions on day-to-day operations within the framework NATO members agreed upon over the weekend. He declined to discuss specific rules of engagement, but stressed that NATO also is enforcing an arms embargo in Libya.

"We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect people," he said.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech about the situation in Libya at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday. That follows calls from all quarters for the U.S. leader to clarify why he sent troops to enforce the U.N.-authorized military mission.

On Monday, Libyan state television displayed images of injured people in a hospital and destroyed buildings as it reported that civilians were wounded when bombs struck the central Libyan city of Sabha in the early morning hours. CNN was unable to independently verify that report.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday accused Gadhafi of placing the bodies of people his regime has killed at the sites of some missile strikes by the U.S.-led coalition.

"The truth of the matter is we have trouble coming up with proof of any civilian casualties that we have been responsible for," Gates said on "Face the Nation" on CBS.

"But we do have a lot of intelligence reporting about Gadhafi taking the bodies of the people he's killed and putting them at the sites where we've attacked."

While the opposition rolled westward on Sunday, fighting continued in Misrata. A doctor working at a hospital in the city said eight civilians were killed and 22 injured in violence Sunday. CNN could not independently confirm his report.

French warplanes on Sunday led airstrikes on armored vehicles and on a large munitions depot in the regions of Misrata and Zintan, according to the French Ministry of Defense.

American convicted in Hong Kong 'milkshake murder'

American convicted in Hong Kong 'milkshake murder'

Nancy Kissel, an American woman accused of killing her husband, leaves the High Court …

An American who drugged her investment banker-husband with a milkshake and bludgeoned him to death more than seven years ago was convicted of murder at her second trial in a case that grabbed world attention with lurid details on the breakdown of a wealthy expatriate marriage in Hong Kong.

The unanimous jury verdict Friday and automatic life sentence match the outcome of the first trial against Nancy Kissel, whose lawyers argued she was a battered, clinically depressed wife acting under diminished responsibility when her husband provoked her attack.

Prosecutors argued Robert Kissel's death in November 2003 was a carefully planned murder Nancy Kissel tried to conceal.

In opening statements in January, prosecutor David Perry said Kissel struck at least five blows to her husband's head with a metal ornament while Robert Kissel lay face down in the bedroom, subdued by six drugs mixed in a milkshake. She then covered the body with a plastic bag and towels, wrapped it in a carpet and had it moved to storage, Perry said.

Kissel testified last month her husband physically and sexually abused her as their marriage deteriorated. She denied being guilty of murder but was willing to admit to manslaughter, a lesser charge that was never filed and the jury did not consider.

The 46-year-old native of Adrian, Michigan did not appear to react as the verdict was announced in court.

"We're not even going to tackle that now," said Kissel's mother, Jean McGlothlin, when asked whether an appeal would be filed. She said the family's first priority was to make sure Nancy Kissel gets "medical, physical and psychological help from professionals, because she won't survive if she doesn't."

Kissel has appeared frail and withdrawn throughout the trial. When she took the stand last month, she told court she weighed just 38 kilograms (84 pounds), 16 kilograms lighter than when she entered prison more than five years ago. Her lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said there was clear evidence of his client's mental state deteriorating from 2000 to 2003.

Her stepfather, Michael McGlothlin said he was "shocked at the outcome" but both said they thought the trial was fair. Kissel's 2005 conviction was overturned last year because prosecutors improperly cross-examined her and the original judge allowed hearsay evidence.

Nancy Kissel testified Robert Kissel's behavior changed after she had the first of the couple's three children in 1994, and he started forcing her to have oral and anal sex while becoming more emotionally distant and absorbed in his work.

"The more involved he got with the investment banking, the more forceful he was with me sexually," a frail and tearful Kissel testified.

Her lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, asked the judge Friday to recommend compassion for her when a review board evaluates the life sentence. He cited Kissel's good character and the context of the crime, which the defense alleges came from an abusive relationship.

The case of Robert Kissel's murder has been documented in a book — which also examines the 2006 murder of his brother, Andrew Kissel, in Greenwich, Connecticut — and a special on CBS' "48 Hours Mystery." Robert worked for Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, and his estate was worth $18 million in life insurance, stocks and properties, according to prosecutors.

Also Friday, a chauffeur was sentenced to six years in prison on a charge related to the killing of millionaire real estate developer Andrew Kissel in 2006.

