Mafia banker Vito Palazzolo 'held in Thailand'

An Italian banker convicted for having links to the mafia has been arrested in Thailand, authorities say.

Vito Palazzolo, 64, was given nine years in jail for laundering money for the Sicily-based Cosa Nostra.

He was implicated in the so-called Pizza Connection, a mafia operation that smuggled drugs into the US during the 1970s and early 1980s, and used pizza restaurants as a front.

Palazzolo has always denied the charges and says he will fight extradition.

He has spend decades on the run, most of the time in South Africa.

The South African government had refused to allow his extradition back to Italy.

The Italian authorities say they tracked him to Thailand by monitoring his family's use of social-networking websites.

The authorities say he laundered tens of millions of dollars for the Cosa Nostra while he was working as a banker in Switzerland.

Palazzolo has previously said he processed funds for the mafia group in 1982, but argued that he had been threatened.

Source & Image : BBC

Man demands justice after 'racial abuse' from police

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A man arrested in the week of the London riots has described how he was subjected to racial abuse, which he says he recorded on his mobile phone.

The 21-year-old man, who has not been identified, told journalists the police used racial epithets and said his mother was a "whore".

He said he was "devastated" and he wants "justice".

A policeman has now been suspended as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reassesses the man's complaint.

An excerpt of the recording, which was obtained by The Guardian newspaper, contains racist language.

The incident occurred in Beckton, east London, on 11 August - during the week of the riots - when the man was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs but no charges were brought against him.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission initially investigated the officer and two others, and a file was passed to the CPS.

The CPS confirmed earlier that having originally decided not to press charges against the officer, it would be assessing the case again.

Neither of the other two police officers is currently suspended. One has been placed on restricted duties on an unrelated matter while the other remains on full duties.

The man told journalists: "I felt humiliated. It was the worst experience of my life. Words cannot describe how it feels to have all them people against you and you can't do nothing."

He claimed police said "sexual stuff" about his mother and used foul and racist language towards him while he sat in the back of a police van on 11 August last year.

"Hearing that from a police officer, it just came out of nowhere. They were saying I'm going to die soon. They used the horriblest words," he added.

The chairman of the home affairs select committee, Keith Vaz MP, told the BBC there should be "zero tolerance" of racist attitudes and added: "I hope we have learned the lessons of the Stephen Lawrence case. But clearly there are individual officers who are behaving in this way.

"This case needs to be dealt with quickly to retain the public's confidence."

Mr Vaz, Labour MP for Leicester East, said: "I'm very surprised that the CPS did not consider that charges should be brought."

He said he had spoken to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Bernard Hogan-Howe, on Saturday night and he had assured him the force took this case very seriously.

Grace Ononiwu, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the CPS London, said: "Lawyers for the complainant have written to the CPS and asked us to review our decision.

"I have considered the matter personally and directed that all of the evidence should be reconsidered and a fresh decision taken by a senior lawyer with no previous involvement in this matter.

"That process will be completed as soon as possible," she added.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed that a complaint had been received.

Superintendent Leroy Logan, the chairman of the Black Police Association, said: "Officers who are subject to inquiries and investigations need to be suspended and it's quite clear from the footage that's been played that the officer needs to be looked at again.

"And especially if you bear in mind that there was a young man given 56 days in prison because of his tweeting racist comments, and I think then CPS needs to be consistent in what they're doing, and it's only right that a police officer needs to be reviewed in these circumstances."

Channel 4 News reporter Simon Israel, who interviewed the young man, tweeted: "Alleged victim of police racism tells it's devastated his life. He suffers flashbacks and badly wants justice."

The Scotland Yard spokesman said: "These are serious allegations; any use of racist language or excessive use of force is not acceptable.

"The MPS's Directorate of Professional Standards referred this case to the IPCC who are independently investigating.

"Following the alleged incident, three officers were the subject of a misconduct investigation.

"One of the officers has been suspended in relation to this matter pending the result of the IPCC investigation.

"One of the officers has been placed on restricted duties on an unrelated matter and another remains on full duties."

Source & Image : BBC

7 California boys arrested in attack on teen

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) — Seven black teens have been arrested on suspicion that they committed a hate crime when they attacked a 15-year-old Hispanic boy while he was walking home from school in Southern California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The March 14 beating in Palmdale was captured on video and posted on YouTube, but has since been removed from the site. The seven boys, ages 13 to 16, were arrested Wednesday for investigation of assault and committing a hate crime, Lt. Don Ford said.

The attack happened near Cactus Middle School, but Ford didn't know if any of the teens involved were students there.

The video shows as many as 10 boys surrounding the victim and challenging him to a fight. The suspects then began hitting the teen while others watched.

During the beating, the teens made racially derogatory statements that were captured on the video, Ford said.

After the victim fell to the ground, the assailants kicked him multiple times in the head, knocked out several teeth and left shoe impressions on his skin, Ford said.

The victim was able to get to his feet and escape the onslaught, and will need to undergo dental surgery.

The teens who were arrested were identified from the video, which was discovered by a Palmdale sheriff's deputy and has been retained for evidence. Authorities are not releasing the video.

Police are seeking three more suspects.

An arraignment date has not been set yet.

Source & Image : Yahoo

In Wisconsin, Romney Nears a Tipping Point in G.O.P. Race

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney is on the cusp of taking firm control of the Republican nominating contest for the first time, neutralizing his most powerful critics and rallying a broad spectrum of conservatives behind him as party leaders grow increasingly eager to take on President Obama.

A victory over Rick Santorum in Wisconsin on Tuesday would effectively close the first phase of the primary season, senior Republicans say. It would leave Mr. Romney with not only a commanding lead in the race for delegates, but also a claim to have fended off energetic challenges across a range of battleground states with a disciplined and well-financed campaign effort.

Mr. Romney and his aides continue to work behind the scenes to win support from respected voices in the party and prepare in earnest to take on Mr. Obama. The campaign will soon start raising money for the general election, donors said, as well as drastically expand its Boston headquarters and build state operations across the country.

