Reuters, SEOUL: North Korea is digging tunnels at a site where it has launched two nuclear tests, suggesting it is preparing a third, the South's Yonhap news agency said on Sunday.
Tensions rose on the divided peninsula when 46 sailors were killed in an attack in March on a South Korean naval vessel. North Korea, which has denied responsibility, shelled the southern island of Yeonpyeong in November, killing four people and sparking fears of possible all-out war.
The North was excavating several tunnels before picking the most suitable, Yonhap said, citing an unnamed South Korean government source.
"South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have spotted North Korea building several other underground mines at Punggye-ri where it had run two nuclear tests," the unidentified source was quoted as saying.
"It is judged to be clear evidence of preparing for a third nuclear test."
Military talks broke down between the two sides this month, dealing a setback to the resumption of six-party aid-for-disarmament negotiations, which North Korea walked out of more than two years ago.
Sunday, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak renewed calls for dialogue between the rivals, saying this year was an "appropriate time" for the North to change its course. And for the second time in three weeks Lee held out the prospect of summit talks.
"I would like to give North Korea the message that we are always open (to talks) and (it has) a good chance this year," Lee said after taking local reporters mountain hiking behind the presidential Blue House.
North Korea has said it wants to build a "great and prosperous nation" by 2012, the centenary of the birth of the state's founder Kim Il-sung.
Analysts say leader Kim Jong-il wants to use the country's nuclear and missile programs to herald the success of Kim family rule, and smooth the way for his youngest son Jong-un's succession.
MORE INCIDENTS LIKELY
While the two sides are not talking, the risk of what both sides call a "provocation" increases. Analysts have said acts of brinkmanship by the North could include military drills or attack, or the testing of a missile or nuclear device.
North Korea has said it wants to return to the broader six-party negotiations, but Seoul and Washington have questioned its sincerity about denuclearising -- pointing to its revelations in November about a uranium-enrichment program.
Pyongyang says the program is for peaceful energy-producing purposes, but regional powers, including sole major ally China, have expressed concerns about the facility which opens a second route to make a nuclear bomb after its plutonium program.
The North was likely to conduct a plutonium-fueled test, mindful of opposition from China to the uranium enrichment, the source told Yonhap.
In December, an institute of South Korea's foreign ministry said the North might attempt a third nuclear test in 2011 to strengthen the credentials of young leader-in-waiting Kim Jong-un.
The commander of U.S. military forces in the Pacific, Admiral Robert Willard, said last week that succession politics in Pyongyang point to new provocative acts "in months and not years.
Satellite images also showed North Korea had likely completed a second long-range missile launchpad, an expert told Reuters last week.
(Reporting by Kim Yeonhee and Jeremy Laurence; Editing by Andrew Marshall)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
South Korean spy agency behind Indonesian break-in: report
Reuters, SEOUL: Three agents for South Korea's spy agency broke into a hotel room occupied by a delegation of Indonesian presidential envoys last week, apparently seeking bid secrets for a defense contract, a news report said on Monday.
The trio left after being confronted by a member of the Indonesian delegation, led by a senior cabinet minister. They had been discovered looking at files on a laptop computer, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said.
"National Intelligence Service employees were looking to identify the Indonesian delegation's negotiating strategy with a view on our national interest," a senior South Korean official was quoted as saying by the Chosun Ilbo.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met the delegation on Wednesday, with defense contracts among the topics discussed. The group was led by Hatta Rajasa, Indonesia's chief economic minister, and included five other cabinet-level officials, including the defense minister.
The break-in reportedly took place at the time of Lee's meeting with the Indonesian officials, the report said.
The National Intelligence Service denied the report.
South Korea has been bidding for a contract to supply trainer fighter jets to Indonesia, the Chosun Ilbo said.
The trio left after being confronted by a member of the Indonesian delegation, led by a senior cabinet minister. They had been discovered looking at files on a laptop computer, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said.
"National Intelligence Service employees were looking to identify the Indonesian delegation's negotiating strategy with a view on our national interest," a senior South Korean official was quoted as saying by the Chosun Ilbo.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak met the delegation on Wednesday, with defense contracts among the topics discussed. The group was led by Hatta Rajasa, Indonesia's chief economic minister, and included five other cabinet-level officials, including the defense minister.
The break-in reportedly took place at the time of Lee's meeting with the Indonesian officials, the report said.
The National Intelligence Service denied the report.
South Korea has been bidding for a contract to supply trainer fighter jets to Indonesia, the Chosun Ilbo said.
Libyan protesters brave bullets to close in on Gaddafi
Reuters, TRIPOLI: Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi will fight a popular revolt to "the last man standing," one of his sons said Monday as people in the capital joined protests for the first time after days of violent unrest in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Anti-government protesters rallied in Tripoli's streets, tribal leaders spoke out against Gaddafi, and army units defected to the opposition as oil exporter Libya endured one of the bloodiest revolts to convulse the Arab world.
Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared on national television in an attempt to both threaten and calm people, saying the army would enforce security at any price.
"Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army," he said.
"We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing...We will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks."
Wagging a finger at the camera, he blamed Libyan exiles for fomenting the violence. But he also promised dialogue on reforms and wage rises.
The cajoling may not be enough to douse the anger unleashed after four decades of rule by Gaddafi -- mirroring events in Egypt where a popular revolt overthrew the seemingly impregnable President Hosni Mubarak 10 days ago.
In the coastal city of Benghazi protesters appeared to be largely in control after forcing troops and police to retreat to a compound. Government buildings were set ablaze and ransacked.
In the first sign of serious unrest in the capital, thousands of protesters clashed with Gaddafi supporters. Gunfire rang out in the night and police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, some of whom threw stones at Gaddafi billboards.
Human Rights Watch said at least 223 people have been killed in five days of violence. Most were in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising and a region where Gaddafi's grip has always been weaker than elsewhere in the oil-rich desert nation.
Habib al-Obaidi, a surgeon at the Al-Jalae hospital, said the bodies of 50 people, mostly shot dead, were brought there on Sunday afternoon. Two hundred wounded had arrived, he said.
"One of the victims was obliterated after being hit by an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) to the abdomen," he said.
Members of an army unit known as the "Thunderbolt" squad had brought wounded comrades to the hospital, he said. The soldiers said they had defected to the cause of the protesters and had fought and defeated Gaddafi's elite guards.
"They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," another man at the hospital, lawyer Mohamed al-Mana, told Reuters by telephone.
BENGHAZI THE CRADLE
If Gaddafi had hoped to dismiss Benghazi as a provincial problem, he faced an alarming development Sunday night as crowds took to the streets of Tripoli.
One resident told Reuters he could hear gunshots in the streets and crowds of people.
"We're inside the house and the lights are out. That's what I hear, gunshots and people. I can't go outside," he said.
An expatriate worker said anti-government demonstrators were gathering in residential complexes.
"The police are dispersing them. I can also see burning cars," he said.
Support for Gaddafi, the son of a herdsman who seized power in 1969, among Libya's desert tribes was also waning.
The leader of the eastern Al-Zuwayya tribe threatened to cut oil exports unless authorities halted what he called the "oppression of protesters."
Speaking to Al Jazeera television, Shaikh Faraj al Zuway said: "We will stop oil exports to Western countries within 24 hours" if the violence did not stop.
Akram Al-Warfalli, a leading figure in the Al Warfalla tribe, told Al Jazeera: "We tell the brother (Gaddafi), well he's no longer a brother, we tell him to leave the country."
The Libyan uprising is one of series of revolts that have raced like wildfire across the Arab world since December, toppling the long-time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and threatening entrenched dynasties from Bahrain to Yemen.
The West has watched with alarm as long-time allies and old foes have come under threat, appealing for reform and urging restraint.
REVILED AND REVERED
Gaddafi has been one of the most recognizable figures on the world stage in recent history, reviled by the West for many years as a supporter of militants and revolutionary movements while at the same time cutting a showmanlike figure with his flowing robes, lofty pronouncements and bevy of glamorous female assistants attending him in his Bedouin tent.
Former President Ronald Reagan once called him "the Mad Dog of the Middle East" and in 1986 unleashed air raids against Tripoli in response to the bombing of a Berlin disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, an attack Washington blamed on Libya.
The 1988 destruction of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, by Libyan agents in which 270 people were killed brought him fresh notoriety and led to U.N. sanctions.
But recent years have seen a rapprochment with the West as countries such as Britain and Italy sought a slice of its oil wealth and other lucrative commercial deals.
Though portrayed overseas as a ruthless despot, Gaddafi has enjoyed some popular support at home. After toppling King Idriss in 1969, he forged a middle road between communism and capitalism and oversaw rapid development of the poor country.
While using ruthless tactics against dissidents, he also spent billions of oil dollars to improve living standards.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara and Christian Lowe; Writing by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Matthew Jones)
Anti-government protesters rallied in Tripoli's streets, tribal leaders spoke out against Gaddafi, and army units defected to the opposition as oil exporter Libya endured one of the bloodiest revolts to convulse the Arab world.
Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi appeared on national television in an attempt to both threaten and calm people, saying the army would enforce security at any price.
"Our spirits are high and the leader Muammar Gaddafi is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are behind him as is the Libyan army," he said.
"We will keep fighting until the last man standing, even to the last woman standing...We will not leave Libya to the Italians or the Turks."
Wagging a finger at the camera, he blamed Libyan exiles for fomenting the violence. But he also promised dialogue on reforms and wage rises.
The cajoling may not be enough to douse the anger unleashed after four decades of rule by Gaddafi -- mirroring events in Egypt where a popular revolt overthrew the seemingly impregnable President Hosni Mubarak 10 days ago.
In the coastal city of Benghazi protesters appeared to be largely in control after forcing troops and police to retreat to a compound. Government buildings were set ablaze and ransacked.
In the first sign of serious unrest in the capital, thousands of protesters clashed with Gaddafi supporters. Gunfire rang out in the night and police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, some of whom threw stones at Gaddafi billboards.
Human Rights Watch said at least 223 people have been killed in five days of violence. Most were in Benghazi, cradle of the uprising and a region where Gaddafi's grip has always been weaker than elsewhere in the oil-rich desert nation.
Habib al-Obaidi, a surgeon at the Al-Jalae hospital, said the bodies of 50 people, mostly shot dead, were brought there on Sunday afternoon. Two hundred wounded had arrived, he said.
"One of the victims was obliterated after being hit by an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) to the abdomen," he said.
Members of an army unit known as the "Thunderbolt" squad had brought wounded comrades to the hospital, he said. The soldiers said they had defected to the cause of the protesters and had fought and defeated Gaddafi's elite guards.
"They are now saying that they have overpowered the Praetorian Guard and that they have joined the people's revolt," another man at the hospital, lawyer Mohamed al-Mana, told Reuters by telephone.
BENGHAZI THE CRADLE
If Gaddafi had hoped to dismiss Benghazi as a provincial problem, he faced an alarming development Sunday night as crowds took to the streets of Tripoli.
One resident told Reuters he could hear gunshots in the streets and crowds of people.
"We're inside the house and the lights are out. That's what I hear, gunshots and people. I can't go outside," he said.
An expatriate worker said anti-government demonstrators were gathering in residential complexes.
"The police are dispersing them. I can also see burning cars," he said.
Support for Gaddafi, the son of a herdsman who seized power in 1969, among Libya's desert tribes was also waning.
The leader of the eastern Al-Zuwayya tribe threatened to cut oil exports unless authorities halted what he called the "oppression of protesters."
Speaking to Al Jazeera television, Shaikh Faraj al Zuway said: "We will stop oil exports to Western countries within 24 hours" if the violence did not stop.
Akram Al-Warfalli, a leading figure in the Al Warfalla tribe, told Al Jazeera: "We tell the brother (Gaddafi), well he's no longer a brother, we tell him to leave the country."
The Libyan uprising is one of series of revolts that have raced like wildfire across the Arab world since December, toppling the long-time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and threatening entrenched dynasties from Bahrain to Yemen.
The West has watched with alarm as long-time allies and old foes have come under threat, appealing for reform and urging restraint.
