The 46th annual Academy of Country Music successful
The 46th annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards were handed out in Las Vegas on April 3. Miranda Lambert led the contenders with seven nominations, including Top Female Vocalist, Album of the Year for “Revolution,” Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the Year for “The House That Built Me,” Video of the Year for “Only Prettier” and Entertainer of the Year. Other top nominees included Kenny Chesney, the Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry. Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton co-hosted the ACM Awards.
In related news, the Academy of Country Music has announced several special awards to be presented later this year at the ACM Honors. This year’s Cliffie Stone Pioneer Awards will go to Garth Brooks and The Gatlin Brothers. Taylor Swift will receive the Jim Reeves International Award for spreading the popularity of Country music around the world. Tom T. Hall and the late Hank Cochran are the recipients of the ACM’s Poet’s Award for their songwriting contributions. And Reba McEntire will be given a Career Achievement Award.
Sci-Fi Thriller Gives A Fresh Twist To Time Travel
The new film Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal returns to science fiction that is less about futuristic technology and more about how an ordinary character deals with extraordinary circumstances.
The setting is a commuter train speeding toward Chicago. If Sean, the man who just awoke from a fitful nap, seems confused, it's because he is actually Captain Stevens, a military officer sent on a most unusual and critical mission into the mind of another person.
The officer at the other end of the communications link explains that Captain Stevens has been sent into the final memories of a bombing victim through an experimental computer program named Source Code. It allows him to see and hear and interact with the world of this other person for only eight minutes, his last eight minutes. But in that time, he needs to discover clues that could save many more lives.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Captain Stevens who struggles with the concept but starts to believe he can change the past that he is sent back to relive over and over again.
"I remember reading the first 15 pages of the script, which is just like watching the first five minutes of the movie, being completely enthralled and then putting it down because I thought there is no way the rest is going to be as good as the first 15 pages. I couldn't help but pick it up again pretty quickly afterward. So I read the rest of it, was just blown away by it and thought to myself 'there is a great character in the middle of this movie and the only way this is going to be worlds beyond other movies in a similar genre is if you have a real character in there," Gyllenhaal said.
Vera Farmiga plays Captain Goodwin, the highly focused officer who is the time traveler's only link with the "real" world. She's a face on a screen who debriefs him, then re-starts the computer program that repeatedly sends him back to the doomed train.
"To me it's not so much what she is saying, but what she is not saying, what is difficult for her to say, what she is trying not to tell him and then making sure the thoughts were precise. I had to be compelled by the character in order for the audience to do the same. And for me that became about thoughts," Farmiga said.
Michelle Monaghan rounds out the triangle of main characters as Christina, the woman on the train who the time traveler encounters every time he is sent back on his mission.
Monaghan believes the science fiction merely provides an avenue into a powerful human drama. "Is it ethical to sacrifice one life to save thousands? After having seen the movie a couple of times and then going to dinner afterward, people were really debating it and I was really surprised by how provocative the material is. I knew when I read it that is was, but people have very strong opinions about it. It's n-o-t just black and white. It's very gray," Monaghan said.
Source Code is the second film for director Duncan Jones, who won acclaim for his 2009 drama Moon, also about solitary man on a dangerous mission.
Jones believes Moon and Source Code represent a return to what sci-fi films used to be like before they were overtaken by special effects.
"What we can do with special effects now has been driving the science fiction renaissance, but once everybody gets over the "whiz-bang" potential of the special effects - and they will, because at some point the explosions and the aliens and all of that are just not going to be the draw any more; you're not going to want to see that again. I am hoping and feeling fairly confident that it's going to be more about ideas and about richer story telling and interesting characters," Jones said.
Jones is at the beginning of his filmmaking career, but he's been exposed to show business his whole life. His father is legendary rock star and occasional actor David Bowie.
Michel Martelly 'defeats' Mirlande Manigat
Preliminary results in Haiti's presidential election suggest musician Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly won the runoff vote on 20 March.