The Romney campaign is also taking steps to infuse the organization with seasoned advisers, Republicans said, and intensifying its research of prospective running mates.

“There’s been plenty of opportunity for debates and discussion,” said Gov. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa, who is among the Republican leaders eager to unite the party and concentrate on trying to win the White House. “We need to acknowledge and recognize that nobody is perfect, but there is going to be a very clear choice with the present administration.”

Mr. Branstad, who has remained neutral in the race, is one of several governors and party officials who say a victory in Wisconsin — where Mr. Romney leads in the polls — would be the time for Republicans to rally behind Mr. Romney.

Reflecting the growing impatience, Steven J. Law, president of the largest outside group planning to support Republicans this fall, Crossroads, said on Saturday, “Clearly there is a sentiment out there that the time is coming soon to really turn our full attention to Obama.”

Predicting an “incredibly tough election,” he added that “every day that Republicans are focused on anything other than Obama’s record is a day wasted.”

Party elders are discussing ways to help characterize Mr. Romney as the presumptive nominee — perhaps by the end of April — well before he reaches the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination.

That effort was helped along by the billionaire casino executive Sheldon Adelson, who, after sending $15 million of his family’s fortune to the “super PAC” supporting Newt Gingrich, was quoted by The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles last week as saying Mr. Gingrich seemed to have reached “the end of his line.”

Mr. Adelson did so after telling a number of Romney financial supporters who were at his Las Vegas mansion for the opening dinner of the annual meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition that he was ready to do whatever he could to help Mr. Romney become president and to deliver the Senate to the Republicans. (The dinner was previously reported by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative news organization.)

An attendee of the private dinner said in an interview that the general sense there was “that the page had clearly been turned” and that it was time to focus on the general election.

Yet while Mr. Romney and his aides are said to be growing increasingly comfortable — allowing their fund-raising team to begin taking the legal steps necessary to raise money for a general election fund — they remain mindful that his rivals retain some chance, however small, of preventing him from gathering enough delegates for the nomination.

With Mr. Gingrich stepping aside from the daily combat of the race, Mr. Santorum remains the last real roadblock to Mr. Romney’s becoming the nominee. Mr. Santorum is waging a tenacious battle in Wisconsin, bluntly reminding Republicans to send a message that the party needs a stronger conservative candidate than Mr. Romney.

Speaking at a gathering of more than 1,000 evangelical Christians outside Milwaukee on Saturday, Mr. Santorum defiantly referred to a recent comment from a Romney adviser that he could win the delegate fight only through an “act of God,” saying, “I don’t know about you, but I believe in acts of God.”

But as he, Mr. Romney, Representative Ron Paul of Texas and even Mr. Gingrich were campaigning in Wisconsin, aides to Mr. Santorum said they were just as focused on the action behind closed doors in North Dakota and Washington, where state and county gatherings were being held to select delegates for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., in August.

Michael Biundo, Mr. Santorum’s campaign manager, said their team had always been anticipating a much better climate in May, when several states similar to those Mr. Santorum has won this year will vote. While the campaign remains confident about must-win Pennsylvania, which Mr. Santorum represented in Congress and which will vote on April 24, it is also quietly picking up support from as-yet-uncommitted delegates who do not believe that Mr. Romney is sufficiently conservative, Mr. Biundo said.

“The Romney campaign would love to close this out and take the ball home with them, because they know May is going to be a great month for us,” he said in an interview. “What happens on the ground and what happens in the national media are sometimes two different things.”

But since Mr. Romney’s victory in Illinois on March 20, numerous prominent figures have endorsed him and called for an end to the primary process.

The latest, Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Budget Committee, had not planned to pick sides in the race before the primary. But on Friday he endorsed Mr. Romney and warned Republicans that they did not have the luxury of waiting until the party’s convention to unify. He said he was not troubled by a series of missteps that critics have used to suggest Mr. Romney is out of touch with voters. In the latest example, Mr. Romney joked last week about the time his father, as the head of American Motors, “closed the factory” in Michigan and moved jobs to Wisconsin.

“Whether a candidate has a gaffe on Tuesday or Thursday is not going to decide the campaign,” Mr. Ryan said in an interview. “Voters are looking for someone who will show them a contrasting vision to the one that Obama has given us.”

Even though 29 states have held their primaries and caucuses, only this week is Mr. Romney expected to pass the halfway mark to 1,144 delegates. According to an estimate by The Associated Press, Mr. Romney has 568.

A series of wins in the April primaries in states including Wisconsin and New York could greatly add to his tally.

“I don’t think he’s presumptive just yet, but I do think we’re near a tipping point,” said Ed Gillespie, a former Republican Party chairman and White House counselor to President George W. Bush who supports Mr. Romney. “April is pretty happy hunting ground for him, and he’s got some potentially significant delegate accumulation ahead.”

All the same, the protracted Republican primary season has paid dividends for Mr. Romney. At fund-raisers last week in California and Texas, donors said, he raised more money than he had initially expected. A swing through Dallas, Houston and San Antonio netted more than $2 million.

“It’s made people very willing to give — just to get on with the next stage of the race,” said Ray Washburne, a Dallas businessman and top fund-raiser who had dinner last week with Mr. Romney. “A lot of people who had been holding back are like, ‘We’re ready to go.’ ”

Source & Image : New York Times

Petrol queues ease as threat of Easter strike is dropped

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Queues for petrol are easing after unions announced there would be no strike over Easter, motoring organisations say.

The government earlier changed its advice to drivers saying it was no longer urgent to top up petrol tanks, following two days of panic buying.

There have been some reports to the BBC of continuing shortages at a few petrol stations.

But retail figures suggest demand for petrol waned from Thursday to Friday.

The AA described "a rapidly improving picture at fuel stations".

A spokesman said: "The advice for drivers is to resume your normal buying patterns and to adhere to regulations on how much fuel you can carry and store."

The RAC motoring group also said it was "business as usual".

"People should buy fuel as and when they need it - there is no shortage and panic buying should be avoided," a spokeswoman said.

Demand for fuel appeared to be dropping - with unleaded petrol sales down from 172% above normal on Thursday to 57% above normal on Friday, according to independent retailers' group RMI Petrol.

