Experts: No end to volcano ash in sight

Weather experts predicted Friday that a volcanic ash causing chaos to air traffic across Europe would affect the region well into the weekend and possibly beyond as the dust cloud continued to spread.

Scientists said it was too soon to predict when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland would cease spewing ash, raising the prospect of thousands more grounded flights in coming days.

Prevailing westerly winds are expected to fan the massive plume of dust from an erupting volcano in Iceland further east and north, according to predictions from the London Ash Advisory Center.

By 07:00 GMT Saturday (7 p.m. ET) the cloud traveling at up to 9,000 meters (30,000 feet) is forecast to be covering parts of Russia, Poland, Finland and other East European countries while continuing to affect the UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark and Netherlands.

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Volcanic ash cloud causes air travel chaos

A cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland swept toward mainland Europe, with airspace over the United Kingdom closed to flights until Friday evening, officials said.

It could take up to 48 hours for the ash to clear from U.K. airspace, a scientist said, and the cloud forced up to 6,000 flight cancellations across the continent, according to the intergovernmental body that manages European air travel.

Thousands of flights and untold numbers of travelers were affected as some of Europe's busiest airports closed, including London's Heathrow, Amsterdam's Schiphol, and Paris' Charles de Gaulle.

The prime minister of Norway was among those stranded by the closure of European airspace.

Jens Stoltenberg, who was in New York for President Barack Obama's nuclear summit, is running the Norwegian government from the United States via his new iPad, his press secretary Sindre Fossum Beyer said.

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Toyota suspends Lexus GX 460 sales

Tokyo, Japan - Toyota announced Thursday that it is testing all of its sports utility vehicles after it suspended worldwide sales of the Lexus GX 460 due to a reported risk of rollover.

Toyota does not plan to suspend the sales of the other vehicles it is testing, said Ririko Takeuchi, a spokeswoman. But the company will suspend Lexus GX 460 sales.

Consumer Reports magazine warned readers on Tuesday not to buy the sport-utility vehicle because it could turn over in hard turns. Shortly after the magazine issued its warning, Toyota announced it was suspending sales of the luxury vehicle in the United States and Canada.

Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki said Thursday that the company was expanding the suspension to the Middle East and Russia, the only other markets where it was sold.

"We have no specific target in mind when to resume the sales," she said. "We are now investigating the case by trying to replicate the situation that Consumer Reports pointed out."

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China Earthquakes; 300 dead

Chinese officials reported that more than 300 people have died after a number of strong quakes shook Southern Qinghai, a mountainous area near Tibet. The U.S. Geological Survey said the strongest of the earthquakes was a 6.9-magnitude temblor. China’s Earthquakes Networks Center recorded the same quake as a 7.1.

Thousands of people were also injured in the series of quakes that destroyed communication lines and other infrastructures in Yushu county. Officials said many others are feared to have been buried as houses were toppled in the county of close to 90,000 people. The military in the area has been dispatched to lead the rescue operations but efforts to reach survivors are hindered by the lack of equipment, local media reported. A senior military official said roads were damaged by the quakes, making it harder for relief goods to reach the victims.

The USGS said the epicenter of the strongest quake was six miles below the ground in the city of Golmud. Two more aftershocks followed in the next 12 minutes after the first quake.

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Obama, Hu discuss possible Iran sanctions

Washington - President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao held a private meeting Monday before the start of a nuclear security summit, with the focus on Iran -- and its opposition to the nuclear nonproliferation agreement.

"The Chinese very clearly share our concern about the Iranian nuclear program," Jeff Bader, senior director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council, said in a conference call. "They share our overall goal of preservation of the nonproliferation regime."

The United States and its allies believe Iran is aiming to develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian government, meanwhile, indicates that it only wants a peaceful nuclear energy capability.

Obama and Hu agreed in the meeting that Iran must meet its nonproliferation obligations, Bader added. The two also said they are instructing their delegations to work on a sanctions resolution.

"The resolution will make clear to Iran the costs of pursuing a nuclear program that violates Iran's obligations and responsibilities," Bader said.