REVILED AND REVERED
Gaddafi has been one of the most recognizable figures on the world stage in recent history, reviled by the West for many years as a supporter of militants and revolutionary movements while at the same time cutting a showmanlike figure with his flowing robes, lofty pronouncements and bevy of glamorous female assistants attending him in his Bedouin tent.
Former President Ronald Reagan once called him "the Mad Dog of the Middle East" and in 1986 unleashed air raids against Tripoli in response to the bombing of a Berlin disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, an attack Washington blamed on Libya.
The 1988 destruction of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, by Libyan agents in which 270 people were killed brought him fresh notoriety and led to U.N. sanctions.
But recent years have seen a rapprochment with the West as countries such as Britain and Italy sought a slice of its oil wealth and other lucrative commercial deals.
Though portrayed overseas as a ruthless despot, Gaddafi has enjoyed some popular support at home. After toppling King Idriss in 1969, he forged a middle road between communism and capitalism and oversaw rapid development of the poor country.
While using ruthless tactics against dissidents, he also spent billions of oil dollars to improve living standards.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara and Christian Lowe; Writing by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Matthew Jones)
12 taxi drivers, fares killed in Mexican resort
AP, ACAPULCO, Mexico: A spate of attacks on taxis in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco has left 12 taxi drivers or passengers dead, police said Sunday, just hours before the Mexican Open tennis tournament is scheduled to start.
Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars, and taxi drivers have often been targeted for extortion or recruited by the gangs to act as lookouts or transport drugs.
The organizers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America said in a statement Sunday that the Mexican government has assured them that appropriate security measures have been taken for the event that starts Monday.
Police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, said that four suspects had been detained in relation with some of the attacks. The suspects had guns, a grenade and a machete that police say may have been used to decapitate some of the victims.
The attacks began Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles.
The slaughter continued Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot to death near his taxi, and two others were found dead of bullet wounds inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.
Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.
On Sunday, the violence came closer to the city's tourist zone, where the tennis matches are held. Five cars were set afire and a man's body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.
Dozens of cars have been set ablaze in Acapulco in recent days, for reasons that are not entirely clear.
Tournament organizers at the Association of Tennis Professionals, in a statement sent to The Associated Press, said the group had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.
"Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government," the statement said.
Players have received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It has also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.
Tournament organizers have played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and President Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.
Argentine player David Nalbandian said Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing since he already has a groin injury and could use the rest before Argentina's Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.
"It's a great and enjoyable tournament to play," said Nalbandian, who was beaten on Saturday by Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires.
"But for right now it's a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."
Tournament director Raul Zurutuza later confirmed Nalbandian's withdrawal. He said the danger was being exaggerated and complained about communications from the ATP and the WTA, which will also play a Mexico tournament.
"It is being blown out of proportion — what is going on, that we are concerned about the violence," Zurutuza said. "We are. But in the context of tennis being played, I believe a great week awaits us."
Spanish player David Ferrer, winner of the last Acapulco tournament, downplayed the danger.
"I think things are being greatly exaggerated," Ferrer said. "We tennis players have all the guarantees" for personal safety.
Acapulco has been the scene of bloody drug cartel turf wars, and taxi drivers have often been targeted for extortion or recruited by the gangs to act as lookouts or transport drugs.
The organizers of the largest tennis tournament in Latin America said in a statement Sunday that the Mexican government has assured them that appropriate security measures have been taken for the event that starts Monday.
Police in Guerrero state, where Acapulco is located, said that four suspects had been detained in relation with some of the attacks. The suspects had guns, a grenade and a machete that police say may have been used to decapitate some of the victims.
The attacks began Friday, when five taxi drivers were found dead in or near their vehicles.
The slaughter continued Saturday, when a driver was found bound and shot to death near his taxi, and two others were found dead of bullet wounds inside their vehicles. One of the drivers had been beheaded.
Gunmen opened fire on yet another taxi, killing the driver and three passengers.
On Sunday, the violence came closer to the city's tourist zone, where the tennis matches are held. Five cars were set afire and a man's body was found hacked to pieces outside an apartment building.
Dozens of cars have been set ablaze in Acapulco in recent days, for reasons that are not entirely clear.
Tournament organizers at the Association of Tennis Professionals, in a statement sent to The Associated Press, said the group had received assurances from all levels of the Mexican government.
"Following an independent security assessment and discussions with tournament organizers, we are satisfied that responsible measures are being taken, and that the event has the full support of the authorities of Acapulco, the state of Guerrero, and the Mexican federal government," the statement said.
Players have received e-mails from the ATP about the situation, cautioning them about going out and suggesting they stay near their hotel. It has also been suggested they arrive as late as possible and leave once eliminated.
Tournament organizers have played down the security concerns, pointing out that the International Olympic Committee and President Jacques Rogge held their executive board meeting in the coastal resort in October.
Argentine player David Nalbandian said Saturday that he was thinking about withdrawing since he already has a groin injury and could use the rest before Argentina's Davis Cup match against Romania March 4-6.
"It's a great and enjoyable tournament to play," said Nalbandian, who was beaten on Saturday by Tommy Robredo in the quarterfinals of the Copa Claro in Buenos Aires.
"But for right now it's a little more difficult because of the security situation. We (players) are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do."
Tournament director Raul Zurutuza later confirmed Nalbandian's withdrawal. He said the danger was being exaggerated and complained about communications from the ATP and the WTA, which will also play a Mexico tournament.
"It is being blown out of proportion — what is going on, that we are concerned about the violence," Zurutuza said. "We are. But in the context of tennis being played, I believe a great week awaits us."
Spanish player David Ferrer, winner of the last Acapulco tournament, downplayed the danger.
"I think things are being greatly exaggerated," Ferrer said. "We tennis players have all the guarantees" for personal safety.
Japan to dig site linked to WWII human experiments
AP, TOKYO: Japan is excavating the site of a former medical school that may reveal grisly secrets from World War II.
The investigation begins Monday afternoon at the former school linked to Unit 731, a germ and biological warfare outfit during the war. Shadowy experiments conducted by the unit on war prisoners have never been officially acknowledged by the government but have been documented by historians and participants.
It is the first government probe of the Tokyo site, and follows a former nurse's revelation that she helped bury body parts there as American forces began occupying the capital at the end of the war.
Health Ministry official Kazuhiko Kawauchi said the excavation is aimed at finding out if anything is buried in the plot.
"We are not certain if the survey will find anything," Kawauchi said. "If anything is dug up, it may not be related to Unit 731."
The former nurse, Toyo Ishii, now 88, broke 60 years of silence in 2006, saying she and colleagues at an army hospital at the site were ordered to bury numerous corpses, bones and body parts during the weeks following Japan's Aug. 15, 1945, surrender before American troops arrived in the capital.
Her disclosure led to a face-to-face meeting with the health minister and a government pledge to investigate. The digging had to wait until the scheduled relocation of residents and the demolition of apartments on the site last year.
The site is close to another area where a mass grave of dozens of possible war-experiment victims was uncovered in 1989 during the construction of a Health Ministry research institute.
Any remains found at the planned excavation site would have a stronger connection to Unit 731, said Keiichi Tsuneishi, a Kanagawa University history professor and expert on biological warfare.
"The site used to be the research headquarters of Unit 731," Tsuneishi said. "If bones are found there, they are most likely related to Unit 731."
From its wartime base in Japanese-controlled Harbin in northern China, Unit 731 and related units injected war prisoners with typhus, cholera and other diseases to research germ warfare, according to historians and former unit members. Unit 731 also is believed to have performed vivisections and to have frozen prisoners to death in endurance tests.
The 1989 find revealed dozens of fragmented thigh bones and skulls, some with holes drilled in them or sections cut out. Police denied there was any evidence of criminal activity.
The ministry concluded that the bones could not be directly linked to Unit 731. It said the remains were mostly of non-Japanese Asians and were likely from bodies used in "medical education" or brought back from the war zone for analysis at the medical school.
The investigation begins Monday afternoon at the former school linked to Unit 731, a germ and biological warfare outfit during the war. Shadowy experiments conducted by the unit on war prisoners have never been officially acknowledged by the government but have been documented by historians and participants.
It is the first government probe of the Tokyo site, and follows a former nurse's revelation that she helped bury body parts there as American forces began occupying the capital at the end of the war.
Health Ministry official Kazuhiko Kawauchi said the excavation is aimed at finding out if anything is buried in the plot.
"We are not certain if the survey will find anything," Kawauchi said. "If anything is dug up, it may not be related to Unit 731."
The former nurse, Toyo Ishii, now 88, broke 60 years of silence in 2006, saying she and colleagues at an army hospital at the site were ordered to bury numerous corpses, bones and body parts during the weeks following Japan's Aug. 15, 1945, surrender before American troops arrived in the capital.
Her disclosure led to a face-to-face meeting with the health minister and a government pledge to investigate. The digging had to wait until the scheduled relocation of residents and the demolition of apartments on the site last year.
The site is close to another area where a mass grave of dozens of possible war-experiment victims was uncovered in 1989 during the construction of a Health Ministry research institute.
Any remains found at the planned excavation site would have a stronger connection to Unit 731, said Keiichi Tsuneishi, a Kanagawa University history professor and expert on biological warfare.
"The site used to be the research headquarters of Unit 731," Tsuneishi said. "If bones are found there, they are most likely related to Unit 731."
From its wartime base in Japanese-controlled Harbin in northern China, Unit 731 and related units injected war prisoners with typhus, cholera and other diseases to research germ warfare, according to historians and former unit members. Unit 731 also is believed to have performed vivisections and to have frozen prisoners to death in endurance tests.
The 1989 find revealed dozens of fragmented thigh bones and skulls, some with holes drilled in them or sections cut out. Police denied there was any evidence of criminal activity.
The ministry concluded that the bones could not be directly linked to Unit 731. It said the remains were mostly of non-Japanese Asians and were likely from bodies used in "medical education" or brought back from the war zone for analysis at the medical school.
China tries to stamp out 'Jasmine Revolution'
AP, BEIJING: Jittery Chinese authorities staged a show of force to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution," with hundreds of onlookers but only a handful of people actively joining protests inspired by pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.
Authorities detained activists Sunday, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some cell phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
Police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to place white jasmine flowers on a planter while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald's on the capital's busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.
Many activists said they didn't know who was behind the campaign and weren't sure what to make of the call to protest, which first circulated Saturday on the U.S.-based Chinese-language news website Boxun.com.
The unsigned notice called for a "Jasmine Revolution" — the name given to the Tunisian protest movement — and urged people "to take responsibility for the future." Participants were urged to shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" — a slogan that highlights common complaints among Chinese.
China's authoritarian government is ever alert for domestic discontent and has appeared unnerved by protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya. It has limited media reports about them, stressing the instability caused by the protests, and restricted Internet searches to keep Chinese uninformed about Middle Easterners' grievances against their autocratic rulers.
Though there are many similarities between the complaints voiced by Middle East citizens and the everyday troubles of Chinese, Beijing's tight grip on the country's media, Internet and other communication forums poses difficulties for anyone trying to organize mass demonstrations.
Police stepped up their presence near major public squares and canceled holidays for officers across 20 cities in response to the protest appeal, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported.
Extensive Internet filtering and monitoring meant that most Chinese were unlikely to know about the call to protest Sunday. Boxun.com is blocked, as are Twitter and Facebook, which were instrumental in Egypt's protest movement. Tech-savvy Chinese can circumvent controls, but few of the country's Internet users seek out politically subversive content.
Anti-government gatherings in China are routinely stamped out by its pervasive security forces, which are well-funded and well-equipped. A pro-democracy movement in 1989 that directly challenged the Communist government was crushed by the military and hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed.
On Saturday, President Hu Jintao ordered national and provincial officials to "solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society."
One person sitting in the McDonald's after the brief protest in Beijing said he saw Sunday's gathering as a dry run.
"Lots of people in here are Twitter users and came to watch like me," said 42-year-old Hu Di. "Actually this didn't have much organization, but it's a chance to meet each other. It's like preparing for the future."
