Endeavour leaves orbit, heads to Earth for landing

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Endeavour and its crew of six zoomed toward a middle-of-the-night landing Wednesday to bring NASA's second-to-last space shuttle flight to a close.

Commander Mark Kelly and his co-pilot fired the braking rockets to begin the hourlong descent from orbit. Endeavour was due to touch down at 2:35 a.m. EDT.

Meanwhile, Atlantis slowly made its way to the launch pad for the last shuttle flight, coming up in just five weeks. Atlantis crept out of the mammoth Vehicle Assembly Building a little after sunset, bathed in xenon lights. Thousands of Kennedy Space Center workers and their families gathered to see Atlantis make its way to the pad.

"The show pretty much tells itself," Atlantis' commander, Christopher Ferguson, said as he waved toward his ship. "We're going to look upon this final mission as a celebration of all that the space shuttle has accomplished over its 30-year life span."

Kelly and his crew were eager to get home and hand the spotlight over to the Atlantis crew.

"Endeavour's performed really, really well for us over these 16 days, as it has since its first flight," Kelly said.

Endeavour left the International Space Station over the weekend. The astronauts put the finishing touches on the orbiting lab, installing a $2 billion cosmic ray detector, an extension beam and a platform full of spare parts — enough to keep the station operating in the shuttle-less decade ahead.

Atlantis will blast off on the final flight ever by a shuttle July 8. The three-mile trip from the hangar — the beginning of it lined with the cars of space center workers seeking a front-row view — should be completed soon after Endeavour lands.

It will be just the 25th time NASA has brought a space shuttle back to Earth in darkness — representing less than one-fifth of all missions.

All four astronauts assigned to Atlantis' flight were on hand for the historic double-header.

"Look how majestic it looks rolling out to the launch pad," said Atlantis astronaut Sandra Magnus. "It's really hard to say goodbye to the program. But on the other hand, look at the great things that we've accomplished and look at what we can do with that in the next era."

Endeavour will have traveled 123 million miles by flight's end — on all 25 of its voyages — and spent 299 days in space. It's the youngest of NASA's shuttles, first flying in 1992 as the replacement for Challenger.

In a series of TV interviews late Monday, the Endeavour astronauts talked about how huge and spectacular the space station has become. It's so sprawling that it barely fits in the shuttle viewfinder from 600 feet out, pilot Gregory Johnson said.

And as has become the custom, Kelly fielded numerous questions about his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Giffords, who's recovering from a gunshot wound to the head, remained at her rehab center in Houston. She traveled to Kennedy for the launch, but the landing time was too inconvenient to warrant another trip, her husband said.

On Monday, she had the stitches removed from the skull reconstruction that she underwent just two days into his flight.

Kelly said he'll call her as soon as he lands — he expects his first words to be "I'm back" — and embrace her once he returns to Houston the day after touchdown.

Kelly said he has no regrets about having made the flight. He took a leave from NASA when the shooting occurred Jan. 8 in Tucson, Ariz., and for a while thought he might have to quit. But Giffords improved so much that when Kelly moved her to Houston for rehabilitation, he resumed flight training.

"In hindsight, it was absolutely the right decision," Kelly said. That's evidenced by the fact that the crew met all of its objectives in orbit: installing the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, carrying out four spacewalks, wrapping up the U.S. portion of space station construction.

Endeavour is the second shuttle to be retired; it ultimately will be at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Discovery ended its last voyage in March; its final destination is a Smithsonian Institution hangar outside Washington. Atlantis will remain at Kennedy Space Center as a tourist stop.

NASA is leaving the Earth-to-orbit business behind to focus on expeditions to asteroids and Mars. Private companies hope to pick up the slack for cargo and crew hauls to the space station.

Abducted Pakistani journalist tortured and killed

Islamabad, May 31 (IANS) Celebrated Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad, who went missing Sunday and was thought to have been seized by the ISI intelligence agency, was found tortured and murdered Tuesday, authorities and colleagues said.

The body of 40-year-old correspondent of Asia Times Online, whose writings on Islamist groups and on Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoyed a vast readership, was discovered in a canal in Mandi Bahauddin area of Punjab province, about 150 km southeast of Islamabad and about 10 km from where his car was traced, media reports said.

Local officials said the body bore visible marks of torture.

