The Scene: The Eternal City challenges 'Angels'

It's been three years to the month since Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code" hit theater screens, becoming a worldwide blockbuster.Now superstar Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard are back with another of Brown's best-sellers, "Angels & Demons."Unlike the previous effort in which the Oscar-winning duo went on a shooting spree across several European countries, the new film takes place in just one locale, Rome.Much of the movie was shot on soundstages and sets built in Hollywood, but the cast and crew also spent months in the Italian capital, which they say provided the film with an undeniable authenticity, not easily duplicated anywhere else. 

'Wolfram Alpha', a search engine that understands

This weekend, English scientist Stephen Wolfram activates the first intelligent search engine, capable of understanding the meaning of questions put to it. Is this the biggest thing since Google? Can a search engine respond coherently to a complex question? Mathematician Stephen Wolfram believes it can, and will prove it by putting Wolfram Alpha, the first intelligent search engine, online this weekend. More than 5,000 Internet users hope their complex questions will be answered too. They’ve been following the site’s launch live since Friday evening on justin.tv and Twitter. This new type of competitor to Google should be fully operational on May 18.It’s been a month since Wolfram Alpha buzz invaded the Web, via a YouTube video. In the video, Wolfram presents his new "baby" to an enraptured audience. To the question "What is the unemployment rate in France?", the engine responds in numbers, pie charts and other charts. Wolfram Alpha even understands the query: "How fast does hair grow?"

Obama to visit Russia and Ghana

US President Barack Obama is to make a week-long foreign tour in July that will include Russia, Italy and Ghana, the White House says.Mr Obama will be in Moscow on 6-8 July for talks that are expected to cover efforts to reduce nuclear stockpiles and non-proliferation.From Russia he will head to the Group of Eight summit in Italy.He will then travel to the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on his first trip as president to sub-Saharan Africa.There had been speculation that Mr Obama's first presidential trip to the continent might be to Kenya, home to the president's late father.The White House said the visit to Russia would provide the chance to deepen engagement on issues including missile defence and security challenges.

Pakistan to Attack Taliban in Bin Laden's Lair

Pakistan is to extend its war on the Taliban beyond Swat into the fiercely independent tribal areas bordering Afghanistan where Usama Bin Laden and the Al Qaeda leadership are believed to be hiding."We’re going to go into Waziristan, all these regions, with army operations," President Asif Ali Zardari told The Sunday Times in an interview. "Swat is just the start. It’s a larger war to fight."He said Pakistan would need billions of pounds in military assistance and aid for up to 1.7m refugees, the biggest movement of people since the country’s split from India in 1947.To help take on the militants, the Pakistan army is for the first time to accept counterinsurgency training from British and American troops on its own soil."We need to develop our capability and we need much more support," said Zardari. "We need much, much more than the $1 billion [military aid] we’ve been getting, which is nothing. We’ve got 150,000 troops in [the tribal areas] — just the movement of that number would cost $1 billion."Pakistan’s army is geared towards conventional warfare against its old enemy India. There have long been concerns in Whitehall and Washington at its ineffectiveness and lack of commitment against militants.A British project proposed two years ago to train the Frontier Corps, the paramilitary force in the tribal areas, met with resistance. Pakistan has now agreed to back this initiative and also begin training by US special forces.Senior U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that 25 to 50 special forces personnel are to be based at two new training camps in Baluchistan.

More than 1,000 militants killed in operation: Malik

Pakistani soldiers stand guard on road at Gulabad, 

in the troubled Malakand agency, on May 16, 2009

The Pakistani government urged on Sunday people stranded in Swat to flee whenever they get a chance, as security forces battled Taliban militants in one of their strongholds in the valley.More than 1,000 militants had been killed in the offensive in Swat, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told reporters.There was no independent confirmation of the toll.The military has reported a similar toll for the militants and has said 48 soldiers have been killed.The offensive in the one-time tourist valley, 130 km northwest of Islamabad, has also forced at least 1.17 million people from their homes, the UN refugee agency said.It has urged the world to respond 'massively' to the humanitarian crisis.The Taliban hold Mingora, Swat's main town, and many civilians are believed to be still there.'I appeal to the people of Mingora and other parts which are under aggression, as soon as they get an opportunity, the curfew is relaxed, they should come out,' Malik said.Malik also said the security forces were hunting for the leaders of the Taliban in Swat.'Those leaders, those commanders, who are controlling the Taliban, obviously we're going to hit them. We're not going to spare them,' he said. 'You'll hear good news soon.'About 15,000 members of the security forces are fighting between 4,000 and 5,000 militants in Swat, the military says.