With foot traffic always heavy at the Wangfujing pedestrian mall, it was difficult to discern who showed up to protest, who came to watch and who was out shopping. Many wondered if there was a celebrity in the area because of the heavy police presence and dozens of foreign reporters and news cameras.
As the crowd swelled and police urged people to move on, 25-year-old Liu Xiaobai placed a white jasmine flower on a planter in front of the McDonald's and took some photos with his cell phone.
"I'm quite scared because they took away my phone. I just put down some white flowers, what's wrong with that?" Liu said afterward. "I'm just a normal citizen and I just want peace."
Security agents tried to take away Liu, but he was swarmed by journalists and eventually was seen walking away with a friend.
Two other people were taken away by police, including a shabbily dressed old man who was cursing and shouting, though it wasn't clear if he was there because of the online call to protest.
In Shanghai, three young men were taken away from outside a Starbucks coffee shop in People's Square by police, who refused to answer reporters' questions about why they were detained. They trio had been shouting complaints about the government and that food prices are too high.
A couple dozen older people were drawn to the commotion and started voicing their own complaints and saying they wanted democracy and the right to vote. One woman jumped up on a roadside cement block to shout, "The government are all hooligans," then ran off, only to return a bit later and shout again at the police and others crowded in the area before once again scampering away.
Security officials were relaxed toward the retirees and the crowd eventually drifted away.
There were no reports of protests in other cities where people were urged to gather, such as Guangzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan and Chengdu.
Ahead of the planned protests, human rights groups estimated that anywhere from several dozen to more than 100 activists in cities across China were detained by police, confined to their homes or were missing. Families and friends reported the detention or harassment of several dissidents, and some activists said they were warned not to participate.
On Sunday, searches for "jasmine" were blocked on China's largest Twitter-like microblog, and status updates with the word on popular Chinese social networking site Renren.com were met with an error message and a warning to refrain from postings with "political, sensitive ... or other inappropriate content."
A text messaging service from China Mobile was unavailable in Beijing on Sunday due to an upgrade, according to a customer service operator for the leading service provider, who did not know how long the suspension would last. In the past, Chinese authorities have suspended text messaging in politically tense areas to prevent organizing.
Boxun.com said its website was attacked Saturday after it posted the call to protest. A temporary site, on which users were reporting heavy police presence in several cities, was up and running Sunday. The site said in a statement it had no way of verifying the origins of the campaign.
Authorities detained activists Sunday, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some cell phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
Police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to place white jasmine flowers on a planter while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald's on the capital's busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.
Many activists said they didn't know who was behind the campaign and weren't sure what to make of the call to protest, which first circulated Saturday on the U.S.-based Chinese-language news website Boxun.com.
The unsigned notice called for a "Jasmine Revolution" — the name given to the Tunisian protest movement — and urged people "to take responsibility for the future." Participants were urged to shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" — a slogan that highlights common complaints among Chinese.
China's authoritarian government is ever alert for domestic discontent and has appeared unnerved by protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya. It has limited media reports about them, stressing the instability caused by the protests, and restricted Internet searches to keep Chinese uninformed about Middle Easterners' grievances against their autocratic rulers.
Though there are many similarities between the complaints voiced by Middle East citizens and the everyday troubles of Chinese, Beijing's tight grip on the country's media, Internet and other communication forums poses difficulties for anyone trying to organize mass demonstrations.
Police stepped up their presence near major public squares and canceled holidays for officers across 20 cities in response to the protest appeal, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported.
Extensive Internet filtering and monitoring meant that most Chinese were unlikely to know about the call to protest Sunday. Boxun.com is blocked, as are Twitter and Facebook, which were instrumental in Egypt's protest movement. Tech-savvy Chinese can circumvent controls, but few of the country's Internet users seek out politically subversive content.
Anti-government gatherings in China are routinely stamped out by its pervasive security forces, which are well-funded and well-equipped. A pro-democracy movement in 1989 that directly challenged the Communist government was crushed by the military and hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed.
On Saturday, President Hu Jintao ordered national and provincial officials to "solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society."
One person sitting in the McDonald's after the brief protest in Beijing said he saw Sunday's gathering as a dry run.
"Lots of people in here are Twitter users and came to watch like me," said 42-year-old Hu Di. "Actually this didn't have much organization, but it's a chance to meet each other. It's like preparing for the future."
With foot traffic always heavy at the Wangfujing pedestrian mall, it was difficult to discern who showed up to protest, who came to watch and who was out shopping. Many wondered if there was a celebrity in the area because of the heavy police presence and dozens of foreign reporters and news cameras.
As the crowd swelled and police urged people to move on, 25-year-old Liu Xiaobai placed a white jasmine flower on a planter in front of the McDonald's and took some photos with his cell phone.
"I'm quite scared because they took away my phone. I just put down some white flowers, what's wrong with that?" Liu said afterward. "I'm just a normal citizen and I just want peace."
Security agents tried to take away Liu, but he was swarmed by journalists and eventually was seen walking away with a friend.
Two other people were taken away by police, including a shabbily dressed old man who was cursing and shouting, though it wasn't clear if he was there because of the online call to protest.
In Shanghai, three young men were taken away from outside a Starbucks coffee shop in People's Square by police, who refused to answer reporters' questions about why they were detained. They trio had been shouting complaints about the government and that food prices are too high.
A couple dozen older people were drawn to the commotion and started voicing their own complaints and saying they wanted democracy and the right to vote. One woman jumped up on a roadside cement block to shout, "The government are all hooligans," then ran off, only to return a bit later and shout again at the police and others crowded in the area before once again scampering away.
Security officials were relaxed toward the retirees and the crowd eventually drifted away.
There were no reports of protests in other cities where people were urged to gather, such as Guangzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan and Chengdu.
Ahead of the planned protests, human rights groups estimated that anywhere from several dozen to more than 100 activists in cities across China were detained by police, confined to their homes or were missing. Families and friends reported the detention or harassment of several dissidents, and some activists said they were warned not to participate.
On Sunday, searches for "jasmine" were blocked on China's largest Twitter-like microblog, and status updates with the word on popular Chinese social networking site Renren.com were met with an error message and a warning to refrain from postings with "political, sensitive ... or other inappropriate content."
A text messaging service from China Mobile was unavailable in Beijing on Sunday due to an upgrade, according to a customer service operator for the leading service provider, who did not know how long the suspension would last. In the past, Chinese authorities have suspended text messaging in politically tense areas to prevent organizing.
Boxun.com said its website was attacked Saturday after it posted the call to protest. A temporary site, on which users were reporting heavy police presence in several cities, was up and running Sunday. The site said in a statement it had no way of verifying the origins of the campaign.
Gadhafi's son warns of civil war in Libya
AP, CAIRO: After anti-government unrest spread to the Libyan capital of Tripoli and protesters seized military bases and weapons Sunday, Moammar Gadhafi's son went on state television to proclaim that his father remained in charge with the army's backing and would "fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet."
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, in the regime's first comments on the six days of demonstrations, warned the protesters that they risked igniting a civil war in which Libya's oil wealth "will be burned."
The speech followed a fierce crackdown by security forces who fired on thousands of demonstrators and funeral marchers in the eastern city of Benghazi in a bloody cycle of violence that killed 60 people on Sunday alone, according to a doctor in one city hospital. Since the six days of unrest began, more than 200 people have been killed, according to medical officials, human rights groups and exiled dissidents.
Libya response has been the harshest of any Arab country that has been wracked by the protests that toppled long-serving leaders in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. But Gadhafi's son said his father would prevail.
"We are not Tunisia and Egypt," he said. "Moammar Gadhafi, our leader, is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are with him.
"The armed forces are with him. Tens of thousands are heading here to be with him. We will fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet," he said in a rambling and sometimes confused speech of nearly 40 minutes.
Although the elder Gadhafi did not appear, his son has often been put forward as the regime's face of reform.
Western countries have expressed concern at the rising violence against demonstrators in Libya. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he spoke to Seif al-Islam by phone and told him that the country must embark on "dialogue and implement reforms," the Foreign Office said.
In his speech, the younger Gadhafi conceded the army made some mistakes during the protests because the troops were not trained to deal with demonstrators, but he added that the number of dead had been exaggerated, giving a death toll of 84.
He offered to put forward reforms within days that he described as a "historic national initiative" and said the regime was willing to remove some restrictions and begin discussions for a constitution. He offered to change a number of laws, including those covering the media and the penal code.
Dressed in a dark business suit and tie, Seif al-Islam wagged his finger frequently as he delivered his warnings. He said that if protests continued, Libya would slide back to "colonial" rule. "You will get Americans and European fleets coming your way and they will occupy you.
He threatened to "eradicate the pockets of sedition" and said the army will play a main role in restoring order.
"There has to be a firm stand," he said. "This is not the Tunisian or Egyptian army."
Protesters had seized some military bases, tanks and other weapons, he said, blaming Islamists, the media, thugs, drunks and drug abusers, foreigners — including Egyptians and Tunisians.
He also admitted that the unrest had spread to Tripoli, with people firing in central Green Square before fleeing.
The rebellion by Libyans frustrated with Gadhafi's more than 40 years of authoritarian rule has spread to more than a half-dozen eastern cities — but also to Tripoli, where secret police were heavily deployed on the streets of the city of 2 million.
Armed security forces were seen on rooftops surrounding central Green Square, a witness said by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. The witness added that a group of about 200 lawyers and judges were protesting inside a Tripoli courthouse, which was also surrounded by security forces.
An exiled opposition leader in Cairo said hundreds of protesters were near the Bab al-Aziziya military camp where Gadhafi lives on Tripoli's outskirts of Tripoli. Faiz Jibril said his contacts inside Libya were also reporting that hundreds of protesters had gathered in another downtown plaza, Martyrs Square.
In other setbacks for Gadhafi's regime, a major tribe in Libya was reported to have turned against him and Libya's representative to the Arab League said he resigned his post to protest the government's decision to fire on defiant demonstrators in Benghazi, the second-largest city.
Khaled Abu Bakr, a resident of Sabratha, an ancient Roman city to the west, said protesters besieged the local security headquarters, driving out police and setting it on fire. Abu Bakr said residents are in charge, have set up neighborhood committees to secure their city.
The Internet has been largely shut down, residents can no longer make international calls from land lines and journalists cannot work freely, but eyewitness reports trickling out of the country suggested that protesters were fighting back more forcefully against the Middle East's longest-serving leader.
"We are not afraid. We won't turn back," said a teacher who identified herself only as Omneya. She said she was marching at the end of the funeral procession on a highway beside the Mediterranean and heard gunfire from two kilometers (just over a mile) away.
"If we don't continue, this vile man would crush us with his tanks and bulldozers. If we don't, we won't ever be free," she said.
Benghazi is "in a state of war," said Mohamed Abdul-Rahman, a 42-year-old merchant who described how some protesters burned a police headquarters.
Protesters throwing firebombs and stones got on bulldozers and tried to storm a presidential compound from which troops had fired on the marchers, who included those carrying coffins of the dead from Saturday's unrest in the eastern city, a witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisal. The attempt was repulsed by armed forces in the compound, according to the witness and the official JANA news agency, which said a number of attackers and solders were killed.
Later, however, a Benghazi resident said he received a telephone text message that an army battalion that appeared to be sympathetic to the demonstrators and led by a local officer was arriving to take over control of the compound, and urging civilians to get out of the way.
Abdul-Rahman, the local merchant, said he saw the battalion chase the pro-Gadhafi militia out of the compound.
In another key blow to Gadhafi, the Warfla tribe — the largest in Libya, has announced it is joining the protests, said Switzerland-based Libyan exile Fathi al-Warfali. Although it had longstanding animosity toward the Libyan leader, it had been neutral for most of the past two decades.
