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Darkness falls in Asia during total eclipse, luring masses

The longest solar eclipse of the century cast a wide shadow for several minutes over Asia and the Pacific Ocean Wednesday, luring throngs of people outside to watch the spectacle.

State television in China broadcast this image of the eclipse.

Day turned into night, temperatures turned cooler in cities and villages teemed with amateur stargazers.

The total eclipse started in India on Wednesday morning and moved eastward across Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Vietnam, China and parts of the Pacific. Millions cast their eyes towards the heavens to catch a rare view of the sun's corona.

Cloud cover in some areas prevented people from fully savoring the phenomenon. Still, many were awed.

Tim O'Rourke, a 45-year-old freelance photographer from Detroit, Michigan, lives in Hong Kong but traveled up to Shanghai -- touted as one of the best spots to watch the eclipse. Watch the 'exceptional' eclipse »

"It was pitch black like midnight," said O'Rourke, standing in People's Square with what appeared to be a crowd of thousands.

"Definitely not disappointed we came. Of course it would have been much better with nice weather, blue skies. But still it was a great experience, it was a lot of fun." he said. Viewing the eclipse in pictures »

Total eclipses occur about twice a year as the moon passes between the Earth and the sun on the same plane as Earth's orbit. Wednesday's event lasted up to more than six minutes in some places. Watch what a total solar eclipse entails »

In India, where an eclipse pits science against superstition, thousands took a dip in the Ganges River in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi to cleanse their souls, said Ajay Kumar Upadhyay, the district's most senior official. Send us your photos of the eclipse

The ritual turned into tragedy when an 80-year-old woman died and eight others were injured in what was called a stampede in some media reports. Upadhyay called the incident a "commotion" during sacred rituals in Varanasi. Watch India's reaction to the eclipse »

"Apparently, the woman died because of suffocation and after that there was some commotion, in which some eight other elderly women were injured. But it was not a stampede-like situation," Upadhyay told CNN.

It was sunny skies in Hong Kong for the eclipse, where students, parents and the elderly flooded a primary school to watch in the southern Chinese enclave.

The local astronomy society gave a presentation on how an eclipse happens and children climbed up ladders to look through two large telescopes on the school roof -- packed with skygazers -- to catch a glimpse of the moon moving across the sun. Read blog on Mother Nature conducting grand eclipse show

Others looked through binoculars covered with solar filter paper or through a large rectangular block labeled "Large Solar Filter," where they could take pictures of the moon moving over the sun.

Astronomy enthusiast Louis Chung, 13, brought his teacher to the school to witness the eclipse.

"City folks wouldn't usually be able to see this. Nature is wonderful. It is awesome to know that nature can provide such spectacular sights," said Chung, a member of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society.

"Nature is incredible, and there is too much we don't know about," said another Hong Kong local, Yee Ping, a journalist for a financial newspaper. "We try to know more and see by our own eyes so we can feel the power of nature."

Richard Binzel, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the total eclipse will first be visible at sunrise in India and about four hours later just east of Hawaii. A partial eclipse will be visible as far south as northern Australia and as far north as Siberia, he said.

In some cultures, legends and folklore surrounds eclipses. Watch as eclipse-watchers head to China »

In India, an eclipse is considered inauspicious. Women forbid pregnant daughters-in-law from going outside out of the belief that their children could be born with marks. Some temples won't offer any prayers on the day of an eclipse -- such as the one next to the planetarium in Mumbai, which said it won't even light a stick of incense.

In Chinese tradition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to scare off the dog and rescue the sun, said Bill Yeung, president of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society.

"In ancient China, we shared the same impression with our Indian friends that a solar eclipse was not a good thing," he told CNN. Read blog on how eclipse-chasers are gambling on weather

Some of the more unusual ways to see Wednesday's eclipse include a cruise ship that will travel along the centerline off Japan and from aboard a 737-700 chartered plane in India.

