Jackson Trial: Mum 'Seeks £25bn' From AEG

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Michael Jackson's family is taking the promoter of his ill-fated comeback tour to court, reportedly claiming tens of billions of dollars from AEG Live.

The civil proceedings in downtown Los Angeles will focus on the Jacksons' claim the company was guilty of the "negligent hiring" of Dr Conrad Murray, the physician now in prison for killing Jackson.

One of the headlines in the US promises that this will be "The Wildest Jackson Trial Yet" - as the life and death of the King Of Pop is about to get another airing in court.

Jackson's mother Katherine and children are believed to be seeking £25bn, including £5bn loss of future earnings - figures which are staggering even to seasoned US legal analysts.

As the court begins the task of selecting jurors for a trial that could last nine weeks, the media war between the two sides has stepped up a notch.

Jackson's son Prince is expected to testify at the trial

The Jackson family were already thought to be planning to call the star's 16-year-old son Prince to give evidence. The teenager is expected to testify about witnessing his father's last moments.

Now we hear that another Prince, the pop star of that name, could also be called by the Jacksons to testify about his experiences with AEG.

Already many of the emails the Jacksons will rely on in court - electronic conversations between senior figures at AEG - have been leaked to the media.

It is understood AEG will argue  they were not responsible for Murray or what happened to Jackson.

As part of their evidence, the judge has ruled they can bring up details of Jackson's child molestation trial.

Conrad Murray has refused to give evidence

It has been reported they will also seek to show that the star had drug issues well before he met Murray.

Murray himself is said to have refused to give evidence in the case while his own appeal against conviction is ongoing.

One of the most significant moments will come before the trial even starts: the judge Yvette Palazuelous will rule on an application for live television cameras to be in court.

She has refused so far but those challenging that ruling say the very principle of justice for the millions who will not have a seat in court means them being able to watch it on TV.

They point to the massive global television interest in the trial of Murray and the importance of the public seeing justice at work.

It is an argument that holds a lot of sway in the US and especially in California, with decades of precedent for televising court proceedings.

Her ruling is eagerly awaited by the media and by Jackson's millions of fans around the world, many of whom have lingering questions about his death.

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China: Drunk Man Dangles From Power Cables

A drunk man found himself dangling nine metres (30ft) above the ground from high-tension cables after climbing up a utility pole in China.

The man moved along the cables for 15 minutes - unaware of the danger - while one firefighter climbed up the pole to persuade him to get down.

The power supply to the area had been cut off to prevent him from being electrocuted.

The man continued to the middle of two poles on the cables, then loosened his hands and legs before dropping onto another layer of cables.

As shocked onlookers watched from below, he eventually fell onto a net set up by firefighters. He later told a reporter that he drank a lot in a bad mood.

Medical staff said the man sustained no injuries except the excessive alcohol in his body.

The incident happened in downtown Linfen, in north China's Shanxi Province.

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North Korea To Restart Nuclear Reactor

North Korea will restart all nuclear facilities including its shuttered Yongbyon reactor, the official KCNA news service has said.

It will rebuild and resume its mothballed uranium enrichment facility and the 5 MW Yongbyon reactor, which was closed in 2007 as part of a disarmament-for-aid talks that have since stalled.

When it is fully running the reactor is capable of churning out one atomic bomb worth of plutonium - the most common fuel in nuclear weapons - a year.

A nuclear energy spokesman said the move was being made in line with a policy of "bolstering the nuclear armed force both in quality and quantity" as well as solving "acute" electricity shortages.

Kim Jong-Un has said the North is at war with South Korea

It wasn't immediately clear if North Korea had already begun work to restart facilities and experts estimate it could take anywhere from three months to a year to reactivate the reactor.

In response, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that "nuclear threats are not a game".

"The current crisis has already gone too far. Things must begin to calm down. There is no need for the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to be on a collision course with the international community," he said at a press conference.

China, Pyongyang's only major supporter, unusually described the north's plans as "regrettable".            

The step will boost fears in Washington and among its allies about North Korea's push for nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US, technology it is not currently believed to have.

