Lawmaker Recommends 'All Work, No Play' Strategy for Wis. Senators Who Fled State

For all you Wisconsin senators in hiding, some advice from another lawmaker who's been there: Keep working and avoid the hotel bar.

At least that's the strategy Texas Rep. Pete Gallego and some 50 other Democratic representatives adopted in 2003, when they boarded a bus and fled to Ardmore, Oklahama, to block a Republican-drawn redistricting plan that would cost them five seats in Congress.

The proposal, backed by former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, eventually passed, despite their efforts. But the stunt proved fruitful in other respects, Gallego says, as a bonding experience for the lawmakers and an opportunity for them to reassess their goals.

"A lot of us hadn't been on a bus trip since high school. We spent most of the time together, working and eating together, so a lot of members became close friends," says Gallego, who has represented Texas' District 74, the state's largest district, stretching nearly 39,000 square miles, since 1991.

The 14 Democratic senators from Wisconsin have fled to neighboring Illinois to prevent a quorum from voting on a bill that would strip most state workers of the bulk of their collective-bargaining rights.

But if their stay in Rockford, Illinois – a northern Illinois city which is attempting to capitalize on the lawmakers' presence with an "escape to Rockford" tourism campaign that uses Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen to lure visitors to its "hideaway hotspots" at "runaway rates" – resembles the Texas lawmakers' experience in Oklahoma, the senators will spend most of their time in a hotel conference room rather than enjoying the city's microbreweries and farm-to-table fine dining.

"We knew we had to be prepared for the worst things people would say about us. If someone says you're not doing your job, we elected you to be our representative in Austin and you're not there, if you're going to put career at risk, you want to be to explain in detail why you did what we did, and we spent a lot of time just on that," he said.

From the start of the excursion, Gallego says the group knew they had to keep busy and present a united front not only to the media blitz surrounding the Holiday Inn hotel that had become their temporary headquarters, but also to their constituents.

The lawmakers spent most of the four days in a hotel conference room, starting each morning with a prayer and a promise to stick with the cause.

"We looked around the table to make sure each one would commit to the others and promise that they weren't going to leave."

From there, the schedule consisted of various discussions. They'd vent frustrations over the proposed redistricting and discuss the calls they were getting from the outside, or break up into working groups to discuss blue-sky initiatives on topics such as education and energy. Members with expertise in certain areas presented seminars to the rest of the group.

"We got a lot done, and it was in stark contrast to the images you saw of people in the House chamber at the time, with beach balls flying around and music playing. Essentially, you'd see them hanging out while we were in seminars."

And, if anyone was tempted to have a drink at the bar or go to the gym, the others made sure such activities happened outside the presence of the media.

"The worst thing you can do is look like you're on vacation," Gallego says. "When you do something like this, you have to make sure you have thought of all the angles –the goal is to protect the members - and to make sure that the public knows and understands why this issue is so important, so at the end of day, the public sides with you."

Brazil Sues Ex-President, Ex-Minister Over Letters

Federal prosecutors in Brazil have filed suit against former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and a former Cabinet minister, charging them with misusing public funds to send more than 10 million letters to retirees telling them about low-interest payroll loans from Banco BMG, according to the state-run Agencia Brasil.
Prosecutor Luciana Loureiro Oliveira said the letters, sent in 2004, served no public interest and were sent 10 months after the law was passed allowing the loans, the news agency said.
"At the time of dispatch of letters, the only 'new thing' was the financial institution recently contracted and able to make the loans, namely, Banco BMG," the suit says, according to Agencia Brasil.
Oliveira told the agency that prosecutors believe the purpose of the letters was merely self-promotion, praising the law and at the same time benefiting Banco BMG, which was the only bank approved to provide the loans.
The prosecutors seek to compel Lula and former Social Security Minister Amir Lando to refund the amount spent on the letters, about $5.7 million (9.5 million Brazilian reais).
Agencia Brasil said that Lula's office said he is traveling and will not comment until his legal team has reviewed the lawsuit. The office for the former minister was not available for comment.

Cuban Hunger Striker Remembered on Anniversary of Death

When jailed Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo went on a hunger strike to demand better prisoner conditions, only a handful of government opponents knew who he was.
A bricklayer from eastern Cuba who became a political activist while in prison, Zapata fasted for more than 80 days.
On February 23, 2010 he died, setting off a chain of events that few could have predicted.
By July, Cuba had agreed to the biggest release of political prisoners in more than a decade.
Prominent dissident Angel Moya was freed earlier this month. He recently went to Mass with the Ladies in White, the wives, mothers and supporters of political prisoners.
"Zapata vive (lives)!" he shouted as he emerged sobbing from the Havana church.
"They got him, but Cuba is going to be free no matter what Fidel and Raul Castro want."
After Zapata's death, fellow activist Guillermo Farinas took up his cause, declaring he would starve himself to death unless Cuba released ailing political prisoners.
He spent months in the hospital on an IV drip.
The Cuban government accuses dissidents of being mercenaries paid by Washington to destabilize the island.
In the case of Farinas, state media accused him of assaulting colleagues in the past and highlighted the top treatment he was getting from the state-run hospital despite his "counter-revolutionary" activities.
But faced with international pressure, President Raul Castro reached a deal with the Catholic Church and Spain to release 52 dissidents jailed in a notorious crackdown in 2003.
Farinas was detained on Wednesday for protesting, according to his mother.
Hector Maseda was also released earlier this month. He thanks Farinas' hunger strike for the deal.
"He convinced the Cuban authorities that there was going to be a second martyr at any moment," he told CNN. "And this was a martyr who was very well known as a political activist."
Dozens of prisoner who agreed to go into exile in Spain were freed. Others refused to leave, but Cuba recently began to free them as well. Only six of the 52 remain behind bars.
Still, some things haven't changed.
On Wednesday, police cordoned off the street where the Ladies in White were holding a candle-lit vigil in the center of Havana.
Hundreds of government supporters surrounded the house and shouted slogans like "This street belongs to Fidel!"
Human rights groups said dozens of people were detained on the eve of the anniversary and dozens more were ordered to stay in their homes or face arrest.
Amnesty International urged Cuba to stop harassing Zapata's family.
His mother, Reina Luisa Tamayo, says she is regularly attacked and intimidated by police and government supporters when she leads marches to the cemetery on Sundays.
But on Wednesday she told CNN that she and her family visited the cemetery without incident.
"There are police all around, but today nobody bothered us," she said.

Report: Thousands of Migrants Kidnapped in Mexico

In Mexico, a man who tried to journey illegally into the United States to seek work vows that he will never again leave his home.
His trip turned into a nightmare when he was kidnapped along the route, as happens to thousands of migrants crossing through Mexico each year.
"What they did to me doesn't matter. But what they did to all those women, that hurts more," he told Mexico's Commission on Human Rights.
For 17 days, the man recounts, he was held hostage. There were also 17 women among the group, and "each night they came back sadder, more hurt, beaten. I will never forget what I saw," he said.
Each day, between three and five new hostages arrived. There were beatings, and worse.
"Those who didn't pay the ransom were taken outside to, as those scumbags said, 'look at the stars from up close,'" the man said.
The journey across Mexico for those seeking to reach the United States is a treacherous one. People hang on to trains, pay shadowy smugglers, and risk kidnappings like the one the man described.
It's unclear whether the man was released or whether he escaped his captors. But his story is hardly unique.
In a six-month period in 2010, more than 11,000 migrants were kidnapped, the Mexican human rights commission found in a report published this week.
"This statistic reflects that there have not been sufficient government efforts to reduce kidnappings against the migrant population," the report said.
A total of 11,333 migrants were kidnapped in 214 separate incidents, the commission said. That's an average of 52 migrants kidnapped per incident.
The numbers, while staggering, match some news reports of mass kidnappings.
Last summer, 72 migrants who were traveling on the ground in Mexico were shot and killed in the border state of Tamaulipas. The migrants came from Central and South American countries including Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil and Ecuador.
In a separate incident, 50 Central American migrants who were apparently kidnapped in mid-December are still missing. The case was brought to the attention of authorities by Alejandro Solalinde, a Catholic priest who operates a shelter for traveling migrants in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
The human rights commission's findings were based on information requests made to the federal government and all the Mexican states. In 2010, commission personnel made 2,705 trips to gather facts from migrants, both at regional offices and at places where migrants congregate.
In 2010, the commission aided 68,095 migrants.
In those trips, the organization collected 178 testimonies from victims, and a picture emerged of what victims endure.
Among the findings was that the organized crime groups who carry out the kidnappings sometimes have Central American migrants working with them. In the case of the 72 migrants who were killed, one of the possible motives was that the migrants refused to join the cartel, authorities said.
Even specially-designated migrant shelters are not safe, the report found. Some shelters have been attacked by kidnappers who come to chase those who escaped or to find new victims, the report said.
While the ways in which migrants are captured have evolved, their treatment remains the same, according to the report. In short, they are tortured until they give up the phone number of a relative in their home country or the United States, the report said. Once contact is made, the victims are made to tell their families what is necessary to obtain their freedom, the commission found.
Migrants also told the commission that the kidnappers threatened their guides, charging them a fee to cross through their territory. If the guides didn't pay, they were kidnapped, sometimes with the migrants they are guiding, the report said.
The commission "warns that the current migrant kidnapping situation in Mexico reflects a lack of coordinated action between the institutions charged with preventing and combating crimes at the federal, state and municipal level," the report said.
Of the 178 testimonies gathered by the commission, 44% of the victims were from Honduras, 16% Salvadoran, 11% Guatemalan and 10% Mexican. Cubans, Nicaraguans, Colombians and Ecuadorians made up smaller percentages. Nearly 16% of the testimonies came from women.
A majority -- about two-thirds -- of all kidnappings happened in southeast Mexico, the report found. About 30% happened in northern Mexico and a small percentage in the central part of the country.
The most kidnap-plagued states were Veracruz, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi and Chiapas.
About one in nine of the migrants interviewed said that authorities colluded with the kidnappers during the incidents.

