One-minute World News

'Super clone' sniffer dogs: Coming to an airport near you?

A small army of elite, highly trained clones are sent on a mission to root out drugs and ammunition from the city. Every few hours they report back to their masters, to whom they've been devoted since birth.

But this isn't the set of a low-budget sci-fi flick; it's the departure lounge of South Korea's Incheon Airport, where seven "super clone" sniffer-dogs have been dispatched in the war against contraband luggage.

The pack of golden Labrador Retrievers are all genetically identical to "Chase," whose legendary snout kept him top of Incheon's drug-detection rankings right up until his retirement in 2007.

But now after years of training, the new class is following in their genetic donor's paw-prints, consistently outperforming the rest of South Korea's naturally born sniffers in the hunt for heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines.

Interactive: A day in the life of an airport city
They are the work of Professor Byeong-chun Lee, who established his reputation in 2005 as the driving force behind Snuppy (an amalgam of Seoul National University puppy), the world's first ever dog clone.
"The officers in Korean Custom Service read our dog-cloning article and they suggested the project to us," recalls Lee.

Indeed, Korean customs had a problem on their hands. Only three out of every 10 selectively bred sniffer dogs that it trained --- at a cost of about $40,140 each -- had the nostrils and the discipline for the job.
Although the seven Labrador clones cost upwards of $100,000 each, every single one of them made the grade.
But Lee refuses to take all the credit: "I think half of the ability comes from the genetic background and half comes from the training," he said.

Lending weight, if it were needed, to the claim that aptitude is indeed a balance of nature and nurture, the dogs still display variations in performance despite their identical genes
And leader of the pack is Tutu. "Last year, he won a medal for detecting the most drugs at the ICN (Incheon) airport," boasts his long-time handler Park Ji-yong.

Like his septuplet brothers, Tutu began training for the job at the age one and now, as a mature four year-old, works five to six hourly shifts a day.

"He's very active and energetic...He's kind of tough...and he only likes me which makes me feel good," beams Ji-yong.
But it's not just drug-mules and meth-addicts that need fear the arrival of this sniffing super-breed. Lee's next clone will be a high-performance "quarantine dog" -- gifted with an enhanced capacity for detecting the presence of disease in humans.
Lee says that, due to the high number of travelers passing through Incheon, the airport has experienced problems with the spread of infectious diseases, "so the Korean government have asked us to clone some quarantine sniffing dogs"
Beyond the airport barriers, Professor Lee spends his time cloning a variety of other canine breeds, each with a specific purpose in mind.

"Some clients want to replicate their own pets" says Lee. In other cases, the scientist works in conservation, creating identical copies of endangered animals.

"Wolves are endangered species in Korea, especially grey wolves. We collected cells from the ear of wolves...and transported to surrogate dogs and finally we produced cloned wolves" says Lee.
So, now that he's cloned man's best friend, are there any plans for man himself?
"Scientifically all the animals, including humans, can be cloned, but I have never thought about (it). It's illegal and it's an ethical problem."

More Latinos identify as Native American, census shows

Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard, right, dances at the 2010 Taíno Day ceremony in Puerto Rico

When Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard filled out her census form last year, she checked the box for Latino, and for the first time, she also checked the box for Native American.

It had taken her more than 30 years -- plus research and genetic testing -- to discover her ties to the indigenous Taínos of Puerto Rico, to claim her identity and re-learn what she thought she knew of her history.

She's not the only one. Since 2000, the number of Hispanics who identified themselves as Native American grew from 407,073 to 685,150, according to the 2010 census.

Census: Hispanics drive growth of U.S. white population

Some attribute the increase to immigration from parts of North and South America where there are large indigenous populations. In some cases, it's because of recently discovered ties to native cultures.

Growing up in the Bronx, New York, and spending summers in Puerto Rico, Maynard said she had no words to identify who she was. She just felt "different."

How do you self-identify? Tell us in CNN iReport's Cultural Census

Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard's grandmother is pictured in Puerto Rico about 1938.

Ana María Tekina-eirú Maynard's grandmother is pictured in Puerto Rico about 1938.

"It is one thing to know that you have indigenous blood," Maynard said. "And I have always known it. I look at the faces of my mother and grandmother, and that reality is undeniable."

But Maynard had long been taught that Taíno Indians, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, were "gone, dead and buried" for centuries, decimated by Spaniards who arrived on the island in the 16th century.

"Why would you question what you have always been taught and what was considered as common knowledge?" she asked.

Still, 14 years ago, Maynard founded the Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance & Cultural Center in Austin, Texas, to preserve the culture of indiginous Puerto Ricans. Today, Maynard gives dance and singing classes as a volunteer at the center, in addition to her full-time job as an engineer with IBM.

"I always knew I had Taíno blood. Looking at the face of my grandmother, how could I not?" Maynard said.

"I always knew I had Taíno blood. Looking at the face of my grandmother, how could I not?" Maynard said.

Four years ago, Maynard heard about the work of Dr. Juan Carlos Martinez Cruzado, a geneticist from the University of Puerto Rico. In an island-wide genetic study, he found that at least 61.1% of those surveyed had mitochondrial DNA of indigenous origin.

Cruzado's findings eventually cast doubt upon the notion that the Taínos of Puerto Rico had been completely extinguished but suggested that they assimilated.

"When I learned about (Cruzado's) work, my life changed," Maynard said. "It was an awakening that the Taíno heritage was not extinct."

Map how the United States has changed

For Maynard, this was a living heritage to reclaim. Months later, she took a DNA test that confirmed she was Taíno via her mother's ancestry.

"I walked through that door and for the first time had a deep understanding of who I was," she said.

Despite diminished numbers -- the Taíno population decreased from 8 million in 1492 to 20,000 in 1520 to 200 in 1560 -- the Taíno culture has survived and is still present in the language today, said Jose Barreiro, assistant director for research at the National Museum of the American Indian.