Carlos Trujillo entered an Alford plea to attempted murder in court in Stamford, Connecticut. The plea does not admit guilt but acknowledges enough evidence for conviction.

A cousin he allegedly hired to kill Kissel for money pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy.

China turns down final plea for stay of execution

China turns down final plea for stay of execution

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - China has turned down the Philippine government's final plea for another - perhaps permanent - stay of execution for convicted Filipino drug mules Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, Elizabeth Batain and Ramon Credo.

Ethan Y. Sun, spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in Makati City, on Monday told the Inquirer that Beijing's position on the issue had been "made clear" as early as last February when the Supreme People's Court in the Chinese capital sentenced the three convicts to death.

"The position of the Chinese side has been made clear on its judicial decision," Sun said.

Last Saturday, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao asked for understanding from the Philippine government and from Filipinos about the executions that he said would now have to take place under their laws.

On March 24, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced the executions will be carried out on Wednesday.

Villanueva, 32, and Credo, 42, will be executed in Xiamen, and Batain, 38, in Shenzhen, said the DFA.

The three were arrested separately in 2008 for smuggling 4 to 6 kilograms of heroin to China.

China had postponed the executions, originally scheduled for February 20, following an official visit to Beijing by Vice President Jejomar Binay on President Aquino's behalf.

The President on Saturday told reporters they had been "communicating (with Chinese authorities) continuously ... We're still trying to get them to reduce the penalty. But there's a limit to what we can do."

Aquino also said, "At the end of the day, these were crimes committed in a different country. It doesn't help that they admitted they were doing something illegal."

"But it doesn't make us stop trying," he added.

Arcade Fire win quartet of Junos

Arcade Fire win quartet of Junos

Canadian rockers Arcade Fire have won four prizes at the Junos this weekend as Canada's leading music awards event celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Arcade Fire also enjoyed success at the Brits and the Grammys

The Montreal-based outfit were named group of the year and won album of the year for their third disc The Suburbs.

The band - who had been nominated in five categories - also won songwriter of the year and best alternative album.

"We're truly overwhelmed," said band member Richard Reed Parry at the gala, held in Toronto on Sunday night.

Arcade Fire won two Brit awards in January and were further feted in February at the Grammys, where The Suburbs was named album of the year.

Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber received a brace of Junos, winning pop album of the year and a fan choice award.

"I want to thank everybody so much for believing in me," said the 17-year-old video message.

"Most of all, I want to thank my mom for raising me in Canada."

Young and Twain were among other award recipients at the Toronto event

Bieber's fortunes contrasted with those of Toronto native Drake, who had led the field this year with six nominations.

Despite hosting the event, however, the 24-year-old rapper went home empty-handed.

Elsewhere, veteran artist Neil Young was named artist of the year and received two additional prizes.

"It's just totally incomprehensible that I'm here," the 65-year-old told the audience. "But it's a great honour- I really appreciate it."

The evening also saw country star Shania Twain inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

"This is just a very beautiful moment for me," said the 45-year-old Ontarian. "I'm really so proud of Canada's talent."

Jackman sets sights on Bollywood

Jackman sets sights on Bollywood

Hugh Jackman gyrated to a song-and-dance sequence with Indian megastar Shah Rukh Khan (Getty Images: Kevork Djansezian)

Hollywood heartthrob Hugh Jackman says he is keen to work in Bollywood - and gyrated to a song-and-dance sequence with Indian megastar Shah Rukh Khan to prove it.

The Australian-born actor danced with Khan in Mumbai at the close of Asia's largest entertainment convention, where they shared centre stage with Bollywood producer Karan Johar.

Jackman, star of the X-Men movies, said that while few Americans may have seen a Bollywood film, "they all know about your film industry".

"Indian cinema is growing every year. I hope to do a Bollywood movie some day," Jackman told a packed audience.

Jackman and Khan said that India's film industry had changed in recent years, with large foreign film studios such as Disney, Paramount, Fox and Warner distributing and producing films in India.

"Movies like Monsoon Wedding and Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire have enhanced India's image further," said Jackman, who is touring India with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness.

News Corp top executive James Murdoch, who also attended the conference on Wednesday, called India's media industry a "sleeping tiger" as a report forecast the sector would double its revenues to nearly $30 billion by 2015.

