Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows:
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AP, ABC's "This Week" — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty
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NBC's "Meet the Press" — Reps. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Bobby Schilling, R-Ill.; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; Martin Indyk, former U.S. ambassador to Israel.
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CBS' "Face the Nation" — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Egyptian-American scholar and Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail; Egypt's ambassador to the U.S., Sameh Shoukry; Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei
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CNN's "State of the Union" — John Negroponte, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N.; Edward Walker, former U.S. ambassador to Egypt; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; White House budget director Jacob Lew.
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"Fox News Sunday" — Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Miss.; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Fox: No plans to hire Lindsay Lohan for 'X-Factor'
AP, LOS ANGELES: Lindsay Lohan's escalating legal woes have been accompanied by rumors about the future of her career.
But a spokeswoman for Fox's upcoming "The X-Factor" says the talent show isn't part of the equation.
Ann-Marie Thomson said Saturday that producers have not talked to Lohan (LOH'-un) about joining the show, despite online speculation that the troubled actress was being courted as a judge.
"The X-Factor" is the creation of former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. It is set to premiere in the fall.
Lohan was arraigned this week on a charge that she stole a $2,500 necklace from an upscale Los Angeles jeweler.
But a spokeswoman for Fox's upcoming "The X-Factor" says the talent show isn't part of the equation.
Ann-Marie Thomson said Saturday that producers have not talked to Lohan (LOH'-un) about joining the show, despite online speculation that the troubled actress was being courted as a judge.
"The X-Factor" is the creation of former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. It is set to premiere in the fall.
Lohan was arraigned this week on a charge that she stole a $2,500 necklace from an upscale Los Angeles jeweler.
First Bieber, then Dylan at Grammy rehearsals
AP, LOS ANGELES: Newcomers and seasoned musicians took turns Saturday on the Staples Center stage during Grammy rehearsals.
Pop star Justin Bieber and his mentor, Usher, kicked off with a medley that began with the 16-year-old best new artist nominee on his acoustic guitar, then launching into an amped-up version of his new song, "Never Say Never." Usher, a five-time Grammy winner up for two more awards Sunday, followed with his dance track "OMG."
Both singers were backed by pyrotechnic effects and a stage full of dancers. Bieber's number also featured fire-breathers, twirling gymnasts and an appearance by tiny 12-year-old rapper Jaden Smith.
There were no special effects during Mumford & Sons' performance of their hit, "The Cave." The seven-piece folk band, also nominated for best new artist, played acoustically on a bare stage, followed by fellow folksters the Avett Brothers, who sang their song, "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise."
String players from the two bands — guitarists, bassists, a cellist and two banjo players — joined with other guitarists to back folk icon Bob Dylan, a 10-time Grammy winner who is making a rare appearance on the music industry awards show.
The 69-year-old rocker, who wore jeans, a hooded sweatshirt and a knit cap to rehearsals, let out a guttural voice far larger than his diminutive frame as he sang his 1965 blues track, "Maggie's Farm," backed by a chorus of strings.
Other performers set to take the stage during Sunday's ceremony include Dr. Dre, Rihanna, Eminem, Katy Perry, Barbra Streisand, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga.
The Grammy Awards will be presented at Staples Center and broadcast on CBS.
Pop star Justin Bieber and his mentor, Usher, kicked off with a medley that began with the 16-year-old best new artist nominee on his acoustic guitar, then launching into an amped-up version of his new song, "Never Say Never." Usher, a five-time Grammy winner up for two more awards Sunday, followed with his dance track "OMG."
Both singers were backed by pyrotechnic effects and a stage full of dancers. Bieber's number also featured fire-breathers, twirling gymnasts and an appearance by tiny 12-year-old rapper Jaden Smith.
There were no special effects during Mumford & Sons' performance of their hit, "The Cave." The seven-piece folk band, also nominated for best new artist, played acoustically on a bare stage, followed by fellow folksters the Avett Brothers, who sang their song, "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise."
String players from the two bands — guitarists, bassists, a cellist and two banjo players — joined with other guitarists to back folk icon Bob Dylan, a 10-time Grammy winner who is making a rare appearance on the music industry awards show.
The 69-year-old rocker, who wore jeans, a hooded sweatshirt and a knit cap to rehearsals, let out a guttural voice far larger than his diminutive frame as he sang his 1965 blues track, "Maggie's Farm," backed by a chorus of strings.
Other performers set to take the stage during Sunday's ceremony include Dr. Dre, Rihanna, Eminem, Katy Perry, Barbra Streisand, Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga.
The Grammy Awards will be presented at Staples Center and broadcast on CBS.