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Death toll from Bangkok protests climbs to 21

Bangkok, Thailand -- The death toll from the weekend's clashes between anti-government protesters and Thai security forces climbed to 21, authorities said.

Of the dead, 17 are civilians and four are military, the Bangkok Emergency Medical Service said Sunday.

The clashes on Saturday also left 858 injured, the service said.

The protesters, known as the "Red Shirts," for their clothing, organized a funeral ritual for their members at Phan Fa Bridge on Sunday. Thousands of protesters attended.

In addition, the protesters seized six military vehicles, smashing their windows, and blocked part of the major Pinklao Bridge.

The government, meanwhile, said it was asking officers to return to their bases to refresh and prepare for the next operation.

The protesters' group, the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, said it is unwilling to sit down for negotiations with the government unless it is to discuss the dissolution of the lower house of parliament.

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Obama hosts two-day summit on nuclear security

President Obama hosts leaders from 46 countries for a two-day nuclear security summit starting Monday that will focus on how to better safeguard weapons materials, both old and new, to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.

The gathering at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the nation's capital is considered an unprecedented effort to rally global action on securing vulnerable nuclear materials.

It also is the centerpiece of a major Obama objective aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and technology.

As the summit begins, the United States is negotiating with the four other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

"The central focus of this nuclear summit is the fact that the single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short term, medium term and long term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon," Obama said Sunday, appearing with South African President Jacob Zuma in Washington.

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Thailand protests turn deadly - 15 Dead

Fifteen people were killed Saturday in clashes between anti-government protesters and Thai police and military forces, according to emergency officials.

Erawan Emergency Center said 11 were civilians and four were military. At least 486 people were injured, the center said.

A Japanese cameraman with Thomson Reuters was among those killed, the news agency said. It identified him as Hiro Muramoto and said that he had been shot and killed.

Military and police forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to contain the protesters, who were trying to break into military barracks, state media reported. Video showed the protesters throwing objects at the security forces, who protected themselves with shields.

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Polish President Died in Plane Crash

Tragedy has struck Poland as it lost its president and several other high-ranking officials in a plane crash in Russia. President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria were among 97 people killed when the presidential plane crashed as it was trying to land amid thick fog near Russia’s North Smolensk airport. The Polish officials, who included the military chief of staff and several lawmakers, were, ironically, scheduled to attend the 70th anniversary of the Katyn forest massacre–one of the most tragic periods in Poland’s history.

Initial investigation shows that the crash was an accident and there seems to be no indication of foul play. An official of the Smolensk regional government said the Tupolev presidential aircraft was advised to land either in Minsk, Belarus, or in Moscow, but the pilot apparently did not heed the advice. Russian Air Force Gen. Alexander Alyoshin said the pilot decided to land in Smolensk despite the thick fog.

Former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said the accident was so “hard to believe. You get chills down your spine.” Another former President, Lech Walesa, said the accident “is a great tragedy, a great shock to us all.”

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Iran has 'fully mastered' nuclear technology

Iran announced Friday it has advanced its nuclear technology, unveiling new, faster centrifuges and celebrating "giant steps" forward.

In a speech celebrating National Nuclear Day, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed "selfish behavior" by "arrogant" countries that have tried to negotiate a halt to Iran's nuclear activity. As he spoke, a crowd chanted "God is great" and "Death to America."

"Today, Iranian scientists and experts have fully mastered the nuclear and have been taking giant steps and moving at full pace towards meeting all domestic needs and making proper use of home-grown potential in the field of nuclear energy," Ahmadinejad said.

Officials unveiled what they called a "third generation" of centrifuges six times faster than the ones currently being used.

Insisting Tehran's nuclear efforts are purely for energy purposes -- despite claims by many Western nations that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons -- Ahmadinejad said he had been open to a deal, and blamed other countries for it falling apart.

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13 year old Child bride, dies after intercourse

An underage Yemeni girl died of internal bleeding following intercourse four days after she was married off to a man almost twice her age.