More conventional viewing parties in Shanghai had been planned along the beach, in a park and in skyscrapers. A music festival has been organized in Japan's Amami island, with more than 6,000 people expected, and Japanese television has shown rows of tents set up on Akusekijima island.

The witnesses of the eclipse will range "from the farmer who only knows legends of eclipses and may not know this is happening at all to the world's experts who have come specifically to the Shanghai region to make the most detailed scientific analysis possible," added Binzel, the MIT astronomer. iReport.com: Solar eclipse as seen from a Buddhist temple

Bob Johnson, of Sasketchewan, Canada, applied for his first passport to come and see the eclipse in Shanghai.

"During totality, we didn't see anything. We saw up to 60 percent partial eclipse but then the clouds came in and it downpoured," said Johnson. "I am not really disappointed. I'm a lot happier than yesterday because I didn't think I'd see anything. The partial was beautiful

Syed Ashraful made acting GS for council

Syed Ashraful IslamStar Online Report

Syed Ashraful Islam, second joint general secretary of Awami League, has been appointed acting general secretary of the party by its central working committee, ahead of the national council.

The central working committee of the ruling party sat today to finalise all necessary preparations for its triennial national council billed for July 24.

The meeting kicked off at 6:15pm with AL president Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her political office at Dhanmondi in the city.

Party insiders said the meeting would approve the provisional changes the AL made to its constitution for registration with the Election Commission before the ninth parliamentary elections on December 29 and declaration paper, which has been prepared in line with the party's electoral pledges.

It would also approve speech of party president and reception committee, general secretary's report, organizational report, condolence proposal, and report of party funds to be placed at the council session.

hina: Urumqi Riots An Al-Qaida Ploy

hina: Urumqi Riots An Al-Qaida Ploy

by OfficialWire NewsDesk (OfficialWire) BEIJING, CHINA

The July 5 ethnic violence between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in China's Urumqi city was part of a plan to help al-Qaida, the state media said Thursday. A lengthy article in the China Daily said as a neighbor of Afghanistan, China has suffered much because of the turbulence in that country. The report claimed evidence revealed the Uighur separatists, blamed for the July 5 riots in Urumqi, have close relations with al-Qaida in Afghanistan. Urumqi is the capital of China's northwest Xinjiang-Uighur region, which is close to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ethnic tensions have simmered for years in the region as many of the Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighurs resent being ruled by Han Chinese, the main Chinese group in the country. The China Daily report referred to the new U.S.-led offensive against Islamic militants in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, and said the sooner peace returned to Afghanistan the better it would be for China. The report said the Urumqi riots took place immediately after the launch of the new offensive in Afghanistan. "They are not coincidental because terrorist groups in Central Asia have always had close connections," the report said. The separatists' ploy is to make Chinese people unwilling to participate in the "West-led reconstruction of Afghanistan," the report said, adding, "After all, disorder and violence in Afghanistan is to the great advantage of al-Qaida."

Recession-Related Crime Surges In Regions

Tom Rayner, home affairs producer

Some areas of England and Wales are experiencing what appears to be a surge in recession-related crime.

There has been an increase in snatching bags and pickpocketing

Latest Home Office figures show a relatively small increase nationally in offences such as burglary and robbery - but the regional breakdowns show much higher rates.

Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Leicestershire have experienced at least a 10% increase in burglary.

Robberies in Sussex, Thames Valley, North Wales and Leicestershire have risen by at least 12%.

Nationally there was also a 25% increase in bag snatches and pickpocketing, as well as a 10% increase in shoplifting.

The overall number of crimes recorded by police in England and Wales in the financial year 2008/09 was down 5% to 4.7 million offences.

(Police Recorded Crime based on data given by police to the Home Office. British Crime Survey based on large survey of people across the country)

The number of people killed also saw a dramatic fall to a 20-year low.

There were 136 fewer homicides, including murder, manslaughter and child killings compared to a year earlier.

However, there was an increase in drug offences for the second year running.