Rome booked out for John Paul II beatification
AFP, ROME: More than two million pilgrims are expected to throng the streets of Rome for the beatification ceremony of John Paul II on May 1, leaving travel agencies desperate for accommodation and hotel prices soaring.
The Vatican expects as many as two and a half million people to flock to the ceremony, according to Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The ceremony will be led by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter's Square, where John Paul II's funeral took place only six years ago.
"Since the beatification announcement, bookings have exploded," said Giuseppe Roscioli, head of Federalberghi Roma, which represents around 500 hotels and offers around 90,000 of the capital's 150,000 beds.
Hotels and city authorities are bracing themselves for crowds as big as the ones that descended on the Vatican when John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, after a pontificate that spanned a quarter century.
Roscioli said the Vatican's decision to hold the celebration on May 1 complicated matters, because it coincides with a public holiday in much of Europe and is a peak period of tourism in Italy.
"It's like wanting to organise an event in Monaco during the Formula One Grand Prix. It's absurd. It?s obvious that the Vatican's calendar has nothing to do with day-to-day life," he said.
"Our hotels published this year's prices last year, when we had no idea what date the beatification would be. If a hotel wants to raise its prices it risks being punished by the law," said Roscioli.
However, since the date was announced, prices have sky-rocketed. Some two-star hotels are hoping for 330 euros ($447) a night and some four-stars are asking 1,760 euros ($2,386) for a suite.
Specialist religious tourism agency Raptim said it has been swamped by requests from Africa, Brazil and John Paul II's homeland of Poland in particular.
"We have 500 people on the waiting list and we're still getting requests!" said group leader Gabriella Pandolfini.
Despite logistical problems plaguing some pilgrims planning their trip to Rome, excitement reigns in one of the city's most unusual watering holes, Pub John Paul II, which opened last year in the city centre.
"John Paul II is the saint for youth and we want this place to be a place to remember him," said Massimo Camussi, who is organising musical evenings and film showings at the pub in the run-up to the beatification.
The pub first opened as a kind of permanent reminder of World Youth Day, which was celebrated in Rome to mark the Catholic Church's Jubilee in 2000.
The Vatican has yet to publish the details for the big day, but sources suggest a vigil may be held in Rome's Circus Maximus arena the evening before the beatification, with a mass in St. Peter's Square on the day.
The Vatican square will be open from midnight the night before the ceremony and entrance to the basilica will be free for pilgrims.
The celebrations may turn out to cost Rome's city hall dearly though. When mourners flocked for John Paul II's funeral, the city's cleaning bill came to eight million euros.
The Vatican expects as many as two and a half million people to flock to the ceremony, according to Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The ceremony will be led by Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter's Square, where John Paul II's funeral took place only six years ago.
"Since the beatification announcement, bookings have exploded," said Giuseppe Roscioli, head of Federalberghi Roma, which represents around 500 hotels and offers around 90,000 of the capital's 150,000 beds.
Hotels and city authorities are bracing themselves for crowds as big as the ones that descended on the Vatican when John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, after a pontificate that spanned a quarter century.
Roscioli said the Vatican's decision to hold the celebration on May 1 complicated matters, because it coincides with a public holiday in much of Europe and is a peak period of tourism in Italy.
"It's like wanting to organise an event in Monaco during the Formula One Grand Prix. It's absurd. It?s obvious that the Vatican's calendar has nothing to do with day-to-day life," he said.
"Our hotels published this year's prices last year, when we had no idea what date the beatification would be. If a hotel wants to raise its prices it risks being punished by the law," said Roscioli.
However, since the date was announced, prices have sky-rocketed. Some two-star hotels are hoping for 330 euros ($447) a night and some four-stars are asking 1,760 euros ($2,386) for a suite.
Specialist religious tourism agency Raptim said it has been swamped by requests from Africa, Brazil and John Paul II's homeland of Poland in particular.
"We have 500 people on the waiting list and we're still getting requests!" said group leader Gabriella Pandolfini.
Despite logistical problems plaguing some pilgrims planning their trip to Rome, excitement reigns in one of the city's most unusual watering holes, Pub John Paul II, which opened last year in the city centre.
"John Paul II is the saint for youth and we want this place to be a place to remember him," said Massimo Camussi, who is organising musical evenings and film showings at the pub in the run-up to the beatification.
The pub first opened as a kind of permanent reminder of World Youth Day, which was celebrated in Rome to mark the Catholic Church's Jubilee in 2000.
The Vatican has yet to publish the details for the big day, but sources suggest a vigil may be held in Rome's Circus Maximus arena the evening before the beatification, with a mass in St. Peter's Square on the day.
The Vatican square will be open from midnight the night before the ceremony and entrance to the basilica will be free for pilgrims.