He defeated ex-senator and former first lady Mirlande Manigat, officials quoted by news agencies say.
Turnout in the second round was high and voting was largely peaceful, although still marred by fraud.
Haiti is struggling to rebuild after the January 2010 earthquake and to cope with a cholera epidemic.
Final results are not expected until 16 April at the earliest.
If Mr Martelly, who's promised changed for the Haitian people, becomes the next president he will face some serious challenges, says the BBC's Andy Gallacher.
Hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors still live in squalid tent cities as the cholera outbreak which has killed thousands remains out of control.
Mr Martelly is politically inexperienced but his message of reform appealed to Haiti's poor and unemployed, our correspondent adds.
'Better organised'
Mr Martelly benefited from the support of five candidates eliminated in the first round. Fellow musician Wyclef Jean, whose own candidacy was ruled invalid, also backed Mr Martelly.
The run-off vote was supposed to take place in January but was delayed.
Observers said the second round was much better organised than the first in November, when turnout was only 23%.
Jude Celestin, who had the backing of outgoing President Rene Preval, was initially placed second in the first round but withdrew from the race after international monitors found there had been widespread fraud in his favour.
Two people were shot dead during second-round voting in clashes between rival political factions in different rural areas.
The electoral commission extended voting by an hour because some polling stations were missing voting materials.
But the head of the commission said at the time that reports of irregularities would have "no impact on the electoral process as a whole".
Mr Preval's mandate formally ended on 7 February but he has parliamentary approval to stay in office until 14 May.
Anguilla to seek independence
Anguilla Chief Minister Hubert Hughes said that Britain's approval of his December 2010 budget is a little too late and signalled his intention to seek independence for the British Overseas Territory.
"We lost out on so much revenue, we have lost out on the deal we had with the European Union, on the EDF 10 fiscal package, we have lost out on support from the Caribbean Development Bank because these institutions will not do business with Anguilla as long as Anguilla cannot produce a proper, credible budget," Hughes told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
Governor Alistair Harrison said that the Queen, through the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, had assented to the island's Appropriation Act, which contains the 2011 budget.
He gave no details of the amount contained in the budget, but Harrison also announced that he had approved the legislation introducing the interim Stabilization Levy; as well as amendments to the Customs surcharge and the Petroleum Levy passed earlier by the House of Assembly.
"These three measures constitute the new measures necessary to implement the budget settlement for 2011," Harrison said.
The Chief Minister said that Britain's action has underscored the need for his government to pursue independence.
“I feel very disillusioned and frustrated with British administration for Anguilla. My commitment now is to press on with my programme for self determination," he added.
Guyana ruling party selects presidential candidate
As expected, the general secretary of Guyana’s ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), Donald Ramotar, has been elected as the party's presidential candidate, but what came as surprise at Monday's meeting was that he was unopposed.
The other three candidates in the final stage of the race, Ralph Ramkarran, Clement Rohee and Gail Teixeira, all withdrew their candidacy.
The fifth candidate, Moses Nagamootoo did not attend Saturday's Central Executive Meeting and as a result he was not eligible to contest Monday's elections. The announcement of Ramotar's victory was made by Cabinet Secretary Roger Luncheon.
Nagamootoo, who had vehemently opposed Ramotar, said that since the general secretary's election was consensual, he would accede and support him.
The opposition People's National Congress Reform candidate is David Granger, who was elected three weeks ago.
No date for the general or municipal elections has yet been announced, but they must be held before year end.
Trinidad PM has busy week ahead in Washington
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar is now in Washington. She will spend the next five days holding a series of meetings and addressing organisations. On Sunday night she dined with President Barack Obama and Mrs Obama.
She will on Monday address the Brookings Institute, a non public policy organisation that aims to strengthen democracy in the United States and secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative system.