In a Home Office briefing, statisticians said a 17% fall in the number of firearm offences may have contributed in part to the reduction in homicides.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "The latest crime statistics are encouraging.

"Since 1997, overall crime has fallen by 36% - a total of six million fewer crimes. Violence is down by 41% and domestic burglary down by 54%."

We know that during economic downturns certain crimes face upward pressure, which is why we've already taken action to tackle these head on.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson on the latest crime statistics

Referring to the increase in acquisitive crimes in some regions, Mr Johnson added: "We are not complacent.

"As in previous years, we see changing patterns of crime and we know that during economic downturns certain crimes face upward pressure, which is why we've already taken action to tackle these head on."

Figures relating to knife crime showed overall there were more than 38,000 recorded offences.

But this cannot be compared to the previous year as new categories involving a knife, such as rape and actual bodily harm, have been added to the latest statistics - prompting shadow home secretary Chris Grayling to accuse ministers of trying to "cover up" the scale of the problem.

However, like-for-like offences showed that there was an increase in attempted murders involving a knife from 245 to 271.

New element named 'copernicium'

Discovered 13 years ago, and officially added to the periodic table just weeks ago, element 112 finally has a name.

It will be called "copernicium", with the symbol Cp, in honour of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.

Copernicus deduced that the planets revolved around the Sun, and finally refuted the belief that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

The team of scientists who discovered the element chose the name to honour the man who "changed our world view".

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) will officially endorse the new element's name in six month's time in order to give the scientific community "time to discuss the suggestion".

Scientists from the Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany, led by Professor Sigurd Hofmann, discovered copernicium in fusion experiments in 1996.

"After IUPAC officially recognised our discovery, we agreed on proposing the name (because) we would like to honour an outstanding scientist," said Professor Hofmann.

Copernicus was born 1473 in Torun, Poland. His finding that the planets circle the sun underpins much of modern science. It was pivotal for the discovery of gravity, and led to the conclusion that the stars are incredibly far away and that the Universe is inconceivably large.

Under IUPAC rules, the team were not allowed to name the element after a living person. But when asked if, rules aside, he would have liked to have "hofmanium" added to the periodic table, Professor Hofmann told BBC News: "No, I think copernicium sounds much better."

Nokia downbeat on handset sales

Nokia downbeat on handset sales

By Andrew Ward in Stockholm

Published: July 16 2009 12:14 | Last updated: July 16 2009 15:43

Shares in Nokia slid more than 14 per cent on Thursday after the world’s largest mobile phone maker cut its outlook for margins and market share amid continued decline in global handset sales.

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, chief executive of the Finnish group, said there were signs that the overall market was bottoming and hailed the group’s “solid performance” as it announced second-quarter earnings that narrowly beat analysts’ expectations.

But investors chose to focus on downgrades in the group’s guidance for margins and market share in the remainder of the year, as Mr Kallasvuo acknowledged that competition remained “intense” in a declining market.

Nokia said it expected its market share to remain flat in 2009, compared with 2008, having previously predicted an increase.

It also conceded that operating margins in its main devices and services division were likely to miss an earlier target to be in the teens in the second half of the year.

In afternoon trading in Helsinki shares in Nokia were €1.56 cent lower at €9.54.

The downbeat assessment of the global handset market followed results from rival Sony Ericsson, which reported a €213m loss compared with a previous year profit and recorded a sharp fall in sales for the three months to the end of June.

Analysts were encouraged, however, by the robust second-quarter results, with sales and profits up from the previous quarter as the rate of decline in the market slowed.

Operating profits were down more than 70 per cent at €427m, or €0.10 per share, compared with last year, but this was better than the 72 per cent decline forecast by analysts and the 90 per cent drop suffered in the first quarter.

Sales were down by nearly a quarter at €13.2bn against the same period a year ago but this was up 7 per cent from the prior quarter.

