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Fighting Rages in Lebanon for 3rd Day

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E55:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 At least 66 people
reported killed since Sunday, but some estimates put death toll much
higher Fighting between the Lebanese army and an Islamic extremist
group raged on for a third day in a Palestinian refugee camp in north
Lebanon.  At least 66 people are reported killed since the battles
began Sunday, but some estimates put the death toll much higher.  A
brief ceasefire allowed aid agencies to get assistance to camp
residents for the first time, but a U.N. aid worker was wounded when
the convoy came under fire.  VOA correspondent Challiss McDonough has
details from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

Lebanese special brigades patrol a street inside the Palestinian
refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon, 22 May 2007

On the third day of heavy fighting, militants from the Fatah al-Islam
group announced a unilateral ceasefire at mid-afternoon.  Some
residents of the Nahr al-Bared camp, who had been anxiously sheltering
in their homes, seized the opportunity to flee.  Aid groups scrambled
to try to get assistance into the Palestinian refugee camp.  But, in
less than an hour, the truce fell apart and the gunfire and shelling
started again.

A United Nations official said a U.N. convoy carrying food and
medicine came under fire.  A number of U.N. aid workers were stranded
inside the camp as the trucks retreated.

There was more fighting in the port city of Tripoli, near the refugee
camp, where one of the Fatah al-Islam militants blew himself up during
a raid by security forces.  There were no casualties other than the
bomber.

A spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross,
Virginia de la Guardia, said she is concerned about the civilians who
remain trapped in the camp.

"So, we are very concerned about the situation of the people who are
inside, lacking of water, lacking of medicines, lacking of
electricity," she said.  "So, our main concern, what we are really
asking, is that they facilitate access to the humanitarian
organizations to bring relief."

Two Lebanese army vehicles patrol the entrance of the Palestinian
refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in the northern city of Tripoli,
Lebanon, 22 May 2007There are some 30,000 people who live in the Nahr
al-Bared camp, which is outside Tripoli.  The army has so far not
entered the camp itself.  Palestinian refugee camps have been
off-limits to Lebanese authorities since 1969 under an international
agreement.

Human rights groups have criticized the Lebanese army for using
artillery to target such a heavily populated area.  They say it is
nearly impossible to avoid civilian casualties.

Scores of Palestinian refugees in two other camps marched through the
streets and burned tires in protest against the army's shelling of
Nahr al-Bared.  That fueled concerns that the violence could spread to
other parts of the country.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a member of the parliament's majority
coalition, urged the country's divided politicians to unite in support
of the army, despite their political differences.  He also called on
mainstream Palestinian factions to take action against Fatah al-Islam.

"It is the responsibility of the state, the army and the
responsibility of the Palestinian organizations to stop sheltering
[this group], either politically or physically," he said.  "Hamas and
Fatah should hand over this criminal gang that has no relationship
with the Palestinian cause."

All mainstream Palestinian groups have disavowed Fatah al-Islam,
saying they want nothing to do with the group's al-Qaida-inspired
ideology.  The Lebanese government has accused Fatah al-Islam of
loyalty to Syria. But Syrian officials have strongly denied any ties
to the group, and say its leader was imprisoned in Damascus over his
extremist views.

In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow read a statement of
support for the Lebanese government as it "faces down the threat of
terrorism and political violence."

Druze leader Jumblatt also told reporters he expects more bombings in
Beirut, where two large bombs have exploded since Sunday, one in a
Christian neighborhood and the other in an upscale shopping district. 
Fatah al-Islam leaders have denied responsibility for those attacks.

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Britain Pushes for Prosecution in Murder Case of Former Russian Spy

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E58:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 Crown Prosecution
Service says former Russian spy Andrei Lugovoi should be charged with
murder of Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London after being
poisoned last year British prosecutors say former Russian spy Andrei
Lugovoi should be charged with the murder of one-time Russian
intelligence officer Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London after
being poisoned last year. For VOA, Tom Rivers reports from the British
capital.

Alexander Litvinenko (File photo)Based upon files compiled by Scotland
Yard's counter-terrorism department, Britain's Crown Prosecution
Service, or CPS, has recommended that a former Russian intelligence
officer should face trial in the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Litvinenko was also a former member of the FSB, the successor to the
KGB, and a strong critic of President Vladimir Putin. He was believed
to have been poisoned with the radioactive isotope polonium-210 on
November 1. He died in a London hospital three weeks later.

Britain's Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald announces his
decision in London, 22 May 2007Chief prosecutor Ken MacDonald says,
after consultation with the government's Attorney General, he has
decided to formally ask for a trial process to move forward.

"I have today concluded that the evidence sent to us by the police is
sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Alexander
Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning," he said. "I have further
concluded that the prosecution of this case would clearly be in the
public interest."

Since no extradition treaty exists between London and Moscow, it is
hard to see how such a trial will ever take place. Regardless,
MacDonald has instructed his team to proceed.