"I am originally from Cuba, and I like to say to my fellow Cubans that Cuba is a Taíno word," Barreiro said. "They have no idea that when they say the word Cuba, they are speaking Taíno. It means 'big land, well-planted.' "

Mario Garza created the Indigenous Cultures Institute in 2005, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the research and preservation of indigenous cultures. It tries to educate people with indigenous roots who label themselves "Hispanic," Garza said.

The increasing number of people who identified as Latino and Native American in 2010 give him hope.

"The Spaniards tried to destroy our civilization and history, outlawed our ceremonies, yet we are still here," Garza said. "With a bigger group of Native Americans, we have a better chance of getting federal recognition and grants."

But for Maynard, it wasn't about gaining political power; it was a way to acknowledge her newly discovered Taíno heritage. Her Census form showed that the culture was still alive.

In a sacred ceremony, Maynard's priest gave her a consecrated Taíno name: "Tekina-eirú." It means "sweet teacher."

The name is apt, Maynard said, as she wants to teach the Taíno culture to those that come to her cultural center. Her two children will need to learn their own lessons about identity. She wants her children to know about what she yearned for: their roots.

Philippine immigrant maid wins landmark Hong Kong case

Evangeline Banao Vallejos' lawyer, Mark Daly: "It's a good win for the rule of law"

Hong Kong's High Court has ruled that a domestic helper from the Philippines should be allowed to apply for permanent residency in the city.

The case was brought by Evangeline Banao Vallejos, who has lived in Hong Kong since 1986.

The ruling follows a landmark judicial review and could lead to more than 100,000 other foreign maids winning rights to residency.

The government has said that it will appeal against the ruling.

The case has sparked widespread debate on equal treatment for foreign maids.

Mark Daly, the lawyer acting on behalf of Ms Vallejos, said that she was very pleased by the ruling.

"When we told her she said 'thank God'," he said, adding that it was a normal working day for her.

"It's a good day for the rule of law," he added.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Security, Ambrose Lee, said that the government would not process or approve right-of-abode applications for domestic workers while it appealed against the ruling.

"The government respects but is disappointed with the ruling," he said.

Public resources

Some critics have said granting residency to domestic helpers would strain the provision of health care, education and public housing.

While other foreign nationals can obtain residency after working in Hong Kong for seven years, immigration rules exclude domestic helpers from seeking permanent residency.

Human rights lawyers and many domestic helpers argue that this is discriminatory.

Permanent residency means that a person can remain in Hong Kong indefinitely, vote and stand in elections.

But some politicians and commentators warned that allowing foreign domestic helpers to have permanent residency would allow them to bring their children and other relatives to the city, who would require education and housing.

Equal treatment

Norman Carnay, programme officer at the Mission for Migrant Workers said that he welcomed the decision.
"We hope it will pave the way for Hong Kong to open its doors to equal treatment for migrant workers," he said.

But he added that right of abode was not necessarily a priority for many domestic helpers.

"From surveys of our community, the more pressing concerns are wages and working conditions," he said.

There are around 300,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines. It is thought that around 120,000 have lived here for more than seven years.

They are required to live with their employers and cannot accept other jobs.

Without the right to permanent residency, if a maid is dismissed by her employer, she must find another job as a domestic helper or leave Hong Kong within two weeks.

Hong Kong's domestic workers have a guaranteed minimum wage of 3,740 Hong Kong dollars ($480; £308) a month and day off each week, meaning their working conditions are better than other countries in Asia with large numbers of domestic helpers, such as Singapore.
The case has divided opinion in Hong Kong

Islamist cleric Anwar Awlaki killed in Yemen

US officials said Anwar al-Awlaki had played a significant role in attacks on US interests

US-born radical Islamist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a key al-Qaeda leader, has been killed in Yemen, the country's defence ministry said.

Unnamed US officials confirmed he had died in a US drone strike, but gave no further details.

Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, has been on the run in Yemen since December 2007.

The US named him a "global terrorist" and said he had played a "significant role" in plots to blow up US airliners and use poison to kill US citizens.

President Barack Obama is said to have personally ordered his killing.

Yemen's defence ministry statement said only that Awlaki had died in Khashef in Jawf province, about 140km (87 miles) east of the capital, Sanaa, "along with some of his companions".

US and Yemeni officials later named one of those as Samir Khan, also a US citizen but of Pakistani origin, who produced an online magazine promoting al-Qaeda's ideology.

The death was also announced on Yemeni TV.

Local tribal leaders told the AFP news agency that Awlaki had been moving around within Yemen in recent weeks to evade capture. Local people told AP he had been travelling between Jawf and Marib provinces when he died.

Unnamed US official said Awlaki's convoy was hit by a US drone and jet strike.

One senior official told ABC News it was "a great day for America".
He said Awlaki had been "very operational, every day he was plotting".

US intelligence had had "a very intense focus on him" for some time, he said, were waiting for him to be away from civilians so they could strike.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Awlaki had "demonstrated his intent and ability to cause mass terror" and that if confirmed, his death would be "another significant blow to al-Qaeda".

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says the killing, if confirmed, is significant, because Awlaki's use of modern media meant he was able to reach out and inspire people susceptible to radicalisation.

The reported death comes amid concerns in Washington about the impact of Yemen's political crisis on its ability to go after al-Qaeda militants.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is facing a widespread protest movement, along with an armed insurrection by renegade army units and tribal fighters.

Mr Saleh, who was injured three months ago when his residence was shelled, returned last week after treatment in Saudi Arabia.

He said in an interview published on Thursday that he will not stand down, as promised in a deal brokered by Gulf States, if his opponents are allowed to stand in elections to succeed him.

Targeted before
Awlaki is described by US officials as the "chief of external operations" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
He had played a "significant operational role in the Christmas 2009 Detroit airline bomb attempt, said officials, and in the plot which sent two bombs in printer cartridges on US-bound cargo planes in 2010. They were intercepted in the UK and Dubai.