A doctor who conducted an autopsy said: 'It is very disturbing for all of us. He was beaten to death, both his ribs were broken and marks of wounds were on his left side and on the legs.'

The well-informed Shahzad, who also worked for the Italian news agency AKI, leaves behind his wife and three children - two sons aged 14 and seven and a daughter aged 12.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani expressed his 'deep grief and sorrow' over Shahzad's death and ordered an inquiry into his kidnapping and murder, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Gilani vowed to bring murderers to justice 'at every cost'. The government, he said, strongly believed in the freedom of expression and considered media freedom an essential ingredient to strengthening democratic values and culture.

Shahzad went missing from Islamabad Sunday evening while going to the Dunya TV office to take part in a programme related to the terrorist attack May 22 on a major naval base in Karachi that left 10 security personnel and four militants dead.

Since then, his mobile phone was switched off.

The Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online said Shahzad had on several occasions been warned by ISI officials over articles they deemed to be detrimental to Pakistan's national interests or image.

Days before his disappearance, Shahzad authored an article for Asia Times that reported that the Al Qaeda's operational arm carried out the audacious attack on the Karachi naval base after the navy refused to free sailors who had been arrested for suspected Islamist links.

This article, some of his friends said, may have been linked to his abduction -- and eventual murder.

Tony Allison, the Editor of Asia Times Online, expressed his deep concern for what he described as 'one of the most fearless journalists' with whom he had ever worked.

'We will bring the utmost pressure to bear on the authorities over this case. We at Asia Times Online express our deepest sympathies for Saleem's family,' Allison said.

Earlier Tuesday, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan voiced concern over Shahzad's disappearance and demanded that he be released unharmed.

It said that his abductors must be identified and brought to trial.

No one claimed responsibility for his abduction, but Human Rights Watch said it may have been carried out by the ISI, Pakistan's main and feared intelligence agency which is known to function as a state within a state.

Media reports also said that Shahzad's friends had reportedly received telephone calls from purported intelligence officials saying he would be released soon.

Giuseppe Marra, director of the Adnkronos Group, for which Shahzad worked as a correspondent inIslamabad since 2004, paid tributes to the murdered journalist.

'Today, our exceptional colleague and very dear friend Syed Saleem Shahzad concluded his marvellous and epic mission. We will never forget his phone calls and his illuminating analyses on social and cutural realities so different from our own,' Marra said.

'No one will ever be able to kill our memories of an outstandingly intrepid and brave colleague,' he said, adding Shahzad was a man 'who viewed journalism as a supreme cultural mission of peace'.

In November 2006, Shahzad had been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan's Helmand province where he was reporting.

He and another Pakistani journalist were held for a week on suspicion of spying, 'tried' by their captors and released unharmed after they 'confessed' to wrongdoing.

Earlier, the International Federation of Journalists released a statement saying it 'urgently appeals to the government of Pakistan to order its security and police agencies to respond immediately to find' Shahzad.

Miami columnist: Time to plan victory parade? Miami's defense makes it easy

MIAMI — If they’re all this, you can start the parade.

Here was the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, jaws clenched, muscles ripped, no smiles, protecting its turf in a manner Dallas hadn’t run into these playoffs.

In the Western Conference, where offense rules, Dallas shot its way through the tournament. But Tuesday night, well, the Heat introduced it to a different drumbeat of defense from the first possession of its 92-84 win.

Bump. Slap. Contest. Rebound. Then the Heat did it again. And in the next quarter. And for four quarters, with the biggest three playing the hardest minutes.

What, you thought the Heat’s big stars didn’t get their fingernails dirty? That they didn’t do the dirty work? Oh, LeBron James scored 24 points, and Dwyane Wade finished with 22.

But it was the defensive end that won the game. J.J. Barea drove the lane and — swat! — Chris Bosh sent it into the first row. Dirk Nowitzki got the ball and — oops! — Udonis Haslem reached in to tie it up for a jump ball.

Then, late in the fourth quarter, Dallas’ Shawn Marion came around a screen, went up for the shot and — blam! — there was Wade with a block. And it was the Heat’s ball. And when Wade went down and hit a 3-point shot, that was a nine-point lead the Heat wouldn’t give up.

Bump. Slap. Contest. All night. And when Wade threw an alley-oop to James in the final seconds, that was the kind of exclamation point that gets everyone excited and makes the highlight reel.