The celebrations may turn out to cost Rome's city hall dearly though. When mourners flocked for John Paul II's funeral, the city's cleaning bill came to eight million euros.
US lawmaker resigns after online personal ad flap
AFP, WASHINGTON: A married US lawmaker resigned after apparently sending a shirtless photo of himself and flirty messages to a woman not his wife in reply to her online personal ad.
Republican Representative Christopher Lee stepped down after the gossip website Gawker posted what it identified as a photograph of him, flexing in a mirror, and said he had sent it to an unidentified woman, 34.
Gawker said Lee had sent it in response to her appeal in the "Women for Men" section of personals on the popular classifieds website Craigslist in which she invited men "financially and emotionally secure" to "prove to me not all CL (Craigslist) men look like toads."
"I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness," Lee said in a statement released by his office hours after the story broke.
"The challenges we face in western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately," he said.
Gawker published emails in which Lee -- which the site said was 46, married, with one son -- described himself as a lobbyist, "a very fit fun classy guy," 39, and divorced and vows: "I promise not to disappoint."
Republican Representative Christopher Lee stepped down after the gossip website Gawker posted what it identified as a photograph of him, flexing in a mirror, and said he had sent it to an unidentified woman, 34.
Gawker said Lee had sent it in response to her appeal in the "Women for Men" section of personals on the popular classifieds website Craigslist in which she invited men "financially and emotionally secure" to "prove to me not all CL (Craigslist) men look like toads."
"I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness," Lee said in a statement released by his office hours after the story broke.
"The challenges we face in western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately," he said.
Gawker published emails in which Lee -- which the site said was 46, married, with one son -- described himself as a lobbyist, "a very fit fun classy guy," 39, and divorced and vows: "I promise not to disappoint."
Tunisia's interim leader to hold talks with unions
AFP, TUNIS: Tunisia's interim president Foued Mebazaa announced that talks with unions would be held soon, after he was given wide powers to restore order following the ouster of ex-leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Tunisia's Senate agreed unanimously to grant powers to Mebazaa. The upper house followed the lead of the lower house of parliament which on Monday authorised that he could rule by decree.
"These social negotiations are the best framework for dialogue and consultation to resolve the social situation of all categories of people in all sectors," Mebazaa said on national television, marking his first direct address to the nation since taking power on January 15 -- the day after Ben Ali fled the country.
He called for "patience" on the part of Tunisians as the country remains mired by turmoil.
"Your demands are legitimate, but you must understand the difficult situation in which our country is confronted," Mebazaa said.
A stray bullet from the gun of a soldier who fired warning shots to disperse a crowd in Tunis meanwhile wounded a 26-year-old man, witnesses said.
They said the crowd of jobless people had massed outside the social affairs ministry, which on Tuesday began distributing a dole to the handicapped and unemployed.
The shots were fired as the crowd refused to line up before the offices opened but instead tried to force a way in, the witnesses said.
The measures voted by parliament empowers Mebazaa to sidestep the assembly made up mostly of followers of Ben Ali and decide key issues by decree, relating notably to the transition to democracy and the holding of elections within six months.
These include a possible general amnesty, human rights legislation, the organisation of political parties and a new electoral code.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said that parties banned under Ben Ali would be made legal within days ahead of "transparent and fair elections with the participation of all the parties."
The transitional government has banned Ben Ali's ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Assembly, and accused loyalists of the former leader ousted on January 14 of attempting to foment unrest so as to block the transition to democracy.
Mass protests sparked partly by poverty and unemployment erupted across the country last month, resulting in Ben Ali's ouster. Pockets of unrest remain and police, closely associated with the hated Ben Ali regime, have played no role in restoring law and order.
On Tuesday the government called up reservists to bolster the army which has been carrying out security duties to help keep order.
Some 234 people have been killed during the unrest in Tunisia and 510 have been injured, an official source told AFP on Tuesday. The United Nations last week had put the figure at 219.
Ghannouchi Wednesday called on Tunisians to return to work, saying the country had suffered "considerable losses" because of the unrest.
The head of the Tunis-based African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, told AFP the bank would be prepared to give Tunisia substantial additional funding to help it face up to immediate problems.
And a group of French travel agents visiting the country said they planned a strong promotional drive to encourage the return of tourists within weeks. The industry, one of Tunisia's main sources of income, saw a 40 per cent drop in revenue in January and February is expected to be similar.
Tourism Minister Mehdi Houas said that with the eventual lifting of the curfew and the return of security, "We are counting on a real recovery around March-April."
Tunisia's Senate agreed unanimously to grant powers to Mebazaa. The upper house followed the lead of the lower house of parliament which on Monday authorised that he could rule by decree.