The Brookings Institute is ranked as the world's top "think tank" and is considered a trusted source of independent research. Persad Bissessar's address at this forum will focus on the strengthening and diversification of Trinidad and Tobago's economy and on social development issues.
She will also hold talks with OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, and Assistant Secretary General, Albert Ramdin.
On Tuesday, she will deliver a keynote address at the Public Sector Leaders Forum hosted by Microsoft, which aims to bring government leaders and influential thinkers to discuss the role of information technology on an economic and educational level.
The prime minister will also hold meetings with the Trinidad and Tobago community at Howard University and on Wednesday meet with UNDP Administrator, Helen Clarke. Discussions will centre on the women leaders as agents of change programme, constitutional reform, UNDP's Citizen Security in the Caribbean and the UN system and UNDP's activities in Trinidad and Tobago.
She will also discuss security matters with Stuart Levey, the US Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Surujrattan Rambachan, Culture Minister, Winston Peters and Gender Affairs Minister, Mary King, are accompanying the prime minister.
Works Minister, Jack Warner, is acting as prime minister during her absence.
Ivory Coast: Presidential residence 'taken' in Abidjan
Fighting in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, has taken a new turn with reports that entrenched ruler Laurent Gbagbo's residence has been captured.
Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the country's internationally recognised president, said they had taken the building after a day of fierce combat.
A spokesman for Mr Ouattara, Patrick Achi, told the BBC it was not yet clear whether Mr Gbagbo had been inside.
Earlier, UN and French helicopters attacked targets near the residence.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the attacks were ordered to defend civilians and were not a declaration of war on Mr Gbagbo.
He said Mr Gbagbo's forces had stepped up the use of mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine-guns against civilians.
Millions of civilians have been trapped by five days of fighting in the city, where Mr Gbagbo is refusing to leave office despite UN-approved results saying Mr Ouattara won November's presidential election.
Forces loyal to Mr Ouattara began a dramatic military offensive last week, sweeping in from the north and west.
Patrick Achi, a spokesman for Mr Ouattara, said the recognised president's forces were in control of the residence and searching for Mr Gbagbo.
The residence is on many levels," he told the BBC.
"People have seen that Gbagbo was in the residence but they are still looking for him."
Asked what would happen if Mr Gbagbo was captured, he said he would be arrested and "brought to justice".
There was no word from Mr Gbagbo's camp in Ivory Coast but one of his advisers in London, Abdon George Bayeto, expressed doubt about news the residence had fallen.
"This is all propaganda and it is all a war of psychology," he said.
Earlier, UN and French helicopters attacked Mr Gbagbo's arsenal, firing missiles at his heavy weapons and military camps.
A senior peacekeeping official, Alain Le Roy, said the decision had been based on a strongly worded UN Security Council resolution authorising such action to protect civilians.
The use and calibre of heavy weapons by Gbagbo forces had, he said, escalated sharply in recent days.
The UN mission had been under almost continuous attack and had been forced to act, he said.
However, the air strikes coincided with what looked like a final assault on Mr Gbagbo's last strongholds by forces loyal to his rival Mr Ouattara, the BBC's Barbara Plett reports from the UN in New York.
Observers said the timing might not have been a coincidence as there was a sense that the months-long stand-off between the two presidential claimants was nearing its end.
Japan earthquake: Radiation tests in Fukushima schools
Officials in the Fukushima region of Japan have started an emergency programme to measure radiation levels in school playgrounds.
More than 1,400 schools and nurseries will be tested over two days amid anxiety among parents over leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The plant was crippled by last month's earthquake and tsunami.
Officials say there should be no risk to children if they keep outside a 30-km (19-mile) exclusion zone.
Workers at the plant have begun dumping water with low levels of contamination into the sea to free up room to store more highly radioactive water leaking at the site.
About 11,500 tonnes of water will be released.
The official death toll from the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami which struck north-east Japan on 11 March stands at 12,157, with nearly 15,500 people still unaccounted for.