A cooling tower being demolished at Yongbyon nuclear plant in 2008

The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has been issuing daily war-like threats in recent weeks, including one to launch missile attacks on American targets in the region. He also claims the North is in a "state of war" with South Korea.

The rising rhetoric has been met by a display of US military strength including flights of nuclear-capable bombers and stealth jets at annual South Korean-US military drills.

Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test in February, prompting UN sanctions that have angered its leaders and led to the current tensions.

The country has since declared that making nuclear arms and a stronger economy are the nation's top priorities.

The country added the 5 MW graphite-moderated Yongbyon reactor to its nuclear complex in 1986 after seven years of construction, adding the operation is aimed at generating electricity.

It takes about 8,000 fuel rods to run the reactor. Reprocessing the spent fuel rods after a year of reactor operation could yield about seven kilogrammes of plutonium - enough to make at least one nuclear bomb, experts say.

North Korea began building a 50 MW and a 200 MW reactor in 1984, but their construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with Washington.

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Brazil: CCTV Catches Police 'Ignoring' Murders

Eight Brazilian police officers have been arrested after security camera footage showed two teenagers being murdered as officers in a police car parked metres away apparently did nothing.

The footage, which was shown on Brazilian television, showed two men on a motorcycle gunning down two youngsters in the popular Bras neighbourhood of Sao Paulo.

Images from a separate camera show that at the time of the murders, a military police vehicle was parked around 50m away from where the victims were shot.

Police on patrol in a shantytown in Rio

After the shooting it was seen simply driving off in scenes that the Civilian Police Director of Sao Paulo described as "shocking".

She said: "We are working to find the third youth who was seen in the images and managed to flee."

The arrests came as police in Rio de Janeiro arrested three men in connection with the rape of an American student on a minibus.

The 21-year-old, who was studying in the city, was subjected to a horrific six-hour sex attack on the vehicle as her French boyfriend was forced to look on.

The couple boarded the bus in Copacabana and headed to Lapa, a trendy area home to popular bars and dance clubs.

Police in riot training preparation for the World Cup in 2014

Two men who also boarded the minibus ordered the rest of the passengers to get off and handcuffed their victims.

They then proceeded to beat the young man with a metal bar and rape the young woman as they rode around the city.

The incidents will be a damaging blow to Brazil, which is seeking to improve its image on crime, ahead of the World Cup next year and the Olympic Games, which will be hosted in Rio in 2016.

Sao Paul has seen a surge in violent crime in recent years and police in the country have been accused of excessive use of force and taking bribes from drugs gangs.

Reconstruction works at the Maracana stadium in Brazil

In December, Brazilian authorities arrested 61 police officers accusing them of taking bribes from drug traffickers to turn a blind eye to criminal activity in Rio.

The country had to reassure soccer fans on Saturday after rioting erupted before a match at a 2014 World Cup venue among angry fans in the northeastern city of Salvador.

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Burma Fire: Boys Killed In Mosque Dormitory

At least 13 boys have been killed after a fire ripped through their makeshift home at an Islamic school in Burma.

Officials said the blaze in Rangoon was started by an electric fault "and not due to any criminal activity".

"The fire, caused by the overheating of the transformer placed under the staircase, spread, trapping the boys sleeping in the attic. As a result, 13 twelve-year-old boys died of suffocation after inhaling smoke," a fire service officer said in a statement.

However, many Burmese Muslims voiced concerns the mosque had been targeted in a sectarian attack following violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila in March.

"The whole country is worried now for Yangon (Rangoon), and is wondering whether this was a crime," Ye Naung Thein, secretary of Muslim organisation Myanmar Mawlwy federation, said.

Prayers are held for the 13 victims of the fire

The violence, which Rangoon largely avoided, has killed dozens of people and displaced more than 10,000.

A teacher who helped evacuate survivors said he had smelt petrol during the blaze, a claim repeated by several other witnesses.

"I think someone started the fire intentionally," Khin Maung Hla said.

A police cordon was set up around the mosque after the fire

Police officer Thet Lwin said the mosque in eastern Rangoon sheltered about 75 orphans, and most escaped unharmed by running out of a door after police knocked it open.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and the two-storey building was charred but intact.

