Sri Lankan Tamil leader Velupillai Prabhakaran killed

Sri Lanka's government said Monday its forces killed Tamil rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran as he attempted to flee, according to the country's state-run news agency.

There was no immediate response from the Tamil rebel group.

Prabhakaran founded the Tamil Tigers, which has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries. It pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and, according to the FBI, invented the explosive suicide belt.

It was also behind the assassination of two world leaders -- the only terrorist organization to do so.

Prabhakaran is accused of masterminding the killing of then-Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in the Tamil-dominated Indian state of Tami Nadu. Sri Lankan authorities allege that Prabhakaran was avenging Gandhi's decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka.

Two years later a Tigers suicide bomber, allegedly acting under Prabhakaran's orders, detonated explosives that killed Sri Lanka's then-president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, during a rally.

"Today we finished the work handed to us by the president to liberate the country from the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," army chief Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka said in the broadcast. 

Sri Lankan forces had routed the rebels in the past few weeks, over-running their territory and bringing the 26-year war to its conclusion. 
 

The broadcast quoted military officials as saying Prabhakaran had been killed along with his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Soosai, the head of the rebels' naval wing. 

They were shot dead in an ambush in the Mullivaikal district while trying to escape the war zone in an ambulance, the general added. 

Earlier, at least three senior rebel leaders were killed, including Prabhakaran's eldest son, Charles Anthony, the military said. 

State TV broadcast images of what it said was Charles Anthony's body. 

Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara confirmed Prabhakaran's death, saying 250 Tamil Tigers were also killed overnight. 

The government's information department also sent news of Prabhakaran's death by text message to mobile phones across the country. 

In the past few days, the LTTE had been hemmed into a 300 sq metre (3,230 sq ft) patch of land - a tiny part of the 15,000 sq km territory they had controlled until recently.

US journalist 'Roxana Saberi' arrives in Austria after release from Iranian prison

The American journalist Roxana Saberi flew to the VIENNA with her parents early Friday who freed after four months in an Iranian prison on spying charges.

At theVienna's airport, Saberi said she planned to spend a few days in the city to recover from her ordeal.

"I came to Vienna because I heard it was a calm and relaxing place," Saberi said. "I know you have many questions but I need some more time to think about what happened to me over the past couple of days."

Her father, Reza Saberi, said they were staying with a friend in Austria. The family was accompanied by an unidentified man.

Saberi, poised and smiling, thanked all those who supported her during her ordeal — including Austria's ambassador to Iran and his family, whom she described as "very helpful."

"Both journalists and non-journalists around the world, I've been hearing, supported me very much and it was very moving for me to hear this," Saberi said.

Saberi, referring to several statements made about her case over the past few days, stressed she was the only one who knew what really happened.

"Nobody knows about it as well as I do and I will talk about it more in the future, I hope, but I am not prepared at this time," she said.

Saberi did not specify how long she planned to stay in Austria, saying only: "We're going to stay here for at least a few days and then go on to the United States."

She said it was still unclear if she would also travel to France, where a film she co-scripted premiered at the Cannes Film festival on Thursday. The film's director is Saberi's partner.

The 32-year-old journalist, who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and moved to Iran six years ago, was arrested in late January and was convicted of spying for the United States in a closed-door trial that her Iranian-born father said lasted only 15 minutes.


The United States had said the charges against Saberi were baseless and repeatedly demanded her release. The case against her had become an obstacle to President Barack Obama's attempts at dialogue with the top U.S. adversary in the Middle East.

At one point, Saberi held a hunger strike to protest her imprisonment, but she ended it after two weeks when her parents, visiting her in prison, asked her to stop because her health was weakening.

Saberi had worked as a freelance journalist for several organizations, including National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corp.

After her arrest, Iranian authorities initially accused her of working without press credentials, but later leveled the far more serious charge of spying. Iran released few details about the allegations that she passed intelligence to the U.S.

Pope Benedict XVI endorses a Palestinian state in Bethlehem

Standing in the cradle of Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI told Palestinians Wednesday he understood their suffering and offered his strongest and most symbolic public backing yet for an independent Palestinian state.

To get to Jesus' traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, Benedict crossed through the towering concrete slabs of the separation barrier Israel has erected to wall off the West Bank's Palestinian areas.

On a visit to a nearby refugee camp, he expressed regret over Israel's construction of the separation barrier. A section of the barrier fortified by an Israeli military watchtower provided a stark backdrop as he spoke. In Bethlehem, he offered a prayer for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.