Kuwait elects first women MPs

Kuwaitis have voted for change in the country's second election in one year by electing the first four women candidates to the parliament, which has been male-dominated for almost half a century.The vote on Saturday was the third in just under three years after Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the outgoing parliament in March following a standoff between MPs and the government.Kuwaitis voted 21 new members into the 50-seat parliament and reduced Sunni Muslim groups to a minority as the country grapples with political turmoil that has frozen the country's economy.Massuma al-Mubarak, one of the four women elected, was first by a large margin among the 10 top positions elected to the parliament from her district.

Tamil Tigers admit defeat in 37-year independence struggle

The Tamil Tigers have admitted defeat in their 37-year battle with the Sri Lankan government for an independent homeland as an army offensive encircled their last remaining fighters. An estimated 70,000 people died in the decades-long conflict.Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Sunday admitted defeat in their 37-year battle for an independent ethnic homeland, with their few remaining fighters encircled in the jungle by soldiers.The Tigers' armed campaign against the government left well over 70,000 people dead in decades of pitched battles, suicide attacks, bomb strikes and assassinations."This battle has reached its bitter end," the Tigers' chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement carried on the pro-rebel Tamilnetwebsite."We remain with one last choice -- to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns."Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out for longer."Only two years ago, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled nearly a third of the island nation and operated an effectively autonomous Tamil state with courts, schools and a civil service.But the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse launched a huge military offensive which drove the Tigers out of the east and then the north, before trapping the remaining guerrillas on the coast.The military's final push for victory has come at the cost of thousands of innocent lives, the United Nations has said, with the government's brutal tactics attracting widespread international condemnation.The LTTE's announcement came as the island's defence ministry said all civilians held by the Tigers had escaped the war zone, with the last few rebel fighters boxed into a small patch of jungle.

Somali fighters capture key town

Somali fighters have captured a strategically important town near the capital, Mogadishu.Witnesses said there were two hours of heavy fighting on Sunday before members of the al-Shabab group took Jowhar.The clashes 90km north of Mogadishu come as human rights workers say at least 68 people have been killed in fighting in the capital during the past 48 hours. Reporting from neighbouring Djibouti, said: "We can confirm the town of Jowhar has been captured by al-Shabab."In essence, the capture of Jowhar which was one of the last strongholds of the president, means the government is quickly losing ground in the battle for Somalia and it is also virtually surrounded by al-Shabab militias who have been strengthening and consolidating their hold."There have been many people who had been returning to the capital and now they are being forced to go back to where they came from."One resident told the Reuters news agency that there had been "serious fighting" in Jowhar in which at least seven people had been killed.

Army hopes interactive videos make smarter soldiers

Just over a year ago, a U.S. staff sergeant in Iraq decided to practice his shooting skills. His target: the Quran, Islam's holiest book.The military issued a formal apology, promptly dismissed the soldier from his regiment and reassigned him to stateside duty.But news of the shooting had already made its way onto YouTube, and a firestorm of outrage was ignited across the Islamic world. Protests turned deadly in Afghanistan.Back at the Army's Intelligence and Cultural Awareness Center at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, commanders knew they had a problem. In the 21st century, the Army was sending younger soldiers into an arena they had little cultural experience in, and at the same time, new social networking sites were poised to broadcast their mistakes to the world.Maj. Gen. John Custer, the leading officer at Fort Huachuca, knew that the Army not only needed trained linguists, but it also needed a new language of its own."The advent of social networking has changed the world. The soldiers who I see coming from basic to the intel center, what is the first question they ask? 'Are you Wi-Fi?'," he said.

‘American Idol’ ousts Gokey as finale looms

Danny Gokey,29, gets eliminated from ‘American Idol’ during the results show.