Trial for American Jailed in Cuba Set for March 4

American aid worker Alan Gross will face trial in Cuba on March 4, according to the U.S. Interest Section in Havana, in a case that is seen as one of the major obstacles to improving relations between the long-estranged countries.
Gross was arrested in December 2009 but only charged earlier this month. He could face up to 20 years in prison for "acts against the independence and territorial integrity" of Cuba.
Gross, a subcontractor for USAID, was working on a democracy promotion program that is illegal in Cuba. Authorities have said Gross was distributing illegal satellite equipment to help dissidents connect to the internet.
The U.S. State Department has said Gross was helping Jewish communities with their communication.
The Cuban government has said Gross' family and U.S. officials can attend the trial, although the venue is still not known.

Gunmen Kill 3 Children While Looking for The Father of Two of Them

Three children were killed Wednesday night by a group of armed men who were looking for the father of two of the girls, a spokesman for the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office said Thursday.
Earlier, Mexico's state-run Notimex news agency reported that six children were shot and that two died, but the prosecutor's spokesman, Arturo Sandoval, said that was incorrect.
"The intended target of the attack was the father of two of the minors," Sandoval said. "The father was involved in drug sales, and the group of armed men came to the house to kill him. That was the motive for the attack."
"All three minors died. There were no survivors."
One of the girls was 12-years-old, Sandoval said, and the other two were teenagers.
Juarez is one of the deadliest cities in Mexico and one of the front lines on the government's war against the drug cartels. It is a territory contested by the Juarez cartel and Sinaloa cartel, who are fighting for lucrative smuggling routes into the United States.

Feds Indict 22 in Alleged Fake Document Ring

Twenty-two people allegedly involved in a "highly sophisticated and violent" Mexico-based ring that sold fake documents in the United States were indicted by a federal grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, federal officials said Thursday.
The group is accused of "kidnapping, beating and -- at least on one occasion -- murdering competitors and using violence to discipline its own members," according to a statement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
"Document fraud doesn't just involve paperwork," ICE Director John Morton said. "The business of document fraud, which can be ugly and involve violence and the use of deadly weapons, warrants the attention of Homeland Security Investigations."
The group, uncovered during "Operation Phalanx," had cells in 19 cities in 11 states, including three cells in Virginia, ICE said.
"The indictment portrays a deadly criminal organization that uses brutal violence to eliminate rivals, protect its turf and enforce discipline against its own members," said U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride.
The 12-count indictment accuses Israel Cruz Millan, a 28-year-old Raleigh, North Carolina, man -- also known as "El Muerto" -- of heading the group's U.S. operations that produced high-quality false identification cards to illegal aliens.
Millan allegedly placed a manager in each city, with a number of "runners" who handed out business cards advertising the fake document services and selling them to customers, the indictment said.
A counterfeit resident alien and Social Security card typically sold for $150 to $200, it said.
The indictment says the group sent more than $1 million to Mexico from January 2008 through November 2010.
Also, the group apparently tried to put competitors out of business by posing as customers and attacking them when they delivered the documents, the indictment said.
"These attacks allegedly included binding the victims' hands, feet and mouth; repeatedly beating them; and threatening them with death if they continued to sell false identification documents in the area," ICE said. "The victims were allegedly left bound at the scene of the attack, and the indictment states that at least one victim died from the beatings."
Members who violated group rules were disciplined by having their eyebrows shaved, being forced to wear weights, beatings and other violence, the indictment said.
The defendants were among 28 people arrested last November on a previous indictment. Five of those later entered guilty pleas.

Airline Apologizes for Carrying Pork on Israeli Flight

A United Kingdom budget airline has apologized to its Jewish customers after loading ham and bacon baguettes on to the flight instead of the standard kosher food.
EasyJet said it made the mistake on a flight from Israel to London.
Some passengers were forced to go hungry during the 4 1/2-hour trip from Tel Aviv.
An airline spokeswoman said incorrect food canisters were loaded onto the aircraft, though pork was not served to passengers.
EasyJet's standard practice is to offer kosher and vegetarian sandwiches onboard Israeli flights, the spokeswoman said.
She said the airline also offers nonkosher products but its policy is not to load any pork products.
"We would like to apologize to the passengers, and can confirm we have done everything we can to ensure that this does not happen again," the airline said.

Prince William and Kate Launch Lifeboat in First Official Engagement

Britain's Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton made their first official engagement as a couple Thursday, launching a lifeboat in Wales.
The pair, who are due to marry in April, officially named the "Hereford Endeavour" lifeboat in a ceremony at the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station in Anglesey, North Wales.

Middleton, wearing a Vivien Sheriff black-feathered beret, three-quarter length cream coat and suede boots, poured a bottle of champagne over the lifeboat after Prince William made a speech commending the efforts of the volunteers and rescue crew.
"We effectively have two launches today," said CNN royal contributor Mark Saunders. "The launch of the lifeboat by William and Catherine and, at the same time, the launch of William and Catherine into this celebrity saturated world they are going to be living in."
Despite the modest nature of the event, hundreds of people turned out to watch the royal couple conduct their first official duty together.
"In 20 years of royal reporting I've never witnessed quite such excitement for such a single job," said Saunders.
One onlooker told CNN: "It's lovely... I would have thought more people would have brought flowers and things for them but it's lovely... It's low key which is what he (Prince William) wanted."
It's the first public appearance the couple has made since they announced their engagement last November.
"It's a very low-key event, launching a lifeboat on the island where they both live...it's a very good debut event for them," said Saunders.
"They have a very good relationship with the locals here, they are often seen at the local supermarket and buying wine from the local off-license. So for a first event, they couldn't have picked a better one."
The reason for such a low-key ceremony, says Saunders, is to prepare Middleton for life as a royal.
"(The royal family) have learnt many lessons from when Princess Diana first joined the royal family.
"Diana was just thrown in the deep end and absolutely given no guidance whatsoever. They're making sure this time round Catherine is well prepared," he said.
After naming the new Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Prince William and Middleton met members of the charity's lifeboat crew along with fundraising volunteers and were given a demonstration of the vessel's capabilities.
In a statement issued before the ceremony, Lifeboat's Operations Manager, Aubrey Diggle said: "It's an honor to have Prince William and Miss Middleton at our naming ceremony.
"Naming a new lifeboat is always a special occasion for the charity where we can thank our supporters and fundraisers. Having the royal couple there will make the day even more memorable for the whole community."
The couple currently reside in Anglesey while Prince William serves as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Google Faces Fresh EU Search Complaint

A fresh complaint accusing Google of abusing its dominant position in the online search market and blocking the development of rival search businesses has been filed with the European Union's antitrust watchdog.
It comes from a French company, 1plusV, related to Ejustice.fr, one of three companies that originally filed complaints against Google with the European Commission last year.
These prompted Brussels to open an in-depth probe against Google, looking at whether the search company gave preferential treatment to its own services when ranking results and whether its contractual relationships with advertisers may also have breached competition rules.
1plusV, which was formed in 2004 and is controlled by Bruno Guillard, is alleging Google illegally "tied" its search engine and its Adsense advertising service -- which allows advertisers to buy a keyword that, when typed in as a search query, produces a commercial link alongside the search results.
Mr Guillard said on Tuesday that in order to secure some revenue from the vertical search engines that 1plusV had developed it was necessary to use Adsense, and that this, in turn, proved technically impossible without using Google's own search engine.
The complaint -- described by 1plusV as a "follow-up" to the first Ejustice.fr complaint -- alleges this tying "kills off" competing search technologies. "1plusV accuses Google of pursuing a strategy of foreclosure against vertical search engines," it claims. The complaint also details other alleged competition breaches, including discrimination in favour of Google's services in search results, and "apparent retaliatory" actions against other sites run by 1plusV after the Ejustice.fr complaint was filed.
It comes at a sensitive time. In another sign of the growing pressure on regulators to subject Google to greater antitrust scrutiny, a prominent US lawmaker has called on the Department of Justice to take a close look at the company's proposed acquisition of travel search company ITA.
John Conyers, lead Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to Christine Varney, head of antitrust enforcement at the agency, urging that the proposed deal be reviewed "carefully to ensure competition and transparency will be protected in the online travel industry".
Mr Conyers also highlighted issues raised last week by the American Anti-trust Institute, which had claimed the deal highlighted broader problems with Google's growing dominance of the search market, even if it was not clear the ITA acquisition would harm the online travel business. Google said the AAI's grounds for broadening the regulatory investigation were "vague new standards [with] no basis in the law".
On Tuesday, 1plusV said it was not pressing for a disclosure of Google's search algorithm, but believed there were other changes the commission could impose on Google.
Google has consistently denied dominating the online search market, and contested individual allegations made against it. It said its behaviour was driven by the desire to give users of its search facilities the best results.
Google on Tuesday said: "We continue to work co-operatively with the European Commission, explaining many aspects of our business. We believe there is always room for improvement."