Diesel sales were down from 77% above normal on Thursday to 29% above normal on Friday.

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RMI chairman Brian Madderson told the BBC he hoped full petrol services could be resumed "by Monday, maybe Tuesday of next week".

But he added that panic buying was "still rife" in some areas of the country.

"I've just been to a site in Kent this afternoon - they got a tanker load in this morning and they are still selling fuel at 100% more than they would do on a normal Saturday."

The BBC has also had reports on Saturday of some queues and shortages at petrol stations in Leeds, Egham in Surrey, Bromley in south-east London, Finchampstead in Berkshire and St Albans in Hertfordshire.

In Guildford, Surrey, one petrol station is refusing to sell motorists any more than £25 worth of fuel.

Motoring experts now warn of a two to three-day backlog as haulers attempt to refuel petrol stations.

A BP spokesperson said there had been a reduction in demand on the forecourts but it still had a few sites which had completely run out of stock and were awaiting deliveries.

Meanwhile, several Labour MP's have called for Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude to resign over comments he made advising storing petrol in jerrycans.

A York woman, who suffered severe burns while decanting petrol at home, remains critically ill in hospital.

Although a strike by fuel tanker drivers over Easter was out of the question as of Saturday, the threat of future industrial action was not yet over.

Unite assistant general secretary Diana Holland said the union was focused on next week's talks with distribution companies through the reconciliation service Acas - but this did not mean it had backed down.

Acas said unions and fuel bosses would not meet until after Monday but said it was "pleased" that Unite was ready to start substantive talks as soon as possible.

An Acas spokesperson said: "We are meeting all of the employers involved in the dispute on Monday to complete our exploratory talks with them.

"We hope that more formal talks involving both Unite and the employers will start as soon as possible after Monday."

Speaking to the BBC, the head of Unite, Len McCluskey, condemned the government's "shambolic handling of the whole situation".

He also called for the prime minister to refute accusations the government had "deliberately" caused the dispute.

When asked why the union had failed to announce sooner that there would be no Easter strike, Mr McCluskey said: "We did it as early as we possibly could".

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "The government has always been clear this is about doing everything possible to protect the country from a potentially crippling strike, and not about playing politics.

"We urge Unite to negotiate with the employers, and to make clear there will be no strike."

Peter Carroll of Fair Fuel UK said the government's advice "should have been to keep calm and carry on because there wasn't a strike".

He said the main crisis in the UK was "the price of petrol and diesel", which the government was failing to address.

"Petrol and diesel are the lifeblood - the oxygen - of the economy. And this narrow-minded view they have that the only way is up for fuel duty is actually killing the patient."

Source & Image : BBC

Marchers again demand arrest in Trayvon Martin case

SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters marched through Sanford, Florida, on Saturday demanding an arrest of the neighborhood watch volunteer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen a month ago.

"We want arrests ... shot in the chest," they chanted in reference to 17-year-old victim Trayvon Martin, who was shot in the chest.

Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP which organized the march, and civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton denied media reports that Sharpton planned to call for an economic boycott of Sanford or the surrounding central Florida area, calling it a "media fabrication."

"Put to rest the rumor that there is any discussion of a boycott of the community," Jealous told reporters.

Demonstrators called for the arrest of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watch captain who admitted shooting Martin with a semiautomatic handgun. Zimmerman, a white Hispanic, had called 911 to report a "suspicious" person and followed Martin against the dispatcher's advice.

Zimmerman told police that he was walking back to his vehicle when Martin attacked him and slammed his head against the ground and that he shot in self defense. Police declined to arrest Zimmerman citing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, which gives wide latitude to use deadly force when a threat is perceived.

The ensuing public outcry has prompted ongoing state and federal investigations and charges of racial bias.

"We're here to say 'save our sons.' Bring Mr. Zimmerman to justice," Jealous said.

With gospel music playing in the background, protesters marched from a technical high school campus through a predominantly black neighborhood to a rally at the Sanford Police Station. The throng stretched for blocks, weaving past homes, churches and small businesses, many of them boarded up.

It was one of the largest demonstrations yet in Sanford, where Martin was killed on February 26. Speakers at the rally said they were committed to non-violence and that Martin's death served as a wake-up call on a number of issues. The issues included the abundance of weapons on the street, the level of violence in society and the struggle for racial equality.

"It is not just racial profiling. It is bank profiling, healthcare profiling," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said. "The disparity in this country is growing ... there is a meanness in our country today."

NAACP chapters from South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama arranged buses to bring participants to the rally, while others traveled by car.

"Because of the age of the young man and because of the circumstances of his death, every community can identify with that," said Bernard Simelton, president of the Alabama state conference of the NAACP. "We've had things like that happen in Alabama where somebody gets killed and the police just sweep it under the rug. It just touches everyone."

While insisting there was no call for a boycott, Sharpton said there could still be unspecified action against national groups that support the "Stand Your Ground" laws like the one police cited when they declined to arrest Zimmerman.

(Additional reporting by Harriet McLeod, writing by Jane Sutton; Editing by Greg McCune)

Source & Image : Yahoo

Why I'm returning my new iPad and buying a Kindle Fire

New Apple iPad. (Apple)

My new
iPad is going back to the store.

I paid $600 for the 32GB Wi-Fi model, and although I like it well enough, I don't think it's worth the money.

Before the Apple faithful take my head off, allow me to explain --
and to note that I'm keeping my original iPad. Also, I have such mad
love for my iPhone 4S, I want to cook it breakfast every morning. You get my meaning; this isn't just wayward iPad-bashing.

When Apple announced the new tablet, I was underwhelmed but intrigued. I'd skipped the iPad 2, so I figured I "owed" myself this upgrade. Plus, it would be a business expense; I do write for a blog called iPad Atlas, after all.

Mostly, though, I got caught up in the hype. After reading gushing
praise for the new iPad's Retina Display and blazing processor, I had to
see what the fuss was about.