Ilham Mahdi al Assi, 13, was married in a traditional arrangement, in which the brother of the bride also married the sister of the groom. According to the medical report released by the hospital, she was exposed to sexual exhaust and had suffered rupture of the womb.

Last year, 12-year-old Fawziya Abdullah Youssef died of severe bleeding while giving birth to a stillborn in Hodeida province.

Child marriages are very common in Yemen and sometimes, poor parents give away their young daughters in exchange for large dowries.

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China says Iran sanctions talks in NY 'constructive'

China joined Russia and four other world powers on Thursday for what diplomats said were "constructive" but inconclusive talks on possible new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

"It's a very constructive negotiation," China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong told reporters after a nearly three-hour meeting with his counterparts from Russia, the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

He said the group planned to meet again next week. Details of the discussions were not immediately available, but diplomats familiar with talks said the delegations were far from agreement on a fourth round of U.N. sanctions on Iran.

After months of delay, China reluctantly agreed to join the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany -- a group often referred to as the "P5-plus-one" -- in New York to draft a sanctions resolution.

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said earlier on Thursday Washington wants swift agreement on a draft resolution that can be sent to the full 15-nation Security Council for a vote.

"We are working to get this done swiftly, within a matter of weeks in the spring," Rice said, reiterating a desire by U.S. President Barack Obama for a tougher global stance against Iran's development of nuclear capabilities.

Li made clear China was committed to the group's two-track approach on Iran's nuclear program -- offers of economic and political incentives if Tehran suspends its nuclear enrichment program, and threats of sanctions if it refuses. He reiterated that Beijing is more interested in pursuing the first track.

"The dual-track approach is actually focused on diplomacy," he said.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin predicted the sanctions negotiations "will be difficult."

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Teener Sues Mom with Harassment Over Facebook Hacking

A 16-year-old boy in Arkansas has asked a local court to stop his mother from having contact with him after she allegedly changed the password of his Facebook account and posted slanderous information against him. In court papers, the teenager says that his mother, Denise New, changed the password of his Facebook account after she learned that he drove 95 mph from Hot Springs to the home of his grandmother, who has custodial rights of the younger New.

Denise New of Arkdelphia said it was within her legal rights to “monitor” and “have conversation” with her son on Facebook “whether it’s his account. or your account or whoever’s account.” New said she will fight the harassment charge filed against her by her own son as “this could be a precedent-setting moment for parents.”

Prosecutor Todd Turner refused to comment about the complaint, citing the complainant’s being still a minor. The teenager asked for a no-contact order last month. New, who has vowed to “fight” the charge, will appear in court again on May 12.

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Thai 'Red Shirts' stormed Parliment - State of emergency declared

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency Wednesday, hours after anti-government demonstrators stormed the country's parliament.

Speaking on nationwide television, he said the "purpose is to restore peace and order and to stop the spreading of false information to the Thai public."

Vejjajiva said the measure is effective in Bangkok and nearby provinces and "will limit certain rights of people."

According to the order, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban has been appointed to administer the emergency law.

While the prime minister stressed that the measure is not mean to disperse people, the decree bans the gathering of more than five persons who are deemed to instigate an emergency situation.

It bans the publishing, broadcasting or spreading information considered a threat to national security and it prohibits people from staying in certain areas.

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6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Baja California

An earthquake measuring 6.9 magnitude at the Richter scale shook Baja California, Mexico late Sunday, April 4. It was felt as far as Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Palm Springs, Tijuana and Arizona.baja california los angeles map

US Geological Survey stated that the quake hit the area at 15:40 PDT 19 miles southeast of Mexicali, (16 miles south southwest of Guadalupe Victoria, 108 miles east southeast of Tijuana) at a depth of 20 miles. Quakes of 3.0 magnitudes have been experienced in the area several times this week. Multiple aftershocks were felt after.

There are no immediate incidents of major damages reported. Alfredo Escobedo, Civil Protection Director of the state of Baja California, however, said that they are still assessing the impact of the earthquake.