But he also urged young Palestinians to "have the courage to resist any temptation to resort to acts of violence or terrorism." It was his first direct mention of terrorism since he arrived in Jordan last Friday on a weeklong Holy Land pilgrimage aimed at inspiring peace and strengthening frayed ties with Muslims and Jews.

At the Aida refugee camp, the pope said it was understandable that Palestinians feel frustrated.

"Their legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfilled," he said.

Benedict's first visit to Bethlehem since becoming pope took on increased significance as he endorsed the idea of a homeland while standing on Palestinian soil.

"Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders," he said, standing alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Benedict's Holy Land pilgrimage was meant largely to boost interfaith relations. But so far, it has been fraught with political land mines. Israelis have criticized the German-born pope for failing to adequately express remorse for the Holocaust, while the Palestinians are pressing him to draw attention to the difficult conditions of life under Israeli rule.

The pope also called for a Palestinian homeland when he arrived in Israel Monday for the five-day visit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in the audience, has resisted international pressure to endorse the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Netanyahu is to meet the pope on Thursday.

At an open-air mass near Jesus' traditional birth grotto, Benedict delivered a special message of solidarity to the 1.4 million Palestinians isolated in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. He has no plans to visit Gaza.

Israel recently waged a three-week war against Gaza militants that killed more than 1,150 people and badly damaged thousands of homes. The war compounded suffering already caused by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza's borders since Hamas wrested control of Gaza two years ago.

"In a special way, my heart goes out to the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure," the pope told thousands of Palestinians who packed Manger Square, some hoisting Palestinian and Vatican flags and pictures of the pontiff and Jesus.

"Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead, and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted," he added.

In a gesture for the pope's visit, Israel allowed nearly 100 members of Gaza's tiny Christian community to travel through Israeli territory to the West Bank.

Benedict's singling out of Gaza "means that Gaza is in the pope's heart," said George Hernandz, bishop of the Holy Family Catholic church in Gaza City. "This a very courageous speech and we are satisfied."

At the refugee camp, home to about 5,000 people, the pope was critical of Israel's separation barrier.

"In a world where more and more borders are being opened up ... it is tragic to see walls still being erected," Benedict said. "How earnestly we pray for an end to the hostilities that have caused this wall to be built." 

Israel says the barrier, which snakes hundreds of miles (kilometers) along the West Bank frontier, is a security measure. But the Palestinians say it is a land grab since it juts into areas they claim for a future independent state, leaving some 10 percent of the West Bank on the Israeli "side." 

The pope, who has described himself as a "pilgrim of peace," has been forced to navigate some of the touchiest political issues as he makes his way through Israel and the West Bank — his first visit to the region as the head of the Roman Catholic church. 

On Tuesday, the Vatican rallied to his defense, describing him as man of strong anti-Nazi credentials and a peacemaker after Israeli critics said he failed to apologize in a speech at Israel's Holocaust memorial for what they see as Catholic indifference during the Nazi genocide. 

The Palestinians want the pontiff to put pressure on Israel during his visit. Before he arrived, Bethlehem residents expressed hope that he would use his moral authority to support their quest for independence. 

"Our pope is our hope" read posters hung around the town, which was also dotted with the yellow and cream flags of the Vatican and red, black, white and green Palestinian flags. 

While Benedict acknowledged Palestinian difficulties, he stopped short of blaming Israel. 

"I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades," he said. 

Abbas invoked the concrete separation barrier and the occupation in his greeting to the pontiff. 

"In this Holy Land, the occupation still continues building separation walls," Abbas said. "Instead of building the bridge that can link us, they are using the force of occupation to force Muslims and Christians to emigrate." 

Christians are a tiny minority among the 3.9 million Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In a trend seen throughout the Middle East, their numbers have dwindled as Palestinians weary of occupation seek out new opportunities abroad. 

"When he comes and visits us, it gives us moral and material support," said Ramzi Shomali, a 27-year-old electric company worker. "It motivates us to stay in our land." 

The pontiff brought several gifts to Bethlehem, including a ventilator for a baby hospital and a mosaic representation of the birth of Jesus. He received a handwritten Gospel of Luke.

Intel Fined Record $1.45B By EU For Sales Tactics

The European Union fined Intel Corp. a record euro1.06 billion ($1.45 billion) on Wednesday and ordered the world's biggest maker of computer chips to stop illegal sales tactics that shut out Silicon Valley rival AMD.

The fine, which exceeded a euro899 million monopoly abuse penalty imposed on Microsoft Corp. last year, was denounced by Intel, which plans to appeal to an EU court within 60 days.