The report by consultancy firm KPMG said India's media and entertainment industry grew 11 per cent in 2010 to post revenues of 652 billion rupees ($14.5 billion).

India's media industry has bounced back from the global financial downturn but experts say foreign investment in radio, direct-to-home and print media companies is relatively low, compared with developed countries.

Libyan rebels regain Ajdabiya

Libyan rebels regain Ajdabiya

Libyan rebels celebrate on a captured tank after taking the city of Ajdabiya, south of Benghazi in eastern Libya, on Saturday.

Libyan rebels regained control of the eastern gateway city of Ajdabiya on Saturday after international airstrikes on Moammar Gadhafi's forces, in the first major turnaround for an uprising that once appeared on the verge of defeat.

Ajdabiya's sudden fall to Gadhafi's troops spurred the swift UN resolution authorizing international action in Libya, and its return to rebel hands on Saturday came after a week of airstrikes and missiles against the Libyan leader's military.

On the road into the city on Saturday, at least eight blackened Gadhafi tanks lay on the ground.

Stores and houses were shuttered after the weeklong siege that left residents without electricity or drinking water, but drivers honked horns in celebration and flew the tricolor rebel flag.

Others in the city fired their guns into the air. Saif Sadawi, a 20-year-old rebel fighter with an RPG in his hands, says the city's eastern gate fell late Friday and the western gate fell at dawn Saturday after airstrikes on both locations.

"All of Ajdabiya is free," he said.

The UN Security Council authorized the operation to protect Libyan civilians after Gadhafi launched attacks against anti-government protesters who demanded that he step down after 42 years in power. The airstrikes have sapped the strength of Gadhafi's forces, but rebel advances have also foundered, and the two sides have been at a stalemate in key cities.

Earlier Friday, British and French warplanes hit near Ajdabiya, destroying an artillery battery and armored vehicles. Ajdabiya and the western city of Misrata have especially suffered because the rebels lack the heavy weapons to lift Gadhafi's siege.

On Saturday, rebels in Ajdabiya hauled away a captured rocket launcher, adding to their limited firepower. On Friday, the U.S. commander in charge of the overall international mission, Army Gen. Carter Ham, told The Associated Press, "We could easily destroy all the regime forces that are in Ajdabiya," but the city itself would be destroyed in the process.

"We'd be killing the very people that we're charged with protecting."

Instead, the focus was on disrupting the communications and supply lines that allow Gadhafi's forces to keep fighting in Ajdabiya and other urban areas like Misrata, Ham said in a telephone interview from his U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

Libyan Rebels Reclaim Oil Town Ajdabiya After Weeklong Siege

Libyan Rebels Reclaim Oil Town Ajdabiya After Weeklong Siege

Libyan rebels have overcome Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces in strategic oil town of Ajdabiya, seizing control of the city Saturday in a major turnaround for an uprising that appeared to be on the verge of defeat.

Libyan government forces pulled out from the city of Ajdabiya following an air assault by Western coalition forces, a senior government official told Reuters.


"Without the planes we couldn't have done this. Qaddafi's weapons are at a different level than ours," said Ahmed Faraj, 38, a rebel fighter from Ajdabiya. "With the help of the planes we are going to push onward to Tripoli, God willing."

Drivers honked in celebration and flew the tricolor rebel flag. Others in the city fired their guns into the air and danced on burned-out tanks that littered the road. Inside a building that had served as makeshift barracks for pro-Qaddafi forces, hastily discarded uniforms were piled on the floor.

Saif Sadawi, a 20-year-old rebel fighter with an RPG in his hands, says the city's eastern gate fell late Friday and the western gate fell at dawn Saturday after airstrikes on both those locations.

"All of Ajdabiya is free," he said.

Ajdabiya had been under siege for more than a week, with the rebels holding the city center and scattered checkpoints but facing relentless shelling from government troops on the outskirts. Residents are without electricity or drinking water, and many have fled.

Coalition warplanes struck Qaddafi's forces outside the strategic city of Ajdabiya Friday, the gateway to the rebel-held east, hitting an artillery battery and armored vehicles. Tiny Qatar also became the first Arab country to fly combat missions over Libya.

Pentagon officials say they considering more firepower and airborne surveillance systems to find and attack enemy troops in Libya.

The proposed attacks would target forces loyal to Qaddafi, who still remain a threat to civilians in the area.