“I’m shaking like a leaf … the pool water was just going everywhere,” said Jean Nelson in Indio, California outside of Palm Springs.

In El Centro, California, a town near the US-Mexican border, power and phone services were cut due to the tremor.

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Three deadly blasts rock Baghdad

Baghdad, Iraq -- Three blasts set off by suicide bombers in cars went off in quick succession in Baghdad on Sunday morning, killing at least 30 people and wounding 200, Iraq's Interior Ministry said.

The blasts went off within five minutes of one another, all near embassy buildings in the capital.

Two of the explosions occurred in the Mansour neighborhood in western Baghdad. One blast was close to the Egyptian Embassy, the other near a complex that holds a number of embassies, including those of Syria and Germany.

The third car bomb exploded near the Iranian Embassy in the central part of the city.

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Antidepressants Approved for US Pilots

The Federal Aviation administration has approved four drugs that pilots can take to treat depression.lexapro

The FAA said that drowsiness side effects from the drugs pose no danger in airline flights as they are more controllable compared to sedation effects that are experienced from older medications. The four drugs approved are Eli Lilly & Co.’s Prozac, Pfizer Inc.’s Zoloft and Forest Laboratories Inc.’s Celexa or Lexapro.

Pilots who are suffering from mild to moderate depression may fly again if they passed tests that they were treated properly for over a year.

For six months, the FAA will allow pilots currently suffering or undergoing treatment for depression to come forward without penalty. Current policies rule that pilots who are depressed are not allowed to fly as it can be distracting in the cockpit and may pose safety risks.

Pilots who will be taking up antidepressants will be monitored permanently.

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Navy warship destroying pirate mother skiff

The USS Farragut, a guided missile destroyer passes the skiff it destroyed after pirates tried to attack a Sierra Leone-flagged tanker .

U.S. Navy says is the aftermath of suspected pirates attacking a Sierra Leone-flagged tanker this week in the Somali Basin. The confrontation between the MV Evita and two suspected pirate skiffs was disrupted by the U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Farragut, according to the U.S Navy. The suspected bandits’ “mother skiff” was destroyed and sunk.

“The pirates have become bolder and are attacking ships further away from the Somali shores,” said Rear Adm. Bernard Miranda of the Singapore navy. The Evita fired flares and sped up to ward off the attackers, who were armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.

Coalition forces were summoned by the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur and the UK Maritime Trade Operations office in Dubai, who received a call of aid from the Evita. The Evita was also assisted by a Swedish vessel, which located the suspected pirates’ skiffs and witnessed them throwing equipment overboard.

Farragut coalition forces found 11 suspected pirates aboard the skiffs, along with fuel drums and grappling hooks.

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South Korean couple accused of starving baby go on trial

Seoul, South Korea -- The trial of a South Korean couple whose 3-month-old baby allegedly died of malnutrition while they nurtured an animated child during marathon sessions playing an online game begins Friday in Suwon, a satellite city south of Seoul.

The unmarried and unemployed couple, who have not been named, will be tried in Suwon District Court for negligent homicide. They were arrested in March.

The couple were reportedly obsessed with a game called Prius Online, playing it for sessions lasting as long as 12 hours. In the 3D fantasy game, players raise "Anima," a blue girl, who, as she grows, gains magical powers.

The case has highlighted the dark side of the Internet in South Korea, a nation renowned for its outstanding technological infrastructure and early adoption of the Internet and mobile technologies.

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Beheading planned in Saudi sorcery case

A Lebanese man charged with sorcery and sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is scheduled to be beheaded on Friday, the man's lawyer said Wednesday.

May El Khansa, the attorney for Ali Hussain Sibat, told CNN that she and Sibat's family were informed about the upcoming execution. She said she heard from a source in Saudi Arabia with knowledge of the case and the proceedings that Saudi authorities "will carry out the execution."

The Saudi Ministry of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment on the matter.

El Khansa said she has appealed to Lebanon's prime minister, Saad Hariri, and president, Michel Suleiman, to stop the execution. Amnesty International, the human rights group, has called on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to block it as well.

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