The fire service said it was setting up a team to investigate the blaze with the police, the electricity company and representatives of Muslim groups.

At least 5,000 people attended a funeral service for the victims

Colonel Win Naing, chief of Rangoon Division police, said a case had been opened that could lead to action for negligent homicide being taken against those responsible for the mosque.

An official at the mosque where the surviving children were now being housed said that an imam had been taken in for questioning.

Neighbours and witnesses said the doors to the dormitory may have been locked due to security concerns following the sectarian violence.

At least 5,000 people attended a funeral service for the victims on Tuesday afternoon.

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Cyprus: Finance Minister Quits Amid Bank Probe

Cyprus has appointed a new Finance Minister, just hours after the incumbent resigned amid the launch of an investigation into its dramatic banking sector bailout.

The Greek Cypriot government named Harris Georgiades as the new minister to replace Michael Sarris.

Mr Georgiades will be sworn in on Wednesday, a government statement said.

Mr Sarris resigned after the investigation was ordered into how the country's economy nearly collapsed last month.

President Nicos Anastasiades confirmed he had accepted the resignation of Mr Sarris.

Mr Sarris has faced strong criticism for his handling of Cyprus's negotiations with its international creditors.

He also headed the country's troubled Laiki bank last year in a bid to save it from collapse.

Mr Sarris told reporters he decided to step down to ease the investigation, which was ordered on Tuesday.

He was previously the Labour Minister and Deputy Finance Minister in Cyprus' embattled government, which assumed power barely a month ago.

Cyprus has been given a 10bn euro (£8.5bn) bailout by its European partners and the International Monetary Fund, after its bloated banking sector threatened to destroy the economy.

Large accounts have been hit with a hefty levy and the southern Cypriot banking system endured a forced bank holiday for two weeks amid fears of a run on banks.

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Survivor Doctor Kills Himself After Show Death

A doctor working on France's version of the reality TV show Survivor has committed suicide following the death of a contestant last month.

Thierry Costa killed himself on Monday in Cambodia, where the new season of Koh Lanta: The Revenge Of The Heroes was being filmed, according to French broadcaster TF1.

The 38-year-old left a suicide note blaming the media for smearing his name following the death of Gerald Babin from a heart attack during the first day of filming in March.

Copies of the handwritten letter on hotel stationery appeared in the French media, which stated the family had approved the publication.

Contestant Gerald Babin

"Unjust accusations and assumptions have been made against me," he wrote. "I am sure I treated Gerald with respect as a patient and not as a contestant."

An "involuntary homicide" investigation was launched following Mr Babin's death.

According to production company Adventure Line Productions, the contestant complained of arm cramps during one of the challenges set for contestants and received emergency medical care from Mr Costa.

He had reportedly taken part in a swim to shore from a boat and a tug-of-war.

Mr Babin was airlifted to hospital but later died.

Mr Costa was the doctor on four seasons of the show.

Cambodian police said at the time that there were no suspicious circumstances.

However, anonymous accusations have appeared in the media accusing Mr Costa and Adventure Line of negligence, a charge that all parties vehemently denied.

In a statement, TF1 said it "shares the pain" of the Costa family.

Filming was cancelled after Mr Babin's death and the contestants all returned home.

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Ukraine: Anti-Government Protests Rock Kiev

Thousands of protesters rallied outside Ukraine's parliament to press for early mayoral elections in Kiev - in the biggest such action against the president this year.

Protesters hold a rally outside parliament

The crowd, led by the country's main opposition parties, also held banners calling for the release of jailed opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The direct target was Olexander Popov, who was appointed by President Viktor Yanukovich as head of Kiev city's administration and now effectively mayor of the capital.

Riot police stand guard in Kiev

The ruling Party of the Regions is pushing for the Kiev mayoral election to be delayed for two years until after the 2015 presidential election, in which Mr Yanukovich is expected to run for a second term.

The last mayor, who left office in mid-2012, was effectively replaced by Mr Popov and opposition leaders are pushing for a vote in early June.

Interior Ministry members stand guard during the protest

Banners read "Popov as mayor means Kiev dies" and "Do not let Yanukovich steal elections from the people of Kiev" in a show of strength by the opposition which performed well in a parliamentary election in October.