Among the weapons being eyed for use in Libya is the Air Force's AC-130 gunship, an imposing aircraft armed with cannons that shoot from the side doors with precision. Other possibilities are helicopters and drones that fly lower and slower and can spot more than fast-moving jet fighters.

American officials have said they won't drop bombs in cities to avoid killing or wounding civilians -- a central pillar of the operation. Yet they want to hit the enemy in contested urban areas such as Misrata, Ajdabiya and Zintan.

Qaddafi is trying to keep his weakening hold on power by offering promotions to all his military, while arming "volunteers" to fight against a resurgent rebel force.

"(The) brother leader of the revolution has issued a decision to promote all members of the armed people who are currently drafted in his various military units for their heroic and courageous fight against the crusader, colonialist assault," Libyan TV said in a written statement, according to Reuters.

U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, director of the Joint Staff, said during a briefing Friday that the international coalition is aware of reports that Qaddafi is arming "volunteers." He also said that the Libyan strongman has diminishing ability to command ground forces.

A Libyan government official says his country is ready to talk with opposition rebels and accept political reforms, possibly including elections.

Former Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi said Friday that the violence in Libya is being carried out by "extremists" and foreign intervention. Al-Obeidi is a member of the Libyan delegation at African Union talks in Ethiopia.

This comes as a Canadian general will be taking over NATO's military operations in Libya, Fox News has learned.

A State Department official tells Fox News that Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard will be the joint task force commander.

The official says Bouchard will "work with his naval and air component commands to be implementing this operation" for both the no-fly zone and the civilian protection missions.

Bouchard recently served as the deputy commander at NORAD.

NATO is expected to take command of Libyan military operations early next week, the Italian foreign minister told Reuters Friday, a day after NATO agreed to just enforce the no-fly zone over the country for now.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in a news conference that "NATO will be operational Sunday or Monday," according to Reuters.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague also said he expected NATO to take command of operations within days.

This comes as France declared Libya's airspace "under control," after NATO agreed to take command of the no-fly zone in a compromise that appeared to set up dual command centers. Muammar al-Qaddafi drew a rare rebuke from the African Union, which called for a transitional government and elections.

"Having our first Arab nation join and start flying with us emphasizes that the world wants the innocent Libyan people protected from the atrocities perpetrated by pro-regime forces," U.S. Air Forces Africa Commander Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward said.

The U.S. launched 16 more Tomahawk cruise missiles from naval positions in the Mediterranean Sea, a military official said Friday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. The targets late Thursday and early Friday were Scud missile garrisons near Tripoli, while U.S. bombers struck Qaddafi artillery, command and control and tank positions elsewhere, the official said. French and British warplanes attacked an artillery battery and other targets near the town of Ajdabiya, which has been under siege by Qaddafi forces for more than a week.

The latest Tomahawk missile launchings come after the Pentagon said that the U.S. would not launch these types of missiles into Libya during the military operation.

The strikes were intended to give a measure of relief to the city, whose residents have fled or cowered under more than a week of shelling and fighting between rebels and government troops. Explosions also sounded in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, before daybreak Friday, apparently from airstrikes.

"Libyan airspace is under control, and we proved it yesterday, because a Libyan plane in the hands of pro-Qaddafi forces, which had just taken off from Misrata in order to bomb Misrata, was destroyed by a French Rafale," Adm. Edouard Guillaud said on France-Info radio.

Representatives for the Qaddafi regime met with the African Union on Friday, in Ethiopia, in what the U.N. described as a part of an effort to reach a cease-fire and political solution. Although the U.N. secretary-general said an opposition representative would attend, Mustafa Gheriani, an opposition spokesman, said Friday he knew nothing about it.

"The position of the national council has been clear from the beginning -- no negotiaions," Gheriani said. "All he has to do is stop bombing and leave the country."

African Union commission chairman Jean Ping said the AU favors an inclusive transitional period that would lead to democratic elections.

Ping stressed the inevitability of political reforms in Libya and called the aspirations of the Libyan people "legitimate."

Such a solution seemed a long way off, and NATO's military staff began drawing up detailed plans Friday to assume full control of the no-fly zone over Libya in coming days. The U.S. military said coalition jets flew about 150 sorties on Thursday, about 70 of them with American planes.

