Sri Lanka army - Tamil Tiger Defence Breached By SriLanka Army

1. 12km-long defensive earthworks constructed by Tamil Tigers using mechanical diggers

2. Sri Lankan army uses explosives to destroy a 3km section

3. Gap allows thousands of refugees to flee Tiger-held territory

Aerial video showed thousands of people filing out of the combat zone. Tens of thousands remain in the area, which has seen heavy fighting for months.

The government says more than 49,000 have now left, more than 2,000 of them by sea on fishing boats.

They are on their way to government-run transit camps which Western media have no access to, it adds.

The pro-rebel TamilNet website said several hundred civilians were feared killed and injured after troops advanced into the zone.

Tamil protesters held angry demonstrations in Paris and London on Monday against the army operations.

About 180 people were arrested in Paris as the protest there turned violent.

'Nightmare'

Sri Lanka's defence ministry said on Tuesday troops were advancing into what was previously designated by the government as a safe zone.

It said another 3,000 civilians left the conflict zone on Tuesday.

Each side accuses the other of killing civilians in the long running civil conflict.

Foreign reporters are not allowed into the combat zone, making it impossible to independently verify the claims.

The Tigers are restricted to a 20 sq km (12.4 sq miles) coastal patch.

Gordon Weiss, the UN spokesman in Sri Lanka, said it was not known how many civilians remained there but that the UN had been working off a figure of some 150,000 to 200,000 people in recent months.

The government is not giving the ICRC access to the landward side of the zone.

So it can only evacuate people by sea, with two or three ships per week each carrying 400 or 500 of the sickest, oldest and most badly wounded people.

Sri Lanka army - 'Human avalanche'

Thousands of civilians are leaving the conflict zone

The Sri Lankan military has denied shelling civilians inside the rebel-held area.Brig Nanayakkara told the BBC that only small-arms had been used.

He said the Tigers were targeting civilians because they knew that if non-combatants left, the rebels would be "sitting ducks".The army says three rebel suicide bombings had targeted fleeing civilians, killing 17.

One Tamil man who had just left the conflict zone said the rebels tried to shoot anyone planning to escape.

Local newspapers are covered with pictures of large numbers of people leaving rebel territory, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo.

One calls the process a "human avalanche".Reports suggest hospitals in the fighting zone were struggling to cope.

"We've had lots of dead bodies brought to the hospital, others are on the road," a health worker at Matalan hospital told the BBC World Service.

"Lots of the injured who are taken to the hospital die from blood loss - there is no blood-bank and a lot of people are anaemic because there is no food. People are suffering."

People escaped after troops broke through a fortification which had been blocking their advance into the Tigers' last stronghold, the army said on Monday.

Sri Lanka army 'killed civilians'

The Tamil Tigers have accused the Sri Lankan government of killing about 1,000 civilians and injuring many more during its latest military offensive.

The government has denied the allegations, in turn accusing the rebel group of targeting civilians.

It said by midday (0630 GMT) nearly 50,000 civilians had fled the rebel-held area in the north of the island.

Meanwhile government forces say they have made inroads into the sliver of territory still held by the Tigers.

They have entered two villages in the zone and in effect control the north-west third of it.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was "extremely worried" about civilians still trapped in the zone.

"The situation is nothing short of catastrophic. Ongoing fighting has killed or wounded hundreds of civilians who have only minimal access to medical care," said Director of Operations Pierre Kraehenbuehl.

Offensive continued

A deadline for the rebels to surrender or face a final assault expired at 0630 GMT with no word from the Tigers.

"The [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] has not responded to the government's call to surrender, so we are keeping up our offensive to rescue the civilians," said army spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara.

The Tamil Tigers said in a statement that more than 1,000 civilians had been killed and 2,300 injured during bombardments by government forces on Monday.

The rebel TamilNet website said the territory they still controlled was littered with bodies of civilians.

Video released by Tiger supporters shows mutilated bodies, but it is not clear when the recording was made.

They said it was filmed on Monday, but this cannot be verified.

It follows footage released by the government showing civilians fleeing the war zone.

One man who said he spoke for the Tigers, who gave his name as Thileepan, told the BBC a hospital, an orphanage and many houses had been hit.

He said people had been reduced to hiding under logs and trees and using makeshift bunkers dug into the sand.

Polo pony deaths baffle US vets

All efforts to save the horses failed

Tests are being carried out to try to discover why 21 polo ponies collapsed and died ahead of a major tournament in Florida at the weekend.

The horses, from a Venezuelan-owned team and valued at $100,000 (£69,000) each, became dizzy and disoriented.

Several died on the spot at the ground in Palm Beach County, while others died hours later as they were being treated.