Anonymous Vows to Take Leaking to The Next Level

WikiLeaks could have one foot in the online grave.
It's been months since its last major leak, and its staff members -- former and current -- say it's so thinly staffed and broke that it can't dissect a massive file a whistle-blower handed over, allegedly naming rich and influential global players guilty of tax crimes.
Founder Julian Assange, described as a megalomaniac in a tell-all book by the group's former spokesman, is facing extradition to Sweden on sex crime charges. Many observers predict he'll face extradition to the United States next.
That could mean time is running out to pay for Assange to appear at your dinner party (via video message), but it's a reason to purchase a "Free Assange" T-shirt, now available from WikiLeaks' online store.
It may take more than a few shirts to pull WikiLeaks out of the red. Financial institutions stopped doing business with the site after it published a trove of confidential U.S. diplomatic cables late last year, and donations have been stymied.
Assange, out on bond in London Wednesday, set up a Facebook page this month with a PayPal link and a plea: "I need your help. Please give." Last week, he told the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve that WikiLeaks is losing about $600,000 a week. A judge Thursday ordered that Assange can be extradited to Sweden.
Where that money is going, or what it's paying for, is unclear.
"WikiLeaks could well be a flash in the pan. It's not exactly a site with an apparent solid business plan or stable group of founders," said Jonathan Zittrain, an internet law and computer science professor at Harvard University.
"But the idea that leaks can happen, whether by a turncoat employee or an Exxon Valdez-sized spill of data due to a hack, is more enduring."
So, if WikiLeaks wilts, what will grow in its place?
Several leak-loving sites claim to be WikiLeaks' heir apparent. Greenleaks.org and GreenLeaks are battling to become the top site for whistle-blowers with dirt on environmental issues.
WikiLeaks' ex-spokesman and Assange's former right-hand man, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, has launched OpenLeaks, a secret information catch-all.
His memoir, out this month, "Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website," describes WikiLeaks as an organization that lost its original goal to reveal small, important leaks and instead became wrapped up in Assange's pursuit of big leaks like the Afghanistan and Iraq war diaries and the cables.
Watch Domscheit-Berg describe Assange as a megalomaniac OpenLeaks says it will be more transparent than WikiLeaks about the way it operates. Most significant, it wouldn't openly publish information but rather would give it to reporters and human rights organizations to disseminate.
But perhaps the most controversial incarnation of the WikiLeaks model comes from Anonymous, the hacker collective globally infamous for disrupting the websites of MasterCard, Visa and PayPal in December.
The hackers said the attacks were revenge after the companies cut ties to WikiLeaks. Since then, Anonymous has grown more sophisticated, and experts say it's reasonable to fear that they could do more than wait for someone to give them secret documents. They could hack into highly sensitive military and corporate computer systems themselves.
This month, Anonymous launched anonleaks.ru, a site that features a searchable database of what appear to be tens of thousands of internal e-mails from a U.S.-based internet security firm whose website was also defaced.
Reportedly, the CEO of HBGary Federal told reporters his Twitter account was hijacked, and his home address and Social Security number appeared in his Twitter feed.
A message to HBGary Federal from Anonymous appeared on the company's hacked website: "Let us teach you a lesson you'll never forget: You don't mess with Anonymous."
A letter from Anonymous directly to HBGary Federal was posted on the Web's largest pirate site. "We feel it's time we took the game to the next level," it said.
The information posted on anonleaks.ru, which CNN cannot authenticate, suggests that HBGary Federal offered to attack or undermine adversaries of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Bank of America, including spreading bogus information about Anonymous.
Assange has said that WikiLeaks is planning a "megaleak" about a major bank, and there's been much speculation that Bank of America is the target.
Bank of America spokesman Scott Silvestri said it has no relationship with HBGary Federal. A senior U.S. Chamber of Commerce official said the same. The New York Times, USA Today and Salon have detailed the battle between Anonymous and HBGary.
HBGary Federal's site is down, and phone numbers to its Colorado office are not working.
But HBGary Federal's sister company, HBGary Inc., based in Sacramento, California, also had its servers hacked. Content from HBGary Inc. appears on anonleaks.ru as well.
"What has happened here is a crime. We were hacked," said Jim Butterworth, a vice president at HBGary Inc. "But it's more than that. Our employees are getting calls from (Anonymous) making physical threats. People were concerned about their physical safety."
Butterworth, who says he's been placed in charge of determining what left the company vulnerable to hacking, said HBGary is working with law enforcement.
Continually over the past two weeks, Anonymous has "pounded" HBGary Inc.'s servers, trying to again to gain access, he said. Office fax machines have been clogged with faxes touting the Anonymous mantra: "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. ..."
"This is thuggery at this point," Butterworth said.
The only time CNN has been able to engage with anyone claiming to be Anonymous came in December, around the time of the Master Card and Visa attacks, via two instant messages that appeared to be from different people.
One wrote that Anonymous considered its actions to be a "demonstration against all things people were unable to change using legal means."
"Our primary goal is freedom of information. Any and all information."
Read more about Anonymous
Since December, Boston-based hacker Gregg Housh has been the only public face associated with Anonymous. He says he's not part of the hackers' current activities but merely monitors their chat portals.
"Anonymous is going to keep doing whatever they want to do to people who piss them off," Housh said of anonleaks.ru.
Anonleaks.ru is using "ru" because the domain is less easily tracked by the U.S. government, Housh said. The domain is not meant to imply that anonleaks is run from Russia.
The site's hackers also want the world to understand this: "Anonleaks is not trying to be WikiLeaks," Housh said. "They are trying to be a new kind of site."
Chris Ridder, lawyer and fellow with Stanford University's Center for Internet and Society, agrees.
"It's definitely a new kind of site, you can say that. Like, possibly illegal-kind-of-new," Ridder said.
Although few people may have heard of HBGary, that's no reason to dismiss anonleaks.ru.
"Today it's a small firm hardly anyone has heard of," Ridder said. "What would make anyone think that they wouldn't (next) hack into the military's database or a corporation that matters to a wide group of people? The question is one of intent. What will Anonymous do down the road?"
There's no doubt Anonymous has the technology to do what it wishes, said Jose Nazario, an analyst with Massachusetts Arbor Networks, a firm that monitors activity on the Web for private clients, mostly businesses trying to deter hacking. He has been watching Anonymous' users gather in chat channels for months.
"Their army is so much bigger," he said, thanks to Anonymous' own redesigned hacking tools and beefed-up Web applications.
Anonymous has made it easier for anyone to give them permission to log in remotely to computers and use the machines in a large-scale hacking effort, Nazario said. "I was watching a (chat) channel recently where thousands (of users) were present, laughing, debating what to do. It used to be hundreds."
The thought of an army of prankster hackers breaking into your e-mails, credit card records or business is disturbing. But it would be a mistake to portray members of Anonymous as cackling evil-doers, Ridder and Zittrain said.
Instead, Ridder said, Anonymous is driving Web culture. "They are making a significant mark on what it means to put information online."
Improvement in technology is a given, and access to data will become increasingly more flexible, Zittrain said. Efforts to stop the group, whether through a lawsuit or an indictment, will have implications that go far beyond one company's battle with a group of hackers.
They say it could forever hamper what has always been the cornerstone of the Web: anonymity.

Countries Scramble to Get Citizens Out of Libya

TURKEY

Two ferry boats carrying more than 3,000 Turks left the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi early Wednesday morning, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Two more ferry boats -- each capable of carrying 1,200 people -- are headed to the North African nation. A third ferry is expected to arrive in Benghazi Thursday.
The boats will carry food and medical supplies for Libyans as demanded by the Turkish prime minister, the ministry said. The ministry added that in addition to the daily scheduled flights by Turkish Airlines to Tripoli, seven more planes are on standby in case it is permitted to fly to Benghazi airport or make additional flights to Tripoli. Since Saturday, Turkey has evacuated 2,100 citizens from Libya, the ministry said.

BRITAIN

The British Foreign Office said a charter flight is leaving Gatwick Airport early Wednesday afternoon for Tripoli, and will be carrying supplies of food and water for British nationals at the airport in the Libyan capital. A second flight will leave the U.K. as soon as possible, the Foreign Office said. A third flight will leave Thursday morning if needed. "The safety of British nationals in Libya remains our top priority," Foreign Secretary William Hague said.
A consular team from the British Embassy is already on the ground at Tripoli's airport and is in place to assist British nationals. That team will be reinforced by two specialist consular teams, one of which has already arrived in Libya. The other is on the charter flight from Gatwick, the Foreign Office said.
The British Embassy is in contact with about 300 British nationals in and around Tripoli and was giving them instructions on how to catch the charter flights, the office explained.
Britain said its citizens who don't have "a pressing need to remain in the country should leave by commercial means if it is safe to do so." The government was advising Britons who want to leave Libya but can't buy tickets online "to travel to the airport carrying sufficient cash to buy tickets."
British Airways and BMI canceled its flights to and from Tripoli for Wednesday, and was reviewing flights scheduled to depart later in the week.

FRANCE

The foreign ministry in France said that it had sent three planes to Libya to help repatriate French citizens and that its embassy in Tripoli was helping to get citizens to the airport.

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia said it is sending a special passenger plane to Tripoli Wednesday morning.

SYRIA

Syria said it will send two flights Wednesday morning and had sent two others Tuesday to run between Damascus and Tripoli. The Syrian Arab News Agency said the country is ready to launch an "unlimited number of flights if necessary." It added that Syria may also send a ship to the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to help evacuate Syrians.