But defense paced this win. Dallas’ previous playoff low was 89 points in its 15 playoff games. It did that in its first playoff game against Portland. It didn’t come close to that Tuesday.

The Heat closed this one out in the fourth quarter, just as it has throughout these playoffs. Of course, in some respects, this one went against script. Both teams shot better from the 3-point line in the first half than the, uh, 2-point line. Go figure.

Was it good defense? Was it bad offense?

Was it just good 3-point shooting?

Or was the Heat doing in Game 1 of the Finals what it did in that funk-laden Game 1 against Chicago?

“Get into this game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told his players at a timeout midway through the third quarter. “This is going to be a grind. I don’t care if the shots are going in or not.

“Let’s gather ourselves and get into this game.”

It gathered. It grinded. And, of course, it was helped by James’ shooting. His 3-point shot gave them a 60-59 lead. His desperate, off-balance 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter increased the lead to something huge.

Four points.

Well, on this night, that constituted a big lead. Especially when one of the Big Three still was playing the caboose. Wade picked up this first game of the Finals like he played for so much of the series against Chicago.

He missed seven of his 10 first-half shots. He had three turnovers. He didn’t do anything to quiet the whispers that something’s physically wrong with him.

But if you can’t do what you want, you do what you can. Wade hunkered down to play defense. And he hustled. And rebounded. And then he came out in the second half looking more like himse

Stars and piercing fetish

A look at the divas who love to flaunt body jewelery. Photo

Ayesha Takia - Navel piercing

Sherlyn Chopra - Navel piercing

Priyanka Chopra - Navel piercing

While piercing is a common fetish of people wanting to do something different, or  experiment with their looks, Mallika has gone to extremes to get her assets pierced.

Kangna is also known for her obsession about piercing and she too followed Mallika's footsteps.

Lara Dutta - Navel piercing

Keira Knightley - Navel piercing

Lindsay Lohan - Navel piercing

Briney Spears - Navel piercing

 

Yemen truce ends with blasts, stokes civil war worries

(Reuters) - Fresh street fighting raged across the Yemeni capital on Tuesday after a tenuous truce broke down between tribal groups and forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, edging the impoverished Arab country closer to civil war.

Global powers have been pressing Saleh to sign a Gulf-led deal to hand over power to try to stem the growing chaos in Yemen, home to al Qaeda militants and neighbor to the world's biggest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia.

"The ceasefire agreement has ended," a government official said on Tuesday adding that tribal groups had gained control of a government building.

On Tuesday, there were three main flashpoints in the troubled country with street fighting in the capital; government troops gunning down protesters in Taiz and a battle with al Qaeda and Islamic militants in the coastal city of Zinjibar.

A senior U.N. official condemned the violence by Saleh's forces, but the wily veteran has defied calls from global leaders, elements in his own military and tens of thousands of Yemeni protesters to end his nearly 33-year-rule which has brought the state close to financial ruin.

Overnight battles in the capital brought an end to the truce brokered at the weekend. More than 115 people were killed last week in urban battles with machine guns, mortars and rocket propelled grenades in the bloodiest fighting since anti-government protests began months ago.

In Sanaa, several explosions were heard over the staccato of automatic gun fire in the district of Hasaba, the scene of nearly a week of fighting between Saleh's forces and tribesmen.

The fighting was too heavy for officials to bring bodies off the street or provide casualty figures.

"Last night's clashes were the fiercest so far," Mohammed al-Quraiti, a Hasaba resident, told Reuters.

The fighting last week between members of the powerful Hashed tribe led by Sadeq al-Ahmar and Saleh's security forces widened to areas outside the capital where tribesmen squared off against Saleh's elite Republican Guard.

TROUBLE IN TAIZ

Saleh's forces fired on hundreds of protesters in Taiz, about 200 km (120 miles) south of the capital, who were trying to gather at the focal point of rallies dubbed "Freedom Square," witnesses and a Reuters cameraman in the city said.

At least three people have been killed and scores wounded in the latest fighting, medical sources said.

A senior U.N. official said dozens may have been killed since Sunday when troops using bulldozers and assault rifles began a violent crackdown on protesters.

"The UN human rights office has received reports, which remain to be fully verified, that more than 50 people have been killed since Sunday in Taiz by Yemeni Army, Republican Guards and other government-affiliated elements," U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said in an internet posting.

"Such reprehensible acts of violence and indiscriminate attacks on unarmed civilians by armed security officers must stop immediately," Pillay said.