Veterinarians say they suspect some kind of toxin but say it may be several days before the source is identified.

Polo enthusiasts had gathered on Sunday for the US Open Polo Championship at the polo club in Wellington in Palm Beach County.

As ponies from the Lechuza Caracas team were being unloaded from their horseboxes, several stumbled and fell to the ground.

Fourteen horses had died by Sunday evening, with seven more dying overnight.

"The players, the owners of the horses were in tears. Bystanders and volunteers were in tears," Tony Coppola, a polo club announcer, told the Associated Press.

'Delicate animals'

The Florida agriculture department and the local sheriff's department in Palm Beach County have launched investigations.

POLO: KEY ELEMENTS Team sport with four players Aim: to drive ball into opponents' goal using long-handled mallet Match divided into four to six periods each of up to seven-and-a-half minutes known as "chukkas" Horses, known as "polo ponies", can be any breed, often thoroughbred or thoroughbread cross Not allowed to play left-handed

Post-mortems are being carried out on the horses. Officials say because the animals became sick and expired so quickly, they suspect an adverse drug reaction or toxicity.

"We have absolutely no idea exactly what we're looking for, so we have to perform a series of tests," agriculture department spokesman Mark Fagan told the Palm Beach Post newspaper.

"Was it hay, feed, bedding, water? There are a lot of unanswered questions. Horses may be big but they are delicate animals."

However, officials have ruled out an infectious or contagious disease as only animals from the Lechuza team were affected.

The team, owned by Venezuelan businessman Victor Vargas, competes in polo tournaments around the world.

"We are deeply concerned about the death of our ponies," a statement from the team said. "We have never encountered such a dire situation like this as our horses receive the most professional and dedicated care possible."

Teams competing at a high level of polo typically field some 24 ponies, allowing the four riders to change mounts during the course of the fast-moving game.

Cheney enters 'torture' memos row

Former US Vice-President Dick Cheney has urged the CIA to release memos which he says show harsh interrogation techniques such as water-boarding work.

His comments follow the publication of memos written by Bush administration lawyers which justified the techniques.

Mr Cheney said that the decision to publish the memos was a mistake.

And it was misleading, he said, because the documents did not include those demonstrating that harsh interrogation delivered intelligence "success".

"One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is that they put out the legal memos... but they didn't put out the memos that show the success of the effort," Mr Cheney told Fox News.

The real question - of course - is whether waterboarding is justified under any circumstances

"There are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified. I formally ask that they be declassified now."

The American people should have a chance to weigh the intelligence obtained alongside the legal debate, he said.

Mr Cheney made his comments as US President Barack Obama visited the CIA headquarters just outside Washington.

In a move seen as an attempt to boost morale, Mr Obama told employees that the CIA remained key to protecting the country.

Staff had faced a "difficult" few days, he acknowledged, but they had his full support and were key to tackling threats from groups such as al-Qaeda.

Mr Obama said he had had no choice but to release the Bush administration's legal justification for interrogation techniques, which he considers to be torture - and has banned.

"Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge that potentially we've made some mistakes.

"That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be president of the United States and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA," he said.

The memos, detailing the range of techniques the CIA was allowed to use during the Bush administration, were released on 16 April.

Quoting one of the memos, The New York Times said water-boarding - or mock drowning - was used on two al-Qaeda terror suspects on up to 266 occasions.

Other methods mentioned in the memos include week-long sleep deprivation, forced nudity and the use of painful positions.

Mr Obama on Thursday said he would not prosecute under anti-torture laws CIA personnel who relied in good faith on Bush administration legal opinions issued after the 11 September attacks.

But he has been criticised by human rights organisations and UN officials, who say charges are necessary to prevent future abuses and to hold people accountable.

Swat's Taleban expand operations

The Taleban have not yet heeded calls to disarm

Taleban militants operating in Pakistan's Swat region who agreed a peace deal with the government have expanded operations into nearby Buner.

Dozens of militants have been streaming into bordering Buner to take over mosques and government offices.

Buner is part of the Malakand region, which has just seen the implementation of Sharia law under the peace deal.

But the Taleban have mainly operated in Swat, where they fought the army from August 2007 until this year's deal.

Under the deal the Taleban were expected to disarm.

Buner district is only about 100km (62 miles) from the capital, Islamabad.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain, information minister for North West Frontier Province, said he had received reports of the Taleban expansion.

Recent reports said the Taleban had ransacked the offices of international aid and development agencies working in Buner.

Some employees of the agencies were also briefly taken hostage before being released on Monday.

Patrols

The Taleban have banned the playing of music in cars and are also using mosques to invite local youth to join them.