Gadhafi has been trying to bring his country out of isolation, announcing in 2003 that he was abandoning his program for weapons of mass destruction, renouncing terrorism and compensating victims of the 1986 La Belle disco bombing in Berlin and the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Those decisions opened the door for warmer relations with the West and the lifting of U.N. and U.S. sanctions. But Gadhafi continues to face allegations of human rights violations. Gadhafi has his own vast oil wealth and his response to protesters is less constrained by any alliances with the West than Egypt or Bahrain, both important U.S. allies.
A doctor at one Benghazi hospital where many of the casualties were taken said 60 people were killed Sunday. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said 173 people died — mostly in Benghazi — in three days of unrest from Thursday through Saturday. A Switzerland-based Libyan activist said 11 people were killed in the city of Beyida on Wednesday. A precise count of the dead has been difficult because of Libya's tight restrictions on reporting.
The Benghazi doctor said his facility is out of supplies to treat the wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. He said his hospital treats most of the emergency cases in the city.
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Obama administration was "very concerned" about reports that Libyan security forces had fired on peaceful protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi.
"We've condemned that violence," Rice told "Meet the Press" on NBC. "Our view is that in Libya, as throughout the region, peaceful protests need to be respected."
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement Sunday that the U.S. has raised strong objections with Foreign Minister Musa Kusa and other Libyan officials about the use of lethal force against demonstrators.
In Cairo, Libya's Arab League representative Abdel-Monem al-Houni said he told the Foreign Ministry in Tripoli that he had "resigned from all his duties and joined the popular revolution."
"As a Libyan citizen, I absolutely cannot be quiet about these crimes," he said, adding that he had renounced all links to the regime because of "my complete devotion to my people."
Al-Houni was part of the group that carried out the coup in 1969 that brought Gadhafi to power. He later fell out with him, but they reconciled in 2000. Gadhafi then named him to the Arab League post.
The Benghazi violence followed the same pattern as the Saturday crackdown, when witnesses said forces loyal to Gadhafi attacked mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters. They were burying 35 marchers who were slain Friday by government forces.
Sunday's defiant mourners chanted: "The people demand the removal of the regime," which became a mantra for protesters in Egypt and Tunisia.
Hatred of Gadhafi's rule has grown in Benghazi in the past two decades. Anger has focused on the shooting deaths of about 1,200 inmates — most of them political prisoners — during prison riots in 1996.
Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa with 44 billion barrels as of January 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but it's still a relatively small player compared with other OPEC members.
In January, OPEC said Libya produced 1.57 million barrels of oil per day. That puts it behind Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Venezuela, Nigeria and Angola.
One major U.S. company that could be affected by unrest in Libya is Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. Occidental says it was the first to resume operations in the country after the U.S. began to lift sanctions in 2004. Last year, Occidental produced 13,000 barrels of oil, gas and liquids per day in Libya.
In other sites of recent unrest, Yemen's embattled president offered Sunday to oversee a dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition to defuse the standoff with protesters demanding his ouster.
The offer by the U.S.-backed Ali Abdullah Saleh — which opposition groups swiftly rejected — came as protests calling for his ouster continued in at least four cities around the country for the 11th straight day. A 17-year-old demonstrator was killed Sunday in the port of Aden when the army opened fire to disperse a march there, bringing the death toll to nine since the protests began.
___
Associated Press writers Salah Nasrawi in Cairo, Energy Writer Chris Kahn in New York, Douglas Birch in Washington and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels, Belgium, contributed to this report.
Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, in the regime's first comments on the six days of demonstrations, warned the protesters that they risked igniting a civil war in which Libya's oil wealth "will be burned."
The speech followed a fierce crackdown by security forces who fired on thousands of demonstrators and funeral marchers in the eastern city of Benghazi in a bloody cycle of violence that killed 60 people on Sunday alone, according to a doctor in one city hospital. Since the six days of unrest began, more than 200 people have been killed, according to medical officials, human rights groups and exiled dissidents.
Libya response has been the harshest of any Arab country that has been wracked by the protests that toppled long-serving leaders in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. But Gadhafi's son said his father would prevail.
"We are not Tunisia and Egypt," he said. "Moammar Gadhafi, our leader, is leading the battle in Tripoli, and we are with him.
"The armed forces are with him. Tens of thousands are heading here to be with him. We will fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet," he said in a rambling and sometimes confused speech of nearly 40 minutes.
Although the elder Gadhafi did not appear, his son has often been put forward as the regime's face of reform.
Western countries have expressed concern at the rising violence against demonstrators in Libya. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he spoke to Seif al-Islam by phone and told him that the country must embark on "dialogue and implement reforms," the Foreign Office said.
In his speech, the younger Gadhafi conceded the army made some mistakes during the protests because the troops were not trained to deal with demonstrators, but he added that the number of dead had been exaggerated, giving a death toll of 84.
He offered to put forward reforms within days that he described as a "historic national initiative" and said the regime was willing to remove some restrictions and begin discussions for a constitution. He offered to change a number of laws, including those covering the media and the penal code.
Dressed in a dark business suit and tie, Seif al-Islam wagged his finger frequently as he delivered his warnings. He said that if protests continued, Libya would slide back to "colonial" rule. "You will get Americans and European fleets coming your way and they will occupy you.
He threatened to "eradicate the pockets of sedition" and said the army will play a main role in restoring order.
"There has to be a firm stand," he said. "This is not the Tunisian or Egyptian army."
Protesters had seized some military bases, tanks and other weapons, he said, blaming Islamists, the media, thugs, drunks and drug abusers, foreigners — including Egyptians and Tunisians.
He also admitted that the unrest had spread to Tripoli, with people firing in central Green Square before fleeing.
The rebellion by Libyans frustrated with Gadhafi's more than 40 years of authoritarian rule has spread to more than a half-dozen eastern cities — but also to Tripoli, where secret police were heavily deployed on the streets of the city of 2 million.
Armed security forces were seen on rooftops surrounding central Green Square, a witness said by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. The witness added that a group of about 200 lawyers and judges were protesting inside a Tripoli courthouse, which was also surrounded by security forces.
An exiled opposition leader in Cairo said hundreds of protesters were near the Bab al-Aziziya military camp where Gadhafi lives on Tripoli's outskirts of Tripoli. Faiz Jibril said his contacts inside Libya were also reporting that hundreds of protesters had gathered in another downtown plaza, Martyrs Square.
In other setbacks for Gadhafi's regime, a major tribe in Libya was reported to have turned against him and Libya's representative to the Arab League said he resigned his post to protest the government's decision to fire on defiant demonstrators in Benghazi, the second-largest city.
Khaled Abu Bakr, a resident of Sabratha, an ancient Roman city to the west, said protesters besieged the local security headquarters, driving out police and setting it on fire. Abu Bakr said residents are in charge, have set up neighborhood committees to secure their city.
The Internet has been largely shut down, residents can no longer make international calls from land lines and journalists cannot work freely, but eyewitness reports trickling out of the country suggested that protesters were fighting back more forcefully against the Middle East's longest-serving leader.
"We are not afraid. We won't turn back," said a teacher who identified herself only as Omneya. She said she was marching at the end of the funeral procession on a highway beside the Mediterranean and heard gunfire from two kilometers (just over a mile) away.
"If we don't continue, this vile man would crush us with his tanks and bulldozers. If we don't, we won't ever be free," she said.
Benghazi is "in a state of war," said Mohamed Abdul-Rahman, a 42-year-old merchant who described how some protesters burned a police headquarters.
Protesters throwing firebombs and stones got on bulldozers and tried to storm a presidential compound from which troops had fired on the marchers, who included those carrying coffins of the dead from Saturday's unrest in the eastern city, a witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisal. The attempt was repulsed by armed forces in the compound, according to the witness and the official JANA news agency, which said a number of attackers and solders were killed.
Later, however, a Benghazi resident said he received a telephone text message that an army battalion that appeared to be sympathetic to the demonstrators and led by a local officer was arriving to take over control of the compound, and urging civilians to get out of the way.
Abdul-Rahman, the local merchant, said he saw the battalion chase the pro-Gadhafi militia out of the compound.
In another key blow to Gadhafi, the Warfla tribe — the largest in Libya, has announced it is joining the protests, said Switzerland-based Libyan exile Fathi al-Warfali. Although it had longstanding animosity toward the Libyan leader, it had been neutral for most of the past two decades.
Gadhafi has been trying to bring his country out of isolation, announcing in 2003 that he was abandoning his program for weapons of mass destruction, renouncing terrorism and compensating victims of the 1986 La Belle disco bombing in Berlin and the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Those decisions opened the door for warmer relations with the West and the lifting of U.N. and U.S. sanctions. But Gadhafi continues to face allegations of human rights violations. Gadhafi has his own vast oil wealth and his response to protesters is less constrained by any alliances with the West than Egypt or Bahrain, both important U.S. allies.
A doctor at one Benghazi hospital where many of the casualties were taken said 60 people were killed Sunday. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said 173 people died — mostly in Benghazi — in three days of unrest from Thursday through Saturday. A Switzerland-based Libyan activist said 11 people were killed in the city of Beyida on Wednesday. A precise count of the dead has been difficult because of Libya's tight restrictions on reporting.
The Benghazi doctor said his facility is out of supplies to treat the wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. He said his hospital treats most of the emergency cases in the city.
Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the Obama administration was "very concerned" about reports that Libyan security forces had fired on peaceful protesters in the eastern city of Benghazi.
"We've condemned that violence," Rice told "Meet the Press" on NBC. "Our view is that in Libya, as throughout the region, peaceful protests need to be respected."
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in a statement Sunday that the U.S. has raised strong objections with Foreign Minister Musa Kusa and other Libyan officials about the use of lethal force against demonstrators.
In Cairo, Libya's Arab League representative Abdel-Monem al-Houni said he told the Foreign Ministry in Tripoli that he had "resigned from all his duties and joined the popular revolution."
"As a Libyan citizen, I absolutely cannot be quiet about these crimes," he said, adding that he had renounced all links to the regime because of "my complete devotion to my people."
Al-Houni was part of the group that carried out the coup in 1969 that brought Gadhafi to power. He later fell out with him, but they reconciled in 2000. Gadhafi then named him to the Arab League post.
The Benghazi violence followed the same pattern as the Saturday crackdown, when witnesses said forces loyal to Gadhafi attacked mourners at a funeral for anti-government protesters. They were burying 35 marchers who were slain Friday by government forces.
Sunday's defiant mourners chanted: "The people demand the removal of the regime," which became a mantra for protesters in Egypt and Tunisia.
Hatred of Gadhafi's rule has grown in Benghazi in the past two decades. Anger has focused on the shooting deaths of about 1,200 inmates — most of them political prisoners — during prison riots in 1996.
Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa with 44 billion barrels as of January 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but it's still a relatively small player compared with other OPEC members.
In January, OPEC said Libya produced 1.57 million barrels of oil per day. That puts it behind Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Venezuela, Nigeria and Angola.
One major U.S. company that could be affected by unrest in Libya is Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. Occidental says it was the first to resume operations in the country after the U.S. began to lift sanctions in 2004. Last year, Occidental produced 13,000 barrels of oil, gas and liquids per day in Libya.
In other sites of recent unrest, Yemen's embattled president offered Sunday to oversee a dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition to defuse the standoff with protesters demanding his ouster.
The offer by the U.S.-backed Ali Abdullah Saleh — which opposition groups swiftly rejected — came as protests calling for his ouster continued in at least four cities around the country for the 11th straight day. A 17-year-old demonstrator was killed Sunday in the port of Aden when the army opened fire to disperse a march there, bringing the death toll to nine since the protests began.
___
Associated Press writers Salah Nasrawi in Cairo, Energy Writer Chris Kahn in New York, Douglas Birch in Washington and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels, Belgium, contributed to this report.
A dogged Aussie collective lands at the Oscars
AP, NEW YORK: The Australian filmmaking collective Blue-Tongue Films has been around since 1996, when a handful of friends made a short that turned out good enough to warrant persistence.
Next Sunday, they'll enjoy a moment in movies' biggest spotlight: the Academy Awards. Among the nominees of Hollywood veterans and glamorous movie stars is Jacki Weaver, whose supporting actress nod represents not just her fine, disarming performance in David Michod's crime film "Animal Kingdom," but the ascendance of Blue-Tongue films and its tenacious gang of mates.