Awalaki has been implicated in the 2009 US army base killings in Fort Hood, Texas, and a failed bombing in New York's Times Square in 2010.

Washington said he had sought to use poisons including cyanide and ricin in attacks.

When he was imam of a San Diego mosque in the 1990s, his sermons were attended by two future 9/11 hijackers, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi.

He also lived in the UK from 2002-04, where he spent several months giving lectures to Muslim youth.

In a video posted in November last year he called for the killing of Americans, saying they were from the "party of devils".


Weeks later, he survived an air strike in Shabwa province in which at least 30 militants were killed.

He has been reported dead in the past following US air strikes on southern Yemen in December 2009 and November 2010. He was the target of a US drone attack that killed two al Qaeda operatives in southern Yemen on 5 May.

The official who spoke to ABC said there had been "a good opportunity to hit him" on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks this year, but that "it never materialised".

Hong Kong arrests New Zealand $10m bank error fugitive

A man on the run from New Zealand since a bank mistakenly deposited millions of dollars into his account has been arrested in Hong Kong.

Police say Hui Gao - a New Zealander of Chinese origin - was handed over to Interpol after he was stopped at the border between Hong Kong and China.

Two years ago, he asked Westpac Bank for an overdraft of NZ$100,000 ($77,000; £49,000).

But it mistakenly put NZ$10m into his account.

The bank discovered its error within days but, by then, more than NZ$6m had allegedly been transferred to other accounts.

Hui Gao was remanded in custody by a court in Hong Kong for an extradition hearing on 28 November.

The 30-year-old was wanted for alleged theft and money laundering.

His former girlfriend, Kara Hurring, who left New Zealand with him in 2009, returned voluntarily to her home country in February.

She will face trial next year on charges of stealing theft and money laundering.

Detective Inspector Mark Loper said the arrest in Hong Kong reinforced the determination and tenacity of the New Zealand police to apprehend Mr Hui.

Rwanda genocide court jails former ministers

All four ex-ministers were accused of calling for the massacre of Tutsis in meetings and speeches

Two former Rwandan ministers have been sentenced to 30 years in jail by the UN war crimes tribunal for involvement in Rwanda's genocide in 1994.

Former civil service minister Prosper Mugiraneza and former trade minister Justin Mugenzi were convicted of complicity to commit genocide and incitement to commit genocide.

But two other former ministers were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The judgements come nearly eight years after the trial began.

They come 12 years since the former ministers were arrested.

The tribunal, based in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, was formed in late 1994 to try the alleged perpetrators of the genocide, in which nearly 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis, were killed.

In this case, all four ministers were accused of calling for the massacre of Tutsis during public meetings held across Rwanda and in speeches, some of which were aired on radio.

But Judge Khalida Rachid Khan, Judge Lee Gacuiga Muthoga and Judge Emile Francis Short acquitted former health minister Casimir Bizimungu and former foreign affairs minister Jerome-Clement Bicamumpaka, citing a lack of evidence.

The trial took place from 2003 to 2008, and Judge Short issued a partially dissenting opinion, saying the two convicts deserved a reduction of five years for violation of right to trial without undue delay, the tribunal said in a news release.

Mr Bizimungu was arrested in Kenya in February 1999, while the other three were all arrested in Cameroon in April 1999, the tribunal said.

MP John Hemming's wife found guilty of kitten theft

Christine Hemming was involved in a love triangle that all parties knew about, the court was told

The wife of a Liberal Democrat MP has been convicted of stealing a kitten from the home of her husband's lover.

Christine Hemming, 53, whose husband John is MP for Birmingham Yardley, was found guilty of burglary at Birmingham Crown Court.

The kitten, called Beauty, has not been found since she was filmed on CCTV being removed from the Birmingham home of Emily Cox on 29 September 2010.

The animal was owned by the four-year-old daughter the MP had with Ms Cox.

'Arguing on phone'
Mrs Hemming, from Moseley, Birmingham, married Mr Hemming in 1981 after they met at a conference in Bridlington.
She told the three-day trial her husband had had 26 liaisons since they married and that he finally left their marital home three days before the theft.

Mrs Hemming said she had only learned that her husband had a "love child" with Ms Cox from members of the media in April 2005.

She told the court she was dropping off post after arguing with her husband on the phone and did not know there was a cat there.

The 53-year-old, from Moseley, Birmingham, told the court on Wednesday: "Everything just got out of hand.

"I didn't mean to enter the property.

"I left holding a kitten - there is no doubt about that - but I have no recollection of picking the kitten up."

She also said she tried to return the animal when she realised she had it.

Christine Hemming can be seen crawling on her hands and knees by the house

London shooting: Victim 'was holding her baby son'

Det Chief Inspt Mick Foote: "A young girl was holding her own child"

A teenager holding her 11-month-old son was injured when she came under fire from a shotgun as she chatted to two friends in west London.

Jessica Chrichlow, 18, was taken to hospital with the two others, aged 17 and 19, after the attack in John Fearon Walk, near Queen's Park, on Thursday.

Det Ch Insp Mick Foote said the baby was unhurt but the teenagers were struck by shotgun pellets.

The gunman joined three other men and all four fled on bicycles, he said.

No arrests have been made over the attack.

'Reckless act'


London Ambulance Service said the 18-year-old woman, who was hit in the chin and neck, was taken to hospital as a priority while the two others made their own way there.

The injuries to the three victims are not life-threatening, police said. The 17-year-old has been discharged from hospital but the other two victims remain in the central London hospital.

Mr Foote said the victims were in a back garden talking to a group of boys when the gunman opened fire.

He said: "It appears a man on his own has gone towards the crowd and let off one single shot from a shotgun.

"He ran away from the scene and he joined three other guys who were on pedal cycles, one of them holding a holdall."

He added: "It was a random, reckless act and we are fortunate we are not dealing with a fatal shooting here."