We implemented Sharia law as it was a demand of the people, not just the Taleban Mian Iftikhar Hussain, NWFP official

The Taleban have also started regular patrols in the district.

Buner's police chief, Rashid Khan, said the police had lodged an official complaint over the matter.

But the Taleban are not mentioned in the reports, which only names "unknown persons" as the culprits.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain maintains that the Taleban must disarm as agreed under the peace deal.

"Even Sufi Mohammad has said that there is no reason for the Taleban not to disarm," he said.

He was referring to the head of a local religious group who has been acting as the government's chief negotiator with the Taleban.

"We initially adopted the path of dialogue and reconciliation, but this is as far as we can go," Mr Hussain said.

"We implemented Sharia law as it was a demand of the people, not just the Taleban.

"If they continue with their activities, they will not have the support of the people.

"The majority of the people are now with the government. The government will not stand by and tolerate [the violation of] the peace deal."

The Taleban say they will not lay down their arms until Sharia is fully implemented.

Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the Swat Taleban, said his movement's aim was the enforcement of Sharia law in all of Pakistan.

Meltdown losses of '$4 trillion'

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that potential losses from the credit crunch could reach $4 trillion (£2.75tn) and damage the financial system for years to come.

It says that even if urgent action is taken to clean up the banking system, the process will be "slow and painful", delaying economic recovery.

It says that banks may need $1.7 trillion in additional capital.

But it warns that political support for further bank bail-outs is waning.

WHY $4TN LOSS MATTERS The banks' huge losses have made them reluctant to lend The lack of lending has pushed the world economy into a deep recession Government budgets are strained by the cost of the bail-outs, hitting taxpayers

One year ago, the IMF estimated that total losses from the credit crunch would be $1 trillion, which has been exceeded, showing how rapidly the financial meltdown has escalated.

The IMF now says that banks are likely to lose $2.7 trillion, but other financial institutions such as insurance companies and pension funds are also now coming under strain.

And it says that emerging market economies, which will need $1.8 trillion in refinancing next year, will be hard-hit by the collapse of cross-border lending, and it predicts that there will be no net private lending at all to developing countries this year.

The report comes as the IMF and World Bank are beginning their spring meeting in Washington, after receiving a promise of $750bn in fresh funds agreed at the G20 summit.

Policy response

The IMF's latest Global Stability Report says that the banking system has not yet been stabilised, despite the billions of dollars spent by governments.

Systemic risks remain high and the adverse feedback loop between the financial system and the real economy has yet to be arrested IMF

But it warns that there may be "a real risk that governments will be reluctant to allocate enough resources to solve the problem" because the public has become "disillusioned by what it perceives as abuse of taxpayer funds".

This is the situation especially in the US, where Congress appears reluctant to allocate additional bail-out funds above the $700bn approved last autumn despite the inclusion of another $750bn in President Obama's latest budget proposal.

The US Treasury has instead proposed a private-public partnership to buy up troubled assets underwritten by loans from the Federal Reserve.

But the IMF comments that "uncertainty about political reactions may undermine the likelihood that the the private sector will constructively engage in finding orderly solution to financial stress."

Couples to test 'intimacy' device

The device allows users to draw in light on each other

Couples in long distance relationships are being sought to try out a prototype device designed to communicate intimacy from their bedrooms.

Moray-based technology laboratory, Distance Lab, hopes to find three couples willing to use Mutsugoto.

The device allows couples, who are separated by distance, to draw in light on each other's bodies or beds.

Stefan Agamanolis, one of its three developers, said it will be the first time it is tested in this way.

Volunteers will be sought at the Edinburgh Arts Festival in August.

Distance Lab, which describes itself as a creative research organisation, hope to find couples where one partner lives in the capital while the other, who will be given a portable device, lives a few hundred miles away.

Interactive fighting

Mutsugoto has been in development for about two years and involves artist Tomoko Hayashi.

The project recently won an award from the Alt-w Production Fund.

Mr Agamanolis said the device was designed to communicate intimacy and to offer an alternative to text and e-mail messaging.

While lying on their beds miles away from each other, the couples wear touch-activated rings visible to a camera mounted above them.

A computer vision system tracks the movement of the ring as one of the device's users passes it across their own body, or bed.

At the same time these strokes are transmitted to and projected in beams of light on the body of their partner. The lines change colour if they cross.

From its base in Forres, Distance Lab runs projects in Moray and the Highlands and Islands.

It receives support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Also in development at the site is a game in which people can throw themselves at a life-sized image of an opponent who could be on the other side of the world.

Remote Impact is an interactive fighting game.

In the prototype, people battle a silhouette projected on to a mattress and can register brute force.