 The finals will feature Adam Lambert and Kris Allen

Danny Gokey was sent home by ‘American Idol’ viewers on Wednesday in an elimination that set the stage for next week’s showdown between the last two singing contestants on America’s most-watched television show.Gokey, 29, a widowed church music director from Wisconsin, had until this week been one of the leading vote-getters among viewers this season. He lost his wife to heart disease last July.Following his elimination, Gokey sang an encore of ‘You Are So Beautiful,’ the Joe Cocker-popularized ballad he had performed the night before to praise from the judges.Judge Kara DioGuardi sat with her hands clasped as she watched Gokey sing, while fellow panelist Paula Abdul appeared to fight back tears.Afterward, judge Simon Cowell said Gokey’s elimination and the looming showdown between Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, who was considered an underdog, came as a surprise.‘None of us would have predicted this, guys,’ Cowell said. ‘No disrespect, because you were brilliant last night, and just now by the way Danny, congratulations.’Cowell then offered his view on how the final competition could shape up.‘This could be what we call a big ding-dong coming up next week,’ he said.The winner of the show’s eighth season will be announced during a live finale next Wednesday.Lambert, 27, a musical theater actor from California, has long been considered the presumed front-runner on the show, with the judges praising his vocal command and risk-taking.Allen, 23, is a college student from Arkansas known for his abilities on the acoustic guitar and the piano and for giving a new twist to songs with his earnest style.Other highlights of Wednesday's show included performances by 2007 ‘Idol’ champion Jordin Sparks and ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer Katy Perry.This week's elimination round drew more than 88 million votes from viewers, with slightly more than 1 million votes separating Lambert and Allen, host Ryan Seacrest said.‘American Idol’ pits aspiring singers against one another in a series of competitions leading up to the finale, with the season champion winning a recording contract.The program has more than 25 million viewers per episode, and is broadcast by the Fox network, a unit of News Corp.Past winners, including Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, have enjoyed Grammy-winning careers, but even runners-up such as Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry have gone on to stardom.

Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Deccan Chargers won by 6 wkts. What an unbelievable match it was. KKR did everything but win. Mortaza had 21 runs in his kitty but still could not win it in the end. Tempers flared after the no-ball was called in the final over, and then KKR as a whole lost it. The momentum swung decisively towards DC as Rohit slammed home the advantage. HYD 166/4 (20.0 Ovs) | KOL 160/5 (20.0 Ovs)

Hayden and Dhoni plot Mumbais downfall

Matthew Hayden scored his 7th IPL fifty to help the Chennai Super Kings cruise to a seven wicket victory over the Mumbai Indians at St George's Park.Opener Matthew Hayden (60*) and skipper MS Dhoni (23*) safely guided Super Kings home in 19.1 overs. Hayden was rather calm in his approach from the beginning and tried all shots in his books against clueless Mumbai. He hit four fours and a six in his innings. Chasing 148 runs to win, Chennai Super Kings lost Parthiv Patel (0) and Suresh Raina (20) early against Mumbai Indians. 

England have mercy at tea

England ground on relentlessly to reach 569 for six declared at tea on the third day of the second Test against the West Indies.Matt Prior and Paul Collingwood shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 94, the former punching eight crisp fours in his eighth Test half-century before falling for 63.Collingwood finished on 60 not out and Stuart Broad on 28.Kevin Pietersen was also dismissed in the afternoon session, caught by Lendl Simmons at backward point after skying an attempted drive off left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn on 49.Prior tried to lift Simmons over mid-on but offered Benn a simple catch to give the bowler his first Test wicket.Alastair Cook's marathon eight-hour innings ended just before lunch on 160 when he got a leading edge to a ball from Benn and spooned an easy catch to Chris Gayle at short extra cover.England nightwatchman James Anderson was bowled by Fidel Edwards for 14, some reward for the fast bowler who earlier in a fiery spell had the same batsman dropped by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and caught in the slips off a no ball.England lead the two-Test series 1-0. Day two of the current match at Chester-le-Street was called off for rain.

United win 18th league title

Manchester United retained their English Premier League crown as a nil-nil draw with Arsenal gave them the point they needed to stay clear of the chasing pack.It was a subdued display by United and they endured an anxious final few minutes before the final whistle sealed a hat-trick of titles for the second time and moved them alongside Liverpool as England's most crowned club.Arsenal, who will finish a distant fourth, enjoyed plenty of possession without creating many clear chances while United's feared attack only occasionally sparked into life.