"The operation is still focusing on tanks, combat vehicles, air defense targets -- really whatever equipment and personnel are threatening the no-fly zone or civilians on the ground in such locations as Ajdabiya and along some other areas on the coast," Marine Corps Capt. Clint Gebke told reporters from aboard the USS Mount Whitney.

Libyan state television showed blackened and mangled bodies that it said were victims of airstrikes in Tripoli. Rebels have accused Qaddafi's forces of taking bodies from the morgue and pretending they were civilian casualties.

French jet 'destroys Libya plane'

French jet 'destroys Libya plane'

The French military said a Rafale jet attacked the Libyan plane

French warplanes have destroyed a Libyan plane which had been flying in breach of the UN no-fly zone, French officials say.

The plane, a smaller trainer aircraft, had just landed in the besieged city of Misrata when it was attacked, they say.

It is the first incident of its kind since enforcement of the zone began.

Dozens of coalition missiles have already hit military bases, with the aim of ending Col Muammar Gaddafi's ability to launch air attacks.

UK officials said on Wednesday that Libya's air force no longer existed as a fighting force.
Single engine

Coalition forces have pounded Libyan targets for a fifth consecutive night.

Initial reports of the French action said the Libyan plane, a G-2/Galeb with a single engine, was in the air when it was hit.

But French military spokesman Col Thierry Burkhard later said the plane had just landed when the attack took place.

The French jet, a Rafale, fired an air-to-ground missile, other reports said.

Earlier, the French military said their planes had hit an air base about 250km (155 miles) south of the Libyan coastline, but did not give any further information on the location of the target or the damage.

Western military planes were also said to have hit the town of Sebha in southern Libya, according to residents and media reports.

Fresh fighting has meanwhile been reported in Misrata, scene of a bitter battle for control which has lasted for many days.

Misrata resident Muhammad told the BBC many large explosions were heard overnight in the city.

"Even now, we continue to hear the aeroplanes circling the air above Misrata," he said.

"Gaddafi's forces have occupied the main street - there are snipers all along the rooftops of that street. They are firing indiscriminately into the main street and the back streets.

"But the heavy artillery and shelling has stopped since yesterday [Wednesday]. In that sense, we are in a much better position."

Further east in the strategically important city of Ajdabiya, residents described shelling, gunfire and houses on fire.

Nato members have been holding talks about assuming responsibility for the no-fly zone over Libya, so far without agreement.

Turkey is an integral part of the naval blockade, but has expressed concern about the alliance taking over command of the no-fly zone.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged all sides in Libya to cease hostilities. "All those who violate international humanitarian and human rights law will be held fully accountable," his spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Fifth night of airstrikes unable to stop Gadhafi

Fifth night of airstrikes unable to stop Gadhafi

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Focusing now on Libyan ground forces, coalition jets pounded targets for a fifth consecutive night but so far have been unable to stop Moammar Gadhafi's armor.

A resident in Misrata told CNN that he heard an explosion and that snipers loyal to Gadhafi were operating from rooftops in the besieged western city.

Earlier, Gadhafi's tanks attacked Misrata's main hospital filled with 400 people, half of whom were patients, a witness said. At one point, the shelling went on for 40 long minutes -- without respite.

"Now, fortunately, no more shelling, but the situation is so serious that all the teams here -- the doctors, the patients -- are paralyzed, scared," the witness said, imploring the international community to intervene in the name of civilians under attack.

The situation, he said, was too dangerous for ambulances to leave the hospital. The hospital had no electricity and was relying on a generator.

Witnesses in Misrata are not being identified by CNN because of security reasons. Journalists have no access to the city and cannot independently confirm reports of violence.

The battle for Misrata, Libya's third largest city, has been ongoing for more than a week.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday that many residents remain trapped in their homes without electricity and communications and a dwindling supply of food and water.

Explosions could also be heard just east of the Lybian capital Thursday.

Coalition planes struck the suburb of Tajura, a Libyan government official said and state television showed footage of what it said were the charred bodies of 18 people -- civilians and military -- killed in the attack.

Western leaders have repeatedly denied reports of civilian casualties.

"It is not likely that civilians were a part of any airstrike today," said Joint Task Force Operation Odyssey Dawn Lt. Cmdr. Jim Hoeft.

In the east, Gadhafi's tanks were shelling Ajdabiya, where fierce fighting had occurred the day before. Loyalist forces still controlled the northern and western gates to the city.