Mr Foote said officers were working on the basis the shooting was gang-related.
"I do not believe the girls were the intended targets. What's particularly devastating is the young girl was carrying a young child," he said.

"This was totally unprovoked."

The suspects were dressed in dark clothing and had their hoodies tightly wrapped around their faces.

Officers are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the suspects and particularly want to speak to the group of boys who were speaking to the victims at the time of the shooting.

The boys ran away just as the gunman approached and was about to open fire, police said.

Nearby resident Jenny Kantinda, 30, who said she knew the victims, said: "They were just sweet girls.

"We have had enough. The gang trouble has got worse, it's time police did something to help us.

"There are young children living here - are they safe? I don't think so."

The shooting took place in a pedestrian alleyway between two council blocks

'Flying carpet' of conductive plastic takes flight

The sheet is lifted by the air packets, and propelled forwards

A miniature magic carpet made of plastic has taken flight in a laboratory at Princeton University.

The 10cm (4in) sheet of smart transparency is driven by "ripple power"; waves of electrical current driving thin pockets of air from front to rear underneath.

The prototype, described in Applied Physics Letters, moves at speeds of about a centimetre per second.

Improvements to the design could raise that to as much as a metre per second.

The device's creator, graduate student Noah Jafferis, says he was inspired by a mathematical paper he read shortly after starting his PhD studies at Princeton.

He abandoned what would have been a fashionable project printing electronic circuits with nano-inks for one that seemed to have more in common with 1001 Nights than 21st-Century engineering.

Prof James Sturm, who leads Mr Jafferis' research group, conceded that at times the project seemed foolhardy.

"What was difficult was controlling the precise behaviour of the sheet as it deformed at high frequencies," he told the BBC.

"Without the ability to predict the exact way it would flex, we couldn't feed in the right electrical currents to get the propulsion to work properly."

What followed was a two year digression attaching sensors to every part of the material so as to fine-tune its performance through a series of complex feedbacks.

But once that was mastered, the waveform of the undulating matched that prescribed by the theory, and the wafting motions gave life to the tiny carpet.

In the paper describing the design, Mr Jafferis and his co-authors are careful to keep the word "flying" in inverted commas, because the resulting machine has more in common with a hovercraft than an aeroplane.

"It has to keep close to the ground," Mr Jafferis explained to the BBC's Science in Action, "because the air is then trapped between the sheet and the ground. As the waves move along the sheet it basically pumps the air out the back." That is the source of the thrust.

Ray hope

Harvard University's Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, who wrote the 2007 paper in Physical Review Letters that inspired the whole project, expressed a mixture of surprise and delight at the Princeton team's success.

"Noah has gone beyond our simple theory and actually built a device that works," he told the BBC "And what's more, it behaves, at least qualitatively, as we had predicted."

Mr Jafferis points out that the prototype is limited because tiny conducting threads anchor it to heavy batteries, so it's free to move only a few centimetres. But he is already working on a solar-powered upgrade that could freely fly over large distances.

The advantage of this kind of propulsion, he argues, is that unlike jets, propellers and hovercraft, there are no moving components like cogs and gears that rub against each other.

The propulsion is not completely unlike that of skates and rays

"The ideal use would be some kind of dusty, grimy environment where moving parts would get gummed up and stop," he explained.

The propulsion is not completely unlike that of skates and rays

That said, he laughingly admits that with the existing materials, a flying carpet powerful enough to carry a person would need a wingspan of 50 metres - not the best vehicle to take on the streets just yet.

On the other hand, preliminary calculations suggest that there is enough atmosphere on the planet Mars to send floating rovers scudding over its dusty surface.

Meanwhile, Prof Mahadevan looks forward to sophisticated improvements in the near future, suggesting the approach could progress to "mimicking the beautiful two-dimensional undulations of the skate or manta ray".

One-minute World News

Vladimir Putin is more popular than me, says Medvedev

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he decided not to run for a second term because Vladimir Putin is both more popular and more authoritative.

It did not mean next year's election result was predetermined, he said in a first interview since Prime Minister Putin revealed their plan to swap jobs.

Mr Putin's bid to return to the top post he held between 2000 and 2008 has angered the country's weak opposition.

But Mr Medvedev told Russian TV new faces would "renew" the government.

"It will be a pivotal renewal of the government - a government consisting of new people. This is fundamentally important," he said.

Mr Medvedev had previously criticised "stagnation" in the Russian political arena, which is heavily dominated by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, saying it is damaging to both ruling and opposition forces.

But United Russia has approved Mr Putin's proposal that Mr Medvedev heads the party list for December's parliamentary elections and become prime minister after the presidential poll.

Foregone conclusion?

In the interview, to be broadcast later, Mr Medvedev said the decision to swap roles had been taken years ago but that he had kept open the option of running for president, depending on his popularity.

However, he said: "Prime Minister Putin is now unquestionably the most authoritative politician in our country and... his rating is somewhat higher."

Analysts say there is little doubt that Mr Putin will win the presidential poll.

However, the country's small liberal opposition has greeted the prospect with dismay, while Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin - who had hoped to take up the prime ministerial role - resigned after a public row with Mr Medvedev.

Critics have included former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who warned that Russia risked "wasting six years" with Mr Putin in charge.

Meanwhile Boris Nemtsov, a deputy prime minister under Boris Yeltsin and co-founder of the unregistered People's Freedom Party, predicted "giant corruption" in the country's politics.

But Mr Medvedev insisted the decision over who ran the country would ultimately rest with the Russian people.

"How can [the elections] be predetermined? Such talk is completely irresponsible, misleading and even provocative," he said.

"The choice is made by the people, and these are not empty words - that's absolutely the way it is."

Burma dam: Work halted on divisive Myitsone project

The project had sparked a rare campaign of opposition, joined by Aung San Suu Kyi

Burma's president has suspended construction of a controversial Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam.