UN 'regrets' Ahmadinejad speech

Ban Ki-moon had met Iran's president before the speech

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "misused" an anti-racism conference at which he called Israel a racist state.

His speech sparked wide condemnation and a walkout by EU delegates.

Iran criticised Mr Ban's comments as "one-sided". Mr Ahmadinejad returned home on Tuesday to what was officially described as a "sensational" welcome.

The UN said Mr Ahmadinejad had dropped language from his speech describing the Holocaust as "ambiguous and dubious".

'Very regretful'

The original text of the speech said that after World War II, Western nations had "resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless, on the pretext of Jewish sufferings and the ambiguous and dubious question of Holocaust".

But UN officials said the Iranian president had dropped the terms "ambiguous and dubious", speaking instead of "the abuse of the question of the Holocaust".

Nevertheless, during a trip to Malta on Tuesday, Mr Ban said it was "very regretful that the conference was misused by the Iranian president for political purposes".

"Before the speech I had a long bilateral meeting with President Ahmadinejad and urged him to give a balanced and constructive contribution to the conference because he was the only head of state present," he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

Mr Ahmadinejad spoke on Monday at the start of the five-day UN conference in Geneva.

Jewish migrants, he said, had been sent from Europe and the US after World War II "in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine".

Gay marriage row at Miss USA show

Ms Prejean says she does not regret her remarks

The runner-up at the Miss USA beauty pageant says her outspoken opposition to gay marriage cost her first place in the competition.

During the televised event, Carrie Prejean - Miss California - said she believed that "a marriage should be between a man and a woman".

She had been asked for her views on the subject by one of the judges, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

"It did cost me my crown," said Ms Prejean, after the competition.

The eventual winner of the pageant was Kristen Dalton, Miss North Carolina.

'Alienated'

"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage," said Ms Prejean, in a section of the show that has become a popular clip on YouTube.

"I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman," she continued.

"No offence to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

The remarks drew a mixture of booing and applause from the audience.

Speaking after the show, which was broadcast on Sunday evening in the US, Ms Prejean said: "I wouldn't have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that's all I can do."

Hilton said he had been "floored" by Ms Prejean's answer, which, he said, "alienated millions of gay and lesbian Americans, their families and their supporters".

He told ABC News: "She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that."

Keith Lewis, who runs the Miss California competition, released a statement condemning Ms Prejean's comments.

"As co-director of the Miss California USA, I am personally saddened and hurt that Miss California believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman."

The issue of same-sex marriage is a flashpoint in American politics.

Four US states now allow gay marriage, but many other states have passed legislation outlawing it.

Cheney: 'I don't think we've got much to apologize for'

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Former Vice President Cheney suggested Monday that President Obama's overseas outreach might project weakness which the country's friends and enemies might try to take advantage of.

WASHINGTON - The former vice president Dick Cheney is slamming President Obama’s efforts to set a new tone for relations with the U.S. on the world stage.

“I guess I’ve been concerned the way that we’ve been presented overseas,” Cheney told Fox News host Sean Hannity Monday night. Cheney said he found it “disturbing” that the new president had gone overseas and seemingly apologized for past actions of the United States. “I think you have to be very careful. The world outside there — both our friends and our foes –will be quick to advantage of a situation if they think they’re dealing with a weak president or one who’s not going to stand up and aggressively defend America’s interests.

“The United States provides much of the leadership in the world. We have for a long time. I don’t think we’ve got much to apologize for.”

Just days after Obama shook hands and received a gift from Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, Cheney called the images of the encounter “not helpful.” “I think it sets the wrong standard,” Cheney added.

“The president’s got to provide leadership and I don’t want to be in a position where you don’t interact with your adversaries. I think you do need to do that but I think it’s got to be done properly. It’s got to be done under the right conditions. And it’s got to be made clear that you do distinguish between good guys and bad guys, between those who believe in democracy, who are friends and allies of the United States and those who don’t.”

Reacting to Obama’s controversial decision to release memos written by President George W. Bush's Justice Department that detailed the conditions under which high-level terror suspects could be harshly interrogated, the former vice president said he has formally asked the CIA to release more information about the interrogation program carried out by the Bush administration in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“They didn’t put out the memos that show the success of the effort. There are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified. I’ve formally asked they be declassified now,” Cheney said Monday night.

Though Cheney criticized many of Obama’s policies, he made a point at the beginning of the interview of emphasizing that his differences with Obama were not personal.

“It’s important not to personally attack the new president,” Cheney said. “I’ve never done that.”

In an earlier interview, Cheney told CNN that he thought Obama’s policies had made the country less safe, a contention that was swiftly and repeatedly responded to by the new administration.