"These social negotiations are the best framework for dialogue and consultation to resolve the social situation of all categories of people in all sectors," Mebazaa said on national television, marking his first direct address to the nation since taking power on January 15 -- the day after Ben Ali fled the country.
He called for "patience" on the part of Tunisians as the country remains mired by turmoil.
"Your demands are legitimate, but you must understand the difficult situation in which our country is confronted," Mebazaa said.
A stray bullet from the gun of a soldier who fired warning shots to disperse a crowd in Tunis meanwhile wounded a 26-year-old man, witnesses said.
They said the crowd of jobless people had massed outside the social affairs ministry, which on Tuesday began distributing a dole to the handicapped and unemployed.
The shots were fired as the crowd refused to line up before the offices opened but instead tried to force a way in, the witnesses said.
The measures voted by parliament empowers Mebazaa to sidestep the assembly made up mostly of followers of Ben Ali and decide key issues by decree, relating notably to the transition to democracy and the holding of elections within six months.
These include a possible general amnesty, human rights legislation, the organisation of political parties and a new electoral code.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said that parties banned under Ben Ali would be made legal within days ahead of "transparent and fair elections with the participation of all the parties."
The transitional government has banned Ben Ali's ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Assembly, and accused loyalists of the former leader ousted on January 14 of attempting to foment unrest so as to block the transition to democracy.
Mass protests sparked partly by poverty and unemployment erupted across the country last month, resulting in Ben Ali's ouster. Pockets of unrest remain and police, closely associated with the hated Ben Ali regime, have played no role in restoring law and order.
On Tuesday the government called up reservists to bolster the army which has been carrying out security duties to help keep order.
Some 234 people have been killed during the unrest in Tunisia and 510 have been injured, an official source told AFP on Tuesday. The United Nations last week had put the figure at 219.
Ghannouchi Wednesday called on Tunisians to return to work, saying the country had suffered "considerable losses" because of the unrest.
The head of the Tunis-based African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, told AFP the bank would be prepared to give Tunisia substantial additional funding to help it face up to immediate problems.
And a group of French travel agents visiting the country said they planned a strong promotional drive to encourage the return of tourists within weeks. The industry, one of Tunisia's main sources of income, saw a 40 per cent drop in revenue in January and February is expected to be similar.
Tourism Minister Mehdi Houas said that with the eventual lifting of the curfew and the return of security, "We are counting on a real recovery around March-April."
N. Korea says no need for more meetings with South
AFP, SEOUL: North Korea said Thursday there was no need for further dialogue with South Korea, a day after military talks aimed at easing months of high tensions broke down.
The North's delegation, in a statement on Pyongyang's official news agency, blamed a plot by "a handful of traitors" including the South's defence and unification ministries for the collapse of the talks.
"As it has become clear that the traitors don't want improvement in North-South relations and avoid dialogue, our military and the people don't feel the need any more to continue trying to talk to them," it said.
The two-day talks were the first since the North's shelling of a South Korean island on November 23, which killed four people including two civilians and sharply raised regional tensions.
Seoul also accuses its neighbour of torpedoing a warship in March last year with the loss of 46 lives. The North denies involvement in the ship's sinking.
The North's side walked out of the talks Wednesday after rejecting the South's demands for an apology for both incidents, the South's defence ministry said.
The meeting at the border village of Panmunjom had been intended to set the agenda and date for a high-level military meeting.
"Our military and people love peace more than anyone else, but they never beg for peace," the North's statement said. "It is our tradition to respond to dialogue with dialogue and confrontation with confrontation."
The North says its attack on Yeonpyeong was in response to a South Korean live-fire drill there, which dropped shells into waters claimed by the North.
It says high-level talks should focus not on the incidents but on general ways to avoid provocations by either side.
The South's defence ministry said Wednesday it was still open to high-level military dialogue if the North accepted its proposals.
The US State Department said the North's walkout was a "missed opportunity" to show it is sincere about improving ties. The Pentagon also urged it to resume dialogue with the South.
The breakdown of the talks complicated efforts by the United States and China to revive stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear weapons programmes.
Washington says Pyongyang must improve ties with Seoul before the six-party negotiations -- which offer diplomatic and economic benefits in return for denuclearisation -- can resume.
The North, in a shift of rhetoric, has been repeatedly calling in recent weeks for talks with the South.
Some analysts said the military dialogue could still resume despite Thursday's statement.
"The North lacks sincerity while the South needs flexibility," said Yang Moo-Jin of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies.
"Following a cooling-off period, both sides are likely to return to the table as they need to engage in dialogue. This is also wanted by China and the United States."
However Kim Yeon-Chul of Inje University in Gimhae city said the North was unlikely to accept responsibility for the warship incident, especially after a UN Security Council statement failed to identify who was responsible.