In a letter read out in parliament on Friday, Thein Sein said the $3.6bn (£2.3bn) Myitsone dam was contrary to the will of the people.

The project fuelled fighting between the army and ethnic Kachin rebels, and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi recently joined the anti-dam campaign.

The suspension is being seen as a rare victory for social activists.

The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Rachel Harvey says it appears to be further evidence of the new leadership's desire to seek legitimacy by being more open to public opinion.

The army handed over power to a civilian authority in March, although many of the new rulers are ex-military.

Last week, police arrested a man who staged a rare solo protest against the project outside a Chinese embassy building in Rangoon, AFP news agency reported, and a rally this week against the project was also blocked.

The decision to halt construction was "a welcome surprise for everybody, inside and outside of Burma", Aung Zaw, editor of the Irrawaddy News website, based in northern Thailand, told the BBC.

"The people [are] really happy and welcome the decision made by President Thein Sein because it wasn't only [Aung San] Suu Kyi, let me remind you of that.

"It's the population, the whole Burmese who feel they belong to the culture heritage of the Irrawaddy river. They welcome the news."

Maung Maung Than, from the BBC's Burmese service, points out that the effect of damming the Irrawaddy - which flows from the north of Burma into the massive delta in the south - would have been felt throughout the country.

The vast majority of the power produced on the dam was to be exported to China, and correspondents say the dam had served to inflame growing anti-Chinese sentiment in Burma.

Beijing is investing vast sums in a series of big infrastructure projects aimed at exploiting Burma's rich natural resources and geographic position in the region.

There has as yet been no official reaction from China to the unusual step taken against it by its isolated ally.

Our correspondent says lobby groups will still be wary because Thein Sein has said he is suspending the dam's construction only for the term of his office, which ends in 2015.

Spectrum of opposition

The Myitsone dam project was being developed jointly by Burma and China at the head of the Irrawaddy river in Burma's northern Kachin state.

Kachin rebels, who have been fighting government troops in a stop-start insurgency for years, were leading the opposition to the dam.

This year has been one of the most violent in Kachin state in more than a decade.

The dam, which was due for completion in 2019, would be one of the world's tallest at 152m (500ft) high.

The campaign against the project brought together conservationists, environmentalists, Kachin activists and the political opposition.

Their objections ranged from the lack of public consultation to the potential environmental impact of the project.

The dam would create a reservoir of some 766 sq km (300 sq miles) - about the size of Singapore - and displace thousands of ethnic Kachin villagers, our correspondent says.

"The president sent a message comprising 10 points to the parliament this morning. One of them said that the construction of the dam on the Irrawaddy will be shelved during the term of his government," one official at parliament was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.

The dam was to flood an area of rich biodiversity

"He said that his government, being born out of people's desire, has to act according to the desire of the people," said the official, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The decision to suspend construction was unexpected.

Earlier this month, a report in the local Eleven journal said Electric Power Minister Zaw Min had declared that construction of the dam would proceed despite the objections.

Sailing into luxury in Monaco

Home to glamorous princesses and princes, opulent hotels and, of course, the resting place of some of the world's grandest yachts -- Monaco is the epitome of glamor, style and luxury.

Nestled between France and Italy, the world's second smallest nation has for decades intrigued visitors keen to get a glimpse into the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Follow the trail of the renowned Monaco Yacht Show and explore this Mediterranean jewel.

Start in style

"The harbor is in the heart of the principality," says Michel Bouquier, President of the Monaco Government Tourism Authority. With the principality taking up an area of only around two squared kilometers, everywhere you need to go is within walking distance of the harbor. But if the idea of traipsing around to find the ideal places to eat and drink doesn't appeal to you, a concierge service is on hand as soon as you dock at the harbor. "The service is there to provide you with anything you need from opera tickets to dinner reservations," says Bouquier.

Exploring the sea

For those keener to go further afield, there are many beautiful spots between Monaco and Nice where you can drop your anchor and dive off your boat. But after a long day of sailing you may prefer to lie by the water on more stable ground. It's only a short walk to the main beach area of Larvotto from the harbor, or ask the concierge to arrange a free electric bike to get you to the sand.

On dry land

To appreciate the Monaco culture, what better place to start than at the Prince's Palace. While the palace itself is a private residence, you can still feel like royalty by visiting the State Apartments which are open to the public. If you haven't had enough of your royal fix, it's only a short walk to the Oceanographic Museum, built by Prince Albert the first and now featuring an exhibition dedicated to the recent royal wedding between his great-grandson Prince Albert and Princess Charlene.

Between the palace and the museum is the Cathedral of St. Nicholas where Prince Albert's father married Hollywood actress Grace Kelly. It is also where her body was laid to rest.

For a change in gear, make sure you sail into Monaco for the grand prix. Every year the world's best Formula 1 drivers compete on the famous course with the harbor featuring as one of its focal points.

Dining in excellence

There is no shortage of places to dine with over 130 restaurants and bars in the tiny nation to choose from. For those wanting to gaze out onto the waters, there are rows of eateries for the hungry seafarer to peruse along the harbor and beach fronts. The cuisine is heavily influenced by the country's French and Italian neighbors, making it easy to pick up a slice of pizza in between swims from one of the many pizzerias. For the fine diner, Monaco boasts several Michelin star restaurants, including royal wedding chef Alain Ducasse's three-starred 'Le Louis XV'. Also at the Hotel de Paris is Le Grill which features a roof that can slide open during glorious summer evenings. "You have a fantastic view of the sea," enthuses Bouquier. "And when the ceiling opens up, it's like you're dining in the air."

Once dinner is complete, head for a nightcap at the Buddha Bar before retiring to your yacht for the evening. If it's too early to go to bed, why not wander over to the famed Monte Carlo Casino. "Even if you don't gamble you really must visit the casino, it's an astonishing sight" insists Bouquier.