S. Korea wins Asia Cup Hockey Tournament

South Korea beat Pakistan to win the Asia Cup Hockey Tournament here on Saturday.In the final, South Korea crushed three-time champions Pakistan 1-0 to qualify for the World Cup 2010. Pakistan will now have to play the qualifying round. The score remained level till the end of the first half. The Pakistani squad seemed dominant in the second half but it could not score a single goal.Despite a dominant position, Pakistan lost all chances and Kim Byung Hoon of South Korea netted the golden goal to help Koreans win the Asia Cup. South Korea also leveled Pakistan’s record of thrice winning the Asia Cup.

Car Bombing, U.S. Missile Strike Kill Dozens in Pakistan

A car bomb destroyed an Internet cafe and tore through a bus carrying handicapped children in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 11 people and wounding many more, police said.Elsewhere in the troubled region, an apparent U.S. missile strike hit a Taliban training camp, killing 29 militants, while Pakistani troops killed dozens of Taliban in their bid to re-conquer the Swat Valley, officials said.Violence is engulfing Pakistani territory along the Afghan border as American and allied forces crank up the pressure on Al Qaeda and Taliban militants entrenched in the forbidding and barely governed mountains and valleys.Washington and other nations are pouring in billions of dollars in aid and military assistance to prop up the pro-Western government in Islamabad, which on Saturday sought to allay concerns that its nuclear weapons could fall into extremist hands.The car bomb devastated a street in the main northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday afternoon as it was busy with shoppers, traffic and worshippers heading to mosques to pray.Television images showed several vehicles burning fiercely and a stricken white-and-green bus that had been dropping handicapped children at their homes around the city.All eight students still on board were injured, one seriously, along the driver and an assistant, medics and police said. Four other children and seven adults were killed, and dozens more were injured, they said.Safwat Ghayur, a senior police official, said one of a string of shops wrecked by the blast was an Internet cafe — a favorite target for violent Islamist extremists in Pakistan who consider the Web a source of moral corruption.Ghayur said the cafe had received several threats and even been attacked recently by gunmen. He said police were holding suspects in the shooting, but refused to elaborate.It was unclear if any of the victims had been in the cafe or if it was the intended target. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Pakistan army closes in on key town

Pakistani government forces have encircled a key town in the Swat valley as the 21-day offensive against the Taliban in the region continued, the military said.The push towards Mingora on Saturday came a day after the military lifted a curfew on the town, allowing thousands of residents to join more than one million people who had already fled their homes."The security forces are closing in from different directions and have been able to inflict many more casualties," Major-General Athar Abbas, a military spokesman, said on Friday."Security forces are getting close to Mingora city. The aim is to isolate and block the movement of fleeing terrorists."

Ruling Congress alliance wins new mandate in general elections

India's ruling Congress alliance is set to return to power after the Bharatiya Janata Party conceded defeat in general elections. Congress will likely fall short of a majority in parliament and must form a new government by June 2.ndia's Hindu nationalist BJP on Saturday conceded defeat to the incumbent Congress party in general elections."It is clear that the Congress-led alliance is coming in as the biggest group in parliament. We accept this verdict of the people," senior Bharatiya Janata Party official Arun Jaitley told a news conference."Something certainly did go wrong, and something certainly did go in favour" of the Congress party, he said.As results poured in from the Election Commission, projections by television news channels gave the Congress grouping as many as 250 seats against 160 for the main opposition bloc headed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)."It is a decisive vote for the Congress," said Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, as wild celebrations broke out at the party headquarters in New Delhi.Although the Congress alliance was still expected to fall short of the 272 seats required for a majority in the 543-seat parliament, its apparent margin of victory was much wider than exit polls had predicted.A shortfall of just 20 to 30 seats would allow it to pick and choose from India's myriad regional parties to make up the numbers needed for a viable government.Congress was expected to pick up more than 190 seats in its own right -- the party's best showing since 1991.Outside the party headquarters, supporters banged drums and danced in the street, holding portraits of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Political analyst Neerja Choudhury said India's 714-million electorate had voted for stability."I feel that people did not want anything divisive in these times of uncertainty. They felt that Manmohan Singh, being an economist, can handle the economy for instance," Choudhury said.After five successive years of near-double digit growth that lent the country the international clout it has long sought, the Indian economy has been badly hit by the global downturn.