"Even if the North comes back to dialogue, no progress is expected as long as the South lumps the sinking and shelling incidents together and demands an apology," Kim told AFP.
"The North is willing to apologise over the shelling but it will never accept responsibility for the sinking."
The North's delegation, in a statement on Pyongyang's official news agency, blamed a plot by "a handful of traitors" including the South's defence and unification ministries for the collapse of the talks.
"As it has become clear that the traitors don't want improvement in North-South relations and avoid dialogue, our military and the people don't feel the need any more to continue trying to talk to them," it said.
The two-day talks were the first since the North's shelling of a South Korean island on November 23, which killed four people including two civilians and sharply raised regional tensions.
Seoul also accuses its neighbour of torpedoing a warship in March last year with the loss of 46 lives. The North denies involvement in the ship's sinking.
The North's side walked out of the talks Wednesday after rejecting the South's demands for an apology for both incidents, the South's defence ministry said.
The meeting at the border village of Panmunjom had been intended to set the agenda and date for a high-level military meeting.
"Our military and people love peace more than anyone else, but they never beg for peace," the North's statement said. "It is our tradition to respond to dialogue with dialogue and confrontation with confrontation."
The North says its attack on Yeonpyeong was in response to a South Korean live-fire drill there, which dropped shells into waters claimed by the North.
It says high-level talks should focus not on the incidents but on general ways to avoid provocations by either side.
The South's defence ministry said Wednesday it was still open to high-level military dialogue if the North accepted its proposals.
The US State Department said the North's walkout was a "missed opportunity" to show it is sincere about improving ties. The Pentagon also urged it to resume dialogue with the South.
The breakdown of the talks complicated efforts by the United States and China to revive stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear weapons programmes.
Washington says Pyongyang must improve ties with Seoul before the six-party negotiations -- which offer diplomatic and economic benefits in return for denuclearisation -- can resume.
The North, in a shift of rhetoric, has been repeatedly calling in recent weeks for talks with the South.
Some analysts said the military dialogue could still resume despite Thursday's statement.
"The North lacks sincerity while the South needs flexibility," said Yang Moo-Jin of Seoul's University of North Korean Studies.
"Following a cooling-off period, both sides are likely to return to the table as they need to engage in dialogue. This is also wanted by China and the United States."
However Kim Yeon-Chul of Inje University in Gimhae city said the North was unlikely to accept responsibility for the warship incident, especially after a UN Security Council statement failed to identify who was responsible.
"Even if the North comes back to dialogue, no progress is expected as long as the South lumps the sinking and shelling incidents together and demands an apology," Kim told AFP.
"The North is willing to apologise over the shelling but it will never accept responsibility for the sinking."
Shot US lawmaker starts speaking, 'asks for toast'
AFP, LOS ANGELES: US lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords has begun speaking as she continues her stunning recovery a month after being shot in the head -- and one of her first requests was for toast.
The 40-year-old, shot at point-blank range by a reportedly unstable gunman on January 8, is talking more and more every day as she undergoes intensive rehabilitation in a hospital in Houston, Texas, said a spokesman Wednesday.
"All I can tell you is that she requested toast... she asked for it at breakfast the other day. And she's speaking more and more and doing more and more with each passing day," said the spokesman, C.J. Karamargin.
"Needless to say we are jubilant at this news... We've said many times that the congresswoman is improving in all areas, and this is one of them," he told AFP.
Democrat Giffords was gunned down in a shooting rampage which killed six people, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, at a public meeting she was giving in Tucson, Arizona.
A bullet went through her brain. She was initially treated in intensive care in Tucson, but was transferred to Houston where she moved to the TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital at the end of January.
"The congresswoman is undergoing rigorous therapy every day, including speech therapy, and (doctors are) doing an absolutely fabulous job of working with her on all sorts of language and speech exercises," said the spokesman.
"She too is working very hard, and clearly its paying off," he added.
"We have a great combination.... We have a team at a world renowned hospital using their expertise and resources to push her, and we've got a congresswoman who has no shortage of grit and determination pushing herself."
Giffords' husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, said last week that he will go ahead with leading the final mission of the space shuttle Endeavour -- and forecast that his wife would attend the April 19 launch.
"That is Mark's goal, Mark's hope, and given the milestones that she's reaching every day, every week, we are confident she's going to make Mark happy," said her spokesman.
The shooting triggered a wave of soul-searching about America's deeply-divided political culture, highlighted by President Barack Obama in an address at a memorial for the victims in Tucson itself.
The suspected killer, Jared Lee Loughner, has been charged with three federal counts including attempted assassination of a member of Congress. The next court hearing is scheduled for March 9.
Investigators found documents at his home, including an envelope on which were written "Giffords," "My Assassination" and "I planned ahead," as well as what looked like Loughner's signature.