AMD's stock jumped in midday trading Wednesday, while Intel shares were up slightly.

"Given that Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for over five years, the size of the fine should come as no surprise," said EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

"Intel did not compete fairly, frustrating innovation and reducing consumer welfare in the process," she said.

The European Commission also told Intel to immediately cease some sales practices in Europe, though it refused to say what those were. Intel said it was "mystified" about what it was supposed to change but would comply with the "extremely ambiguous" EU order.

"This is really just a matter of competition at work, which is something I think we all want to see, versus something nefarious," said Intel's CEO, Paul Otellini.

Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., has about 80 percent of the world's personal computer microprocessor market and faces just one real rival, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., which has its headquarters just three miles from Intel in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The two companies have been fighting for years over what AMD claims is Intel's intimidation of computer makers into striking exclusive deals for the chips they use in their new machines.

AMD claims the rebates and financial incentives that Intel offers to those companies for buying more Intel chips are designed to prevent AMD from gaining market share. AMD argues that Intel's volume discounts are sometimes so steep that AMD can't cut its own prices enough to compete without losing money on the sales.

In siding with AMD to wrap up an eight-year probe, the European Commission said Intel broke EU competition law by exploiting its dominant position, thereby limiting customer choice.

The EU said Intel gave rebates to computer manufacturers Acer Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Lenovo Group Ltd. and NEC Corp. for buying all or most of their chips from Intel and paid them to stop or delay the launch of computers based on AMD chips.

The commission said price discounts were linked to promises from computer manufacturers to restrict AMD purchases. It said such discounts were left off Intel's official contracts because the company "went to great lengths to cover up many of its anticompetitive actions."

Officials said they learned of them through e-mails and statements from businesses, some seized during surprise raids.

Bruce Sewell, Intel's general counsel, said the case was based on weak evidence and unfair inferences from a small number of documents.

Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini said "there has been absolutely zero harm to consumers."

But AMD Chief Executive Dirk Meyer said the decision was "an important step toward establishing a truly competitive market."

"AMD has consistently been a technology innovation leader and we are looking forward to the move from a world in which Intel ruled, to one which is ruled by customers," Meyer said in a statement. 

Tom McCoy, AMD's executive vice president for legal affairs, said the ruling would bring consumers "greater choice, value and innovation." 

Regulators said Intel also paid Germany's biggest electronics retailer, Media Saturn Holding, from 2002 to 2007 to stock only Intel-based computers at its MediaMarkt superstores, even in Dresden, Germany, where many AMD chips are made. 

The decision does not affect Intel's pricing strategy outside Europe but could have an important effect in the United States and Asia. 

This week, one of the top U.S. antitrust officials, Christine Varney, signaled a return to trustbusting as the Obama administration dropped a strict interpretation of antitrust rules that saw regulators shun major action against alleged monopolies during the Bush years. 

Kroes said Varney's words gave her hope that the EU's current "close cooperation" and information exchanges with the Federal Trade Commission "could go in a very positive way" in the future. The FTC upgraded a probe into Intel last year. 

"The more competition authorities are joining us in our philosophy, the better it is for it is a global world," she said. "The more who are doing the job ... and with the same approach then the better it is." 

Intel's Sewell said the concept that rebates could damage competition was an area "where the law is now in flux" and regulators were testing the boundaries. 

"There is a line of thought developing primarily out of the European antitrust authorities but also perhaps being picked up by the Japanese and the Koreans that suggest that rebates can be anticompetitive," he said. 

EU regulators said they calculated Intel's fine — 4 percent of last year's $37.6 billion in worldwide sales — on the value of its European chip sales over the five years and three months that it broke the law. Europeans buy some 30 percent of all computer chips sold every year. 

The EU could have gone even higher. EU antitrust rules allow for a fine of up to 10 percent of a company's annual global revenue for each year of bad behavior. 

The EU said the fine must be paid within three months. The money eventually goes into the EU budget, reducing the funding it seeks from European taxpayers. 

European consumers group BEUC welcomed the fine and urged customers to seek damages in civil courts. 

The EU said rebates like the ones Intel offered PC makers, with discounts for large orders, are illegal when a monopoly company makes them conditional on buying less of a rival's products or not buying them at all. EU officials said the discounts were so steep that only a competitor that sold chips for less than they cost to make would have any chance of grabbing customers. 

According to regulators, AMD offered 1 million free chips to one manufacturer, but it ultimately could only accept 160,000 to avoid losing a rebate on many millions of other chips from Intel.