After a day, or days, of swimming, sightseeing and dining in Monaco you will be able to sail away from the tiny principality knowing that you've been immersed in the land of luxury.

U.S.-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki killed: Yemeni officials

Anwar al-Awlaki was believed to be hiding in Yemen (file photo)

American-born Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, the public face of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed in Yemen, the nation's Defense Ministry said Friday.

The U.S. regards al-Awlaki, who was believed to be hiding in Yemen, as the biggest threat to its homeland security. Western intelligence officials believe al-Awlaki is a senior leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most active al Qaeda affiliates.

Al-Awlaki was killed about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Yemeni town of Khashef, east of the capital city of Sanaa, Mohammed Basha, a Yemen Embassy spokesman in Washington D.C., told CNN. Basha said the operation was launched at about 9:55 a.m. local time, though he did not say what type of operation was conducted or how al-Awlaki was killed.

A senior U.S. administration official confirmed al-Awlaki was dead, though no details surrounding the operation that led to the cleric's death were released. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to CNN. The official was not authorized to release the information.

Born in New Mexico, al-Awlaki preached at a mosque in Virginia before leaving the United States for the Middle East.

U.S. officials say al-Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a transatlantic flight as it landed in Detroit on December 25, 2009.

The militant cleric is also said to have exchanged emails with accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hassan who killed a dozen fellow soldiers and a civilian in a rampage at the Texas base.

Early this year, a Yemeni court sentenced al-Awlaki in absentia to 10 years in prison for charges of inciting to kill foreigners.

Prosecutors charged al-Awlaki and two others with "forming an armed gang" to target foreign officers and law enforcement in November.

At a U.S. congressional hearing earlier this year, Michael Leiter, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said: "I actually consider al Qaeda in the Arab peninsula with al-Awlaki as a leader within that organization as probably the most significant threat to the U.S."

Al-Awlaki narrowly survived an American drone assault in May after he switched vehicles with fellow jihadis, a senior security official told CNN.

Attorneys for al-Awlaki's father, Dr. Nasser al-Awlaki, tried to persuade U.S. District Court Judge John Bates in Washington to issue an injunction last year preventing the government from the targeted killing of al-Awlaki in Yemen.

But Bates dismissed the case in December, ruling that Nasser al-Awlaki did not have standing to sue.

In a November hearing, lawyers for the U.S. government refused to confirm that the cleric was on a secret "kill list" or that such a list even exists.

Last year, YouTube removed a number of video clips featuring al-Awlaki that it found to be inciting violence.

One-minute World News

Scarlett Johansson speaks out over nude photos

Johansson is best known for films including Girl with a Pearl Earring and Lost in Translation

Scarlett Johansson has spoken out for the first time over the nude photos that were leaked online, calling the invasion of her privacy "unjust".

The FBI are currently investigating claims of computer hacking, following the leaking of naked photos of stars.

In an interview with CNN, Johansson said celebrities were no different to anyone else when it came to privacy.

"Just because you're an actor... doesn't mean you're not entitled to your own personal privacy," she said.

"If that [privacy] is sieged in some way, it feels unjust. It feels wrong," Johansson told the US broadcaster.

Referring to her life in the spotlight, the Bafta-winning star said: "I think there are certain instances where you give a lot of yourself and finally you have to kind of put your foot down."

Public appearance

The actress, last seen on the big screen in Iron Man 2, made her first public appearance since the pictures were leaked, at Milan Fashion Week last weekend.

One leaked photo appeared to show Johansson, 26, topless on a bed, while another apparently shows her wearing a towel while revealing her bottom.

The images, apparently taken by the actress, follow the leaking of naked photos of other celebrities including Jessica Alba.

Hacked photos of Justin Timberlake and his Friends With Benefits co-star Mila Kunis have also appeared online, according to reports.

Earlier this month, Johansson's lawyer sent letters out to all the websites that had published the photos within hours of them appearing, threatening legal action.

The photos have since been taken down by most outlets.

The FBI said it was investigating "the person or groups responsible for a series of computer intrusions involving high-profile figures".

Leek and potato soil linked to E. coli outbreak

People who were ill were 40 times more likely to have handled loose leeks than healthy people

Soil stuck on leeks and potatoes may have been the source of an E. coli outbreak in the UK earlier this year, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

There were 250 cases scattered across England, Wales and Scotland between December 2010 and July 2011.

The Food Standards Agency said it was a "myth" that dirt did no harm.

The HPA stressed that the vegetables were safe to eat, but reminded people to ensure their food was washed.

Most of the cases were mild, but 74 people needed to go to hospital and one patient, who had underlying health problems, died.

The disease was caused by a rare strain of E. coli called O157 PT8 which is different to the strain that caused the widespread outbreak in Germany.

'Timely reminder'
Infected people were 40 times more likely to have been in a household where loose leeks were handled and 12 times more likely to have been in a household which bought sacked potatoes than people who stayed infection-free.

Dr Bob Adak, head of the HPA's outbreak control team, said: "The vegetables could have carried traces of contaminated soil.

"It is possible people caught the infection from cross-contamination in storage, inadequate washing of loose vegetables, insufficient hand washing after handling the vegetables or by failing to thoroughly clean kitchen equipment, utensils or surfaces after preparing the vegetables."

Dr Andrew Wadge, chief scientist at the Food Standards Agency, said: "It's sadly a myth that a little bit of dirt doesn't do you any harm.

"Soil can sometimes carry harmful bacteria and, although food producers have good systems in place to clean vegetables, the risk can never be entirely eliminated.

"This outbreak is a timely reminder that it is essential to wash all fruits and vegetables, including salad, before you eat them."

Telangana: India new state protest enters 18th day

Protests have taken place in the capital, Hyderabad

A strike in favour of a new state in the Telangana region of southern India's Andhra Pradesh state has entered its 18th day.

Some 800,000 protesting government employees have stopped work, leading to a shutdown of offices, schools and colleges.