More protests are planned for later on Tuesday across the country.

FIGHTING WITH AL QAEDA

Further south, government troops and locals have been trying to force al Qaeda and Islamist militants from the coastal city of Zinjibar after they seized the town at the weekend.

Saba news agency reported on Tuesday that 21 Yemeni soldiers had been killed a day earlier in the clashes where Yemen's air force dropped bombs on the city of 20,000 near the Gulf of Aden.

Residents said bodies were strewn on the streets, the national bank building was burned and explosions rocked the city from which most people have fled.

"Explosions lit the sky," a resident said.

The United States and Saudi Arabia, both targets of attacks by Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, are worried that chaos is emboldening the group.

Opposition leaders have accused Saleh of deliberately allowing Zinjibar, near a sea lane where about 3 million barrels of oil pass daily, to fall to al Qaeda to try to show how chaotic Yemen would be without him.

Yemen's military said in an internet posting that 21 soldiers have been killed and dozens wounded in fighting over the last three days.

Opposition groups made up of tribal leaders, Islamists and leftists have said they could do a far better job of curtailing the al Qaeda threat.

At least 320 people have been killed in fighting since protests started in Yemen about four months ago, inspired by the popular uprisings that ended the reign of the long-standing rulers of Tunisia and Egypt.

Under Saleh, Yemen has edged to the brink of financial collapse, with about 40 percent of the population living on less than $2 a day and a third facing chronic hunger.

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Sanaa, Mohammed Mukhashaf in Aden, Mahmoud Habboush, Nour Merza, Sara Anabtawi and Firouz Sedarat in Dubai; writing by Jon Herskovitz in Dubai; Editing by Jon Hemming)

Mladic Visits Daughter’s Grave in Belgrade

BELGRADE, Serbia — Ratko Mladic, the international war crimes suspect awaiting a court ruling on his transfer to a United Nations tribunal, was secretly whisked on an emotional pilgrimage to his daughter’s grave in Belgrade early on Tuesday morning, in a convoy of eight police vehicles, an ambulance and an armored Land Rover.
Related

Mladic Appeals Extradition on Health Grounds (May 31, 2011)
Times Topic: Ratko Mladic
Since his capture last week after almost 16 years on the run, Mr. Mladic had repeatedly pleaded for permission to visit the grave of his daughter, who apparently killed herself with her father’s military pistol. Mr. Mladic has always maintained that she was murdered.

Bruno Vekaric, Serbia’s deputy war crimes prosecutor, confirmed that the prosecutors and court had granted Mr. Mladic’s request while his attorney is pressing an appeal of his transfer to the Hague to face genocide charges before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for his role as the Serbian military commander l during the 1990s Balkan conflict.

. A spokeswoman for the Belgrade court, Dusica Ristic, told The Associated Press that Mr. Mladic’s formal appeal had been received Tuesday. A tribunal of three judges will now have three days to consider the legal challenge. Government officials have predicted that Mr. Mladic could be transferred two to four days after thejudges reach their decision, depending on security arrangements.

Milos Saljic, Mr. Mladic’s lawyer, told reporters outside district court on Tuesday that the special tribunal could consider the appeal on Tuesday if it has arrived. He also said that a new medical report had been handed over the investigative judge on Mr. Mladic’s case listing severe health problems.

His daughter, Ana Mladic, was found dead in March 1994 in the Mladic family home in the Belgrade suburb of Banovo Hill. Her death, at the age of 23, was officially characterized as suicide. The current Serbian health minister, Zoran Stankovic, was a military pathologist at the time and conducted the autopsy. Dr. Stankovic, who visited Mr. Mladic last week in prison, said in an interview that at the time of the autopsy he had pressed for an investigation of the daughter’s death and called it “a mistake” that it never happened.

Mr. Mladic left in the convoy from the district court prison at about 6:20 a.m. to visit Ana Mladic’s high, black marble tomb, a tranquil shrine with an iron and wood park bench, a rose bed and fresh flowers laid by Mr. Mladic. The tomb is inscribed in Cyrillic with the name of Ana. It was long rumored that during his years as a fugitive, Mr. Mladic secretly visited the grave.

There are conflicting accounts about her death, a critical moment in Mr. Mladic’s life. There is speculation that it had an impact on him as a general when he was accused of overseeing the worst ethnic massacre in Europe since World War II — the July 1995 killing of more than 8,000 Bosnian men and boys at Srebrenica — and the bloody siege of Sarajevo.