It also emerged that he had bought the gun and ammunition used in the attack legally in local stores, and had left rambling and semi-coherent messages online, suggesting he was angry at the government.
Kelly, 46, took a leave of absence to be at his wife's side after the shooting, but announced last week that he would resume training to command the 14-day mission, scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA had named a backup commander to train with the other five crew members, but the space agency said Kelly's experience and many months of mission-specific training made him the best choice.
The 40-year-old, shot at point-blank range by a reportedly unstable gunman on January 8, is talking more and more every day as she undergoes intensive rehabilitation in a hospital in Houston, Texas, said a spokesman Wednesday.
"All I can tell you is that she requested toast... she asked for it at breakfast the other day. And she's speaking more and more and doing more and more with each passing day," said the spokesman, C.J. Karamargin.
"Needless to say we are jubilant at this news... We've said many times that the congresswoman is improving in all areas, and this is one of them," he told AFP.
Democrat Giffords was gunned down in a shooting rampage which killed six people, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, at a public meeting she was giving in Tucson, Arizona.
A bullet went through her brain. She was initially treated in intensive care in Tucson, but was transferred to Houston where she moved to the TIRR Memorial Hermann rehabilitation hospital at the end of January.
"The congresswoman is undergoing rigorous therapy every day, including speech therapy, and (doctors are) doing an absolutely fabulous job of working with her on all sorts of language and speech exercises," said the spokesman.
"She too is working very hard, and clearly its paying off," he added.
"We have a great combination.... We have a team at a world renowned hospital using their expertise and resources to push her, and we've got a congresswoman who has no shortage of grit and determination pushing herself."
Giffords' husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, said last week that he will go ahead with leading the final mission of the space shuttle Endeavour -- and forecast that his wife would attend the April 19 launch.
"That is Mark's goal, Mark's hope, and given the milestones that she's reaching every day, every week, we are confident she's going to make Mark happy," said her spokesman.
The shooting triggered a wave of soul-searching about America's deeply-divided political culture, highlighted by President Barack Obama in an address at a memorial for the victims in Tucson itself.
The suspected killer, Jared Lee Loughner, has been charged with three federal counts including attempted assassination of a member of Congress. The next court hearing is scheduled for March 9.
Investigators found documents at his home, including an envelope on which were written "Giffords," "My Assassination" and "I planned ahead," as well as what looked like Loughner's signature.
It also emerged that he had bought the gun and ammunition used in the attack legally in local stores, and had left rambling and semi-coherent messages online, suggesting he was angry at the government.
Kelly, 46, took a leave of absence to be at his wife's side after the shooting, but announced last week that he would resume training to command the 14-day mission, scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA had named a backup commander to train with the other five crew members, but the space agency said Kelly's experience and many months of mission-specific training made him the best choice.
FARC hostage release begins in Colombia
AFP, VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia: Colombia's FARC guerrillas set free the first of five promised hostages as they began the most significant release of President Juan Manuel Santos' tenure.
The guerrillas freed Marcos Baquero, 33, to intermediaries at an undisclosed site in the central Meta department. He was flown to Villavicencio, 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Bogota, aboard a Brazilian air force helicopter with Red Cross markings.
The remaining four hostages will be released in different parts of the country in staggered intervals over the next few days.
A crowd of supporters and co-workers cheered and clapped as Baquero's wife Olga and sons Samir, 10, and Emmanuel, two, rushed to meet him on the tarmac and covered him with hugs and kisses.
The ex-hostage presented his children with an ocelot -- a wild cat common in parts of South America -- that he brought from the jungle along with a sketchbook full of pictures.
"I'm enormously happy to know that I'll be going to my home, to my wife," Baquero told reporters in Villavicencio.
Guerrillas with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped Baquero, a local councilman and member of Colombia's Green Party, in late June 2009.
He was released earlier Wednesday to a team of intermediaries that included former senator Piedad Cordoba, two ICRC delegates, and a representative of the NGO Colombians for Peace, said International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokeswoman Maria Cristina Rivera.
"We are very happy that this first operation was very successful," the ICRC delegate in Colombia, Christophe Beney, told reporters in Bogota.
FARC rebels have pledged to release a Colombian marine and another municipal council member on Friday near the town of Florencia in southeastern Colombia, and a police major and a soldier on Sunday in Ibaque in the center of the country.
The five were kidnapped in separate incidents over a two year period between 2007 and 2009.
Baquero said he plans to organize a march to demand that the FARC release all their hostages.
"It's very difficult, painful and sad to be in the jungle," he said. "We have to end this kidnapping because it is very tough on the country and there are many families that are suffering this, not just mine."