"This underlines the appalling danger its inhabitants would be in without coalition action, as do continued threats by Gadhafi forces to 'massacre' residents in areas under bombardment," Hague said.

An opposition member told CNN that an isolated Gadhafi unit had raised a white flag but when the rebels approached, the unit began firing.

The coalition has been able to establish a no-fly zone that spans from east to west along Libya's coastline. A U.S. official said though the rebels are in a better position, Gadhafi's forces still have the upper hand.

They remain capable of carrying out attacks on the opposition, are relatively well-organized and continue to fight effectively, the official said.

 As the Libyan war entered the sixth day, questions persisted over who will take command of the coalition.

"These coalition operations are currently under U.S. command," Hague said. "But we want them to transition to NATO command and control as quickly as possible."

NATO already has ships in the Mediterranean Sea to enforce an arms embargo.

"We need agreement to unified command and control for it to be robust, and we expect to get that soon," Hague said.

Critics are also calling for a clearer explanation of U.S. policy in the North African nation.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who just wrapped up a five-day trip to Latin America, has insisted that the goal of the U.N.-sanctioned military mission is strictly to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Specifically, the U.N. mandate calls for protecting Libyan rebels and other civilians from attacks by forces loyal to the strongman.

U.S. officials have indicated they hope Gadhafi will be removed quickly by forces currently loyal to him, though they haven't publicly called for a coup

The international airstrikes against Libyan military positions began over the weekend after Gadhafi defied a United Nations-mandated cease-fire to stop attacks against civilians.

The war was sparked in February by protests demanding an end to Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule. The Libyan strongman responded with force against civilians, prompting the international community to take action.

France launched the air campaign, and Britain and the United States followed. Britain has announced an international meeting for next Tuesday to assess the situation in Libya.

China says Libya fighting risks regional stability

China says Libya fighting risks regional stability

BEIJING (Reuters) - China again pressed on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in Libya and a resolution through dialogue, warning that the fighting there could undermine regional stability.

"We believe that the objective of enforcing the U.N. Security Council resolution is to protect humanitarian (objectives) and not to create an even bigger humanitarian disaster," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

"Libya's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity should be respected. We also urge all sides to immediately cease fire and avoid the conflict escalating, which would worsen the situation regional-wide," she added.

Western warplanes began striking Libya over the weekend, but have so far have failed to stop Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's tanks shelling rebel-held towns or dislodge his armour from a strategic junction in the east.

Britain will host an international conference next Tuesday to discuss progress on the U.N.-mandated military intervention.

Asked about the proposed meeting in London next week, Jiang said: "It's my understanding that the Security Council will continue informal consultations about the situation in Libya."

"As for what actions the Security Council should take next, that should be decided by consultation among the Security Council member states. China is willing to work with other sides to promote a resolution of Libya's current crisis through dialogue and other diplomatic means."

China abstained from the U.N. Security Council vote that authorised the intervention, but has since decried the U.S.-led air strikes on Gaddafi as risky and unwarranted overreaching by the West.

Chinese envoy appeals for understanding of executions of 3 Filipinos

Chinese envoy appeals for understanding of executions of 3 Filipinos

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao on Thursday morning asked the Filipino people to understand the reason for the scheduled execution on March 30 of three Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking in China.

"It's something that has to happen," Liu said of the executions, which will take place a few weeks after Chinese authorities postponed them upon the request for a reprieve by the Philippine government.

Liu said the executions have to happen under Chinese law.

He asked for understanding from the Philippine public and expressed hope that the executions won't affect relations between the two countries.

Tests detect radiation above limits for infants in Tokyo water

Tests detect radiation above limits for infants in Tokyo water

Tokyo (CNN) -- A top Japanese official urged residents of the nation's capital not to hoard bottled water Wednesday after Tokyo's government found that radioactive material in tap water had exceeded the limit considered safe for infants.

"We have to consider Miyagi and Iwate and other disaster-hit areas," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "I'd like to again urge consumers not to purchase more bottled water than they need."

Earlier Wednesday, Tokyo government officials advised residents not to give tap water to infants or use it in formula after tests at a purification plant detected higher levels of radioactive iodine.

The city's water agency said the spike was likely caused by problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, located 240 kilometers (150 miles) away.

Still Tokyo residents made a dash for bottled water.