According to the official account, Ana, a medical student, used her father’s treasured pistol, an award from his military academy, to shoot herself. Her death provoked theories that she had committed suicide after living in Russia and learning from independent news reports about atrocities in the Balkans. Some supporters of Mr. Mladic claimed that she was murdered by political and security forces who wanted to control Mr. Mladic.

Mr. Mladic’s visit to the cemetery, according to Mr. Vekaric, was highly emotional and he returned to the prison with doctors tending him.

Since being taken into custody, Mr. Mladic has also asked to visit his mother’s grave in Bosnia.

According to Mr. Saljic, the former commander’s memories keep retreating to the past and he finds it difficult to concentrate on one subject for more then ten minutes. The lawyer is appealing the transfer order on grounds that he is unfit mentally and physically to stand trial. On Tuesday, more Serbian dignitaries were scheduled to visit Mr. Mladic, including a general and a professor of international law and member of the Serbian Senate.

Afghan President Warns NATO Against Airstrikes on Houses

Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during a press conference at the Presidential palace in Kabul, May 31, 2011
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned NATO that launching airstrikes on houses while targeting militants will not be allowed, as he continued to press U.S. and NATO forces about civilian casualties.

President Karzai said Tuesday the Afghan people can no longer tolerate the attacks, and that the U.S.-led coalition risks being seen as an "occupying force" if the bombings continue.

The comments come a day after the Afghan leader issued what he called his "last warning" about civilian casualties.

NATO has apologized for the deaths of nine civilians killed Saturday in an airstrike in Helmand province.  Afghan authorities say the strike hit two houses and killed 14 people.

A White House spokesman said Sunday the U.S. shares Karzai's concern about civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, the top British general in Afghanistan has warned against any significant pullout of troops from the country until late 2012.

In an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, General James Bucknall said that, in order to hold on to recent gains against the Taliban, the U.S. troop reinforcements that arrived in Afghanistan last year should stay for two more summer fighting seasons.

General Bucknall said any significant withdrawal of troops would send "conflicting signals on commitment to the campaign" in the war-torn country.

Some argue that the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is a good reason to accelerate the pullout from Afghanistan.

Also Tuesday, Australian officials said two of the four coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan a day earlier were Australian.

Defense Force chief Marshal Angus Houston said one of the soldiers was shot dead by his Afghan colleague, while the other died in a helicopter crash.  Their deaths bring the number of Australian soldiers killed in the conflict to 26.

Ohio State alumni reaction to Jim Tressel resignation

 Presidents of two Ohio State alumni clubs in different parts of the country had slightly different reactions to news that football coach Jim Tressel resigned Monday.

While both said they were saddened by the latest step tied to an NCAA investigation that began in December, they differed when it came to placing blame.

Shawn Murnahan, president of the Atlanta Alumni Club, said he was surprised at the allegations against Tressel because the coach "seemed to be a good representative of the university. ... I think the most thoughtful fans of Ohio State either believe the error in judgment was an anomaly and he was going down for the only mistake he made of that sort, or you think that he was more of your standard, win-at-all-cost coach than we all believed. It makes me very sad."

Murnahan admitted it "was going to be very difficult for him to remain."

Barbara Smith, president of the Alumni Club of Franklin County, where Columbus, Ohio is located, felt Tressel "got the raw end of the deal." She said conversations at her club, where she said two-time OSU Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin is a member, included mainly comments like, "Isn't it a shame what's happening to Tressel? Isn't it a shame what the media is doing to Tressel?"

She placed more of the blame on players who allegedly took impermissible benefits at a tattoo parlor in exchange for memorabilia and awards instead of Tressel, who did not report the violations when he was made aware of them, thus keeping the players eligible for the 2010 season. Asked who was at fault, Smith said, "It's the students. They are the ones who made the decision. They know what the rules are."

She thinks Tressel tried "to protect his kids.

"I can't believe other schools aren't doing this either. There's no way Ohio State kids alone are selling their things. I'm hoping Tressel goes to the NCAA and starts putting some reason to some of these silly rules they have. Personally, and a lot of people I talk to, think these rings belong to these kids, and they should be allowed to do what they want with them."