THE NETHERLANDS

The government in the Netherlands said a military plane and a Dutch frigate would help evacuate its nationals in Libya.

THE UNITED STATES

The U.S. State Department was not able to land charter planes in Tripoli to fly out U.S. citizens because Libyan authorities did not give permission for those aircraft to land, a senior administration official said Tuesday. So, the State Department was chartering a ferry to take travelers from central Tripoli's As-shahab port to Valletta, Malta, on Wednesday.
The American embassy in Libya confirmed that the ferry was anchored near the harbor of the As-shahab Port in central Tripoli. The ferry would be leaving at about 1:30 p.m. ET, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. The ferry was delayed coming into Tripoli because of a storm. It can hold 575 people, he said. Those onboard include U.S. citizens, embassy staff, and some third-country nationals. Once the ferry departs, the State Department will say how many are onboard.
Earlier, the department advised that travelers should have all proper travel documents and may bring one suitcase and one carry-on item. Pets are allowed, but must meet stringent EU requirements once they reach Malta. The passengers will be required to reimburse the U.S. government later. U.S. military forces have not been requested to assist in the evacuation of American citizens from Libya, Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said.

OIL COMPANIES

Oil companies, such as Total, BP and OMV, said they would or planned to evacuate people some staff and families.

EXODUS

The U.N. refugee agency is urging neighboring countries not to turn away asylum-seekers and refugees should they flee the upheaval. A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said reports she has received have been worrying. "A journalist has passed information to us from Somalis in Tripoli who say they are being hunted on suspicion of being mercenaries. He says they feel trapped and are frightened to go out, even though there is little or no food at home," Melissa Fleming said.
Meanwhile, about12,000 people have crossed into Egypt from Libya, officials say, in an effort to flee the violence engulfing the North Africa nation. "There is no security over there," said Esat Abubakr, an Egyptian living in Benghazi said Tuesday after he arrived in Sollum, Egypt. He described widespread violence and a climate of fear with no security. He said people drove to the border and then walked across. "Every Egyptian I know is trying to come back to Egypt," he said.

CTV Reporter 'Torn with Grief' Over Lost Colleagues

I was just leaving Newstalk ZB's building for the day when all hell broke loose. Fast-footing it in the middle of Worcester Street, I watched in raw terror as the Christchurch Club collapsed in front me.
A blood-soaked woman emerged out of the storm of dust and debris and after I assisted her to Latimer Square, it soon dawned on me that much of the city center was raining down on its citizens.
Gazing to the south of Latimer Square, a billowing column of dust blocked any view of the CTV building. It wasn't until later in the day that I was confronted with the brutal reality that the dust wasn't blocking the view, but it was the dust of the building's remains.
After frantically ensuring my family members were all safe, and taking stock of my own smashed-up house, my thoughts and prayers have been transfixed on my CTV family.
For the past 10 years, the regional television channel has been a trusty employer for me, broadcasting my weekly current affairs program. At the time of writing, it would be inappropriate for me to name all of the staff that have been killed in this mass tragedy. My heart has been torn by the unwieldy weight of grief, as I reflect on 17 much-loved workmates who I will never share a TV studio with again. Seventeen passionate, resolute workmates who believed in regional television and made it work.
CTV was not just "a shopping channel," as some people have scoffed. It served as a mirror on our region and that mirror has been so grotesquely shattered. And CTV has been the career launch-pad for dozens and dozens of TV journalists, who now appear on our nightly network news programs.
CTV was the longest-running television channel in New Zealand, and although it will never be the same, it will rise again to serve our region. It must.
One day at a time.
Like many Cantabs, my mind is haunted with the apocalyptic scenes of our devastated city. I am sick to the pit of my stomach at the wrenching loss of life and casualty toll. Why did so many modern buildings implode? In hindsight, were we too impatient and "she'll be right" in agitating for the city center to return to "business as usual" so soon? How long should it be closed for now? What will it take before people trust our city center, and feel safe in the buildings that remain? How many people will trust the land they have lived and worked on?
I know many Cantabs who simply cannot take it anymore and have abandoned the city they love, indefinitely.
There are no fast solutions. For tens of thousands of folk, even securing basic services like power, water and sewage is going to be a marathon wait.
Just as the Ellerslie Flower Show has been understandably cancelled, Christchurch's share of the Rugby World Cup does not look viable. Where will people stay? How fast can AMI Stadium be repaired? Should resources be diverted from key infrastructure work for the sake of this rugby tournament? There are so many questions and clouds of doubt.
As much as we are exhorted to uphold our plucky, resilient spirit, I have huge fears about how much repair and rebuilding work can be done in time for winter. Can our viciously wounded city continue to support and sustain 400,000 people while major infrastructure and rebuilding work is undertaken? How can we seriously house everyone?
I suspect a substantial portion of our population will need to relocate out of Christchurch, in the medium term, while the large-scale reconstruction work is carried out. Christchurch will rise again, Christchurch will shine again. But the slow road to recovery is going to be herculean.

South Korea Trying to Get Almost 1,400 Workers Out of Libya

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held a special meeting Thursday morning to discuss an urgent plan to evacuate South Korean construction workers in Libya. There are 1,398 South Koreans in the country working on almost 300 building sites.
The presidential office tells CNN it's sending an Egypt Air plane to Tripoli on Thursday. The first flight will evacuate 260 workers and their families. Officials are looking into chartering more planes to speed up the process. Plans were also discussed to move personnel out of the country by land and sea routes.
Lee told ministers to "use all possible measures for Koreans and Korean construction workers' security." An emergency response team is already on the ground helping workers of 24 construction firms operating in Libya.
A spate of attacks and violent break-ins have been reported at some construction sites in Libya amid growing anti-government protests and violence. An attack Monday left 17 workers injured. Two workers from Bangladesh suffered serious wounds after being stabbed, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
The Middle East is a substantial and important market for South Korean construction companies. Firms have been working in the region for around three decades. Projects in the Middle East are worth $257 billion, according to the International Contractors Association of Korea.
The association says ongoing projects in Libya are worth $36.4 billion. Companies are asking the South Korean government not only to ensure the safety of their workers but also to give support if the violence is prolonged and work is stalled indefinitely.
Exports from South Korea to Libya are also expected to be hit hard. Almost 600 companies rely on business in Libya, exporting goods such as ships, cars and heavy industries, a lucrative market worth $1.4 billion last year.
A poll taken by the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency estimates exports will take an $18.7 million hit this year.
The South Korean government has advised its citizens to cancel all nonurgent travel to Libya.
Lee also asked his government to "closely monitor the oil price and the impact to the economy." Lee stressed the importance of domestic energy conservation.

India Offers 'Hands of Our Friendship' to Pakistan

Full growth of the Asian subcontinent hinges on normalization of ties between New Delhi and Islamabad, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday as the two arch-foes prepared to resume their dialogue frozen by the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai.
In his address to parliament, Singh extended what he called his country's hand of friendship to its western neighbor.
"I sincerely hope and believe that the new ruling classes of Pakistan would grasp the hands of our friendship and recognize that, whatever are our differences, terror, as an instrument of state policy, is something that no civilized society ought to use," he said.
Singh acknowledged that talks were the only means to resolving lingering issues between the two nuclear-capable nations, which have fought three wars since the blood-soaked partition of the sub-continent into Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan in 1947.
"After meeting of the two foreign secretaries in Thimphu (earlier this month), they have agreed to resume the process of dialogue and that is the only way in which we can resolve our problems," Singh said.
The Indian leader insisted that terrorist elements derailed attempts aimed at normalizing relationship between the two countries.
The atmosphere, he said, was now conducive for talks to move forward. Singh, however, reiterated that discussions on all outstanding issues can be held if Pakistani territory is not allowed to be used for anti-India terror activities.
In 2004, both countries agreed to a peace process that covers eight issues, including Kashmir, terrorism and Pakistan's concerns over river dams on the Indian side, which it sees as a threat to its water supplies.
Successive governments on both sides have held talks in an attempt to end their historical acrimony.
Singh and Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari hailed results from the negotiations in September 2008 as the countries completed four rounds of diplomatic meetings.
But talks were suspended two months later, in November 2008, after the terror raid on Mumbai blamed on Pakistani militants.
"I have maintained and I still maintain that full development of this subcontinent of ours will not be realized unless India and Pakistan relations are normalized," Singh told federal parliament in New Delhi.