Tiger Woods meets with the president

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Golf great Tiger Woods met with President Obama at the White House Monday.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama met Monday in the White House with golf star Tiger Woods, who got the lowdown on one of the commander in chief's poorer days on the golf course.

The president agreed to meet with Woods after learning the golfer was in town to promote his upcoming charity tournament in the Washington area, according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Gibbs told CNN that he had a brief meeting with Woods as well, and White House aide Marvin Nicholson decided to introduce the press secretary as "the guy who's taken the most money from the president while golfing."

The press secretary told Woods about a rare time during the presidential campaign when Obama, Gibbs, Nicholson and personal aide Reggie Love quietly had a fierce competition on a Nevada golf course.

"We snuck away to play golf late one afternoon," recalled Gibbs. "Reggie and I beat (Obama) and Marvin."

But Gibbs was careful not to brag too much around Woods. "Given what he does, I wouldn't call what I do 'golfing,'" joked Gibbs. "He's the best in the world."

While Obama showed himself to be a pretty good golfer during his Hawaiian vacation during the presidential transition, his meeting with Woods was also expected to be a chance for two men who have shattered racial barriers in their respective fields to visit for a while on more serious matters.

White House aides say Woods then stuck around for a tour of the West Wing, with photographers anxiously staking out the building hoping to get a glimpse.

Chavez gives Obama a book at summit

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gives a book to President Obama April 18

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez gave U.S. President Obama a book Saturday on Latin America.

The leftist leader, who once likened President George W. Bush to the devil, shook Obama's hand and handed him "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent," by Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.

Asked later what he thought of the book, Obama jokingly said he thought it was one of Chavez's books. "I was going to give him one of mine," he quipped.

Obama and Chavez are attending the fifth Summit of the Americas, a gathering of representatives from 34 countries.

Asked if the encounters with Chavez were paving the way for a meeting, Obama simply responded, "I think we're making progress at the summit."

On Friday, Obama and Chavez saw each other and shook hands. Chavez's press office said Obama walked up to Chavez to greet him. It called the meeting "historic."

"President Chavez expressed his hope that relations between the two countries would change," it said, quoting Chavez as having told his U.S. counterpart: "Eight years ago with this same hand I greeted Bush. I want to be your friend."

The office said Obama thanked Chavez.

Also Saturday, Obama met with representatives of the Union of South American Countries, a coalition of South American countries, and he is scheduled to attend three general sessions later in the day.

Afterward, he will attend an official dinner and a cultural show.

On Friday, Obama said he is seeking "a new beginning" in U.S. relations with Cuba. "Every one of our nations has a right to follow its own path," he told representatives at the summit. "But we all have a responsibility to see that the people of the Americas have the ability to pursue their own dreams in democratic societies.

"There have been several remarks directed at the issue of the relationship between the United States and Cuba, so let me add this: the United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba."

He called for "decades of mistrust" to be overcome, but noted that he has already loosened restrictions on Americans traveling to visit relatives in Cuba and sending money to the island.

Obama said that may be just the beginning. "I am prepared to have my administration engage with the Cuban government on a wide range of issues — from drugs, migration and economic issues to human rights, free speech and democratic reform," he said, underscoring his seriousness by adding: "Let me
be clear: I am not interested in talking for the sake of talking. But I do believe that we can move U.S.-Cuban relations in a new direction."

Cuba is not among the countries attending the summit.

Obama's comments represent a major shift in a U.S. policy that has remained largely unchanged since 1962, when the Kennedy administration imposed
a trade embargo on the communist island.

Gingrich: Focus on Obama puppy 'fairly stupid'

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News of the arrival of the new first puppy has already caused a partisan split between Newt Gingrich and CNN Contributor Donna Brazile.

Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich weighed in Sunday on news that the first family has finally settled on a new puppy for daughters Malia and Sasha.

“I hope that the girls love the dog,” Gingrich said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I hope the family – and all the pressure they’re going to be in – finds it useful. And I think that this whole thing is fairly stupid.”

The six-month-old puppy is a Portuguese water dog that the Obamas have decided to name Bo. The dog is a gift to the first family from Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, a longtime Obama political ally who also owns several dogs of the breed.

“It’s great that they have a dog. It’s great that the kids are adjusting,” Gingrich said. “And where they got it from – who cares? It’s a nice gesture on Senator Kennedy’s part to give it to them but who cares?” Gingrich added.

Perhaps it was a partisan difference, but Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Donna Brazile had kinder words for the new first puppy.

“What’s not to like about this dog?” Brazile said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. “He’s cute. He’s adorable. But, I hope he’s potty trained,” she joked

Top U.S. general in Iraq: I believe we'll be gone by late 2011

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General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander on the ground in Iraq, said Sunday that he believes U.S. troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011.