As for the future, both think Ohio State will eventually be fine. Said Smith: "We're all still behind Tressel for whatever he wants to do. The man is highly thought of. He would never do anything to hurt the kids.

"How it will affect the program? They'll just rebuild and keep going. Ohio State has always been a strong school, a traditional power house."

Added Murnahan: "The NCAA sanctions will be whatever they are. I tend to think that with Tressel leaving, it's kind of like when a public company gets in trouble and they get a new CEO -- from a regulation standpoint, it can be seen that the entity 'gets it.'

"In my mind, Ohio State has to weather the storm ... over a couple of seasons, and the key thing will be like when Coach (John) Cooper left -- finding the right person. It's a shame the end of Jim Tressel's tenure comes this way. He took Ohio State football from a very good program to one of the elite programs year in and year out. And I didn't know who Jim Tressel was when he was announced as coach."

Ash over north Europe, but volcano subsiding

Northern Europe was set to bear the brunt of air traffic disruption from Icelandic volcanic ash on Wednesday, but experts said the eruption was rapidly dying down.

The ash from the Grimsvotn volcano has caused far fewer problems than last year, when more than 10 million people were hit by a six-day European airspace shutdown after another Icelandic volcano erupted. Airlines put their revenue loss then at $1.7 billion.

The latest episode forced 500 flight cancellations on Tuesday, with Scotland especially hard hit. It also exposed disarray among the people who decide on aviation safety as they try to apply new rules to avoid another mass airspace shutdown.

Budget airline Ryanair was again vocal in its criticism and airline association IATA said more coordination was needed.

In Iceland, volcano experts had good news for airlines as they said the eruption was petering out.

President Olafur Grimsson told the BBC: "The volcano seems to be calming down. The eruption is gradually being diminished and the ash cloud is definitely smaller than it has been."

For Wednesday, Eurocontrol, the Brussels-based agency responsible for some of the world's busiest air corridors, said the ash cloud may affect parts of Denmark, southern Norway and southwest Sweden, with some impact on flights.

German air safety authorities said they would have to halt landings and take-offs at Bremen airport from 0300 GMT, followed by Hamburg an hour later and possibly Berlin from about 1000 GMT. Hannover might also be affected.

Traffic in Scotland and northern England was the main ash victim on Monday, but Britain said it thought this would ease. UK air traffic control body NATS said no ash was expected over Britain from 1 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Wednesday.

Among travellers affected were U.S. President Barack Obama, who left Ireland for Britain late on Monday ahead of schedule.

The Barcelona soccer team flew to London early for Saturday's Champions League final against Manchester United.

NEW RULES STILL IMPERFECT

Eurocontrol said the approximately 500 flights canceled on Tuesday were out of around 29,000 expected that day across the continent.

New procedures put the onus on airlines to make judgments on whether it is safe to fly through ash, in coordination with the forecasting authorities and civil aviation bodies.

Showing the problems, sources told Reuters that a British research plane designed to sample ash remained grounded for a second day in a wrangle over its deployment.

The rules are also not accepted by all, with Germany backing a tougher stance for the sake of safety, aviation sources said.

"The potential for a patchwork of inconsistent state decisions on airspace management still exists," IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.

Ryanair said it had safely sent two planes into what authorities had deemed high ash zones over Scotland.

"You have to ask why a combination of bureaucratic incompetence in the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and the Met Office last night shut the skies over Scotland ...," Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary told BBC television.

Grimsvotn erupted on Saturday and smoke belched as high as 20 km (12 miles) into the sky. The eruption is its most powerful since 1873 and stronger than the volcano that caused trouble last year.

Blagojevich defense to call Rahm Emanuel, Jesse Jackson Jr

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. are expected to be called as witnesses as Rod Blagojevich launches his defense case Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
Rahm Emanuel (left) and Jesse Jackson Jr.

Rahm Emanuel (left) and Jesse Jackson Jr. | Sun-Times file/AP file

Sources said Tuesday that the most recent game plan was to call the two sitting politicians — both of whom were contacted by the defense team late last week about testifying this week.

The two remained under defense subpoena since the ex-governor’s first trial last summer.

In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times in April, Blagojevich said “in all likelihood” his attorneys would call Emanuel and Jackson to testify.

Blagojevich wants to explore discussions Emanuel had regarding a potential deal to name Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the U.S. Senate seat. He also expects both Jackson and Emanuel would deny there were any illicit discussions involving allegations that Blagojevich tried selling President Barack Obama’s Senate seat.