More than 80% of the victims have been identified and their bodies returned to their families.
A three-day joint operation by the Japanese and US militaries to find the missing recovered 78 bodies.
More than 161,000 people from quake-ravaged areas are living in evacuation centres, officials say.
Italy Recognizes Libyan Rebel Council
Italy has become the third nation to declare the Libyan rebel interim council as the only legitimate government in the North African country, dealing a blow to separate diplomatic efforts by Moammar Gadhafi's government, as well as by two of his sons.
In Rome Monday, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Italy has decided to recognize the Transitional National Council as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people. He said Italy plans to send an envoy to the eastern city of Benghazi – where the rebels' government is based – within days.
Italy follows France and Qatar in recognizing the rebel council. Frattini welcomed rebel envoy Ali al-Essawi, who said an idea to replace Mr. Gadhafi with one of his sons is unacceptable.
The New York Times has reported that at least two of the Libyan leader's sons have proposed Mr. Gadhafi relinquish power for a transition to constitutional democracy under the direction of his son, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi.
But government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim said Monday that while Libya is ready for a “political solution” with world powers, Mr. Gadhafi's future is non-negotiable. He said Libya could have “elections, referendums, anything” – but that Mr. Gadhafi must lead any political transition.
State television showed the Libyan leader briefly waving to supporters Monday outside his compound in Tripoli. It was Mr. Gadhafi's first public appearance in more than a week.
In Ankara, acting Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi held talks with senior Turkish officials on brokering a cease-fire with opposition forces. Turkey said it expects to host representatives from the rebel national council in the next few days.
Meanwhile, Libyan rebels made tenuous gains Monday in the battle for a key oil town. Anti-Gadhafi fighters seized control of a largely residential area in the eastern city of Brega, where rival forces have been in a standoff for days.
But heavily armed loyalist troops later repulsed opposition attempts to advance from the New Brega section. Residents said the bulk of pro-Gadhafi forces were in strongly defended positions near the city's oil infrastructure and other strategic points.
On the western front, troops loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi used tanks and snipers to keep the city of Misrata under siege. The International Committee of the Red Cross is appealing to combatants to allow it access to the country's third largest city, where dozens of injuries and deaths are reported from fierce fighting.
No air power was visible over Libya on Monday. As part of the planned transition to NATO command, the U.S. military withdrew its warplanes from lead missions and took a support role. In Washington, a military spokesman said American fighter jets would now fly only when requested by NATO and approved by the Pentagon.
Also Monday, Britain announced it will provide anti-government rebels with telecommunications equipment. Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain was not arming the rebels but had responded to their requests for the shipments. He refused to disclose the exact nature of the equipment.
Hague added that an international group coordinating a political response for Libya will gather in the Qatari capital, Doha, next week.
More corpses located on NY beach
Investigators have found three more sets of human remains on a beach near New York City, bringing to eight the number of corpses found there.
Police in Suffolk County, New York suspect a serial killer.
Four dead prostitutes were found nearby in December; a fifth corpse found last week has not been identified.
The latest bodies were found in a patch of dense brush on Gilgo Beach, a barrier island south of Long Island, about 45 miles (70km) east of New York.
Police scouring the beach on foot, from helicopters and at the end of fire engine ladders discovered the three newest bodies on Monday, about a mile east of where the first group of bodies were discovered.
Officials cautioned they had yet to link the newest discoveries conclusively with the five bodies previously found.
The remains were separated by about 500m. The search was expected to continue on Tuesday.
It took investigators a month to identify the first group of remains using DNA and dental records as prostitutes who had arranged to meet clients through Craigslist and other websites, police have said.
Investigators continue to search for the remains of Shannan Gilbert, a New Jersey woman who was last seen in May at nearby Oak Beach, where she had arranged to meet a client she had met through Craigslist.
A resident of the beach told authorities a woman believed to Ms Gilbert came to his door at 0445 pleading for help, then fled.