Saudis Seek to Calm Oil Panic

Saudi Arabia moved to calm mounting global fears of an oil supply crisis after panic buying sent crude prices to a 2½-year peak of almost $120 a barrel.
Indicating that Opec's biggest producer is prepared to increase supplies, the kingdom entered "active talks" with European oil companies on how to meet the shortfall caused by the turmoil in Libya.
Brent crude futures, the global benchmark, have risen as much as $17 since violence broke out in Libya last week. Saudi Arabia has asked "what quantity and what quality of oil" European refiners want, a senior Saudi oil official told the Financial Times on Thursday.
Oil traders fear the disruption of Libya's oil industry could leave the market with a minimal supply cushion if another big Middle East producer became engulfed incrisis. "It is fear of the unknown. The risks are all to the upside," said one senior oil trader. "Saudi Arabia needs to respond."
Vladimir Putin, Russia's premier, said that the surging oil price was "a serious threat to economic growth in the world", echoing concerns voiced by other leaders.
Economists fear the price rise could deliver a shock to sentiment comparable to last year's sovereign debt crisis in Europe. The shortfall caused by Libya means the market is seeing its biggest supply disruption since hurricane Katrina destroyed most US production in 2005.
Saudi oil mapPrices softened to $114 a barrel after the FT reportedthe Saudi talks, but investors still sought safe havens for assets with the Swiss franc hitting a record against the dollar and gold nearing a record high.
Governments are also involved in the discussions with Saudi Arabia, according to a European official familiar with the talks. "This goes beyond companies' supplies, it involves governments worried about security of supplies."
Saudi Arabia is considering two options, according to the Saudi official.
The first would be to boost production and send more crude through the east-west pipeline, linking the country's largest oilfields in Eastern province with the Red Sea port of Yanbu, for shipment to Europe.
Another possibility would be a swap arrangement, whereby West African oil intended for Asian buyers is redirected to Europe, with Saudi Arabia stepping in to supply Asia.
"Right now, there are active talks in order to implement what is needed," the Saudi official said. He stressed that the kingdom retains spare capacity of some 4m barrels a day -- more than double Libya's entire output, which totalled 1.58m b/d in January, according to the International Energy Agency.
Saudi Arabia has not yet decided whether to increase production If it proved necessary to produce more, "then that will happen, there's no problem at all", the official said.
Austan Goolsbee, chair of the White House council of economic advisers, said the US was monitoring developments in the Middle East but that the economy had become less sensitive to fuel prices.
Energy used per dollar of real US gross domestic product has halved since the 1970s, but energy intensity is much higher in emerging economies.

Suspected Drone Strike Kills 5 Militants in Pakistan

A suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region killed five suspected militants on Thursday, intelligence officials told CNN.
Two intelligence officials said the drone fired two missiles on the militant's hideout in the area of Data Khel in North Waziristan, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
The intelligence officials asked not be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Based on a count by the CNN Islamabad bureau Thursday's suspected drone strike was the eleventh this year.

China Plans Airport Building Spree

China will build another 45 airports over the next five years, the industry regulator said on Thursday, raising fresh questions about the potential for overcapacity in the transport sector.
Li Jiaxing, the head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said that the new investments would take the total number of airports in the country to 220, even though most of the existing airports were losing money.
Although demand for air travel has grown rapidly in recent years as the purchasing power of Chinese consumers has risen, the expansion in airport infrastructure, which accelerated during the stimulus programme over the past two years, has become one of a number of potential sources of over-investment across the economy.
Mr Li, who used to run Air China, the country's biggest airline before moving to the regulator, said that the government would invest Rmb1500bn ($228bn) in the aviation sector in the period to 2015, although he did not say how much of that would go to airports.
According to Reuters, Mr Li, who is also a vice minister for transport, admitted on Thursday that 130 of the country's 175 existing airports were currently lossmaking, with the combined loss amounting to Rmb1.68bn.
While large new airports in some of China's major cities have quickly found themselves operating near to capacity because of rising traffic, industry officials say that there are a string of new airports in smaller cities which operate only a handful of flights a week. Goldman Sachs forecasts that passenger demand will rise by 15 per cent this year, as the growing middle class in China travels more.
The rapid expansion in China's high-speed rail network has also raised questions about over-investment, a concern that could have been connected to the news 10 days ago that the minister of railways Liu Zhijun is being investigated for "a severe violation of discipline".
While some think high ticket prices will limit the demand for high-speed rail, supporters of the investment argue that the new expanded passenger network will free up space on the existing network for transporting cargo such as coal, much of which is currently delivered by truck. However, the new high-speed rail routes, such as the Wuhan-Guangzhou line, which cut the journey time from 10 hours to three hours, are also a strong competitor for the aviation sector.
One potential boon for China's new airports could come from smaller aircraft, after the government announced in November that civilian aircraft could fly in airspace below 4000m. The decision could prompt a big increase in the use of helicopters and light aircraft. Sinolink Securities, a Chinese brokerage, estimates that purchases of helicopters over the next decade in China will reach 3,300.

57 Somalis Reported Dead in Boat Tragedy, U.N. Says

An attempt to flee war-torn Somalia ended in tragedy when a boat carrying dozens of Somalis capsized in the Gulf of Aden, killing all but one person on board, the United Nations refugee agency said Thursday.
Fifty-four of those reported dead were Somali refugees, while another three were smugglers, the U.N. said. The only survivor swam for 23 hours before he reached the coast of Yemen, the agency said.
The boat sank four nautical miles from the Radhom district in Yemen's Shabwa province on Sunday, according to Yemen's official Saba news agency, citing the Yemeni Interior Ministry.
The 42-year-old man who survived the incident told officials that he and his wife and three children had boarded the small two-engine boat in northern Somalia Friday night, trying to leave the fighting in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, behind them. The boat took on water after being repeatedly hit by strong waves, he said, before it eventually capsized.
"We are horrified by this latest tragedy that adds to the terrible suffering of the Somali people," said Antonio Guterres, U.N. high commissioner for refugees. "The Gulf of Aden remains one of the deadliest routes for those fleeing the fatal mix of conflict, violence and human rights abuses in the Horn of Africa."
According to the U.N. refugee agency, Sunday's incident marks perhaps the largest single loss of life in the seas between Somalia and Yemen since January 2008, when smugglers forced 135 people to get off a boat. Of those who fell into the water, 114 drowned.
A total of 89 people, including the most recent deaths, have drowned or gone missing in the waters between Somalia and Yemen this year, the U.N. said.

Doctors Report 17 Dead in Libyan City of Zawiya

Doctors at a field hospital in Martyrs Square in Zawiya said Friday that 17 people were killed and another 150 were wounded when government forces attacked the city. They predicted the death toll would rise by morning.
Six pro-regime soldiers who were captured said they had been told that the city was being run by Arab militants and it was their job to liberate it, according to the doctors, who asked not to be identified. The soldiers added that they had been misled so that they would fight against their countrymen, the doctors said.
By the end of the day, the situation was calm in the seaside city, they said.
The casualties were announced shortly after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi accused followers of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden of brainwashing the youth of Zawiya with hallucinogenic drugs, resulting in the unrest.
"They put it with milk or with other drinks, spiked drinks," he said. After taking the tablets, "they attack this police station or that one so they can steal from there the criminal records."
He pleaded with the protesters' mothers to track them down in the streets of the coastal town about 55 kilometers (about 35 miles) west of Tripoli and take them home.
He added that he had ordered an end to the violence there, but his order upset his security forces. "They told me they are being shot at and they were doing it in self-defense," Gadhafi said. "Why do you give us orders to stop?"
Addressing the people of Zawiya, he sent condolences to the families of the dead and wounded. "These are our children," he said. "We are quite upset about the senseless loss of lives."
Zawiya's residents are free to do as they like, though there will be consequences, he said. "If you want to pit against one another, then it's up to you," he said. "But the borders of the city will be sealed in order to stop it from spreading elsewhere."
He added, "How can such lunatic youth cause such anarchy?"
Gadhafi said Libya has peaceful ways for its citizens to address their grievances. "We are not like Egypt or Tunisia," he said, referring to two countries that have ousted their leaders in recent weeks. "Here, the authority is in the hands of the people. You can change your authority, just make committees. And if you think they are corrupt, take them to court. Prosecute them."
In an apparent allusion to calls for government officials to be held accountable for violence against Libyan civilians, Gadhafi said it is bin Laden who should be prosecuted. "He's responsible for any acts of murder or sabotage," Gadhafi said.
He accused foreigners of fomenting the discontent. "These acts cannot happen by Libyan men," he said. "No Libyan of any background would go into this, join these acts of sabotage."
Some of the people involved in the opposition, he said, were detained by the United States in Guantanamo.
Finally, he expressed confidence that all will end up will for his regime. "I believe Zawiya will toe the line," he said, then directed his final comment to the city's residents themselves. "Please live up to my expectations, people of Zawiya."
A resident of Tripoli who said she was too afraid to give her name for fear of retribution, called Kadhafi's speech "crazy."
"We're all in our houses like we're sitting in jail," she said. "We can't go outside or we get shot. We hear the bullets." She called for other nations to impose a no-fly zone so that Kadhafi would not be able to fly in mercenaries.
Violence occurred elsewhere too Thursday. A formerly pro-government newspaper in Libya reported Thursday that African mercenaries were shooting at unarmed civilians in Tajura, about 25 miles east of Tripoli. CNN could not confirm the report.
Ten days into protests that have resulted in his loss of control of eastern Libya and led members of his government to defect, Gadhafi faced new international pressure Thursday. Switzerland ordered that his assets, and those of his entourage, be frozen, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.
Gadhafi's characteristically rambling remarks followed reports that anti-government forces had gained control of Zawiya.
At the hospital, a woman who said her son had been shot told CNN, "Blood is all over the streets."
The woman said unarmed people had been fired on indiscriminately.
"We want to call all human beings: Zawiya is finished," she said. "The people (are) finished. The people (are) dying."
She said it was unclear who was behind were shooting. Many seemed to be African mercenaries, but they may have been from the government or military, she said.
"People are crying," she said, calling for help from the world. "Where (are) the people? Where is the peace?"
The hospital in Zawiya is "a disaster," she said, adding that some shooters had entered the hospital and insisted that no one was killed.
CNN could not confirm reports for many areas in Libya. The Libyan government maintains tight control of communications and has not responded to repeated requests for access to the country. CNN has interviewed numerous witnesses by phone.
Misrata -- sometimes spelled Misurata -- is in the hands of the opposition, who have driven out the mercenaries, witnesses and media reports said. It is the country's third-largest city and is east of Tripoli.
Witnesses and reports also said the town of Az Zintan was under opposition control.
The opposition already controls Libya's second-largest city, Benghazi, where crowds cheered as international journalists drove through. The only shooting that could be heard was celebratory gunfire.
Men in their 20s were guarding the city with shotguns, clubs or hunting knives.
But Tripoli was a different story. Gunfire erupted at dawn Thursday as chanting crowds dispersed. Government security forces were tightening their grip on the capital, according to sources. In one neighborhood, no one was allowed in or out.
"There's nobody walking in the street, nobody is trying to get out, even to look through the window," said a resident who, for security reasons, did not want to be identified. "It's a little scary."
She said she was risking her life by talking to a reporter.
"I've been trying to keep my identity hidden," the woman said. "There are reported kidnappings happening in homes for anybody credible that is talking to the media and giving them the truth about what's happening in Libya."
Continuing a stream of defections among Libyan diplomats, the ambassador to Jordan, Mohammed Hassan Al Barghathi, said Thursday he was resigning because of the unrest.
So, too, did a cousin of Gadhafi, Ahmed Gadhaf al-Dam, a top security official who was considered one of Gadhafi's closest aides. In a news release, his office said he left Libya last week "in protest of the way the crisis was handled" and that he had resigned.
Underscoring the growing distance between the Gadhafi regime and Libyan diplomats, the flag hanging outside the Libyan Mission to the United Nations in New York was the opposition flag; the regime's flag had been taken down.
But an anchor on state television said that Libyan diplomats and staff in Saudi Arabia had sent a cable of support "paying their respective loyalty to the leader of Libya."
The U.N. Security Council will meet privately at 3 p.m. Friday to discuss taking additional measures against Libya.
The U.N. Human Rights Council also plans to meet Friday to discuss a resolution that would suspend Libya from the council. The resolution would condemn "the massive and unacceptable violence currently being perpetrated in this country," French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Thursday in a statement. "It holds the Libyan authorities accountable. This violence could constitute crimes against humanity."
Governments around the world scrambled to get their citizens out of the country.
A ferry chartered by the United States to evacuate U.S. citizens remained in port in Tripoli because of bad weather, diplomatic sources said.
Dena Drotar said her mother, who was on the ship, told her that her fellow passengers were being fed, but were anxious and having difficulty sleeping, "so they're also getting a little bit giddy."
In Washington, a senior U.S. military official said the Pentagon was looking at "all options" it can offer President Barack Obama in dealing with the crisis.
"Our job is to give options from the military side, and that is what we are thinking about now," said the official, who declined to be identified because of the extremely sensitive nature of the situation. "We will provide the president with options should he need them."
Obama called French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the situation, and both presidents "reiterated their demand for an immediate halt to the use of force against the civilian population," the French Embassy said.