"We'll all be watching it from wherever we are," says Nash Edgerton, one of the group's founders, speaking from Berlin. "It's a long shot, but awesome that it got that far."
It's been a remarkable year for the seven members of Blue-Tongue, which isn't a production company or a business arrangement of any kind, but a loose group of friends who look to each other for help and inspiration.
Edgerton, a 38-year-old seasoned stuntman of many blockbusters, formed Blue-Tongue with his actor brother, Joel, and Kieran Darcy-Smith — the two of whom had just finished drama school. Their ranks have grown to include Michod, Luke Doolan, Tony Lynch and Spencer Susser, the lone American among the Aussies.
Edgerton's gritty noir "The Square" came out last year to strong reviews. Doolan's short "Miracle Fish" was nominated at last year's Oscars. In April, Susser's "Hesher," a film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman about a heavy-metal drifter that befriends a grieving boy, will be released. Darcy-Smith recently wrapped shooting on his feature directorial debut, "Say Nothing," a psychological thriller.
"It's an incredibly positive time," says Darcy-Smith, speaking from an editing bay in Australia. "There's been a lot of interest. It's opened wider and more international doors. There's a healthy kind of pressure that that brings."
The members of Blue-Tongue are typically scattered across the credits of their films. "Animal Kingdom" was written and directed by Michod, co-starred Joel Edgerton and Darcy-Smith, was edited by Doolan and includes special thanks to Nash Edgerton.
They aren't bound by any aesthetic mantra, but their films do share a gritty realism, particularly in suburban sprawl environs and genre movie templates. They constitute one of the most exciting, hard-earned movements in years. Film Comment hailed them as "the Next New Wave."
In "Hesher," a father and son (Rainn Wilson and Devin Brochu) are shocked out of a stupor when a tattooed, often-shirtless maniac (Gordon-Levitt) moves in. Similarly, Blue-Tongue seems to be injecting a dose of energy into movies — a good, deserved smack in the mouth.
"I think the worst thing that anyone can ever say about your work is, `Eh, it was OK,'" says Susser, speaking from Los Angeles where he's prepping the film's release. "You want people to be passionate in one way or the other."
It all started with 1996's 8-minute "Loaded," which proved to the Edgertons and Darcy-Smith that they — despite having no film school training — could succeed.
"It just inspired us to keep playing, and we found that we played together well," says Darcy-Smith. "We were bouncing ideas off each other. There was a great collaborative spirit. We're also all really good mates. ... We've become, really, family."
Shorts have remained the group's training ground, a way to get their names out there, prove themselves capable to investors and get familiarized with directing. Doolan and both Edgertons recently completed new shorts, including one by Nash, "Bear," that's a sequel to his darkly comic "Spider," which was paired theatrically with "The Square."
"Everyone is continuing to keep it up, keep the ball in the air," says Edgerton, who's currently writing a script for a film he expects to be bigger in scope than "The Square."
More than anything, Blue-Tongue functions like a support system. They share each other's scripts, seeking constructive feedback. When one succeeds, it only makes the others more confident that they might, too.
"It was never something we talked about," says Susser. "It was this group of friends that liked making films — kind of our hobby."
Susser, 33, fell in with the Edgertons while they were all working on "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones." Though he grew up in California, he counts himself as a "wannabe Aussie." He filmed his short "I Love Sarah Jane" in Australia, and is working a script of a feature-length adaptation.
Blue-Tongue's kinship is partly based on their shared interest in portraying emotional authenticity — whether it comes in a crime drama like "Animal Kingdom" or a Zombie film like "Sarah Jane."
"I really like stuff that's honest," says Susser. "Whether it's fantasy or crazy or really silly, I like stuff that feels grounded. I feel like we all have that in common."
It's an inspiring tale: a group of filmmakers, thousands of miles from Hollywood, striving for years to build themselves into feature film directors, many of them arriving with their first movies at once.
"After years and years and years of plugging away at home and getting into a lot of debt," says Darcy-Smith. "It's great now that it's finally come to what I always thought it would: a film."
With movies in the pipeline and scripts in the works, Blue-Tongue may be just getting started.
"I'm keen to see what everyone does with a little more money and doing something a little bit bigger," says Edgerton. "Now, at least, some people will return our call."
Next Sunday, they'll enjoy a moment in movies' biggest spotlight: the Academy Awards. Among the nominees of Hollywood veterans and glamorous movie stars is Jacki Weaver, whose supporting actress nod represents not just her fine, disarming performance in David Michod's crime film "Animal Kingdom," but the ascendance of Blue-Tongue films and its tenacious gang of mates.
"We'll all be watching it from wherever we are," says Nash Edgerton, one of the group's founders, speaking from Berlin. "It's a long shot, but awesome that it got that far."
It's been a remarkable year for the seven members of Blue-Tongue, which isn't a production company or a business arrangement of any kind, but a loose group of friends who look to each other for help and inspiration.
Edgerton, a 38-year-old seasoned stuntman of many blockbusters, formed Blue-Tongue with his actor brother, Joel, and Kieran Darcy-Smith — the two of whom had just finished drama school. Their ranks have grown to include Michod, Luke Doolan, Tony Lynch and Spencer Susser, the lone American among the Aussies.
Edgerton's gritty noir "The Square" came out last year to strong reviews. Doolan's short "Miracle Fish" was nominated at last year's Oscars. In April, Susser's "Hesher," a film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman about a heavy-metal drifter that befriends a grieving boy, will be released. Darcy-Smith recently wrapped shooting on his feature directorial debut, "Say Nothing," a psychological thriller.
"It's an incredibly positive time," says Darcy-Smith, speaking from an editing bay in Australia. "There's been a lot of interest. It's opened wider and more international doors. There's a healthy kind of pressure that that brings."
The members of Blue-Tongue are typically scattered across the credits of their films. "Animal Kingdom" was written and directed by Michod, co-starred Joel Edgerton and Darcy-Smith, was edited by Doolan and includes special thanks to Nash Edgerton.
They aren't bound by any aesthetic mantra, but their films do share a gritty realism, particularly in suburban sprawl environs and genre movie templates. They constitute one of the most exciting, hard-earned movements in years. Film Comment hailed them as "the Next New Wave."
In "Hesher," a father and son (Rainn Wilson and Devin Brochu) are shocked out of a stupor when a tattooed, often-shirtless maniac (Gordon-Levitt) moves in. Similarly, Blue-Tongue seems to be injecting a dose of energy into movies — a good, deserved smack in the mouth.
"I think the worst thing that anyone can ever say about your work is, `Eh, it was OK,'" says Susser, speaking from Los Angeles where he's prepping the film's release. "You want people to be passionate in one way or the other."
It all started with 1996's 8-minute "Loaded," which proved to the Edgertons and Darcy-Smith that they — despite having no film school training — could succeed.
"It just inspired us to keep playing, and we found that we played together well," says Darcy-Smith. "We were bouncing ideas off each other. There was a great collaborative spirit. We're also all really good mates. ... We've become, really, family."
Shorts have remained the group's training ground, a way to get their names out there, prove themselves capable to investors and get familiarized with directing. Doolan and both Edgertons recently completed new shorts, including one by Nash, "Bear," that's a sequel to his darkly comic "Spider," which was paired theatrically with "The Square."
"Everyone is continuing to keep it up, keep the ball in the air," says Edgerton, who's currently writing a script for a film he expects to be bigger in scope than "The Square."
More than anything, Blue-Tongue functions like a support system. They share each other's scripts, seeking constructive feedback. When one succeeds, it only makes the others more confident that they might, too.
"It was never something we talked about," says Susser. "It was this group of friends that liked making films — kind of our hobby."
Susser, 33, fell in with the Edgertons while they were all working on "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones." Though he grew up in California, he counts himself as a "wannabe Aussie." He filmed his short "I Love Sarah Jane" in Australia, and is working a script of a feature-length adaptation.
Blue-Tongue's kinship is partly based on their shared interest in portraying emotional authenticity — whether it comes in a crime drama like "Animal Kingdom" or a Zombie film like "Sarah Jane."
"I really like stuff that's honest," says Susser. "Whether it's fantasy or crazy or really silly, I like stuff that feels grounded. I feel like we all have that in common."
It's an inspiring tale: a group of filmmakers, thousands of miles from Hollywood, striving for years to build themselves into feature film directors, many of them arriving with their first movies at once.
"After years and years and years of plugging away at home and getting into a lot of debt," says Darcy-Smith. "It's great now that it's finally come to what I always thought it would: a film."
With movies in the pipeline and scripts in the works, Blue-Tongue may be just getting started.
"I'm keen to see what everyone does with a little more money and doing something a little bit bigger," says Edgerton. "Now, at least, some people will return our call."
Character drama "Simon" more boring than intriguing
Reuters, BERLIN: Director Jan Kruger's drama about a mother looking for her son has more to do with soul searching than with the quest to find an actual person. Set in Marseille and following a narrative that contains quite a few red herrings, "Looking for Simon" moves at a pace too leisurely to be more than an exercise in introspection.
Prospects should be limited to a few more festival outings.
Simon (Trystan Putter) has only been missing for a week, but his mother Valerie (Corinna Harfouch) has already sprung into action. Having travelled from Germany to Marseille, she has enlisted the help of Simon's former lover Jens (Nico Rogner), who seems more bemused by her quest but willing to go along for the ride.
It becomes apparent pretty soon that Kruger put a lot of effort into underplaying the thriller-element: Simon is actually on leave from his hospital job, the "expensive" sports car he bought is actually quite affordable and even a planned trip to Morocco turns out to be less mysterious as it might seem.
The drama here is all in Valerie's head -- and her stubborn insistence that something might have happened to her son is a less-than-subtle reminder that he might not be missing, but she surely misses him. Being helped in her search by Simon's former lover has a similar purpose. Obviously not content with the fact that her son is gay, she is trying to cope with and understand his homosexuality.
Cinematically, Kruger takes a different route, though: using sun-filled Marseille by day and its dangerous-looking side streets at night, he treats his eviscerated plot as if it were a full-blown thriller. This provides a nice effect but also puts quite a burden on his actors.
Veteran actress Harfouch carries herself quite well as the forlorn mother without going completely overboard, while Rogner delivers a natural, unpretentious performance as the former lover. Their efforts are worn thin though by the audience's growing awareness that the outcome of their search is irrelevant.
If Kruger's aim is to create a not-so-thrilling thriller, he has succeeded. But if his aim was for the character drama that sustains itself through its running time, he has failed.
Bernadette Paassen's cinematography and Birger Clausen's score professionally mimic a more haunting genre, but also work well in lighter moments, while the city of Marseille is used to its full extend.
Prospects should be limited to a few more festival outings.
Simon (Trystan Putter) has only been missing for a week, but his mother Valerie (Corinna Harfouch) has already sprung into action. Having travelled from Germany to Marseille, she has enlisted the help of Simon's former lover Jens (Nico Rogner), who seems more bemused by her quest but willing to go along for the ride.
It becomes apparent pretty soon that Kruger put a lot of effort into underplaying the thriller-element: Simon is actually on leave from his hospital job, the "expensive" sports car he bought is actually quite affordable and even a planned trip to Morocco turns out to be less mysterious as it might seem.
The drama here is all in Valerie's head -- and her stubborn insistence that something might have happened to her son is a less-than-subtle reminder that he might not be missing, but she surely misses him. Being helped in her search by Simon's former lover has a similar purpose. Obviously not content with the fact that her son is gay, she is trying to cope with and understand his homosexuality.
Cinematically, Kruger takes a different route, though: using sun-filled Marseille by day and its dangerous-looking side streets at night, he treats his eviscerated plot as if it were a full-blown thriller. This provides a nice effect but also puts quite a burden on his actors.
Veteran actress Harfouch carries herself quite well as the forlorn mother without going completely overboard, while Rogner delivers a natural, unpretentious performance as the former lover. Their efforts are worn thin though by the audience's growing awareness that the outcome of their search is irrelevant.