Baquero said that the ocelot "was my companion in captivity. I talked to him."
Brazil provided two helicopters and crews for the mission, and the Colombian military cooperated by suspending operations in a huge swath of southern Colombia from 2300 GMT Tuesday to 1100 GMT Thursday.
FARC, which has been at war with the Colombian government since 1964, has between 7,000 and 11,000 fighters and is holding at least 19 soldiers and police officers hostage.
The FARC last released hostages in March 2010, when they freed a Colombian soldier they had held for more than 12 years.
The rebels have long demanded a hostage-for-prisoner swap, something both Santos and his predecessor, Alvaro Uribe, have refused to consider.
The guerrillas freed Marcos Baquero, 33, to intermediaries at an undisclosed site in the central Meta department. He was flown to Villavicencio, 95 kilometers (60 miles) south of Bogota, aboard a Brazilian air force helicopter with Red Cross markings.
The remaining four hostages will be released in different parts of the country in staggered intervals over the next few days.
A crowd of supporters and co-workers cheered and clapped as Baquero's wife Olga and sons Samir, 10, and Emmanuel, two, rushed to meet him on the tarmac and covered him with hugs and kisses.
The ex-hostage presented his children with an ocelot -- a wild cat common in parts of South America -- that he brought from the jungle along with a sketchbook full of pictures.
"I'm enormously happy to know that I'll be going to my home, to my wife," Baquero told reporters in Villavicencio.
Guerrillas with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) kidnapped Baquero, a local councilman and member of Colombia's Green Party, in late June 2009.
He was released earlier Wednesday to a team of intermediaries that included former senator Piedad Cordoba, two ICRC delegates, and a representative of the NGO Colombians for Peace, said International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokeswoman Maria Cristina Rivera.
"We are very happy that this first operation was very successful," the ICRC delegate in Colombia, Christophe Beney, told reporters in Bogota.
FARC rebels have pledged to release a Colombian marine and another municipal council member on Friday near the town of Florencia in southeastern Colombia, and a police major and a soldier on Sunday in Ibaque in the center of the country.
The five were kidnapped in separate incidents over a two year period between 2007 and 2009.
Baquero said he plans to organize a march to demand that the FARC release all their hostages.
"It's very difficult, painful and sad to be in the jungle," he said. "We have to end this kidnapping because it is very tough on the country and there are many families that are suffering this, not just mine."
Baquero said that the ocelot "was my companion in captivity. I talked to him."
Brazil provided two helicopters and crews for the mission, and the Colombian military cooperated by suspending operations in a huge swath of southern Colombia from 2300 GMT Tuesday to 1100 GMT Thursday.
FARC, which has been at war with the Colombian government since 1964, has between 7,000 and 11,000 fighters and is holding at least 19 soldiers and police officers hostage.
The FARC last released hostages in March 2010, when they freed a Colombian soldier they had held for more than 12 years.
The rebels have long demanded a hostage-for-prisoner swap, something both Santos and his predecessor, Alvaro Uribe, have refused to consider.
Egypt threatens crackdown but protesters stay put
AFP, CAIRO: Egypt's government warned of a military crackdown as massive rallies against President Hosni Mubarak spread and reports surfaced that the army had detained and tortured pro-democracy activists.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched on parliament from the epicentre of the uprising in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday, a day after the largest protests since the revolt began, as unrest spread across the nation.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit warned the army, until now a mostly neutral force, would intervene if the protests against Mubarak's 30-year-old US-backed rule escalated.
"If chaos occurs, the armed forces will intervene to control the country, a step... which would lead to a very dangerous situation," the official MENA news agency said, paraphrasing Abul Gheit's interview with Arabic-language satellite television channel Al-Arabiya.
His remarks came after newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman warned of a possible "coup" in the absence of a peaceful transfer of power.
Abul Gheit slammed the United States for "imposing" its will on Egypt by demanding immediate reforms.
"When you speak about prompt, immediate, now, as if you are imposing on a great country like Egypt, a great friend that has always maintained the best of relationship with the United States, you are imposing your will on him," he said.
Shortly after his comments, Washington renewed its calls on the Egyptian army to show restraint.
The protesters however showed no sign of backing down on their demand for Mubarak to go as tens of thousands of people filled Cairo's Tahrir Square well into the third week of a revolt.
Around a thousand marched on parliament to demand its members' resignation, vowing to remain until the legislature -- widely seen as unfairly dominated by the ruling party -- is dissolved.
Meanwhile, rights groups and demonstrators told Britain's Guardian newspaper that the army had secretly detained hundreds of anti-government protesters, some of whom were tortured.
"Their range is very wide, from people who were at the protests or detained for breaking curfew to those who talked back at an army officer or were handed over to the army for looking suspicious or for looking like foreigners," Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in Cairo, said.