The fuss, it turns out, was more overblown than a Kardashian wedding.
The screen? Yep, it's nice. Does it make my eyes leap from my skull and
dance a marimba cha-cha? No. Neither does it cure cancer or introduce me to supermodels, despite what some drooling bloggers intimated.

    Related stories on CNET.com

• Kindle vs. Nook vs. iPad: Which e-book reader should you buy?
• CNET review: Apple's new iPad
• CNET review: Amazon Kindle Fire

The new iPad is admirably peppy, though I never found my original
iPad to be slow. My kids enjoy messing with the built-in cameras, but
that's a luxury I certainly don't need. Using an iPad to snap photos or
video is like driving a monster truck to the grocery store:
uncomfortable and impractical (to say nothing of showy). The only thing
that I'll actually miss is big-screen FaceTime -- but for those moments I
can always Skype on my laptop.

4G LTE? Again, nice, but I have no need for it. And that
leaves...what? The new iPad is a little slimmer, a little faster, and
little easier on the eyes than the original. Not enough, Apple. I want
my $600 back.

As fate would have it, a Kindle Fire
arrived shortly after the new iPad. (It's a loaner, due back to Amazon
in about a week.) As you're no doubt aware, it's a hair less expensive:
$199.

Yes, it has a smaller screen, less storage, no cameras, no 3G/4G, no
Bluetooth, and so on. But you know what? I love the little guy, because
it better suits my needs.

For one thing, it's way more comfortable for reading. I consume a lot
of e-books, but I find the iPad too big and cumbersome -- especially
for reading in bed. The Fire is small enough and light enough that I can
lie on my side and grip it one-handed. (Shut up.)

I also like magazines, most notably Entertainment Weekly, Time, and
Wired. The app versions of all three work nicely on the iPad, but I like
the Kindle Fire (Android) versions even better. Maybe it's because I
was expecting a shrunken, ill-fitting stab at accommodating the smaller
screen, but the formatting is just beautiful. Reading these mags on the
Fire is a pleasure.

Music, movies, TV shows, games, apps -- the Kindle Fire excels at all
this stuff, just like the iPad. I'm streaming "This Is Spinal Tap"
(courtesy of Amazon Prime, an uneven but compelling service) as I type
this, and it looks exquisite. Granted, the paltry 8GB of storage limits
how much media I can take with me, but I'm mostly an around-the-house
user anyway. (That's why I get by just fine with Wi-Fi.)

I also like the Kindle's modern, media-centric, dare-I-say-sexy interface, which actually makes Apple's UI seem rather dated.

So here's the upshot: for one-third of what I paid for the new iPad, I can accomplish 95 percent of what I want to do with a
tablet,
and with a smaller form factor I find more appealing. Different strokes
for different folks, of course, but for me this is a no-brainer: I'm
returning the new iPad and jumping into the Fire.

Your thoughts?

Source & Image : Yahoo

Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi set for key elections

Voters in Burma go to the polls shortly for by-elections that promise to be the most open contests in decades, with Aung San Suu Kyi among those standing.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD) is contesting all 45 seats, vacated when politicians joined the new, military-backed civilian government.

It is the first time Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is standing in an election herself.

It is also the first time international observers have been allowed to monitor elections in modern Burma.

The European Union looks set to ease some sanctions on the country if Sunday's elections go smoothly.

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi spent a total of 15 years under house arrest after the military overturned her party's landslide general election victory in 1990.

While only a fraction of seats are being decided, the NLD is expected to enter parliament as the official opposition.

With tens of thousands of people turning out to back Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and her fellow NLD candidates, the by-elections have taken on a huge significance, the BBC's Rachel Harvey in Burma reports.

Election officials in Rangoon and other parts of the country have been making final checks at polling stations, ensuring ballot boxes and booths are ready.

"We're preparing the election on 1 April to be free and fair," election official Maung Maung Than told the Associated Press news agency. "We'll make it free and fair, I believe this."

Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is standing for a lower house seat in the Kawhmu Township constituency outside Rangoon.

She arrived there on Saturday in a convoy of NLD cars, plastered with party stickers.

Small groups of people gathered to welcome her, wearing NLD T-shirts and waving party banners and portraits, AFP news agency reports.

The NLD boycotted the 2010 general election on the grounds that election laws were unfair.

Earlier, Ms Aung San Suu Kyi described this year's election campaign as not ''genuinely free and fair" but said she and her part did not regret taking part.

"Still we are determined to go forward because this is what our people want," she said.

At the same time, she warned that Burma's democratisation was "not irreversible".

A small number of representatives from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), along with the EU and US, have been invited to observe polling.

More than 100 foreign journalists are believed to have received permission to cover the vote.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said political sanctions on Burma were mostly "aimed towards individuals" and could be eased when EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on 23 April.

The lifting of such sanctions could "even happen with immediate effect", he told AFP on a visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

"The European Union and also myself, I am excited by the prospect that finally, hopefully Myanmar citizens will get more freedom," Mr De Gucht added.

"Political freedoms and economic freedoms always go together."

Are you in Burma? Will you be voting in this election? Please get in touch using the form below

Source & Image : BBC

At least 1 dead, 15 hurt in grenade attacks in Kenya

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The Red Cross says there were 2 separate grenade attacks in the region


• 2 of those injured are in critical condition, a Kenyan intelligence official says


• The blast was in the coastal city of Mombasa, 300 miles southeast of Nairobi

Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- A pair of grenade attacks rocked southeastern Kenyan Saturday night, killing one person and injuring at least 15 others, according to the Red Cross and a Kenyan intelligence official.

Two of 15 people hurt were in critical condition at a local hospital, said the official, who asked not to be named.

The Kenya Red Cross, on its official Twitter feed, similarly reported a single fatality as well as 16 injured as a result of a grenade attack in the coastal town of Mtwapa, which is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of the city of Mombasa.

Another person was injured in a different, "twin grenade attack" at Tononoka Stadium in Mombasa itself, according to the Red Cross.

Both attacks occurred around 7:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. ET) in the communities along the Arabian Sea, about 480 kilometers southeast of Nairobi, the intelligence official said.

It was not immediately clear if anyone had claimed responsibility.