Emanuel, who was President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming chief of staff when Blagojevich was allegedly looking to sell Obama’s Senate seat, said Monday he was prepared to testify.

“I’m ready, if asked, to answer questions, as I was in the first trial,” he said.

Blagojevich’s defense never called any witnesses during the first trial, which ended with Blagojevich being convicted of lying to the FBI, the least severe count lodged against him. The jury deadlocked on the 23 other counts, leading to the current re-trial.

Sources said Tuesday that Blagojevich was preparing to take the stand after other witnesses. Lawyers and the judge must still hash out which recordings would be played during Blagojevich’s testimony.

Lawyers are expected to discuss that in a Wednesday afternoon court hearing.

2011 set to be deadliest tornado year

Despite better technology, 2011 set to be deadliest tornado year

 

STORY HIGHLIGHT

At least 489 people have died in U.S. tornadoes so far this year
The deadliest tornado year on record is 1925, which had 794 deaths
The strengths and locations of 2011's twisters could help explain the high death toll
Piers Morgan has more on the recovery efforts at 9 p.m ET Tuesday. At 10 ET on "AC360º," Anderson Cooper brings firsthand accounts of surviving the powerful tornado. Also, did you experience the tornado? Send your photos, videos or stories.
(CNN) -- The devastating tornado that killed 124 people in Missouri this week puts the United States on track for a record-breaking year -- despite improved forecasting, warning systems and public awareness, weather experts say.
By 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, the death toll in Joplin had reached 124, making it the single deadliest tornado since the National Weather Service began keeping such records 61 years ago.
The tornado in Joplin brought the number of people who have died in U.S. tornadoes to 489 so far this year. The figure could escalate as rescue workers continue digging through rubble from Sunday's tornado in Joplin, Missouri.
The deadliest tornado year on record is 1925, which had 794 deaths, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The number of fatalities so far this year is more than 8 1/2 times the average number for an entire year -- 56, according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
Gallery: Tornado devastates Joplin, Missouri
How Kansas town can help Joplin Storm chasers reflect on tornadoes Security cams catch a twister on tape
RELATED TOPICS
Tornadoes
Weather
Joplin (Missouri)
Tuscaloosa
With all the advancements in storm technology, the question is simple: Why?
"That's the question of 2011," said Bob Henson of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. "Why have so many people died in these tornadoes? That's the open question. It's partly because of the strength of these tornadoes. Also because they've hit populated areas."
Myers said the brute force of some tornadoes might just be too severe for many structures.
"Some tornadoes, you just can't survive them," he said. "They're just too big."
Since 1875, the average number of deaths from tornadoes has actually decreased -- from about 200 to 55 a year, Myers said. This year is a sharp anomaly.
In addition, the number of killer tornadoes is higher in 2011 -- 51 deadly tornadoes have touched down in the United States this year, compared to an average of 22 killer tornadoes in the past. That's counting two more tornadoes in Missouri Tuesday night. And it's only May.
But early statistics on U.S. tornadoes have been spotty.
Because twisters were not measured the same way they are now, experts don't know whether the 1925 Tri-State tornado that killed about 695 people in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana was actually a single funnel or many -- which is why it's not officially considered the deadliest single tornado.
The weekend tornado in Joplin stirred memories of two fatal twisters that struck in Alabama last month. One tornado hit Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, killing 78 people, and another struck Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, killing 61.
While many cities in tornado-prone areas have tornado sirens, the alarms sometimes get ignored.
"The sirens always go off, so no one thought anything of it," Joplin resident Alexa Wattelet said. "Where we were, nobody really seemed like they were in much of a shock."
But Myers said even if people take all possible precautions, a tornado can still leave fatalities.
"If you get hit by something the size of a 225 mph storm, it is not survivable," he said. "And that is not to scare anyone. But the people that did it right are not to blame."

Oklahoma tornado kills at least two

Reuters) - Two people died when a tornado struck El Reno, west of Oklahoma City, on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Canadian County emergency management director.

"We've got numerous injuries and we've got several homes totally destroyed," said the director, Jerry Smith. "We're out doing some assessments as we speak, trying to do some search and rescue in the area to make sure everyone's accounted for."

The tornado, which caused extensive damage in the town of about 15,000, was one of at least five that touched down in Oklahoma on Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

"There are numerous trucks and cars overturned along Interstate 40," said Rick Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman.