Church Leader Reverses Stance on HIV, Reaches Out to Those Affected

HIV is a curse from God. That's what Patricia Sawo used to tell others as a church leader in Kitale, Kenya.
"I thought it was a moral issue and a punishment for the disobedient," Sawo remembers.
Then one morning in 1999, Sawo awoke to find her body covered in shingles, a rash commonly associated with HIV. Scared and upset, she cried in the bathroom for two hours. A test soon confirmed her fears: She was HIV-positive.
"I couldn't believe it," said Sawo, now 45. "It was, 'Oh my God, how could this happen to me?' "
Sawo suspects that a blood transfusion was to blame, but at that time she didn't dwell on how she'd been infected. She just wanted to rid herself of the virus.
She had always told others that God could heal people if they'd fast and pray as penance for their sins. But when she followed her own advice, she still tested positive. She continued to fast and pray repeatedly for the next four years, hoping for a different outcome. But the results remained the same.
When her status became public, she became a victim of the prejudices that she had helped spread throughout her community. Within weeks, she and her husband had lost their jobs, she'd lost her leadership role in her church and their landlord had kicked them out of their home.
Sawo's family struggled for years. She and her husband started a small business to make ends meet, but she says it failed because her customers were wary of her HIV status.
"The stigma was ... painful," she recalled, saying it was even worse than the virus itself.
Eventually, Sawo realized that her attitude -- and the teachings of her church -- had been wrong. She found her way to Handicap International, a nongovernmental organization that provided accurate information about HIV and AIDS, and the experience set her on a new path.
In 2002, Sawo was ordained as a minister, and she went on to help start ANERELA+, a network of African religious leaders living with or affected by HIV or AIDS. She began preaching about the issue regularly from the pulpit, believing that faith leaders have a responsibility to speak out.
"The church must change its attitude," she said. "HIV is not a moral issue. It's a virus."
As Sawo's profile as an HIV/AIDS activist grew, people in her hometown began to confide in her that they, too, were HIV-positive. She began an AIDS ministry, caring for the sick in their homes, and soon people started coming to her house for help. She used nearly all her income to help those in need.
"Seeing so many look to me, it made me feel responsible," Sawo said. "Whatever money I got ... I used it to help them."
In 2005, Sawo and her husband established the Discover to Recover Centre. It was originally intended as a place for adults to receive care. But as patients died, leaving their sons and daughters behind, it evolved into a home for children.
Now, 48 children live at the center. Many have lost one or both parents. Others have parents who are struggling with the virus. Eighteen of the children are HIV-positive themselves.
The close quarters aren't luxurious. The rooms are filled with bunk beds and mattresses. But Sawo, assisted by seven staff members as well as some of her own children, provides food, medical care and schooling. The young children attend the center's on-site preschool, while Sawo pays school fees for the older children.
Sawo said the most important thing she gives them is motherly love.
"They keep me going," she said of the children at the center. "They're my life."
Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2011 CNN Heroes
Sawo doesn't have room for all the children who have been affected by HIV and AIDS in her community, so she also supports about 50 children who live with a parent or grandparent. She gives these families food, school fees and uniforms if needed; she sometimes even helps pay their rent.
Today, as a trained HIV/AIDS counselor, Sawo counsels 20-25 people a month, helping them come to terms with their health status. She also offers advice about coping with the virus and she connects people to programs that distribute free medicine.
For several years, Sawo funded her efforts by working as an HIV/AIDS ambassador for an international Christian organization. But that income has been cut back recently, and her husband died of malaria and typhoid in October 2009. Now, the center is surviving through monthly donations from Hope Span, a U.S.-based nonprofit, and Sawo's sheer determination. She has started farming maize and beans to ensure its survival.
Someday, Sawo said, she hopes to offer foster care housing, primary and secondary school and a vocational training center for children and adults.
It's been a long journey, but Sawo is confident that she has found her mission. She said that in a way, she's found the "healing" -- at least in a spiritual sense -- that she prayed so hard for after she first tested positive.
"HIV, it's made me a better person," she said. "God has his own ways of healing. ... So, for me, I'm healed."

Defense Attorney: Jailed Zimbabwe Activists Beaten by Authorities

Political activists and union members arrested in Zimbabwe last week and accused of plotting an Egyptian-style uprising against longtime President Robert Mugabe were beaten by state security agents, their attorney said Thursday.
At least 12 of the 46 activists were beaten with broomsticks on their buttocks and the soles of their feet, defense attorney Alec Muchadehama told a packed courtroom on Thursday.
The 46 defendants have been charged with treason, prosecutors said Wednesday. The charge carries a death sentence in Zimbabwe. The hearing will continue on Monday, and the defendants will remain in custody.
The group was arrested Saturday after authorities said they were caught watching footage of the protests that led to the ouster of Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia in January and of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak two weeks ago.
"On 16 February they held a meeting and the purpose of the meeting was to organize, strategize and implement the removal of a constitutional government of Zimbabwe by unconstitutional means, the Tunisian-Egyptian way," prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba said in court Wednesday. "In their speeches, the accused highlighted that there was a long serving dictator/authoritarian leader, general hunger, poverty, unemployment and capitalist tendencies where wealth is enjoyed by a few individuals while the general populace is suffering."
Muchadehama, a human rights lawyer, requested that a government doctor examine the defendants, especially those who are HIV-positive or claim to have been tortured.
He said the government has no basis to charge his clients with treason.
"What happened in Egypt and Tunisia is that people gathered and demonstrated and their leaders resigned or abdicated their seats," Muchadehama said. "No treason was committed in the two countries. If watching television footage of the uprisings was treason, most Zimbabweans would be guilty of it because we watch news daily."
A former opposition lawmaker who heads the International Socialist Organization testified Thursday that Zimbabweans have a right to take their grievances to their leaders through open discussion.
"Events in Egypt and Tunisia show that the basis of legitimate power in democratic societies lies with the people," Munyaradzi Gwisai said. "Marches, singing and protests are fundamental human rights through which people can address those who govern them."
Mugabe, who turned 87 on Monday, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980. Like Mubarak and Ben Ali, he has been accused of rigging elections and instituting repressive laws to tighten his grip on power.
The arrests may be an indication authorities are worried that the winds of change sweeping across north Africa may inspire Zimbabweans to rise up. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, which is in a troubled unity government with Mugabe's ZANU-PF, has called the arrests "an abuse of state machinery by ZANU-PF to suppress the people's views."
Mugabe's policies over the past 10 years have been blamed for plunging the once-prosperous country into an unprecedented economic crisis. Mugabe has called for an election this year, but his political rival and leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, has threatened to boycott the poll if a referendum on a new constitution is not held.