The East African nation has been on edge since it sent its troops into Somalia to pursue Al-Shabaab militants after the abductions of tourists and aid workers in Kenya. It blames the abductions on Al-Shabaab, which has denied involvement.

Al-Shabaab, which the United States considers a terror group, has threatened to attack Kenya if it does not withdraw its forces from Somalia.

In January, Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement that "we believe that terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks" in Kenya.

U.S. Embassy officials in Kenya issued their own terror alerts last October and November, saying they had credible information of an imminent terror attack.

Source & Image : CNN World

Without protests, justice for Trayvon Martin can't be served

Protesters march in downtown Sanford, Florida, where Trayvon Martin was killed.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Without protests, the Trayvon Martin case would be going nowhere, Roland Martin says


• History is rife with examples of injustice against African-Americans, Martin says


• Instead of condemning those clamoring for justice, we should thank them, he says

(CNN) -- For everyone who has condemned the numerous protests, rallies and vigils demanding justice for Trayvon Benjamin Martin, the 17-year-old gunned down in Sanford, Florida, a month ago, please listen to these two words: Shut up!

Of course that may seem harsh, but that is exactly how I feel. I don't want to hear the nonsense to let the system run its course. Others say, "Let's not do anything until all of the facts are in."

Let's cut to the chase: There would be no special prosecutor had thousands across the national not mobilized, organized and took to the streets to demand justice for Trayvon.

Would a grand jury be convened on April 10? Not a chance.

Would the 911 tapes be released showing admitted trigger man George Zimmerman calling Trayvon suspicious, and owning up to following him? No.

Roland Martin

Would the Florida Legislature be reviewing -- and discussing changing or abandoning -- the controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, which is at the heart of this case? No.

Would the Department of Justice have launched an investigation into the case, as well as the Sanford Police Department? Nope.

Would Sanford's police chief, Bill Lee, have stepped down if the inept investigation hadn't been exposed? No.

Instead of critics condemning the protests, they should be saying, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Whether folks want to admit it or not, this has always been the story of African-Americans. Go through history and you will find many examples of cases not being investigated or, if they were brought to trial, prosecuted or judged atrociously: Scottsboro Boys. Clarence Brandley. Lenell Geter. Medgar Evers. The Sixteeenth Street Baptist Church bombing.

Justice is supposed to be blind, but for African-Americans, it has commonly been deaf, dumb and blind.

As a result, we've had to live by the admonition of former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who said, "Agitate! Agitate! Agitate!"

It was also Douglass who stated, "Power concedes nothing without a demand."

The main demand in the Trayvon Martin case from Day One was for Zimmerman to be arrested and for justice to be served. This wasn't about a ridiculous bounty on the head of Zimmerman by the New Black Panther Party. It wasn't about the selling of T-shirts. It wasn't about who showed up and led a march or why.

It was about holding a legal system accountable that clearly gave more credence to a 28-year-old gunman than the 17-year-old, unarmed man who was gunned down.

For all of our talk about law and order in this country, there is a lot that is wrong with our legal system. We all should feel ashamed when someone is freed from death row or life in prison after DNA testing revealed him or her not to be the real killer or rapist. It should pain our heart when the prosecution withholds evidence in a case that could exonerate someone. And all of us, regardless of race or economic status, should scream to high heaven when the police don't do their job equally for all citizens.

We are a nation of laws, and sometimes they work for some and not others. When we've prayed, cried and pleaded, oftentimes the only thing we have left to do is march. That is a right that is afforded every one of us in the U.S. Constitution, be it the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street or those demanding justice for Trayvon.

No one should be condemned for taking to the streets and letting their voices be heard. They shouldn't be called race-baiters, rabble-rousers or radicals. We all should call them exactly what they are: true Americans.

Source & Image : CNN Opinion

Syria cracking down on journalists, activists say

Paul Conroy lies injured after the attack.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Key citizen journalist Ali Mahmoud Othman has been arrested


• NEW: William Hague is "very concerned" over reports of Othman's mistreatment


• Activists believe the government is torturing Othman


• Kofi Annan is calling for "freedom of movement" for journalists

(CNN) -- The Syrian government is trying to "systematically dismantle" the anti-regime "citizen journalist network" and have seized a key player in the operation, activists told CNN Saturday.

The regime has been making arrests and have seized Ali Mahmoud Othman -- instrumental in the evacuation of the wounded journalists from inside the Homs' neighborhood of Baba Amr, an activist who asked not to be named for security reasons said Saturday.

"We believe Ali is being subjected to severe torture," the activist said. "The lives of our activists and citizen journalists across the whole country are now at risk."

Activists believe that Othman, head of the media center in Homs, is being held in a secure military unit in Aleppo since his detention Wednesday. Syrian authorities have not responded to requests for comment.

Rafif Jouejati, spokesman for the opposition Local Coordination Committees, said that recently a sniper shot dead an activist hiding under a car to film columns of smoke rising from a building that had been shelled.

"Perhaps this is the regime's rationale: If they can't crush dissent using brute force, maybe killing all those who document the brute force will be effective," she said.

Foreign news outlets have been severely limited during the government's bloody year-long crackdown against protesters. Critics say that the government has been dutifully working to stifle such independent reporting.

U.N. envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan to end the crisis addresses the issue. He called on the government "to ensure freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them."

Amateur videographers and news reporters dubbed "citizen journalists" have braved violence to undermine the government's news coverage restrictions.

They have helped those international journalists who were able to sneak into Syria and report. And they have produced videos, photos and print reports every day that bear witness to the brutal crackdown.

Those reports have helped news outlets around the world tell the story of the violence.

Paul Conroy, a British photographer who was injured in the Baba Amr offensive, said the regime is taking steps "to ensure that independent reporting becomes impossible."

He said Othman helped him escape from Baba Amr, hammered for weeks by the military until resistance fighters retreated. Activists say other parts of the city continue to be shelled.

"After the attack and treatment of the wounded he played a significant role in assisting in our escape from Baba Amr. All our efforts must now be concentrated on saving his life. If it wasn't for him, no Western media would have been able to work in Baba Amr and bear witness to the slaughter of the civilian population," Conroy said.