If Kruger's aim is to create a not-so-thrilling thriller, he has succeeded. But if his aim was for the character drama that sustains itself through its running time, he has failed.
Bernadette Paassen's cinematography and Birger Clausen's score professionally mimic a more haunting genre, but also work well in lighter moments, while the city of Marseille is used to its full extend.
German terrorist drama fails to detonate
Reuters, BERLIN: While Uli Edel's "The Baader Meinhof Complex" chronicled the exploits of the left-wing terrorist group RAF extensively, the film stayed mum when it came to a major question: Why would a group of young people from good homes turn into terrorists, bent on destroying the West German government?
Director Andres Veiel's "If Not Us, Who" tries to answer it through the stories of terrorist Gudrun Ensslin and her publisher-husband Bernward Vesper at a time when their left-wing beliefs were just forming. While it presents an intriguing slice of German history and two rich characters, the film runs out of steam long before a conclusion is reached. Theatrical prospects outside of Germany should be limited for this sizeable production, with festivals and DVD/television being the most likely international destinations.
Veiel, whose "Black Box BRD" in 2001 proved to be the most insightful documentary about the RAF to date, begins his film with Bernward Vesper (August Diehl). He adores his father and cannot understand why he, one of Hitler's favorite poets, is now shunned by the literary community. Ensslin (Lena Lauzemis) enters later as a young student who only pays lip-service to liberal ideas.
Both are unique characters but Veiel fails at making their radical changes halfway through the film believable -- whether it's Vesper's turn into guilt, drugs and madness or Esslin's sudden radicalism, which is later explained away by her falling for a charismatic and hunky terrorist-in-training, Andreas Baader (Alexander Fehling).
Ensslin's father has a moment, when the exasperated moderate-lefty tells his daughter: "And what if this new fascism you always talk about never comes?", going on to say that she might not so much be fighting it, but eagerly anticipating it. There is a bit of insight here, from an older generation, but little comes dramatically from the protagonists themselves or their peers. They may enjoy their newfound freedom and the sex and drugs that go with it, but mostly spout political slogans that seem learned, but not felt.
Diehl handles the first half of the film well, but badly stumbles when his character plunges into madness -- chewing scenery and losing us long before running around naked in a children's sandbox. Lauzemis, on the other hand, is a true find -- but her character becomes less interesting once she falls unequivocally for Andreas Baader, who is played with leading-man attitude by Fehling.
Technical credits are unusually high, especially Annette Focks' versatile score and Judith Kaufmann's brilliant cinematography. Editor Hansjorg Weissbrich's newsreel-montages provide steady historical guidance.
Director Andres Veiel's "If Not Us, Who" tries to answer it through the stories of terrorist Gudrun Ensslin and her publisher-husband Bernward Vesper at a time when their left-wing beliefs were just forming. While it presents an intriguing slice of German history and two rich characters, the film runs out of steam long before a conclusion is reached. Theatrical prospects outside of Germany should be limited for this sizeable production, with festivals and DVD/television being the most likely international destinations.
Veiel, whose "Black Box BRD" in 2001 proved to be the most insightful documentary about the RAF to date, begins his film with Bernward Vesper (August Diehl). He adores his father and cannot understand why he, one of Hitler's favorite poets, is now shunned by the literary community. Ensslin (Lena Lauzemis) enters later as a young student who only pays lip-service to liberal ideas.
Both are unique characters but Veiel fails at making their radical changes halfway through the film believable -- whether it's Vesper's turn into guilt, drugs and madness or Esslin's sudden radicalism, which is later explained away by her falling for a charismatic and hunky terrorist-in-training, Andreas Baader (Alexander Fehling).
Ensslin's father has a moment, when the exasperated moderate-lefty tells his daughter: "And what if this new fascism you always talk about never comes?", going on to say that she might not so much be fighting it, but eagerly anticipating it. There is a bit of insight here, from an older generation, but little comes dramatically from the protagonists themselves or their peers. They may enjoy their newfound freedom and the sex and drugs that go with it, but mostly spout political slogans that seem learned, but not felt.
Diehl handles the first half of the film well, but badly stumbles when his character plunges into madness -- chewing scenery and losing us long before running around naked in a children's sandbox. Lauzemis, on the other hand, is a true find -- but her character becomes less interesting once she falls unequivocally for Andreas Baader, who is played with leading-man attitude by Fehling.
Technical credits are unusually high, especially Annette Focks' versatile score and Judith Kaufmann's brilliant cinematography. Editor Hansjorg Weissbrich's newsreel-montages provide steady historical guidance.
Movie audiences discover "Unknown" at box offices
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: Thriller "Unknown" topped movie box office charts with $21.8 million in ticket sales during a sluggish weekend over the long Presidents Day holiday in the United States.
"Unknown," starring Liam Neeson as a man who must reclaim his identity after finding it stolen when he awakens from a coma, bested another new release, sci-fi adventure "I Am Number Four," which landed in the No. 2 spot with $19.5 million, according to film studio estimates on Sunday.
Animated "Gnomeo & Juliet" rounded out the top three on Sunday, earning $19.4 million for a scant drop of only 23 percent from its debut last weekend. Typically, a major studio release like "Gnomeo" might be expected drop 40-50 percent in its second weekend, but the family film has been helped by generally good critics' reviews and audience ratings.
Box office estimates will likely change by Tuesday when U.S. moviegoers return to work after a long holiday weekend that includes Presidents Day.
By Sunday, the weekend's No. 4 movie was comedy "Just Go With It" starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Its ticket sales dropped 40 percent to $18.2 million from last weekend and now total $60.8 million in the United States and Canada.
Last week's No. 2 movie, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," a look at the life of teenage singing sensation Bieber, saw a decline of 54 percent and fell to No. 6 with 13.6 million. Its total domestic revenues number $51.7 million after two weeks.
The weekend's other new major release, Martin Lawrence comedy "Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son" claimed the No. 5 spot with a $17 million debut.
Ticket sales for all films in theaters from Friday through Sunday were estimated at $144 million, down around 30 percent from 2010's Presidents Day weekend tally of $204.6 million, according to industry tracker Hollywood.com Box Office.
Other notable releases included Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech," which landed at No 7. with $6.6 million and pushed its total box office up to $103.3 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were holdovers from recent weeks: "The Roommate," "The Eagle" and "No Strings Attached" in the No. 8, 9 and 10 spots, respectively.
"Unknown" was released by Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc. "I Am Number Four" was produced by privately held DreamWorks and distributed by the studio unit of The Walt Disney Co, while "Gnomeo and Juliet" was co-produced and distributed by studio units of Walt Disney.
"Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son" was released by 20th Century Fox, a division of News Corp. "Just Go With It" was released by Columbia Pictures and "The Roommate" was released by Screen Gems. Both are units of Sony Corp.
"The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, part of Universal Pictures that is 51 percent-owned by Comcast Corp. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and "No Strings Attached" were released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, and "The King's Speech" was released by the Weinstein Co, which is privately held.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
"Unknown," starring Liam Neeson as a man who must reclaim his identity after finding it stolen when he awakens from a coma, bested another new release, sci-fi adventure "I Am Number Four," which landed in the No. 2 spot with $19.5 million, according to film studio estimates on Sunday.
Animated "Gnomeo & Juliet" rounded out the top three on Sunday, earning $19.4 million for a scant drop of only 23 percent from its debut last weekend. Typically, a major studio release like "Gnomeo" might be expected drop 40-50 percent in its second weekend, but the family film has been helped by generally good critics' reviews and audience ratings.
Box office estimates will likely change by Tuesday when U.S. moviegoers return to work after a long holiday weekend that includes Presidents Day.
By Sunday, the weekend's No. 4 movie was comedy "Just Go With It" starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Its ticket sales dropped 40 percent to $18.2 million from last weekend and now total $60.8 million in the United States and Canada.
Last week's No. 2 movie, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," a look at the life of teenage singing sensation Bieber, saw a decline of 54 percent and fell to No. 6 with 13.6 million. Its total domestic revenues number $51.7 million after two weeks.
The weekend's other new major release, Martin Lawrence comedy "Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son" claimed the No. 5 spot with a $17 million debut.
Ticket sales for all films in theaters from Friday through Sunday were estimated at $144 million, down around 30 percent from 2010's Presidents Day weekend tally of $204.6 million, according to industry tracker Hollywood.com Box Office.
Other notable releases included Oscar hopeful "The King's Speech," which landed at No 7. with $6.6 million and pushed its total box office up to $103.3 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were holdovers from recent weeks: "The Roommate," "The Eagle" and "No Strings Attached" in the No. 8, 9 and 10 spots, respectively.
"Unknown" was released by Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc. "I Am Number Four" was produced by privately held DreamWorks and distributed by the studio unit of The Walt Disney Co, while "Gnomeo and Juliet" was co-produced and distributed by studio units of Walt Disney.
"Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son" was released by 20th Century Fox, a division of News Corp. "Just Go With It" was released by Columbia Pictures and "The Roommate" was released by Screen Gems. Both are units of Sony Corp.
"The Eagle" was released by Focus Features, part of Universal Pictures that is 51 percent-owned by Comcast Corp. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and "No Strings Attached" were released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, and "The King's Speech" was released by the Weinstein Co, which is privately held.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
Oscar telecast nixing montages, elaborate tributes
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: As preparations for next Sunday's Academy Awards move into high gear, the show's producers have booted a number of familiar elements.
Gone will be the movie montages -- like last year's salute to horror movies -- that often contribute to the broadcast's unwieldy running time. While there will be film clips from the ten best picture nominees and brief filmed introductions to different segments of the show, "Within the body of the show, we are not doing any film montage sequences," said Bruce Cohen, who will produce with Don Mischer.
Gone too will be the relatively new tradition, established just two years ago, of using five presenters to offer tribute testimonials about each of the best actor and actress nominees. "We're not going to do that this year," Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. "What we did love about it was that it was a moment where each of the nominees really gets their due. (But) we found a version of that, without using the five people on stage, from the 1970 Oscars, and we stole it."
The producers also have enlisted the nominees' mothers to participate in promotion and pre-show activities, and some of them will be in the audience for the telecast.
This year's producing team is restoring individual performances of the four nominated songs, which were eliminated last year. Producers were upset that Cher, a major audience draw, was not nominated for her Burlesque ballad, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me."
"We were surprised, and we were disappointed," Cohen says when of the song, which won its composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe but failed to earn an Academy nomination.
They have lined up most of the other names associated with the songs that were nominated, though: Oscar perennial Randy Newman will perform his "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, who sang the duet "I See The Light" on the "Tangled" soundtrack will reteam with composer Alan Menken; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who sings "Coming Home" in "Country Strong" will reprise that tune on the broadcast.
Because English pop singer Dido, who was nominated along with Rollo Armstrong and A.R. Rahman for the song "If I Rise," from "127 Hours" was not available, the producers have drafted Florence Welch from Grammy-nominated act Florence + the Machine to appear with Rahman.
"We feel we really lucked out, and this is a good year to bring the best song performances back," Cohen says.
Gone will be the movie montages -- like last year's salute to horror movies -- that often contribute to the broadcast's unwieldy running time. While there will be film clips from the ten best picture nominees and brief filmed introductions to different segments of the show, "Within the body of the show, we are not doing any film montage sequences," said Bruce Cohen, who will produce with Don Mischer.
Gone too will be the relatively new tradition, established just two years ago, of using five presenters to offer tribute testimonials about each of the best actor and actress nominees. "We're not going to do that this year," Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. "What we did love about it was that it was a moment where each of the nominees really gets their due. (But) we found a version of that, without using the five people on stage, from the 1970 Oscars, and we stole it."
The producers also have enlisted the nominees' mothers to participate in promotion and pre-show activities, and some of them will be in the audience for the telecast.
This year's producing team is restoring individual performances of the four nominated songs, which were eliminated last year. Producers were upset that Cher, a major audience draw, was not nominated for her Burlesque ballad, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me."
"We were surprised, and we were disappointed," Cohen says when of the song, which won its composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe but failed to earn an Academy nomination.