Public transport is off the roads and widespread power outages are being reported from the region.

Andhra Pradesh saw violent protests for and against the proposal last year.

With a population of 40 million, the proposed Telangana state comprises 10 of Andhra Pradesh's 23 districts, including the state capital and India's sixth most populous city, Hyderabad.

Normal life in Hyderabad has come to a standstill on Friday after a fresh strike call by pro-Telangana activists, the BBC's Omer Farooq says.

For the last 18 days, 800,000 government employees - mostly teachers, public transport workers and coal mine workers - have been on strike, demanding a new state of Telangana.

As a result, schools, colleges and government offices in the region are shut.

A strike by the workers of Singareni Collieries Company has led to power cuts - electricity is mainly coal-fed in the region.

Last week, protesters blocked trains in the region, and a supporter of the new state threatened to commit suicide by jumping off the top of a hoarding in Hyderabad.

In July, all 118 legislators representing the Telangana region resigned from the state assembly, which has 294 members.

And the party leading the demand for statehood, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), is sticking to its position.

Opponents of the move are unhappy that Hyderabad, home to many major information technology and pharmaceutical companies, could become Telangana's new capital.

The final decision on a new state lies with the Indian parliament. But the state assembly must also pass a resolution approving its creation.

Deep divisions have emerged over the Telangana issue in the past two years.

In December 2009, India's Congress party-led government promised that the new state would be formed, but later said more talks were needed.

The announcement prompted widespread protests in the state, and a student committed suicide in support of the formation of Telangana.

Telangana

• Population of 40 million
• Comprises 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh, including city of Hyderabad
• Landlocked, predominantly agricultural area
• One of the most under-developed regions in India
• 50-year campaign for separate status
• More than 400 people died in 1969 crackdown

Greece's Papandreou to meet Sarkozy and Van Rompuy

Mr Papandreou, left, and Mr Van Rompuy are meeting at an international summit in Warsaw

Greek PM George Papandreou is to hold further talks with European leaders as negotiations continue in Athens on a new instalment of bailout loans.

He will holds talks with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy in Warsaw before travelling on to Paris to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

International inspectors are in Athens deciding whether Greece should receive another bailout of 8bn euros (£6.9bn).

The talks have triggered angry protests on the streets of the Greek capital.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Athens says Mr Papandreou is on a charm offensive, trying to convince his European colleagues that Greece can meet the the demands imposed upon it by a tough austerity programme.

The unpopular reforms are vital to guarantee international loans aimed at stopping the debt-ridden country from going bankrupt.

President Sarkozy said that after his meeting with Mr Papandreou on Friday afternoon he would unveil a Franco-German strategy, but did not give any details.

Germany and France together represent about half of the 17-nation eurozone's economic output.

"It is very important that the Franco-German axis can make its voice heard about the concrete application of the decisions taken at the end of July [on a second rescue package for Greece]," Mr Sarkozy said during a visit to Morocco.

Targets missed

"After seeing the Greek prime minister... I will have an opportunity to say exactly what our strategy is for supporting countries like Greece," he added.

Since eurozone leaders agreed on a second rescue package for Greece, Athens has fallen behind on its debt reduction targets raising fears of a Greek default.

A vote in Germany's parliament on Thursday to back a more powerful bail out fund for eurozone economies was welcomed in Athens.

Mr Sarkozy also congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel by telephone on Thursday, his office said, calling the vote a key step in stabilising the eurozone.

Mr Papandreou held talks with Chancellor Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday.

But our correspondent says some analysts believe the whole strategy for Greece, with a possible second bailout, needs urgent readjustment.

That is partly because contagion from Greece to other eurozone countries is no longer a threat but a dangerous reality, he adds.

Greek taxi drivers held angry protests outside Parliament on Thursday on the second day of their 48-hour strike.

Greek taxi drivers have been staging a two-day strike over government reforms

The drivers are opposed to government reforms that would open their closed-shop profession.

Meanwhile, talks are continuing between the Greek government and inspectors from the "troika" of international creditors supporting Greece - the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Many Greeks believe that austerity measures are pushing the country's crippled economy deeper into recession and strangling any chance of growth.

Dozens killed in violence across Syria, opposition group says

Syrian government supporters protest European Union sanctions in Damascus on Thursday.

At least 49 people have been killed across several cities in western Syria during the past two days of fighting between pro- and anti-government forces, an opposition group said Thursday.

Most of the deaths have occurred in the city of Rastan, where at least 27 people were killed amid heavy shelling, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria -- a network of opposition activists who organize and document anti-government demonstrations.

Twelve others were killed in the western city of Homs, the group reported.

The Syrian army has been fighting units that had defected from the military, said the LCC and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based opposition group.

Many people have been critically wounded in Rastan, and it is difficult to get them first aid, the Syrian Observatory said.

The Syrian government, meanwhile, says it is engaged in a campaign against terrorists.

It denied reports that warplanes had raided Rastan, according to the government news agency SANA. Instead, it said, law enforcement forces backed by army units confronted "armed terrorist groups" who had wreaked havoc in Rastan and killed civilians.

The government said seven army and law enforcement members had been killed and 32 others wounded.

CNN is unable to independently confirm death tolls or events in Syria, which has restricted the access of international journalists to many parts of the country.

Thursday's reports from the opposition groups coincide with a mob attack of government supporters in Damascus that U.S. ambassador Robert Ford narrowly avoided, a U.S. government official said.

Ford, who has been outspoken against the Syrian government's use of violence against protesters, is seen by government supporters as an activist more than a diplomat.

At the time of the attack, Ford was visiting Hassan Abdul Azim, the head of the opposition Arab Socialist Democratic Union.

According to Azim, about 50 to 100 people gathered at the door to his office and began to chant loudly when Ford arrived. Some of them even tried to break down the door, he said.

The crowd protested rowdily for more than two hours, he said.

Azim could not confirm what Ford was attacked with, but he said that tomatoes that had apparently been thrown were cleaned up off the street afterward.