The team that worked with Othman in Baba Amr is pushing for the release of Othman and other detained activists.

"We, the media office, are calling on all human rights organizations across the world, as well as the Federation of Arab Journalists and the United Nations to interfere immediately to save the life of the journalist and activist Ali Othman who is being subjected to the worst forms of torture since his arrest. We place full responsibility on the Syrian Assad regime for any harm caused to the journalist Ali Othman," said the group, known as the Baba Amr media center team.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he's "very concerned" about reports of arrests and torture of Othman.

"I call on the Syrian authorities to release Mr. Othman and other political prisoners immediately," Hague said in a statement.

Reporters Without Borders, the journalist watchdog group, couldn't immediately comment on Othman's situation.

But Heather Blake, the group's UK representative, said Saturday that "Syrian authorities are systematically targeting journalists working inside Syria, and particularly local journalists and the media centers that have been set up. This is based on research that we and many other organizations have done."

Another journalists' monitoring group, the Committee to Protect Journalists, says at least eight journalists have died in Syria since November, making the country "the most dangerous place for journalists in the world right now."

The latest killings occurred on Monday, when two free-lance British journalists of Algerian descent were shot and killed near the Turkish border, CPJ said. They were filming a documentary about Syrians fleeing to Turkey and were staying with activists in Idlib province.

Witness told CPJ that soldiers and militia fired at the house. State-run media "portrayed the attack as an assault on terrorists trying to infiltrate Syrian territories from the Turkish border."

The United Nations estimates that the more than 9,000 people have died since the Syrian government crackdown on protesters began in March 2011. Opposition activists put the toll at more than 10,000.

Source & Image : CNN World

Old photos may be deceptive in Fla. shooting case

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — When he was shot, Trayvon Martin was not the baby-faced boy in the photo that has been on front pages across the country. And George Zimmerman wasn't the beefy-looking figure in the widely published mugshot.

Both photos are a few years old and no longer entirely accurate. Yet they may have helped shape initial public perceptions of the deadly shooting.

"When you have such a lopsided visual comparison, it just stands to reason that people would rush to judgment," said Kenny Irby, who teaches visual journalism at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The most widely seen picture of Martin, released by his family, was evidently taken a few years ago and shows a smiling, round-cheeked youngster in a red T-shirt. But at his death, Martin was 17 years old, around 6 feet tall and, according to his family's attorney, about 140 pounds.

Zimmerman, 28, is best known from a 7-year-old booking photo of an apparently heavyset figure with an imposing stare, pierced ear and facial hair, the orange collar of his jail uniform visible. The picture, released by police following the deadly shooting, was taken after Zimmerman's 2005 arrest on an assault-on-an-officer charge that was eventually dropped.

In a police video made public this week of Zimmerman being brought in for questioning a half-hour after the shooting, the 5-foot-9 man appears much slimmer.

In a case that has caused a nationwide furor over race and the laws of self-defense, Martin was shot to death by Zimmerman in the city of Sanford on Feb. 26 as the unarmed black teenager was walking back from a convenience store.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after Martin punched him in the face, knocked him to the ground and began slamming his head on the sidewalk.

Black leaders and others are demanding Zimmerman's arrest on murder or manslaughter charges, but state and federal authorities are still investigating.

Betsi Grabe, a professor at Indiana University-Bloomington who has studied the effect of news images on public opinion, said photos that gain the most traction play into the desires of both journalists and the public for a story with a distinct victim and aggressor.

"At the center of most stories we tell in our society, cross-culturally and across the centuries, is the struggle between good and evil," she said. "If the ingredients are there, that is what journalists will grab onto and present."

Grabe said it is natural to present the most innocent-looking image of the person believed to be the victim, and the most menacing one of the suspect.

A more complex portrait of the two figures has emerged since then. A photo of a beaming Zimmerman looking sharp in a jacket and tie has come out, along with a more recent picture of Martin, with gold teeth and a white sleeveless undershirt. At the same time, it was learned that Martin had been suspended from school for marijuana residue in his backpack.

The Associated Press has not been able to verify the sources or creators of what are purported to be more recent photographs of Martin circulating online and elsewhere. The family's attorney has not released the photos.

"Everyone's views seem to be gyrating back and forth with each new scrap of evidence that comes out," said David O. Markus, a prominent Miami defense attorney. "This is why we have courts and juries, and why the process is slow. No one should rush to judgment."

Gordon Coonfield, a communications professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, said the early perceptions of Zimmerman as a vigilante may ultimately have no bearing on the case.

He cited the case of Rodney King, the black motorist beaten two decades ago by white Los Angeles police officers in an episode captured on video. The officers were acquitted in state court, though two were later found guilty on federal charges.

"I think the nation felt quite certain it saw the truth of what happened to Rodney King, and the DA tried the case as if the images spoke for themselves," Coonfield said. "Yet the state criminal court decided the images were not self-evidently true. The defense won by offering a more convincing explanation of the images, focusing on what could not be seen — officers' motives, reasoning, and judgment."

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Associated Press writer Curt Anderson contributed to this report from Miami.

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Follow Matt Sedensky on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sedensky

Source & Image : Yahoo

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood names presidency candidate

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has nominated its deputy chairman, Khairat al-Shatir, as its candidate for the presidential elections in May.

The choice of Mr Shatir, the group's financier, reverses a pledge made earlier by the group's leaders not to contest the election.

Only a few days had remained before the close of nominations.

Correspondents say the Brotherhood has shown major divisions and its ties with the ruling council have worsened.

There had been much speculation about whether it would opt to field a candidate following the party's legislative election success in November.

The movement's political arm then won around a third of the votes, and nearly half the seats in the first parliamentary elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak last year.

Mahmoud Hussein, the group's deputy leader, said it had decided to field a candidate following what he called "attempts to abort the revolution".

The ruling military council has been in conflict with the Brotherhood over the appointment of cabinet ministers.