They have lined up most of the other names associated with the songs that were nominated, though: Oscar perennial Randy Newman will perform his "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, who sang the duet "I See The Light" on the "Tangled" soundtrack will reteam with composer Alan Menken; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who sings "Coming Home" in "Country Strong" will reprise that tune on the broadcast.
Because English pop singer Dido, who was nominated along with Rollo Armstrong and A.R. Rahman for the song "If I Rise," from "127 Hours" was not available, the producers have drafted Florence Welch from Grammy-nominated act Florence + the Machine to appear with Rahman.
"We feel we really lucked out, and this is a good year to bring the best song performances back," Cohen says.
"Maria Full of Grace" director resurfaces in Albania
Reuters, BERLIN: California-born filmmaker Joshua Marston, whose award-winning 2004 picture "Maria Full of Grace" dealt with Colombian drug mules, turns his attention to the conflict between ancient traditions and modern life in Albania in "The Forgiveness of Blood."
It's a familiar tale of territorial rights and family honor but it is told well and the film features appealingly natural performances by non-professionals. It could reach beyond festivals in certain territories, particularly those that have populations with a Balkan heritage.
In the rural north of the formerly communist nation, bread is still delivered by horse and cart but every teenager has a mobile phone. The police have modern vehicles and weapons but elders dish out justice according to the 15th-century Balkan code known as the Kanun.
A conflict over the right of way on one family's land leads to anger and violence. When a man dies, there is no way to avoid a blood feud. Marston and Albania-born screenwriter Andamion Murataj have fashioned an absorbing tale about the impact of such old-fashioned rules, especially on the younger generation.
The director has a good eye and British cinematographer Rob Hardy ("Boy A," "Red Riding") captures shrewdly the many contrasts of ancient and modern in tools, buildings and terrain.
Refet Abazi plays Mark, a delivery man whose daily route with horse and cart has taken him across trails used since his grandfather owned much of the land. But a temperamental man named Sokol (Veton Osmani) now owns the land and he places rocks on the ground to block Mark's way.
When Sokol insults him and his family in the presence of his teenaged daughter Rudina (Sindi Lacej), Mark returns with his brother Zef (Luan Jaha) to set things right. The encounter occurs offscreen but soon Zokol is dead, Zev is in prison, and Mark is in hiding.
A blood feud is declared that means Mark's teenaged son Nik (Tristan Halilaj) and his little brother cannot leave the house in fear of retribution. Nik, who has ambitions of opening an Internet cafe once he graduates and has a school sweetheart, Bardha (Zana Hasaj), chafes under incarceration. However, Rudina thrives in her new duties driving the horse and cart to deliver bread and other goods.
Marston sets a level of increased tension as Sokol's family make further threats and attempt to intimidate Rudina while Nik risks his life to sneak out at night to see his girlfriend. Loyalties become strained as the youngsters begin to challenge what they see as the stubborn futility of the old ways.
The contrasts between unspoiled countryside and urban development and the clash between rural intransigence and youthful impatience add depth to an accomplished and suspenseful drama.
It's a familiar tale of territorial rights and family honor but it is told well and the film features appealingly natural performances by non-professionals. It could reach beyond festivals in certain territories, particularly those that have populations with a Balkan heritage.
In the rural north of the formerly communist nation, bread is still delivered by horse and cart but every teenager has a mobile phone. The police have modern vehicles and weapons but elders dish out justice according to the 15th-century Balkan code known as the Kanun.
A conflict over the right of way on one family's land leads to anger and violence. When a man dies, there is no way to avoid a blood feud. Marston and Albania-born screenwriter Andamion Murataj have fashioned an absorbing tale about the impact of such old-fashioned rules, especially on the younger generation.
The director has a good eye and British cinematographer Rob Hardy ("Boy A," "Red Riding") captures shrewdly the many contrasts of ancient and modern in tools, buildings and terrain.
Refet Abazi plays Mark, a delivery man whose daily route with horse and cart has taken him across trails used since his grandfather owned much of the land. But a temperamental man named Sokol (Veton Osmani) now owns the land and he places rocks on the ground to block Mark's way.
When Sokol insults him and his family in the presence of his teenaged daughter Rudina (Sindi Lacej), Mark returns with his brother Zef (Luan Jaha) to set things right. The encounter occurs offscreen but soon Zokol is dead, Zev is in prison, and Mark is in hiding.
A blood feud is declared that means Mark's teenaged son Nik (Tristan Halilaj) and his little brother cannot leave the house in fear of retribution. Nik, who has ambitions of opening an Internet cafe once he graduates and has a school sweetheart, Bardha (Zana Hasaj), chafes under incarceration. However, Rudina thrives in her new duties driving the horse and cart to deliver bread and other goods.
Marston sets a level of increased tension as Sokol's family make further threats and attempt to intimidate Rudina while Nik risks his life to sneak out at night to see his girlfriend. Loyalties become strained as the youngsters begin to challenge what they see as the stubborn futility of the old ways.
The contrasts between unspoiled countryside and urban development and the clash between rural intransigence and youthful impatience add depth to an accomplished and suspenseful drama.
Top pros in low gear for mild drama Late Bloomers
Reuters, BERLIN: William Hurt and Isabella Rossellini play a couple whose long marriage runs into the bumps caused by intimations of mortality in Julie Gavras' lightweight, London-based drama "Late Bloomers." While it's pleasant to watch these two professionals at work, there are no dramatic fireworks.
A snapshot of two people who must learn to face the realities of aging, the film offers no surprises or particular insights and will probably settle more comfortably into TV and DVD releases.
Hurt plays Adam, a top architect whose major achievements have been in designing airports but who is tempted now to tackle the design of a new museum in London's disused Battersea Power Station. One of the incentives for this is that among the young designers at his firm who are keen on the challenge is an attractive and flirtatious young woman named Maya (Arta Dobroshi).
Adam's wife Mary (Rossellini), meanwhile, is alarmed by a couple of moments of forgetfulness. She also finds that little things she does to make life a little easier on aging limbs and eyes annoy Adam. He starts working late at the office while she joins an exercise club at a swimming pool run by a handsome man named Peter (Hugo Speer).
Soon Adam starts sleeping at the office and the pair's three grown children start plotting ways to keep them together. The situation is further complicated because the firm faces financial problems. It is no longer in demand for airports and Adam is neglecting a paying client (Simon Callow), who is keen to build hospices, while spending his time on the speculative museum project.
There's a sick grandmother and assorted little ones, and the conversations cover predictable ground about families, generations and mid-life crises. Callow relishes some bright lines such as how a hospice is much like a transportation terminal -- somewhere people go on the way to somewhere else.
Joanna Lumley also shines as Mary's breezy best friend, a do-gooder who confesses that she wishes she'd put more energy into a marriage than into her charitable work.
The film is shot like a TV movie with plenty of light and bright colors. Hurt mixes charm with Adam's fear of waning talent and vigor while Rossellini plays against her beauty as a woman who finds she needs reassurance about her appeal. They are genial company, but will hardly be remembered by tomorrow.
A snapshot of two people who must learn to face the realities of aging, the film offers no surprises or particular insights and will probably settle more comfortably into TV and DVD releases.
Hurt plays Adam, a top architect whose major achievements have been in designing airports but who is tempted now to tackle the design of a new museum in London's disused Battersea Power Station. One of the incentives for this is that among the young designers at his firm who are keen on the challenge is an attractive and flirtatious young woman named Maya (Arta Dobroshi).
Adam's wife Mary (Rossellini), meanwhile, is alarmed by a couple of moments of forgetfulness. She also finds that little things she does to make life a little easier on aging limbs and eyes annoy Adam. He starts working late at the office while she joins an exercise club at a swimming pool run by a handsome man named Peter (Hugo Speer).
Soon Adam starts sleeping at the office and the pair's three grown children start plotting ways to keep them together. The situation is further complicated because the firm faces financial problems. It is no longer in demand for airports and Adam is neglecting a paying client (Simon Callow), who is keen to build hospices, while spending his time on the speculative museum project.
There's a sick grandmother and assorted little ones, and the conversations cover predictable ground about families, generations and mid-life crises. Callow relishes some bright lines such as how a hospice is much like a transportation terminal -- somewhere people go on the way to somewhere else.
Joanna Lumley also shines as Mary's breezy best friend, a do-gooder who confesses that she wishes she'd put more energy into a marriage than into her charitable work.
The film is shot like a TV movie with plenty of light and bright colors. Hurt mixes charm with Adam's fear of waning talent and vigor while Rossellini plays against her beauty as a woman who finds she needs reassurance about her appeal. They are genial company, but will hardly be remembered by tomorrow.
"Lipstikka" a gripping tale about memory tricks
Reuters, BERLIN: Canadian director Jonathan Sagall's intriguing drama "Lipstikka" tells of two women whose memory of a dramatic incident is markedly different, thus affecting their lives in complicated ways.
The nature of their relationship at the time and the way their lives have turned out give Sagall's four actresses plenty to work with. So the film should thrive at festivals and find appreciative audiences, especially among women, in key territories.
Set in London with flashbacks to 1994, the film concerns an encounter of two Palestinian teenagers with two Israeli solders during the intifada. More of a human drama than a political one, it still hinges on the fact that in the circumstances the girls had no control over their fate.
Clara Khoury plays Lara, who explains in a voiceover that she has accepted her life, which is one of suburban London comfort with a spotless home, a smart son and a businessman husband named Michael (Daniel Caltagirone) who hasn't slept with her since the boy was born. She keeps herself in good shape, however, with just a little vodka to soften the world.
A knock at the door one day brings a face from her past, Inam (Nataly Attiya), a slim beauty who looks little frazzled and has an edgy manner. Flashbacks reveal that Inam had a relationship with Michael before they married, and the two women also shared an intimacy felt more deeply by Lara.
Their relationship is even more complicated due to the incident more than 15 years earlier when they broke curfew to go to see a movie in old Jerusalem. The young Inam (Moran Rosenblatt) was pretty and boy-crazy while young Lara (Ziv Weiner) viewed her friend's adventures with jealousy.
Sagall gives over information about the earlier event in pieces. It involved a sexual encounter between Inam and one of the soldiers, but exactly what happened depends on very different points of view. He also reveals only slowly the truth of the women's lives today. This makes for growing suspense, especially when Inam elects to pick up Lara's son from school without telling her.
As the grown-up Lara, Khoury offers a telling portrayal of a woman whose life did not turn out as she expected but has managed to make the most of it. Elegant and sweet looking, Khoury very subtly unveils the steel that Lara has learned to deploy. Meanwhile Weiner is effective as the young Lara, all watchful and self-contained.
Attiya keeps Inam's nervousness just barely under control. With just a look or change of vocal tone she suggests that she could easily fall apart.
Rosenblatt has in many ways the toughest assignment since she must act more or less the same scene in two sharply different ways -- as a sexy teenager in control of events, and as a victim of sexual brutality. Her's is the standout performance of the film, first smiling and provocative, and then knowing and sacrificial. Her scenes underpin what develops between the grownup women and help give Sagall's film a satisfying resonance.
The nature of their relationship at the time and the way their lives have turned out give Sagall's four actresses plenty to work with. So the film should thrive at festivals and find appreciative audiences, especially among women, in key territories.
Set in London with flashbacks to 1994, the film concerns an encounter of two Palestinian teenagers with two Israeli solders during the intifada. More of a human drama than a political one, it still hinges on the fact that in the circumstances the girls had no control over their fate.
Clara Khoury plays Lara, who explains in a voiceover that she has accepted her life, which is one of suburban London comfort with a spotless home, a smart son and a businessman husband named Michael (Daniel Caltagirone) who hasn't slept with her since the boy was born. She keeps herself in good shape, however, with just a little vodka to soften the world.
A knock at the door one day brings a face from her past, Inam (Nataly Attiya), a slim beauty who looks little frazzled and has an edgy manner. Flashbacks reveal that Inam had a relationship with Michael before they married, and the two women also shared an intimacy felt more deeply by Lara.