Madrid gunman kills mother-to-be in church

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, police said

A gunman shot dead a pregnant woman in a Madrid church and then killed himself, but medics were able to save the victim's baby, police say.

The man walked into the church of Santa Maria del Pinar and opened fire, killing the woman and injuring another woman nearby.

Witnesses said the man then knelt before the altar and shot himself.

Emergency crews delivered the victim's baby by caesarean section, police said. The motive for the attack is unknown.

A spokesman said initial investigations showed no relation between the 34-year-old man and his 36-year-old victim.

The newborn baby boy was in intensive care in hospital but in a serious condition, the Spanish newspaper ABC reported.

About 40 people were in the church at the time of the shooting, just before Mass on Thursday evening, witnesses said.

Spanish media said the pregnant woman's mother was in the church at the time.

Rocket launches Chinese space lab

The Tiangong-1 space lab was launched in the Gobi deserts

A rocket carrying China's first space laboratory, Tiangong-1, has launched from the north of the country.

The Long March vehicle lifted clear from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert at 21:16 local time (13:16 GMT).

The rocket's ascent took the lab out over the Pacific, and on a path to an orbit some 350km above the Earth.

The 10.5m-long, cylindrical module will be unmanned for the time being, but the country's astronauts, or yuhangyuans, are expected to visit it next year.

Tiangong means "heavenly palace" in Chinese.


The immediate plan is for the module to operate in an autonomous mode, monitored from the ground. Then, in a few weeks' time, China will launch another unmanned spacecraft, Shenzhou 8, and try to link the pair together.

This rendezvous and docking capability is a prerequisite if larger structures are ever to be assembled in orbit.

"Rendezvous and docking is a sophisticated technology," said Yang Hong, Tiangong-1's chief designer. "It's also essential to building China's own space station," he told the state broadcaster China Central Television.

China has promised to build this station at the end of the decade.

Assuming the Shenzhou 8 venture goes well, two manned missions (Shenzhou 9 and 10) should follow in 2012. The yuhangyuans - two or three at a time - are expected to live aboard the conjoined vehicles for up to two weeks.

Tiangong-1 will launch on the latest version of a Long March 2F rocket
The lab will go into a 350km-high orbit and will be unattended initially
An unmanned Shenzhou vehicle will later try to dock with Tiangong
The orbiting lab will test key technologies such as life-support systems
China's stated aim is to build a 60-tonne space station by about 2020
The Tiangong project is the second step in what Beijing authorities describe as a three-step strategy.

The first step was the development of the Shenzhou capsule system which has so far permitted six nationals to go into orbit since 2003; then the technologies needed for spacewalking and docking, now in progress; and finally construction of the space station.

At about 60 tonnes in mass, this future station would be considerably smaller than the 400-tonne international platform operated by the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan, but its mere presence in the sky would nonetheless represent a remarkable achievement.

Concept drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tonnes, flanked by two slightly smaller laboratory vessels.

Officials say it would be supplied by freighters in exactly the same way that robotic cargo ships keep the International Space Station (ISS) today stocked with fuel, food, water, air, and spare parts.

China is investing billions of dollars in its space programme. It has a strong space science effort under way, with two orbiting satellites having already been launched to the Moon. A third mission is expected to put a rover on the lunar surface. The Asian country is also deploying its own satellite-navigation system known as BeiDou, or Compass.

Bigger rockets are coming, too. The Long March 5 will be capable of putting more than 20 tonnes in a low-Earth orbit. This lifting muscle, again, will be necessary for the construction of a space station.

"There are loads of ideas floating around, and they're serious about implementing them," said UK space scientist John Zarnecki, who is a visiting professor at Beihang University, the new name for the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

"There's a sense of great optimism. It's not driven so much by science, but by the desire to develop new technologies. The money is there, although it's not limitless. And they're taking it step by step," he told BBC News.

Tiangong-1 has a two-year lifetime. It is likely to be followed by a second lab and possibly a third. China says that at the end of their missions, the modules will be driven into the atmosphere for a destructive descent into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

Hillary Clinton condemns attack on US envoy in Syria

The US secretary of state has condemned an attack on US ambassador Robert Ford after he was pelted with eggs by Syrian president supporters in Damascus.

Hillary Clinton said it was "wholly unjustified" and urged Syria to protect diplomatic staff.

Eggs and tomatoes were hurled at Mr Ford as he met an opposition figure.

Veteran politician Hassan Abdul Azim said about 100 protesters tried to get into his office as Mr Ford arrived and then surrounded it, trapping them both.

US officials said the mob was violent and seriously damaged embassy vehicles, but that Mr Ford was unharmed.

Ms Clinton said the attack was "unwarranted" and condemned it "in the strongest possible terms".

She praised Mr Ford's "admirable courage" as a "vital advocate for the legitimate aspirations" of the Syrian people.

She encouraged the US Senate to confirm Mr Ford - who was named ambassador last year during recess to avoid Republican opposition - so he could "continue his critical and courageous work".

Mr Ford has angered Damascus in the past, notably by visiting the central city of Hama with his French counterpart in July.

It led to both the French and US embassies coming under attack from supporters of the Assad regime.
Mr Abdul Azim, who heads the outlawed Arab Socialist Democratic Union party, said the ambassador's arrival at his office on Thursday led to a demonstration.

"They were protesting in the street and at the entrance to the building. They tried to break down the door of my office, but didn't succeed," he told AFP news agency.

"As soon as the ambassador came in at around 11:00 (08:00 GMT) we heard a noise outside and hostile slogans being chanted. The demonstrators tried to attack the office."

Syria is under international pressure to stop using force to suppress protests that began six months ago.

The UN estimates that more than 2,700 people have been killed across Syria since the crackdown began.

The government says it is in the process of introducing reforms and is speaking to members of the opposition - it blames the unrest on armed gangs.