Source & Image : BBC

The rise of the black nerd in pop culture

Alphonso McAuley plays a "blerd" on the Fox comedy "Breaking In."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Black nerds or 'blerds' are increasingly visible in pop culture


• Actors like Donald Glover, Damon Wayans and Alphonso McAuley are playing nerds


• Expert says "It's fashionable to wear bowties and be educated"

(CNN) -- Comedians Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the brains behind the hit Comedy Central sketch show "Key & Peele," joked that President Barack Obama is the idol black nerds have longed for and needed.

"Obama was the best thing for black nerds everywhere. Finally we had a role model," Peele humorously told reporters recently. "Before Obama, we basically had Urkel."

Black nerds, aka "blerds," is a way to describe African-American intellectuals in a time when it's finally cool to be something other than an athlete or rapper.

"There have long been African-American intellectuals," said Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., whose new genealogical show, "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.," debuted last Sunday on PBS.

"The difference with my generation and those after is that there are more of us in the spotlight," Gates said. "With my PBS specials, I drew a record 25 million viewers. I wouldn't have been able to do that without the platform I have."

"It's good to see black intellectuals do well," he said. "We as a people are a whole range of things, and we're finally starting to see that reflected in the media."

Because there is a growing number of prominent and successful people considered blerds such as President Obama, Gates and astrophysicist and PBS star Neil deGrasse Tyson, TV viewers are starting to see more and more blerd-type characters on their favorite comedies and even children's programs.

That's right. Lance Robertson, aka DJ Lance Rock from Nickelodeon's "Yo Gabba Gabba!" is a total blerd.

The list also includes comedic actor Jordan Carlos from "I Just Want My Pants Back" on MTV; Aisha Tyler from FX's "Archer" and "Happy Endings" star Damon Wayans Jr. on ABC.

"I'm a black nerd and that was illegal until 2003," joked Donald Glover in one of his Comedy Central standup specials.

Glover has also started blending his nerdy habits in with that of his "Community" character, Troy.

A comedian and a former writer for "30 Rock," Glover has created a whole stand-up act trumpeting blerds like the president and rapper Kanye West.

"Strange, specific stuff -- that's what makes a nerd a nerd," Glover has explained during his bit. "Kanye West is a black nerd. If you go up to Kanye West and say 'Hey, what are your favorite things?' He'd be like 'Robots and Teddy bears.'"

"That's a nerd."

Similar observations have been made by comedian and actor Kevin Hart (a guest star on ABC's "Modern Family").

Like Glover, Hart has created a new brand of dorky, self-deprecating humor that is completely different than that of their comedy predecessors, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock.

"It's fashionable to wear bowties and be educated," said Dave Nemetz, a TV content producer for Yahoo! "It's part of multiculturalism and with everything blending together, there's a certain subset of (black nerd life) that's becoming cool right now.

"Nerds are cool right now in general and that's certainly an aspect."

Nemetz said the rise in characters such as Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.) on "Happy Endings" is also the result of color-blind casting.

"Damon Wayans' character wouldn't necessarily be a black character the way it was written," Nemetz said. "He's fantastic and that helped him get cast but I also think once you get people from different cultures coming in, and taking roles that may not have been written for them, you see this type of advancement.

"Twenty years ago, it would've been out of place to have this character there because it wasn't happening culturally."

Carlos, who also does standup, said his blerd character Eric on "I Just Want My Pants Back" was Jewish in the David J. Rosen book the show is based on. Rosen also created the TV show and Eric is a medical student.

"I like that they were open to different people coming in and going against type," Carlos said of the show's producers. "I've been Pookie Crack Head No. 2, but I'd never been a member of a cast."

Alphonso McAuley, plays a blerd on the Fox comedy "Breaking In."

He said his character Cash is into "Star Wars" way more than he is in real life, in spite of the fact that he owns not one but two "Star Wars" Lego sets.

"Up until now, black nerds weren't being celebrated," McAuley said. "We've seen the thug, the athlete, the rapper and the comedic best friend. This is something different.

"It's cool to be uncool."

Source & Image : CNN Entertainment

Protester killed in Bahrain, opposition group says

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Slain protester was a photographer documenting demonstrations, activists say


• NEW: Saturday protests planned in solidarity with noted human rights leader


• Opposition party says a pro-government militia fired on protesters


• Police say the shooter was in a civilian car and that they are investigating

(CNN) -- A 22-year-old protester died early Saturday in a shooting that the main Shiite opposition party Al-Wefaq blamed on neighborhood militias loyal to the regime.

The victim, identified by police as Ahmed Ismael Abdulsam, died of a gunshot wound to the thigh, the country's chief of Public Security, Major-General Tariq Al Hassan said in a statement released by the Interior Ministry.

The shooter was apparently driving a civilian car, according to the statement. The case is being investigated as a murder, police said.

Al-Wefaq blamed a group of men in civilian clothing for the death of the man, whom opposition activists described as a photographer who frequently brought a camera to demonstrations to document the events.

He was shot late Friday while attending a demonstration in the village of Salambad, Al-Wefaq said. The group cited eyewitnesses, who said Hassan was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries early Saturday.

Demonstrations in Bahrain failed to gain the traction of other Arab Spring uprisings following a crackdown by the authorities in the island state, backed by troops from nearby Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In November of last year, Bahrain's Independent Commission of Inquiry issued a report that was highly critical of the authorities' reaction to the protests, which began in February 2011, spurred by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

The independent commission, set up by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, found that between February and April of last year, 35 people had been killed as a result of the unrest there.

Demonstrators and Bahraini authorities have continued to clash in recent months, with the opposition accusing the government of using heavy handed tactics.

Opposition activists say more protests are planned for Saturday evening, with many protest leaders calling for people to come out in solidarity with Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, one of Bahrain's most prominent human rights activists.

Al-Khawaja was sentenced to life in prison in June for his role in the anti-government demonstrations that swept through Bahrain a year ago. He has been on hunger strike for more than 50 days in protest of his sentence.

On Friday, Amnesty International issued a statement calling on Bahraini authorities to release al-Khawaja amid fears that he is at risk of death.

A member of al-Khawaja's family told CNN they were informed that al-Khawaja had been taken to a hospital due to his deteriorating condition but were not allowed to visit with him.