"It was a large tornado visually," Smith said.

Other towns that have suffered damage include Guthrie, which is north of Oklahoma City, and several towns near Norman, though Norman itself did not have significant damage, Smith said.

"It's not over," Smith said Tuesday evening.



KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City showed images of flattened homes, downed power poles, overturned cars and downed trees in Goldsby, south of Norman. Goldsby is a rural town of about 1,200 people.

In Norman, security guard Kay Johnson hunkered down at her home as the storm approached. Sirens went off three times as the storm neared, she said.

"It was moving very fast, it was raining real hard and there was some hail. Then everything stopped," Johnson said.

"Now the sun is trying to come through. But I see dark clouds building again."

The state had been bracing all day for violent weather as the National Weather Service reported conditions were ripe for tornadoes.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin told the Weather Channel that state employees were dismissed at 3 p.m. CDT on Tuesday because the storms were expected to hit the metropolitan area two hours later, during the afternoon rush hour.

"Stay on top of this storm, take it seriously," she said.

"I've seen many homes that have been destroyed, wiped off their foundations, trucks overturned on the highways. Get out of the way and don't drive into it."

Two high schools in Oklahoma City rescheduled graduation ceremonies that had been scheduled for Tuesday evening.

A new round of tornadoes began two days after a monster twister ripped through the heart of Joplin, Missouri, killing at least 118 people. It was the deadliest single tornado in the United States in some 64 years.

De La Rosa tears ligament, season likely over

DENVER -- Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow during the team's 12-4 victory over the D-backs in the opener of Tuesday's doubleheader at Coors Field.

 

The Rockies announced that the next step is being discussed, but this likely means Tommy John ligament transfer surgery, thus the end of his season. Typically, recovery time is a full year.

De La Rosa (5-2, 3.51 ERA) had emerged as a candidate for his first trip to the All-Star Game. Although he was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks on Tuesday, De La Rosa struck out three and is tied with Jhoulys Chacin for the team strikeout lead with 52Share:

De La Rosa went 4-0 in five April starts, despite working around a blister issue with his left middle finger. He is 1-2 in May, but one of the losses was his first career complete game, when he gave up two runs, one earned, in a 2-1 loss to the Phillies last Wednesday. De La Rosa's work was one reason the Rockies have been able to stay above .500 despite inconsistent and often substandard offensive production.

After throwing a pitch to Chris Young with runners at second and third, De La Rosa motioned to the dugout for head athletic trainer Keith Dugger and manager Jim Tracy. De La Rosa threw a warmup pitch, winced and left the contest.

Right-hander Greg Reynolds, recently recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs, replaced De La Rosa. Although both of De La Rosa's runners and one other scored in the inning, Reynolds gave up three hits and one run, struck out two and pitched well enough for the victory.

De La Rosa was the Rockies' only lefty starter.

Three of the starters the Rockies were counting on this season are on the disabled list.

De La Rosa's injury comes just as veteran right-hander Aaron Cook, the former staff ace, nears a return after missing time because of a fractured right ring finger. Cook is scheduled to make his final injury rehab start on Saturday, for Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Righty Esmil Rogers (3-1, 7.66 ERA) also is on the disabled list with a right lat strain and has yet to begin a rehab assignment.

Shammi Kapoor’s

Shammi Kapoor’s body language and dancing style reminded many of Elvis Presley

NIKHIL DWIVED and SHAH RUKH KHAN

NIKHIL DWIVED and SHAH RUKH KHAN

THE LOWDOWN:

Nikhil made his debut with the E. Niwas dud, My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves. Success has eluded him so far despite credible performances in Shor In The City and Mani Ratnam's Raavan.

LOOKALIKE FACTOR:

Nikhil, who has been careful in his attempt to rehash everything from Shah Rukh Khan's hairdo to body language, is yet to get his first hit in Bollywood. He is also gifted with a pout and dimples that remind you of SRK.

While most superstars ignore their lookalikes, SRK was graceful enough to attend the premier of My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves.

"Today people know him as my lookalike, but soon he will be a prominent name in the industry and youngsters will emulate him," King Khan had said then about Nikhil.

CAREER PUSH:

Being dubbed as the poor man's SRK has its advantages. Nikhil never runs out of offers from low and medium-budget filmmakers.