"I did not know about the news at all. I saw the sudden increase in customers and learned about the contamination," said Seiji Sasaki, a grocery store owner.

He had 40 cases of water in his shop. They quickly sold out. Other stores and supermarkets also reported they had no water. A CNN cameraman visited three stores and found two cases of water remaining in only one, but those cases were snapped up quickly. The supply of bottled water was already limited following the earthquake.

"I cannot find water anywhere. All sold out and I can only place orders," lamented Harue Kamiya, a city resident.

Officials evacuated some workers at the plant Wednesday afternoon as a black plume of smoke billowed above one of the reactors, plant owner Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

The company said it was unclear what was causing the smoke.

Workers have been scrambling to cool down fuel rods at the nuclear plant since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami on March 11 knocked out cooling systems there.

Some radiation has been released, officials said, but it was unclear whether radiation levels spiked after the black smoke was spotted Wednesday. Japan's nuclear agency said radiation levels near the plant had not changed, public broadcaster NHK reported.

But in Tokyo, concerns over radiation surged.

Government samples taken Tuesday night found 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of water -- two times higher than the limit that the government considers safe for infants.

The amount of iodine detected was lower than the level considered safe for adults: 300 becquerels per kilogram.

A becquerel is a measurement of radioactive intensity by weight.

"There's no immediate health threat," Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara told reporters, urging people to "stay calm."

Also Wednesday, Japan's government expanded food shipment restrictions after the health ministry said tests detected radioactive materials at levels exceeding legal limits in 11 types of vegetables grown near the Fukushima plant.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked Ibaraki Prefecture to suspend shipments of raw milk and parsley, Edano told reporters Wednesday.


The government of Fukushima Prefecture also told residents not to eat leafy vegetables, he said.

Edano said radiation levels in the food would not cause health problems right away, but if radiation rises, "We are looking at the possibility of levels reaching levels that may harm human health."

The decision to prohibit produce sales is another potentially devastating blow to a part of northeast Japan hit by the earthquake and tsunami.

Fukushima ranks among Japan's top producer of fruits, vegetables and rice. Ibaraki, south of Fukushima, supplies Tokyo with a significant amount of fruits and vegetables and is Japan's third-largest pork producer.

"This is our livelihood," a Fukushima farmer told Japanese television network TV Asahi. "It's a huge problem that we are unable to ship all our produce. We raised (this produce) with our own hands. It's unbearable that we would have to throw it all away."

Hong Kong on Wednesday said it was restricting food and milk imports from certain prefectures over the radiation concerns. The United States previously announced import alerts covering milk, milk products, fresh vegetables and fruit from prefectures near the reactors.

Police say the dual disaster has killed at least 9,487 people and left at least 15,617 missing, many of them killed as a wall of water rushed in following the quake.

Meanwhile, about 387,000 evacuees are staying at 2,200 shelters, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported. Relief efforts to help them and other victims continued, with U.S. military helicopters delivering food, clothes and supplies to some of the hardest hit areas.

In addition to the stories of people struggling to survive in quake-ravaged towns in northeastern Japan, the plight of workers braving high radiation levels to solve problems at the troubled plant has also drawn attention.

Tokyo Electric said Wednesday that two workers were injured at the plant while working with an electric panel. The workers, whose injuries did not involve exposure to radiation, were treated by a doctor at the nearby Fukushima Daini plant.

"We are constantly switching over all the time, since the work cannot be stopped," one worker told TV Asahi.

"It has settled down quite a lot compared to the beginning, and we could even begin to see a bright hope that maybe it would somehow work out in a little bit," another worker said in what the network touted as the first televised interviews with workers.

But authorities said Wednesday that work was far from over at the plant.

The Tokyo Fire Department planned to start spraying water into the spent-fuel storage pool outside the plant's No. 3 reactor Wednesday, said Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Power has been restored in the control room at that reactor -- which officials say could be a key step in bringing cooling systems back online.

"It is an industrial catastrophe," said Lake Barrett, a nuclear engineer who directed the initial cleanup and response of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania following a partial core nuclear meltdown in 1979. "It's a huge plant, and it's been basically destroyed internally and has high contamination levels inside. There are areas in the building where no human's going to go for a long time."

But, Barrett told CNN, "it's also not a health catastrophe -- as long as the people follow the instructions from the government, they're going to be safe in Japan."