Algeria Officially Lifts State of Emergency

Algeria has officially lifted its 19-year-old state of emergency, according to the national Algerian Press Service.
The action lifts restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly imposed to combat an Islamist insurgency.
The country's Council of Ministers approved the repeal Tuesday, state-run media reported.
The move comes as Algeria, like other Arab nations, faces a wave of protest that has toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia and led to open revolt in against longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi in neighboring Libya.
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced earlier this month that he would soon lift the emergency declaration, first imposed in 1992 and indefinitely renewed in 1993.
The emergency declaration was part of a clampdown on Islamist movements during a civil war that left more than 150,000 dead. But critics say the insurgency has long since diminished, and the law remained only to muzzle critics of the government.
Bouteflika's National Liberation Front has ruled the country since winning independence from France in 1962, and Bouteflika has been in office since 1999.
U.S. analysts say Algeria faces some of the same problems that fueled uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt -- high rates of unemployment and a stagnant economy in particular. Protests over food prices began in January but quickly led to calls for political reform. Earlier this week, anti-government protesters clashed with police and pro-government demonstrators, opposition leaders said.
The country's long-running clampdown began in 1991 when an Islamist party led early balloting in Algeria's first multiparty parliamentary elections. The military stepped in, canceled the second round of voting and launched a campaign against the Islamists that led to a full-scale insurgency, which effectively ended about a decade later.
Human Rights Watch has said Algeria's government controls state broadcast outlets and sharply restricts private newspapers, with journalists facing prosecution for criticism of public officials.

Air Force Awards Boeing $35 Billion Contract

The Air Force announced Thursday it awarded a $3.5 billion initial contract to Boeing for the production of 18 next-generation aerial refueling tankers.
That is a down payment on a contract worth about $35 billion for 179 planes.
Aerial refueling tankers allow the military to refuel aircraft in mid flight, greatly extending the range of operation for smaller aircraft, while also providing the capability to carry cargo and airlift personnel.
Both Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) and the North American unit of EADS -- which owns Airbus --submitted bids for the blockbuster contract and planned to base their planes on popular civilian aircraft, specifically the Boeing 767 and Airbus A330.
"We're honored to be given the opportunity to build the Air Force's next tanker and provide a vital capability to the men and women of our armed forces," Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in a statement.
Boeing shares jumped more than 3% in after-hours trading.
The announcement is the culmination of a decade-long process that has been fraught with pitfalls and political pressure as lawmakers lobbied to bring the project -- and resulting jobs -- into their districts.
Both companies estimated the contract would support thousands of jobs, with Boeing planning to build the aircraft in Everett, Wash., and Wichita, Kan. EADS would have based its production facilities in Mobile, Ala.
On Wednesday, Gulf state governors sent a letter to President Obama, saying the contract could significantly boost their state economies, which are reeling from natural and man-made disasters.
But on Thursday, it was Govs. Christine Gregoire of Washington and Sam Brownback of Kansas who won out.
They had sent a letter of their own to Obama, arguing, "We believe this tanker will best meet the Air Force's requirements and prove the best value for the American taxpayer."
Gregoire said in a statement Thursday that it was a great day for "the 11,000 aerospace workers in Washington state alone that will play a role in assembling the NewGen tanker."
In a conference call with reporters, Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, said that the program will support more than 50,000 jobs and 800 suppliers spread across more than 40 states.
EADS has the right to protest the Pentagon's decision, but Pentagon officials said Thursday they were confident any appeal would fail. Still, with jobs at stake, there will be political pressure to try and overturn the decision.
"I am deeply disappointed that the EADS team was not selected to build the next air refueling tanker for the Air Force," Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said in a statement. "In light of today's result, I intend to examine the process carefully to ensure it was fairly conducted."
The contract has had a long and convoluted history.
Northrop Grumman and European partner EADS originally won the contract in February 2008. But Boeing protested and the Air Force reversed its decision and changed the requirements for the plane.
Northrop later said it would not bid on a multi-billion-dollar contract to build the tanker because it believed the rules for the contract favored its competitor, Boeing.
After Northrop dropped out, its partner company, EADS, asked the Pentagon for a 90-day extension to file its own bid.
The tankers will replace the aging Boeing KC-135, which first entered service in 1957. About 100 of the oldest "Stratotanker" models have been grounded since 2006 due to age.
Originally needed to keep B-52 nuclear bombers in the air for long periods of time, the Stratotanker quickly found new missions in Vietnam, where it enabled small fighter bombers to strike targets anywhere in the country. It revolutionized the use of air power, and is continuing to play that role in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wisconsin Assembly Ready for Vote; Ohio GOP Offers Some Union Rights

State Assembly lawmakers in Wisconsin are poised to vote on a controversial budget-repair bill that would curb public workers' collective-bargaining rights and raise their contributions to pensions and health insurance plans.
Assemblyman Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said his party has offered at least 100 amendments to the bill. The state Assembly, in which Republicans hold a majority, has been debating the measure in marathon overnight sessions for days.
There are currently two separate but nearly identical budget bills up for debate in Wisconsin's state Assembly and Senate.
The more contentious battle continues in the Senate where 14 Democrat lawmakers, who fled to neighboring Illinois to prevent a quorum from voting on the issue, remained absent Thursday from the state legislative.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker has called on Democrats to come back to Madison "and do their job."
At a Thursday night press conference,Walker warned that if the Wisconsin legislature does not pass his budget bill, state aid to local governments could be cut by $1 billion. He also discounted critics who said the legislation will destroy public employee unions in Wisconsin.
"Wisconsin state employees have the strongest civil protections in the country. That's not going to change in this bill," Walker said. "It's not about the union boss coming in from other parts of the country. It's about whether we protect the taxpayers and the workers."
One of the lawmakers who left the state, Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, said in a response from Rockford, Illinois, that Walker should "recognize that he got what he wants" in concessions on pension and health insurance contributions and relent on curbing collective-bargaining rights.
State police were dispatched Thursday to the homes of several Democrat state Senate lawmakers in an effort to compel them to return to the legislature, according to Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Olson.
The absence of the Democrats prevents a quorum from voting on the bill.
The confrontation reached a fever pitch after Gov. Walker was recorded during a prank phone call discussing the idea of duping absentee Democrats by luring them back to the assembly to "talk, not negotiate," allow them to recess, and then having the 19 Republican senators declare a quorum.
The Republican-led Senate would then, presumably, be able to move forward on the controversial legislation.
The state faces a Friday deadline to balance the budget. Wisconsin is confronted with a $137 million budget shortfall by June 30 and a $3.6 billion gap by 2013.
Meanwhile, protests continued in the Badger State on Thursday as public workers called for the "largest day of demonstration outside of Madison in state history."
On Thursday, the wife of state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, received a pink slip, or preliminary layoff notice ahead of potential layoffs that Walker warned against if his budget repair bill is not passed.
Lisa Fitzgerald, a guidance counselor in the Hustisford school district located approximately 50 miles Northeast of Madison, received the notice Thursday along with 33 other school workers.
Walker defended his budget-repair legislation, which also would require annual votes for unions to maintain certification while eliminating unions' ability to deduct annual dues from workers' paychecks.
"For some of the workers in our state, (union dues) equates to $1,000 out of their paychecks," Walker said. "That's real money."
"This is ultimately about the future of our state," Walker told reporters Wednesday.
Moments after the governor spoke, state Rep. Brett Hulsey, a Democrat, delivered an impromptu speech in which he called the Republican governor "tyrannical" and described his proposal as "union-busting."
Similar budget battles are playing out across the country as protesters also hit the streets in Indiana and Ohio. A sticking point in many of these battles is the role of unions.
In Ohio, a Republican state lawmaker said her party plans to amend a controversial proposal to permit limited rights for collective bargaining.
The original measure, known as Senate Bill 5, would be changed to allow public workers to negotiate salaries though still prevent them from negotiating benefits such as health care, pensions or automatic pay raises based on seniority, according to state Sen. Shannon Jones.
The bill would also ban strikes from all public workers, rather than just those involved in public safety, she said.
The original proposal eliminated tenure as a consideration when making layoff decisions, required workers to pay at least 20% of their health insurance premiums and instituted merit-based pay for some public-sector workers.
The bill sparked protests, with crowds packing the state Capitol in Columbus for a second week, but it is unclear if the proposed changes would allay concerns of union supporters protesting the measure.
Meanwhile in Indiana, lawmakers scrapped a "right-to-work" bill that would have prevented private-sector unions from requiring workers to pay dues for representation after House Democrats tore a page out of the Wisconsin book by walking out on the Republican-supported bill.