Source & Image : CNN World

Myanmar prepares for historic vote

Suu Kyi campaigns on election eve

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to win a seat


• There are 45 parliamentary seats up for grabs


• The country has experienced enormous change in the last year


• Burmese in exile are watching the vote

(CNN) -- Voters in Myanmar head to the polls Sunday in a historic by-election, the first time credible alternatives to the ruling party have appeared on the country's ballot.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who symbolizes the fight for democracy in the Asian nation, will be one of the candidates competing for 45 parliamentary vacancies created by the promotion of lawmakers to the Cabinet and other posts last year.

Released in 2010 by Myanmar's military rulers after years under house arrest, Suu Kyi has been traveling up and down the country, rallying support for her once-banned National League for Democracy party.

The election comes amid enormous change in Myanmar, also known as Burma -- secluded and ruled by a military junta for decades

In the past 12 months, the country has pardoned hundreds of political prisoners, secured a ceasefire with Karen rebels and has agreed to negotiate with other ethnic rebel groups. Freer press rules have encouraged the proliferation of journals and magazines.

Myanmar's efforts to thaw its frosty relations with the rest of the world have been warmly welcomed and rewarded. In recent months, a steady procession of foreign ministers has visited the country and, in February, the EU lifted a travel ban on Myanmar officials.

There have been hints too that the a free and fair vote on Sunday will lead to the relatively swift unraveling of sanctions that have long choked the country's economy.

Unlike the 2010 general election, international observers have been invited to monitor the vote. The United States, the European Union and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are sending monitors, as are Japan, Canada and Australia.

Analysts say the election will be the first real test of the government's commitment to removing the fear and paranoia of citizens silenced by nearly five decades of military rule. After attracting international condemnation for manipulating the voting process two years ago, Myanmar's leaders know that a fair election will be proof to the world that it can conduct a legitimate vote.

Thousands of Burmese living in exile around the world are watching the election for a clear sign that it is safe to return home.

Analysts say the sheer number and spread of polling booths across the country will make it impossible for international monitors to ensure an honest count.

Suu Kyi said she believs voting irregularities, illegal activities and intimidation have been encouraged by official entities.

But she doesn't "regret having taken part" in the election campaign because it has raised political awareness among Myanmar's population. Suu Kyi is expected to win her seat in Kawhmu, south of Yangon.

The daughter of Gen. Aung San, a hero of Burmese independence, the 66-year-old Suu Kyi herself became an inspiration with her long struggle for democracy in the country.

As a member of parliament, Suu Kyi would also be expected to be free to travel outside Myanmar -- and more importantly to return -- something that wasn't possible during her long years of repression and confinement.

She told hundreds of journalists gathered outside her residence Friday that she didn't plan on becoming a minister in the military-backed civilian government, if a position was offered to her. Under Myanmar's constitution, lawmakers can't hold ministerial office.

Asked where she would place Myanmar's democracy on a scale of one to 10, Suu Kyi said, "We're trying to get to one."

Source & Image : CNN World

Cruise ship drifting after fire off Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A fire in the engine room crippled a luxury cruise liner with 1,000 people aboard, leaving it adrift far from shore in waters south of the Philippines, officials said Saturday.

Five crew members were injured before the fire was put out, one of them seriously in need of hospital care. No one among the 590 passengers was hurt, the ship's company said, and the ship's captain reported that the situation was under control.

A tugboat and Philippine navy and coast guard vessels were headed to the stricken Azamara Quest as the crew tried to repair the engines. The rescue boats were expected to arrive in the evening, but it was unclear when the tugboat would arrive.

The stricken ship was drifting in the Sulu Sea about 130 kilometers (70 nautical miles) south of the Philippines' Tubbataha Reef, Philippine coast guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Algier Ricafrente said. The Sulu Sea lies between the Philippines and the island of Borneo, which is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia.

It was the latest in a series of accidents hitting luxury cruise liners since January, when the Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy, killing 32 people.

The Azamara Quest has 411 crew members. Operator Azamara Club Cruises is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

The vessel left Hong Kong on Monday for what was supposed to be a 17-day Southeast Asian cruise. The ship made port call in Manila and left for Sandakan, Malaysia, Thursday and was scheduled to make several stops in Indonesia, before arriving in Singapore on April 12.

The cruise ship left Manila on Thursday and was at sea when the fire broke out Friday night. The flames engulfed one of the ship's engine rooms but were quickly extinguished, Azamara Club Cruises said in a statement. Five crew suffered smoke inhalation, including one who was seriously injured and needed hospital care.

Ricafrente said that the ship was in contact via email. The ship's captain, Leif Karlsson, emailed the coast guard, saying that assistance was no longer necessary as a tugboat was on its way, he said.

"The situation (is) under control and we are in the (process) to restore the power and propulsion to continue our voyage to Sandakan" in Malaysia, Karlsson said in one of several emails seen by The Associated Press.

The ship's senior physician, Oliver Gilles, said that the crew member who was in serious condition suffered from "prolonged heat and smoke exposure" but no burns and was "unstable".

The coast guard recalled one of its rescue vessels and a patrol craft, but another was still heading to the ship along with a navy boat, Ricafrente said, "because we want to ensure the safety of the passengers." He said the vessels were expected to reach the ship around 8 p.m. (2000 GMT).

There were no information about the nationalities of the passengers and crew, but British media said they included Britons and Americans.

Ricafrente said that no distress call was received and there would be an investigation.

The cruise company's statement said the ship was running on emergency power in "calm seas" around Indonesia's portion of Borneo island.

Engineers have restored power to one of the ship's engines to re-establish air conditioning, running water, plumbing, refrigeration and food preparation, the company said.

The company said the rest of the ship's voyage would be canceled.

A month after 32 people died when the Costa Concordia ran aground and capsized off the western coast of Italy, a fire on the Costra Allegra left that ship without power and adrift in waters known to be prowled by pirates in the Indian Ocean for three days.

Both Costa ships are part of Costa Crociere, SpA, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise operator.

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Online: http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/about-azamara/travel-alerts

Source & Image : Yahoo