"It's unusual and to the best of our knowledge it's also unprecedented for the army to be doing this," he added.
"They put me in a room... then soldiers started kicking me. They got a bayonet and threatened to rape me with it.
"They said I could die there or I could disappear into prison and no one would ever know," he added.
In Tahrir Square, volunteers built portable toilets, indicating the protesters have no intention of leaving the "liberated" area, now a sprawling tent city with sound stages, flag vendors and a mobile phone charging station.
On Wednesday, unrest gripped the remote oasis of Kharga, where at least five people were killed and 100 wounded when security forces opened fire on demonstrators, a security official told AFP.
In the Suez Canal city of Port Said, some 3,000 protesters stormed a government building, torching office furniture and the governor's car. There were other protests across the country.
The 82-year-old Mubarak has charged Suleiman, his longtime intelligence chief, with drawing selected opposition groups into negotiations on democratic reform before elections due in September.
Some parties have joined the talks, but the crowds in Tahrir Square insist that Mubarak must go before they will halt the
protest.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's best organised opposition group despite a half century of illegality, meanwhile moved to reassure observers who fear an Islamist takeover should Mubarak's regime be toppled.
"The Muslim Brotherhood does not seek power. We do not want to participate at the moment," senior leader Mohammed Mursi told reporters, adding that the movement would not field a presidential candidate.
The United States is watching events in the most populous Arab country with great concern, hoping the transition to elected rule can take place without a descent into violence, or an Islamist or military takeover.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the government had yet to meet the "minimum threshold" of reform demanded by Egyptians.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched on parliament from the epicentre of the uprising in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday, a day after the largest protests since the revolt began, as unrest spread across the nation.
Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit warned the army, until now a mostly neutral force, would intervene if the protests against Mubarak's 30-year-old US-backed rule escalated.
"If chaos occurs, the armed forces will intervene to control the country, a step... which would lead to a very dangerous situation," the official MENA news agency said, paraphrasing Abul Gheit's interview with Arabic-language satellite television channel Al-Arabiya.
His remarks came after newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman warned of a possible "coup" in the absence of a peaceful transfer of power.
Abul Gheit slammed the United States for "imposing" its will on Egypt by demanding immediate reforms.
"When you speak about prompt, immediate, now, as if you are imposing on a great country like Egypt, a great friend that has always maintained the best of relationship with the United States, you are imposing your will on him," he said.
Shortly after his comments, Washington renewed its calls on the Egyptian army to show restraint.
The protesters however showed no sign of backing down on their demand for Mubarak to go as tens of thousands of people filled Cairo's Tahrir Square well into the third week of a revolt.
Around a thousand marched on parliament to demand its members' resignation, vowing to remain until the legislature -- widely seen as unfairly dominated by the ruling party -- is dissolved.
Meanwhile, rights groups and demonstrators told Britain's Guardian newspaper that the army had secretly detained hundreds of anti-government protesters, some of whom were tortured.
"Their range is very wide, from people who were at the protests or detained for breaking curfew to those who talked back at an army officer or were handed over to the army for looking suspicious or for looking like foreigners," Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in Cairo, said.
"It's unusual and to the best of our knowledge it's also unprecedented for the army to be doing this," he added.
"They put me in a room... then soldiers started kicking me. They got a bayonet and threatened to rape me with it.
"They said I could die there or I could disappear into prison and no one would ever know," he added.
In Tahrir Square, volunteers built portable toilets, indicating the protesters have no intention of leaving the "liberated" area, now a sprawling tent city with sound stages, flag vendors and a mobile phone charging station.
On Wednesday, unrest gripped the remote oasis of Kharga, where at least five people were killed and 100 wounded when security forces opened fire on demonstrators, a security official told AFP.
In the Suez Canal city of Port Said, some 3,000 protesters stormed a government building, torching office furniture and the governor's car. There were other protests across the country.
The 82-year-old Mubarak has charged Suleiman, his longtime intelligence chief, with drawing selected opposition groups into negotiations on democratic reform before elections due in September.
Some parties have joined the talks, but the crowds in Tahrir Square insist that Mubarak must go before they will halt the
protest.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the country's best organised opposition group despite a half century of illegality, meanwhile moved to reassure observers who fear an Islamist takeover should Mubarak's regime be toppled.
"The Muslim Brotherhood does not seek power. We do not want to participate at the moment," senior leader Mohammed Mursi told reporters, adding that the movement would not field a presidential candidate.
The United States is watching events in the most populous Arab country with great concern, hoping the transition to elected rule can take place without a descent into violence, or an Islamist or military takeover.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the government had yet to meet the "minimum threshold" of reform demanded by Egyptians.
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