CNN Chief National Correspondent John King asked Odierno to rate his confidence, on a scale of one to ten, that U.S. troops would be out by the agreed upon timeline between the U.S. and Iraqi governments.

“As you ask me today, I believe it’s a ten – that we will be gone by 2011.”

Odierno, one of the key architects of the surge strategy in Iraq, also weighed in Sunday on the new president’s approach to the troubled nation.

“He’s our commander-in-chief,” Odierno said of President Barack Obama, whose opposition to the Iraq war and to the surge strategy became trademarks during the 2008 White House race. “As our commander-in-chief, we take direction from him.”

“He’s very attentive. He listens. He’s incredibly intelligent. He talks through the issues. . . .He makes a decision and then we execute those decisions and that’s all you can expect out of your commander-in-chief. And I’ve been very pleased with the interaction that I’ve been able to have with him.”

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On a lighter note, Odierno also discussed his new Facebook page with King. “I think it’s important that people can reach out and ask questions,” Odierno said of his new online social networking presence. “Maybe [I can] educate them a little bit more on what’s going on here in Iraq and get to know us a little bit better.”

“This is new for me. This is new ground so we’ll see how it goes. But I’m actually pretty excited about it.”

It did not take long for Facebook users to respond to Odierno’s appearance on State of the Union. One commenter on Odierno’s Facebook page said the general was “representing the USA well,” in the interview. “Thank you for that and for all you do for us at home and all those brave men & women you supply leadership & direction,” the commenter added.

Obama daughters to get Portuguese water dog named 'Bo'

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The president is finally fulfilling an important campaign promise — to get his daughters a new puppy now that his campaign is over.

frenzy over the First Dog is finally over. The Obamas are welcoming a Portuguese water dog to the White House that Sasha and Malia have named "Bo," according to two Democratic sources familiar with the secretive process.

The sources confirmed an account in Sunday's Washington Post that Sen. Edward Kennedy, who has three Portuguese water dogs, played a critical role in lining up the pup.

The puppy is set to be officially unveiled to the world on Tuesday after the Obamas host their first White House Easter egg roll on Monday.

White House hit by swarm of bees

White House hit by swarm of bees

Beekeeper Charlie Brandts was dispatched Thursday to deal with a swarm of bees on the White House grounds.

Secret Service is always on the alert for aerial assaults — but on Thursday, White House grounds were hit by one unexpected airborne threat.

A swarm of honey bees took over a bush located between the Northwest security gate of the White House and the area where television networks stand-up positions are located early Thursday.

CNN photojournalist John Bodnar said he came through the Northwest gate around 12:30 pm and was warned about the bees by Secret Service on duty in the guard post. "I walked out and thought it was a swirl of blossoms blowing in the wind, but turns out it was a swarm of bees," he says. Half an hour later, they were still issuing warnings."

White House carpenter Charlie Brandts, who is also a beekeeper and will be managing two bee hives in Michelle Obama's garden, came over to the area around shortly before 2 pm wearing protective gear and carrying a cardboard box. Brandts was reportedly able to get the queen bee in the cardboard box and many, though not all, of the other bees followed. CNN has not yet been able to confirm the capture of the winged invaders.

Actor Kal Penn joining the Obama administration

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Actor Kal Penn, shown in this file photo greeting Obama just days before his inauguration, will be joining the White House Office of Public Liaison.

Actor and longtime Obama supporter Kal Penn is joining the Obama administration, the White House confirmed to CNN Tuesday.

The actor will be part of the White House Office of Public Liaison, which is run by Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Penn will be primarily involved in dealing with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and the arts community.

Penn's new gig was , which shares parent company Time Warner with CNN.

Penn told EW.com that the new position comes after some soul-searching.

There was "'something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while'" Penn said he told the executive producers of the TV series "House" when he explained his decision to get involved with politics full-time.

The actor also said his interest in politics has deep roots. "I've been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. . . . .probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service."

"It's probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more."

But Penn also is leaving the door open to returning to acting at some later point. "Who's to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won't be acting," Penn told EW.com

Penn endorsed Obama's White House bid in late 2007, and was a frequent campaign surrogate on the trail last year.

Clinton team offers American Idol tickets to backers

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Hillary Clinton's camp is offering up a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' to her supporters: American Idol season finale tickets.

Hillary Clinton's camp is offering up a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to her supporters: American Idol season finale tickets.

In an e-mail sent to online supporters on the former democratic presidential candidate's e-mail list serve, democratic strategist James Carville solicited donations from backers to help Clinton pay off her campaign debt.