The demonstration came as Ukraine's leaders hesitate between forging closer ties with the European Union or aligning themselves more closely with former Soviet master Russia.

Crowds demanded early mayoral elections

The European Union warned Mr Yanukovich in February that a free trade deal could be jeopardised if Ukraine did not show progress towards political reform by May.

For the EU, the deal is conditional on improved human rights and ending the practice of "selective justice" - meaning the jailing of political opponents such as Ms Tymoshenko, Mr Yanukovich's arch rival who is serving a seven-year jail sentence for abuse of office.

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China: Four More Cases Of New Bird Flu Strain

China has confirmed that four more people in one province are seriously ill with a bird flu virus new to humans that has already killed two people.

The health bureau of eastern Jiangsu province said on its website that three women, aged 45, 48 and 32, and an 83-year-old man, from different cities in the province, were all critically ill with the H7N9 virus.

One of the patients, from Nanjing city, worked slaughtering live poultry, but the others had no such contact.

The four cases did not appear to be connected, and people who have had close contact with the patients have not reported any symptoms, it said.

The provincial health bureau said it was strengthening measures to monitor suspicious cases and urged the public to stay calm.

It joins Beijing and China's financial capital, Shanghai, in rolling out new steps to respond to the relatively unknown virus.

The four latest cases follow three earlier ones reported on Sunday, including two men who died in Shanghai earlier in March.

A news conference on bird flu was held in Shanghai

The city responded by activating an emergency plan that calls for heightened monitoring of suspicious flu cases in schools, hospitals and retirement facilities.

The level-3 response plan, the second-lowest in a four-stage scale, reflects higher concern after the H7N9 bird flu virus led to the deaths of two men in Shanghai and left a woman seriously ill in the city of Chuzhou 230 miles west.

"The health bureau will take effective and powerful measures to prevent and control the disease, to make sure the flu epidemic is effectively guarded against and to safeguard the health of the city's residents," said Xu Jianguang, head of the Shanghai Health Bureau.

The H7N9 strain, so named for the combination of proteins on its surface, has previously been considered not easily transmitted to humans.

The more virulent H5N1 strain, which began ravaging poultry across Asia in 2003, has since killed 360 people worldwide. China has reported two deaths from that strain this year.

Health officials said this week there was no evidence that any of the three earlier H7N9 cases, who were infected over the past two months, had contracted the disease from each other, and no sign of infection in the 88 people who had closest contact with them.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has played down fears over the new type of bird flu, but said it was crucial to find out how the virus infected humans.

"It is of concern to WHO and we will be following this with the health authorities in China to know more," spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said before the new cases were announced.

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Goal-Line Technology: Fifa Picks German Firm

Fifa will use the GoalControl goal-line technology system for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - after it has been trialled at the Confederations Cup in June.

The German company's camera-based, ball-tracking system GoalControl-4D uses 14 high-speed cameras which are located around the pitch and directed at both goals.

If successful at the 16-match Confederations Cup this summer, it will be installed at the stadia hosting World Cup matches next year.

Football's rule-making panel approved goal-line technology last July.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter pushed for it to be used in Brazil after England midfielder Frank Lampard's disallowed against Germany at the 2010 World Cup.

GoalControl was selected ahead of three other companies: GoalRef and Cairos, which both use magnetic fields, and British-based Hawk-Eye, another camera system considered the favourite.

Hawk-Eye is already used in tennis and cricket and its English parent company was bought by World Cup sponsor Sony Corp before it began Fifa-endorsed testing in 2011.

All four systems met Fifa's demand that a signal is transmitted to the referee's watch within one second if a goal should be awarded.

Fifa said: "While all four companies had previously met the stringent technical requirements of the Fifa quality programme, the final decision was based on criteria relating more specifically to the tournaments in Brazil.

"(This included) the company's ability to adapt to local conditions and the compatibility of each GLT (goal-line technology) system in relation to Fifa match operations.

"The respective bids were also judged on cost and project management factors such as staffing and time schedules for installation.

"The use of GoalControl-4D in Brazil is subject to a final installation test at each stadium where the system will be installed."

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