Army to Probe Psy-Ops Allegations in Rolling Stone

A military officer trained in using psychological tactics to influence the emotions and actions of enemy troops told CNN Thursday her unit was ordered to used those skills to manipulate visiting lawmakers into securing more troops and funding for the war in Afghanistan.
After a fellow officer questioned the legality of using "psychological operations" on elected U.S. officers, both received reprimands that could threaten their military careers, she said.
"We're not allowed to do that against any U.S. citizen, whether it is a congressman or my neighbor three doors down," said Texas National Guard Maj. Laural Levine. "That is the first thing you are taught -- never target Americans, ever."
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is ordering an investigation into allegations made by the leader of Levine's unit, Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes. The allegations are contained in a scathing Rolling Stone magazine report that was published Wednesday.
Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan did not offer an outright denial of the story and said the probe would focus on "determining the facts and circumstances raised" in it.
Holmes told the magazine that a military team at Afghanistan's Camp Eggers was ordered by Gen. William Caldwell, a three-star general in charge of training Afghan troops, to perform psychological operations on visiting VIPs over a four-month period last year.
When the team devoted to what is known as information operations refused on grounds that it was illegal, it was subjected to a campaign of retaliation, the magazine said.
"My job in psy-ops is to play with people's heads, to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave," Holmes, the head of the "information operations" unit, told Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings, who also wrote an article last year that led to the dismissal of Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
"I'm prohibited from doing that to our own people," he said. "When you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressmen, you're crossing a line."
Caldwell said in a statement to Rolling Stone that he "categorically denies the assertion that the command used an Information Operations Cell to influence distinguished visitors."
But Holmes told the magazine he was reprimanded for refusing to carry out orders.
Lapan, the Pentagon spokesman, said it was not necessarily improper for an information operations unit to create a dossier on visiting VIPs.
"It all depends on the circumstance and how it's done," he said. "It's the actions, not just the assignment."
He said the investigation will determine whether any of those actions were illegal.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates did not respond directly to the allegations contained in the Rolling Stone article. But his office issued a writen statement.
"Secretary Gates is aware of the allegations in the Rolling Stone article and believes it is important to determine what the facts are," the statement read, "so he fully supports General Petraeus's deision to investigate this matter before drawing any conclusions."
The Department of Defense describes the role of psychological operations as the following: "Induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the U.S. or friendly nation objectives by planning and conducting operations to convey information to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals."
Federal law delineates the boundaries of such operations and states they "will not target U.S. citizens at any time, in any location globally, or under any circumstances."
Holmes told Rolling Stone that Caldwell wanted the information operations team to provide a "deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage" visiting lawmakers for increased funding.
The magazine said that Caldwell's chief of staff also asked Holmes how the general could secretly manipulate the lawmakers without their knowledge. "How do we get these guys to give us more people? What do I have to plant inside their heads?" he said, according to Hastings' article.
The report said that among those singled out in the campaign were Sens. John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Jack Reed, Al Franken and Carl Levin and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Reed told CNN's John King that he wasn't aware of any attempt by military personnel to manipulate him psychologically during trips to Afghanistan. The Democratic senator from Rhode Island said he's traveled to Afghanistan 11 times in within the past decade.
"I never experienced anything unusual last year in contrast with my other visits," said Reed.
Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services, said he was "confident the chain of command will review any allegation that information operations have been improperly used in Afghanistan."

Sources: Jailed Polygamist Retakes Control of Church, Ousts 45 Members

Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is not only running the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but he has also ousted at least 45 high-ranking members he considered a threat to his leadership, two well-placed sources tell CNN.
Those who have been kicked out of the church -- all men -- are not allowed to return to their wives or children, the sources said.
Jeffs, scheduled to go to trial this year on sexual assault and bigamy charges, is running the affairs of the church from his jail cell in Texas, the sources said.
Jeffs gave up control of the splinter sect that advocates plural marriages, including marriages that involve girls younger than 18, after he was convicted in 2007 of rape as accomplice. That conviction was overturned last year.
Sources within the church tell CNN that the man who replaced Jeffs as business head of the church, Wendell Nielsen, has been removed and that Jeffs has signed documents retaking control of FLDS.
Also removed are Willie Jessup, Jeffs' one-time bodyguard who served as the spokesman for the church after a raid on its Texas compound; and David Zitting, the mayor of Hildale, Utah, a town in which the population consists almost entirely of members of the church.
The FLDS splintered from the Mormon Church more than a century ago when Mormons renounced the practice of polygamy. Jeffs' church is believed to have about 10,000 followers.
Critics of the FLDS say underage girls are forced into "spiritual" plural marriages with older men and are sexually abused. Sect members have denied sexual abuse.
Texas prosecutors filed charges against Jeffs in 2008 after authorites raided the sect's Yearning for Zion Ranch in El Dorado, Texas. They removed 400 children. Authorities feared they had been sexually abused. While some of the men at the ranch were charged with sexual abuse, most of the children were later returned to their families.
Jeffs was eventually extradited from Utah to Texas. He was arraigned on the Texas charges in December in Tom Green County.

Vocational School Teacher Shot by Student in Los Angeles

Following an argument at a California vocational school, a student returned to the classroom armed with a gun and fatally shot a teacher Wednesday, police said.
The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) at Coast Career Institute in Los Angeles, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Rick Banks.
The student shot the teacher several times, police said.
LAPD officers took the suspect into custody as he left the school building, police said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another student was injured and was in stable condition at a hospital.

Auburn Fans Rally for Famous Trees

Hundreds of Auburn University fans rallied Saturday under their beloved oak trees, hoping against hope that the trees poisoned -- allegedly by a disgruntled University of Alabama fan -- might yet be saved.
"They're Auburn. They're the heart of the town. They're 130 years old. And you can't squish what these trees are," said Kristen Easterling, a junior at Auburn University.
The trees' plight -- university scientists say its doubtful they can survive the poisoning with a harsh herbicide -- has even helped bind the deep-seated rivalry between Auburn fans and its cross-state arch rival, the University of Alabama.
More than 50,000 people have joined a Facebook page called Tide for Toomers, whose organizers said on the page that supporters have raised nearly $32,000 to help support efforts to save or replace the trees.
"I've never felt more strongly bound to people in my state than now," said Erin St. John, who organized Saturday's rally. "We've always said we have a huge rivalry, it's one if the biggest rivalries in the south if not the nation. And yet Bama fans are telling us constantly they really regret what happened, that they are on our side, and that they're praying for the Toomer's trees."
For generations, Auburn fans have thronged to the trees, which are named for a historic drugstore nearby, to celebrate and "roll" the trees with toilet paper. The latest significant celebration was after the Auburn Tigers defeated Oregon for the national football championship on January 10.
On Thursday, Auburn police arrested Harvey Updyke Jr., 62, on a charge of criminal mischief for dousing the soil around the trees with a herbicide commonly used to kill trees and brush.
Officials learned of the alleged poisoning after a man called a Birmingham, Alabama, talk show and said he had poisoned the trees the weekend after the annual Auburn-Alabama football game in November. Auburn won, 28-27.
The caller claimed Auburn students celebrated under the trees when they heard news of the death of renowned Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, and also mentioned the placement of a jersey with Auburn quarterback Cam Newton's number on the statue depicting Bryant in 2010.
Laurie Fuller, an Auburn graduate who returned to the region to raise her children, said she first felt pity for the alleged poisoner, then anger.
But she said ultimately, no matter what happens to the trees, she's been gratified by how supportive Alabama fans have been.
"I think it's unified our state, unified our fans," she said.

Cuba to Free 7 More Prisoners

Cuba is set to release seven prisoners, including a dissident arrested in a notorious crackdown on the opposition in 2003, the Roman Catholic Church said.
The move is a sign that Cuba will comply with a deal brokered by Spain and the Catholic Church and empty its jails of political prisoners.
The Church announced on Saturday that six men would soon be released into exile in Spain, bringing the total number of prisoners who agreed to go live in Spain to 70.
In a separate statement, the Church said Ivan Hernandez, a political prisoner arrested in 2003 who had refused to go into exile, had been authorized to leave prison.
Last year, President Raul Castro agreed to release all 52 prisoners jailed during the 2003 crackdown.
It has so far released many of them, as well as other prisoners jailed for "counterrevolutionary" activities, ranging from hijacking to arson.
Those dissidents who refused to go into exile, however, saw their releases delayed until now.

Aristide Lawyer Wants Haiti to Quicken Client's Return

A lawyer for Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the former Haitian leader living in exile in South Africa, on Saturday pressed the government his client once led to show it is actively taking steps to bring him home.
Attorney Ira J. Kurzban of Miami questioned the government's commitment to aiding Aristide's return in a Friday letter to Haitian Foreign Minister Marie-Michele Rey.
Kurzban says his client cannot return to Haiti without the cooperation of the governments of the United States and South Africa, even though the Port-au-Prince government issued a passport to Aristide earlier this month.
Washington has signaled its displeasure about the prospect of Aristide's return to the country. However, Kurzban stated, "the government of of South Africa has stated that it is taking steps to ensure former President Aristide's return to Haiti."
"I read with interest yesterday a news account where you stated that you have had no contact with you counterpart in South Africa," Kurzban wrote to Rey. "I kindly request that you inform me as whether you have been contacted by the government of the Republic of South Africa and what steps you have taken, on behalf of the government of the Republic of Haiti to ensure President Aristide's immediate return."
Aristide was Haiti's first democratically-elected president. His rise to power during the 1990s coincided with the fall of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Aristide was toppled in 2004 after a bloody revolt by street gangs and soldiers.
Aristide, who was whisked out of the country in a U.S. jet, claimed his ouster was orchestrated by Western powers. The former Roman Catholic priest, considered by many to be a champion for the poor, remains both a beloved and polarizing figure.
Aristide has long stated his desire to go home. He reiterated that wish in January after Duvalier returned to Haiti.
Aristide insists he has no intention of re-entering politics.
"I know that certain countries have voiced concern about the President's immediate return," Kurzban stated. "We know, however, those concerns are without foundation and that the President's return would be a joyous occasion for the vast majority of Haitians."

13 Killed in Mexican Border City in Less Than 24 Hours

At least 13 people were fatally shot in less than 24 hours in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez on Thursday, authorities said.
"They were killed in separate shootings throughout the city. We had 13 killed by 10 p.m.," said Adrian Sanchez, a municipal police spokesman.
He did not provide any other details.
The victims included a man and a woman shot outside a nightclub in a commercial district of the city.
Photos from the scene showed crime scene tape around a red Sedan with a body next to the car.