The No. 3 reactor has been a priority for authorities trying to contain damage to the plant and stave off a possible meltdown. Its fuel rods contain plutonium mixed with uranium, which experts say could cause more harm than regular uranium fuels in the event of a meltdown.

"We have progress in stabilizing cooling capacity. We most progressed in the No. 3 reactor," Edano said. "On the other hand, we are trying to figure out... the cause of the smoke."

With the nuclear plant's six reactors in various states of disrepair, concerns have mounted over a potentially larger release of radioactive material from the facility.

Efforts over the past several days have focused on restoring power at the facility while fire trucks and cement pumps sprayed water on spent fuel ponds, which contain used fuel rods with radioactive material.

Embassies from more than two dozen countries have either closed down or moved operations to cities south of Tokyo since the earthquake and the resulting nuclear crisis, the country's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

"There are 25 embassies which either temporary shut down or moved its function outside of Tokyo," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hidenori Sobashima told CNN. Seven of those 25 have moved to cities such as Osaka, Hiroshima and Kobe, Sobashima said.

Opposition lines up against government

Opposition lines up against government

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff tells reporters outside on Parliament Hill March 23 that his party will move to a motion of non-confidence against the government, which could trigger an election by the weekend. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

 

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Wedneday his party will table a motion against the government Wednesday and seek to defeat it Friday. The leaders of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois said they would support the Liberal motion.

Ignatieff said the government stands accused of contempt of Parliament, election fraud and influence peddling, referring to recent scandals. And he attacked the government over the spending priorities in the budget.

"There isn't what there should be for families," in the budget, Ignatieff said, pointing to families who can't get child care or afford post-secondary education.

Ignatieff said it's a question of respect for Parliament's institutions.

"This is a government that's lost the confidence of the House of Commons, a government that's lost the confidence of Canadians," he said.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said in his own remarks to reporters, "If it comes to it...we would be voting in favour" of the Liberal contempt motion. Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe also said he would vote against the government.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper addresses reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill March 23. Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press

Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier defended his government's budget and said the opposition parties did not give it a chance.

Harper said in an interconnected world, Canada's economy is at risk, and his government is focused on following through on their plan for the country.

"I'm disappointed (the other leaders) didn't take the time to read the budget before they decided," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.

The prime minister said the opposition parties are choosing to force "an unnecessary" election.

"It is not too late for them to step back, to think about the fragile global recovery and to listen to the strong support of the many organizations and the Canadian public for these measures," he said.

Layton said his party was willing to try to support a Conservative budget, and said Harper still has a chance to make changes to it.

"[The prime minister] could have strengthened the retirement security of hard-working security, but instead under a cloud of scandal," Harper chose not to.

Layton said Canadians were looking to the budget for help. "What they got was just more proof that Ottawa is broken and more evidence Setphen Harper can't be trusted."

In his earlier comments, Harper went over some of the highlights from the budget he said the opposition is putting at risk, including infrastructure funding for the cities and the tax credits for caregivers and children's arts programs.

"They are opposing initiatives to create job growth," he said, adding that the opposition leaders must explain their rejection of the budget.


If the government loses a vote of a non-confidence on Friday, the prime minister is prepared to head to Rideau Hall on Saturday to ask Gov. Gen. David Johnston to disolve Parliament and issue a writ of election, CBC News has learned. An election campaign would begin immediately, with an election date of Monday, May 2.

Asked Wednesday whether he would pre-empt a non-confidence motion by the Liberals by going to the Governor General himself, Harper said, "Our priority is the economy and we'll continue... as long as we're in office."

The Liberals have argued the Conservatives can't be trusted on budget numbers, and they've been leading the charge to find the government in contempt of Parliament for not giving sufficient information to MPs on the cost estimates of their crime legislation, the F-35 fighter jet deal and corporate tax cuts.

A committee studying the matter found the government in contempt on Monday and at some point the House of Commons must vote on whether to agree with that finding. A debate on that report could get underway as early as Wednesday, but Liberal MP Scott Brison said one has not been scheduled.

Instead, a debate on the budget itself is also scheduled to begin today after question period, in accordance with parliamentary rules. Liberal motions on contempt or non-confidence would follow.

Meanwhile, cabinet ministers and Conservative MPs are fanning out across the country to promote the budget, which the government calls "the next phase of Canada's Economic Action Plan."