Their relationship is even more complicated due to the incident more than 15 years earlier when they broke curfew to go to see a movie in old Jerusalem. The young Inam (Moran Rosenblatt) was pretty and boy-crazy while young Lara (Ziv Weiner) viewed her friend's adventures with jealousy.
Sagall gives over information about the earlier event in pieces. It involved a sexual encounter between Inam and one of the soldiers, but exactly what happened depends on very different points of view. He also reveals only slowly the truth of the women's lives today. This makes for growing suspense, especially when Inam elects to pick up Lara's son from school without telling her.
As the grown-up Lara, Khoury offers a telling portrayal of a woman whose life did not turn out as she expected but has managed to make the most of it. Elegant and sweet looking, Khoury very subtly unveils the steel that Lara has learned to deploy. Meanwhile Weiner is effective as the young Lara, all watchful and self-contained.
Attiya keeps Inam's nervousness just barely under control. With just a look or change of vocal tone she suggests that she could easily fall apart.
Rosenblatt has in many ways the toughest assignment since she must act more or less the same scene in two sharply different ways -- as a sexy teenager in control of events, and as a victim of sexual brutality. Her's is the standout performance of the film, first smiling and provocative, and then knowing and sacrificial. Her scenes underpin what develops between the grownup women and help give Sagall's film a satisfying resonance.
Oscar telecast nixing montages, elaborate tributes
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: As preparations for next Sunday's Academy Awards move into high gear, the show's producers have booted a number of familiar elements.
Gone will be the movie montages -- like last year's salute to horror movies -- that often contribute to the broadcast's unwieldy running time. While there will be film clips from the ten best picture nominees and brief filmed introductions to different segments of the show, "Within the body of the show, we are not doing any film montage sequences," said Bruce Cohen, who will produce with Don Mischer.
Gone too will be the relatively new tradition, established just two years ago, of using five presenters to offer tribute testimonials about each of the best actor and actress nominees. "We're not going to do that this year," Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. "What we did love about it was that it was a moment where each of the nominees really gets their due. (But) we found a version of that, without using the five people on stage, from the 1970 Oscars, and we stole it."
The producers also have enlisted the nominees' mothers to participate in promotion and pre-show activities, and some of them will be in the audience for the telecast.
This year's producing team is restoring individual performances of the four nominated songs, which were eliminated last year. Producers were upset that Cher, a major audience draw, was not nominated for her Burlesque ballad, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me."
"We were surprised, and we were disappointed," Cohen says when of the song, which won its composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe but failed to earn an Academy nomination.
They have lined up most of the other names associated with the songs that were nominated, though: Oscar perennial Randy Newman will perform his "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, who sang the duet "I See The Light" on the "Tangled" soundtrack will reteam with composer Alan Menken; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who sings "Coming Home" in "Country Strong" will reprise that tune on the broadcast.
Because English pop singer Dido, who was nominated along with Rollo Armstrong and A.R. Rahman for the song "If I Rise," from "127 Hours" was not available, the producers have drafted Florence Welch from Grammy-nominated act Florence + the Machine to appear with Rahman.
"We feel we really lucked out, and this is a good year to bring the best song performances back," Cohen says.
Gone will be the movie montages -- like last year's salute to horror movies -- that often contribute to the broadcast's unwieldy running time. While there will be film clips from the ten best picture nominees and brief filmed introductions to different segments of the show, "Within the body of the show, we are not doing any film montage sequences," said Bruce Cohen, who will produce with Don Mischer.
Gone too will be the relatively new tradition, established just two years ago, of using five presenters to offer tribute testimonials about each of the best actor and actress nominees. "We're not going to do that this year," Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. "What we did love about it was that it was a moment where each of the nominees really gets their due. (But) we found a version of that, without using the five people on stage, from the 1970 Oscars, and we stole it."
The producers also have enlisted the nominees' mothers to participate in promotion and pre-show activities, and some of them will be in the audience for the telecast.
This year's producing team is restoring individual performances of the four nominated songs, which were eliminated last year. Producers were upset that Cher, a major audience draw, was not nominated for her Burlesque ballad, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me."
"We were surprised, and we were disappointed," Cohen says when of the song, which won its composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe but failed to earn an Academy nomination.
They have lined up most of the other names associated with the songs that were nominated, though: Oscar perennial Randy Newman will perform his "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, who sang the duet "I See The Light" on the "Tangled" soundtrack will reteam with composer Alan Menken; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who sings "Coming Home" in "Country Strong" will reprise that tune on the broadcast.
Because English pop singer Dido, who was nominated along with Rollo Armstrong and A.R. Rahman for the song "If I Rise," from "127 Hours" was not available, the producers have drafted Florence Welch from Grammy-nominated act Florence + the Machine to appear with Rahman.
"We feel we really lucked out, and this is a good year to bring the best song performances back," Cohen says.
Oscar telecast nixing montages, elaborate tributes
Reuters, LOS ANGELES: As preparations for next Sunday's Academy Awards move into high gear, the show's producers have booted a number of familiar elements.
Gone will be the movie montages -- like last year's salute to horror movies -- that often contribute to the broadcast's unwieldy running time. While there will be film clips from the ten best picture nominees and brief filmed introductions to different segments of the show, "Within the body of the show, we are not doing any film montage sequences," said Bruce Cohen, who will produce with Don Mischer.
Gone too will be the relatively new tradition, established just two years ago, of using five presenters to offer tribute testimonials about each of the best actor and actress nominees. "We're not going to do that this year," Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. "What we did love about it was that it was a moment where each of the nominees really gets their due. (But) we found a version of that, without using the five people on stage, from the 1970 Oscars, and we stole it."
The producers also have enlisted the nominees' mothers to participate in promotion and pre-show activities, and some of them will be in the audience for the telecast.
This year's producing team is restoring individual performances of the four nominated songs, which were eliminated last year. Producers were upset that Cher, a major audience draw, was not nominated for her Burlesque ballad, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me."
"We were surprised, and we were disappointed," Cohen says when of the song, which won its composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe but failed to earn an Academy nomination.
They have lined up most of the other names associated with the songs that were nominated, though: Oscar perennial Randy Newman will perform his "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, who sang the duet "I See The Light" on the "Tangled" soundtrack will reteam with composer Alan Menken; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who sings "Coming Home" in "Country Strong" will reprise that tune on the broadcast.
Because English pop singer Dido, who was nominated along with Rollo Armstrong and A.R. Rahman for the song "If I Rise," from "127 Hours" was not available, the producers have drafted Florence Welch from Grammy-nominated act Florence + the Machine to appear with Rahman.
"We feel we really lucked out, and this is a good year to bring the best song performances back," Cohen says.
Gone will be the movie montages -- like last year's salute to horror movies -- that often contribute to the broadcast's unwieldy running time. While there will be film clips from the ten best picture nominees and brief filmed introductions to different segments of the show, "Within the body of the show, we are not doing any film montage sequences," said Bruce Cohen, who will produce with Don Mischer.
Gone too will be the relatively new tradition, established just two years ago, of using five presenters to offer tribute testimonials about each of the best actor and actress nominees. "We're not going to do that this year," Cohen told the Hollywood Reporter. "What we did love about it was that it was a moment where each of the nominees really gets their due. (But) we found a version of that, without using the five people on stage, from the 1970 Oscars, and we stole it."
The producers also have enlisted the nominees' mothers to participate in promotion and pre-show activities, and some of them will be in the audience for the telecast.
This year's producing team is restoring individual performances of the four nominated songs, which were eliminated last year. Producers were upset that Cher, a major audience draw, was not nominated for her Burlesque ballad, "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me."
"We were surprised, and we were disappointed," Cohen says when of the song, which won its composer Diane Warren a Golden Globe but failed to earn an Academy nomination.
They have lined up most of the other names associated with the songs that were nominated, though: Oscar perennial Randy Newman will perform his "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Mandy Moore and Zachary Levy, who sang the duet "I See The Light" on the "Tangled" soundtrack will reteam with composer Alan Menken; and Gwyneth Paltrow, who sings "Coming Home" in "Country Strong" will reprise that tune on the broadcast.
Because English pop singer Dido, who was nominated along with Rollo Armstrong and A.R. Rahman for the song "If I Rise," from "127 Hours" was not available, the producers have drafted Florence Welch from Grammy-nominated act Florence + the Machine to appear with Rahman.
"We feel we really lucked out, and this is a good year to bring the best song performances back," Cohen says.
Kobe Bryant gets Hollywood walk of fame honour
AFP, HOLLYWOOD, California: Kobe Bryant became the first athlete to have his foot and hand prints placed in the cement outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
The honour, usually reserved for Hollywood's brightest and most glamorous film stars, is another feather in the cap of the 13-time all-star Bryant who has five NBA championship rings and an Olympic gold medal.
Some fans lined up as early as 6:00 am (1400 GMT) on Saturday to get a good viewing spot for the ceremony. But because of rain the ceremony had to be moved inside the iconic movie theatre.
The Los Angeles Lakers star guard Bryant, who wears a size 14 (European 48) shoe, joins such celebrities as John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and Brad Pitt who have had their hands and feet set in cement in front of the luxury Hollywood movie theater.
Bryant had hands and feet set during a ceremony which coincided with the National Basketball Association's all-star weekend festivities.
The annual NBA all-star game will take place Sunday at Staples Center arena the home of Bryant's Lakers.
The honour, usually reserved for Hollywood's brightest and most glamorous film stars, is another feather in the cap of the 13-time all-star Bryant who has five NBA championship rings and an Olympic gold medal.
Some fans lined up as early as 6:00 am (1400 GMT) on Saturday to get a good viewing spot for the ceremony. But because of rain the ceremony had to be moved inside the iconic movie theatre.
The Los Angeles Lakers star guard Bryant, who wears a size 14 (European 48) shoe, joins such celebrities as John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and Brad Pitt who have had their hands and feet set in cement in front of the luxury Hollywood movie theater.
Bryant had hands and feet set during a ceremony which coincided with the National Basketball Association's all-star weekend festivities.
The annual NBA all-star game will take place Sunday at Staples Center arena the home of Bryant's Lakers.
Luhrmann to shoot 'Gatsby' movie in Sydney
AFP, SYDNEY: Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann is to shoot a 3D remake of F.Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" starring Leonardo DiCaprio in Sydney, officials said Sunday.
Luhrmann, an Australian, had also considered filming in New York -- the setting of the novel -- but New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally said Sydney finally won out on the Warner Bros-backed blockbuster.
"What better endorsement of our state?s world-class film making capabilities -- we?ve won (the) right to produce this iconic New York story ahead of New York itself," said Keneally.
"The Great Gatsby will be a boon for the NSW film industry, particularly given Baz Luhrmann?s commitment to maximising use of local cast, crew and visual effects expertise."
Keneally said the movie would be based at Sydney's Fox Studios and pre-production would begin in March.
The project would bring more than Aus$120 million (US$121.7) into the local economy and create hundreds of jobs, she added.
"This comes at a good time for the film industry," Keneally said.
"Australia was thought to be losing international filmmaking due to the strong Aussie dollar. Put simply, this is a big win."
Fitzgerald's 1920s classic has had several screen incarnations, the most famous of which was released in 1974 and starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.
Luhrmann, an Australian, had also considered filming in New York -- the setting of the novel -- but New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally said Sydney finally won out on the Warner Bros-backed blockbuster.
"What better endorsement of our state?s world-class film making capabilities -- we?ve won (the) right to produce this iconic New York story ahead of New York itself," said Keneally.
"The Great Gatsby will be a boon for the NSW film industry, particularly given Baz Luhrmann?s commitment to maximising use of local cast, crew and visual effects expertise."
Keneally said the movie would be based at Sydney's Fox Studios and pre-production would begin in March.
The project would bring more than Aus$120 million (US$121.7) into the local economy and create hundreds of jobs, she added.
"This comes at a good time for the film industry," Keneally said.
"Australia was thought to be losing international filmmaking due to the strong Aussie dollar. Put simply, this is a big win."
Fitzgerald's 1920s classic has had several screen incarnations, the most famous of which was released in 1974 and starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.
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