A contribution will enter participants in a contest to win one of three prizes: a day attending events with former President Bill Clinton followed by "your own special weekend" in New York City, a lunch and political conversation in DC with Democratic political strategists James Carville and Paul Begala, or the chance to attend the American Idol season finale in Los Angeles.

"Your contribution today not only gives you the chance at winning one of these fantastic prizes - it'll also help our dear friend, Hillary Clinton, pay off the very last of her campaign debt," Carville appeals in the e-mail.

Upon suspending her campaign in June 2008, Clinton's debt peaked at $25.2 million, but has since dropped to less than $6 million.

Romney: Obama 'will not always be wrong'

Popular Posts -Romney: Obama 'will not always be wrong'

Romney is a possible 2012 contender.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is “keeping active politically,” according to an aide, and on Wednesday his busy travel schedule brought him to Washington to help raise money for Senate Republicans hoping to gain leverage against President Obama in the 2010 mid-term elections.

But in a speech to a fundraising dinner for the National Republican Senatorial Committee that raised over $2 million, Romney often struck a bipartisan tone in front a crowd that might have been expecting a heavy dose of rally-the-troops conservatism.

“I also think its important for us to nod to the president when he’s right,” Romney said, after chiding the president’s budget. “He will not always be wrong, and he’s done some things I agree with.”

Romney said he’s pleased with the president’s plans to “finish the job” in Iraq and Afghanistan – lines that drew cheers from the GOP audience — and he applauded the president for standing up to the auto industry.

“I hope he continues to be tough and shows some backbone because that industry is not going to make it unless we have real backbone and get those guys to fundamentally restructure all of their obligations,” said Romney, who could challenge Obama for the presidency in 2012.

The former businessman even offered some faint praise for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, saying that after a series of initial missteps, “I think he’s finally getting close to the right answer.”

Romney, speaking without notes or teleprompter, ultimately drew a familiar line in the sand between Democrats, who he said favor heavy-handed government, and Republicans, who prefer individual freedom and free enterprise. The language was reminiscent of his campaign stump speech from 2007 and 2008.

“I think the American people are seeing through what’s happening,” he said. “The Democrats are trying to use this crisis as a way to advance their philosophy of the supremacy of government, and I don’t think they’re being fooled.”

Romney claimed the president “incorrectly believes that the 2008 elections settled the great issues that divide America. I don’t believe that’s the case. I watched the debates. The great issues were rarely discussed at all.”

Twenty-six GOP senators attended the dinner, which was held at the Newseum and set under a massive projection screen bearing the slogan: “Republican senators vow to regain majority in 2010.”

Romney’s former rival for the Republican presidential nomination, John McCain, was not among those attending. Even though he’s up for re-election in 2010 and may need an assist from the NRSC, an aide to McCain said he was working late on his proposed alternative to the president's budget.

Palin as VP pick: 'high risk, high reward'

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A.B. Culvahouse said Palin would have 'made a great vice president.'

.B. Culvahouse, the attorney tasked with leading the vetting process for Republican presidential nominee John McCain's running mate, said Friday that he thoroughly scrutinized Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and said that he "came away impressed."

McCain's vetting process came under scrutiny after numerous surprises about Palin popped up in the weeks after she was tapped as his vice presidential pick. Culvahouse said he and his team of 30 lawyers knew everything, including the fact that her teenage daughter was pregnant. He suggested that the campaign staff that talked to the media may not have been fully informed, which "led to the impression that those issues had been withheld."

"Gov. Palin told us everything. Everything except the pregnancy of her daughter was on a response to the written questionnaire," Culvahouse said Friday at a Republican National Lawyers Association National Policy Conference. "She told me there was one issue she wanted to talk about when we went in for the interview. We knew everything going in."

Culvahouse said they started with 26 candidates who didn't know they were under consideration. Once the list was narrowed down to six, each person was given a survey with 74 questions, which he said included specific questions, like "have you ever been unfaithful," but not "what the meaning of is, is."

"Me and two of my most cynical partners interviewed her and we came away impressed," Culvahouse said of his interview with Palin. "I think she would've made a great vice president."

He said he gave her three "leading" questions, asking if she was prepared to use nuclear weapons, why she wanted to be vice president, and if the CIA located Osama bin Laden, but shooting him would result in civilian casualties, what would she do. Culvahouse said she "knocked those three questions out of the park."

Culvahouse said McCain was the "decider," but that he was not allowed to pick anyone that had not been vetted. But when McCain asked him for the "bottom line" on Palin, Culvahouse said the Republican nominee liked the "risk" involved.

"I said, John, high risk, high reward," Culvahouse said. "His response, you shouldn't have told me that. I've been a risk-taker all my life."