“As a result of strong operational execution, underlying operating margins improved sequentially in all segments. Competition remains intense, but demand in the overall mobile device market appears to be bottoming out,” said Mr Kallasvuo.

He highlighted a slight increase in overall market share during the quarter to 38 per cent, while the group’s share of the fast-growing smartphone market rose to 41 per cent.

Jackson was 'healthy, vibrant' at last rehearsal

OS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The rehearsals ended on a high note that night.

Jackson, here at a June 23 rehearsal, "was full of jokes, full of life," band vocal coach Dorian Holley said.

Michael Jackson was energetic and excited. He popped his signature moonwalk and dance spins that gave chills to some of those watching.

As he walked to his car, he put his arm around concert promoter Randy Phillips and -- as Phillips later recounted -- in his soft voice, whispered: "Thank you, I know we're going to get it there together. I know I can do this."

That was late Wednesday night, June 24. A few hours later, Jackson was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.

"All I know is that the Michael Jackson that hugged me and said 'goodnight' was a healthy, vibrant human being about to undertake the greatest undertaking of his life," Phillips said Thursday. "And something happened between 12:30 when he left us and the morning when I had to rush to the hospital when I got the first call." Watch Jackson rehearse for London shows »

The death of the pop icon shocked the music world, not only because many fans were looking forward to his 50 sold-out shows in London, England, beginning in mid-July, but also because the 50-year-old singer -- while a step slower than in his prime -- was apparently healthy and up to the task of what has been described as a grueling show.

MICHAEL JACKSON The Memorial

Tuesday, join CNN for all day coverage as the world celebrates the life of a worldwide pop icon, and don't miss our prime time coverage starting at 8 ET.

see full schedule »

"He was just like a kid in the candy store because he was seeing his vision come alive," said Dorian Holley, the vocal coach for Jackson's band, about the last rehearsal.

"He was just full of jokes, full of life," Holley said. He added that Jackson was due to be back at rehearsals again at 4:30 p.m. on the day of his death.

On Thursday, Phillips' promotion company, AEG Live, released a 1½-minute rehearsal clip that was shot two nights before Jackson's death.

In that clip, Jackson barreled through the song "They Don't Care About Us." As a guitarist played a riff, he danced next to her and then led eight backup dancers in a choreographed march, reminiscent of his breakthrough music video "Thriller."

The clip -- shot at the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles, California, on June 23 -- ends with a voice off stage saying, "Hold for applause, hold for applause ... fade out."

Two days later, Jackson was dead.

Phillips said a doctor, hired by the tour's insurance carrier, examined Jackson before AEG proceeded with the rehearsals -- and gave the singer the green light to continue.

"He examined Michael for about five hours at his house and I think they went somewhere for some other tests," Phillips said. "We are obviously not privy to the patient-doctor relationship with that information, but the insurance broker told us that he passed with flying colors."

The production pace in those final weeks was ferocious, some of the attendees said.

Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, told a radio interviewer that he discussed tweaking the strenuous two-hour format of the shows.

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"We were going to do one of two things," DiLeo told KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last week. "We were either going to do so much in the beginning, take a half-hour break, then come back and do the second half of the shows. Or we were going to cut it down to 90 minutes."

The exacting rehearsals may have been taking a toll on Jackson, his doctor's lawyer has said.

"Michael Jackson didn't eat very much," said Edward Chernoff, the lawyer for Jackson's cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray. "He really didn't drink very much. He didn't hydrate very well. When he rehearsed, it was very strenuous exercise."

As authorities await toxicology reports to determine how Jackson died, fans around the world lamented the loss of a great performer whose ability to dazzle seemed intact, if inhibited, in the short video clip.

"He still moves better at 50 than I could at 15," said Stephanie Siek, a graduate student in Frankfurt, Germany. "But he also seems to be holding back in a way he never did in his older videos or other footage I've seen. I think it would have been a great show, but I think that a lot of people would have been disappointed, because he was so iconic in his prime. That's a very, very hard standard to live up to."