Ex-McCain aide to call for gay marriage support

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At a gathering of a gay Republican group, Steve Schmidt will make the case Friday that the Republican Party should support same-sex marriage.

Schmidt, a key architect of John McCain's presidential campaign, is making his first public return to Washington a bold one.

Schmidt will use a speech Friday to Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, to urge conservative Republicans to drop their opposition to same-sex marriage, CNN has learned.

"There is a sound conservative argument to be made for same-sex marriage," Schmidt will say, according to speech excerpts obtained by CNN. "I believe conservatives, more than liberals, insist that rights come with responsibilities. No other exercise of one's liberty comes with greater responsibilities than marriage."

Schmidt makes both policy and political arguments for a Republican embrace of same-sex marriage.

On the policy front, Schmidt likens the fight for gay rights to civil rights and women's rights, and he admonishes conservatives who argue for the protection of the unborn as a God-given right, but against protections for same-sex couples.

"It cannot be argued that marriage between people of the same sex is un American or threatens the rights of others," he says in the speech. "On the contrary, it seems to me that denying two consenting adults of the same sex the right to form a lawful union that is protected and respected by the state denies them two of the most basic natural rights affirmed in the preamble of our Declaration of Independence — liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

"That, I believe, gives the argument of same sex marriage proponents its moral force," Schmidt will say.

Politically, he will say that becoming more open and accepting is critical to reversing an alarming trend for Republicans — a shrinking coalition. He will note that Republicans should be especially concerned that McCain got crushed by Barack Obama among voters under 30, who are generally more accepting of gay couples and at odds with the GOP.

"Some Republicans believe the period of self-examination within the party necessitated by the loss of our majority status is mostly a question of whether the party should become more moderate or conservative. I think that's a false choice. We need to grow our coalition, but as I said, that's hard to do if we lose some votes while gaining others," says Schmidt.

Schmidt had previously expressed his personal support for gay marriage. Last month, he told the Washington Blade newspaper that he is in favor of legalizing it and that he voted against California's Proposition 8, which overturned a court ruling that had legalized the unions in that state.

In making the case, Schmidt is putting himself at odds with the position of John McCain, whose 2008 campaign he effectively ran.

McCain rarely talked about same-sex marriage or other social issues, but when he did, he made clear he was in line with social conservatives in opposing same-sex marriage.

"Have no doubt about my commitment to the unique status and sanctity of marriage between man and woman," McCain said on the campaign trail.

McCain's daughter Meghan has become a vocal advocate in recent months for gay marriage, and is slated to participate in the Log Cabin Republican convention this weekend.

In his speech Friday, Schmidt will acknowledge that his is a "minority view" in the GOP, but will also say, "I'm confident American public opinion will continue to move on the question toward majority support, and sooner or later the Republican Party will catch up to it."

Report: Gov. Palin's father slams teenage dad

Popular Posts - Report: Gov. Palin's father slams teenage dad

Gov. Palin's father reportedly told a magazine that he wished Levi Johnston would buy some diapers for his infant grandson. Johnston is pictured here sitting with Bristol Palin last year at the Republican National Convention.

A third generation of the Palin clan is getting in on the increasingly public feud between the family of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the family of Levi Johnston, Bristol Palin’s ex-fiance who is the father of Gov. Sarah Palin’s infant grandson.

In an issue of US weekly that hit newsstands Wednesday, Chuck Heath, the governor’s father and Bristol Palin’s grandfather, told the magazine that Johnston "’has not contributed anything’" for the infant son, Tripp, he fathered with Bristol.

The strife between the Johnston and Palin clans reached a new level recently when Johnston, his sister, and his mother tried in television interviews to dispel what the Johnstons called false rumors about them.

After an initial appearance by the Johnstons on the Tyra Banks show, a spokesperson for Governor Palin said the teenage father had lied about ever having lived in the Palins' home. Days later, the teenage father struck back in a second interview on CBS, complaining about how the the Palin family is treating him now.

Related: Palin statement fueled coverage, reporters say

In the US Weekly interview, Heath took issue with Johnston’s recent media rounds.

"'I don't agree with what he's doing right now,’" Heath told the magazine. "'It's not right. He's broke, so he's trying to capitalize on this. I wish he’d take some of this money he’s making and buy some diapers with it.’"

In the Johnstons’ interview with Tyra Banks, the talk show host made a point of emphasizing that the family was not being paid for appearing on her show.

Palin revealed that her unmarried daughter was pregnant soon after being named as the runningmate of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain. Johnston joined the Palin family at the Republican National Convention.

The two teenagers had plans to marry but their relationship ended after the birth of their son.

Johnston and his family said in their recent interviews that Johnston is permitted to visit with his son at the Palin home but is not permitted to take the child away from the home.