Andrei Lugovoi (File)"I have instructed CPS [Crown Prosecution
Service] lawyers to take immediate steps to seek the early extradition
of Andrei Lugovoi from Russia to the United Kingdom so that he may be
charged here with murder and brought swiftly before a court in London
to be prosecuted for this extraordinarily grave crime," said
MacDonald.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has told the Russian
ambassador to London that she expects full compliance.

But a source at the Russian Prosecutor General's office in Moscow says
it would be against the Russian constitution to extradite a citizen to
a foreign state and so Andrei Lugovoi will not be handed over.

For his part, Lugovoi has maintained he is innocent and has accused
the British media of demonizing him.

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Israel Calls for International Effort to End Weapons Flow to Hamas

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E5C:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 Israeli official
says not only Qassam rockets, but import of illicit weapons into Gaza
Strip must be stopped    Israeli officials have called for an
international effort end what they describe as the anarchy in the
Palestinian territories. They also threatened further retaliation for
Palestinian rocket attacks that killed an Israeli woman, late Monday,
in southern Israel. VOA's Jim Teeple reports Israeli air strikes
against militant targets in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 30
Palestinians, in the past few days.

Israeli officials say they will step up their attacks against
Palestinian militants, if the Qassam rocket attacks against southern
Israel do not stop.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz Defense Minister Amir Peretz
says, for the time being, Israel is holding back from launching a
major ground invasion of Gaza. However, he says the international
community must do more to end what he describes as "anarchy" and the
collapse of the Palestinian Authority.

Foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev says Israel wants the
international community to do more to stop weapons from reaching the
Gaza Strip.

"This is an intolerable situation and it has to stop. But no one can
doubt the fact that it is not just the Qassams [rockets] themselves.
There is the larger issue of the import into the Gaza Strip of illicit
weapons, including missiles, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, explosives and
so forth," he said. "What we are talking to the international
community about is to beef up [strengthen] the international border,
from Egyptian Sinai into Gaza. That must be part of any
understanding."

About 80 European Union security personnel monitor the Gaza-Egypt
border, but they have little enforcement authority and, on several
occasions, have had to leave their posts because of violence.

Saeb Erekat (file photo)Meanwhile, some Israeli politicians continue
to call for targeting leading Hamas figures for assassination, if the
rocket attacks continue. Saeb Erekat a close aide to Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel needs to stop its attacks in Gaza,
saying Palestinians are also trying to stop the Qassam attacks.

"I urge the Israeli government to stop such attacks and, from our
side, we are doing everything possible to insure that we sustain a
cessation of all sorts of violence including the firing of Qassams,
howitzers and anything else," said Erekat. "Violence will destroy any
attempt to revive the peace process.

Heavy factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah forces in Gaza, which
led to the current crisis, has largely subsided, in the past few days.

Israel and Palestinian militant groups had been observing a largely
successful ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, since last November.

Hamas officials have said they would stop the Qassam attacks against
Israel, if the ceasefire was extended to the West Bank. Israeli
officials have rejected the overture, saying Hamas would use any
ceasefire to rearm.

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American Academic Accused of Plotting Revolution in Iran

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E59:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 Haleh Esfandiari
works for a Washington-based research organization, the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars

Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow
Wilson Center

Iran has alleged that a detained Iranian-American academic is linked
to a network seeking to overthrow the government of the Islamic
Republic.

The academic, Haleh Esfandiari, works for a Washington-based research
organization, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
She was taken to Tehran's Evin prison on May 8, after being prevented
from leaving the country for several months.

A statement from the Iranian Intelligence Ministry, carried Monday by
the state-run IRNA news agency, said Esfandiari, under interrogation,
had said she and the Wilson Center sought to establish an unofficial
communications network seeking to topple the government.

IRNA also reported the Wilson Center had the financial backing of
billionaire American businessman George Soros.

Soros is a well-known philanthropist who supports many democracy and
economic development projects around the world.

Esfandiari, who has dual U.S and Iranian citizenship, has been accused
of "crimes against national security."

The Wilson Center's director, Lee Hamilton, says Esfandiari has not
engaged in any activities to undermine any government and the center
does not engage in such activities.

The United States has called for Iran to release Esfandiari, as well
as two other detained Iranian-American women.

One of the detained women is Parnaz Azima, a correspondent for
U.S.-funded Persian language broadcaster Radio Farda. She has been
prevented from leaving Iran since January. Esfandiari and Azima were
in Iran to visit their mothers.

The identity of the third woman has not been revealed at the request
of her family.

The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since
1980.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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Religious Tensions Run High In India's Punjab State

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E57:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 Sikh leaders
demanding apology from leader of Punjab-based religious sect, who
posed for newspaper advertisements dressed up as revered 17th century
Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh A daylong general strike called by Sikh
religious leaders has shut down activity in India's northern state of
Punjab, a Sikh majority region. Anjana Pasricha reports that the
strike was ordered after tensions escalated between the Sikh community
and another Punjab-based religious sect.

Protesters burn tires during a strike in the outskirts of Jammu,
India, 22 May 2007Schools, shops and businesses shut down across
Punjab as thousands of paramilitary forces and policemen fanned out
Tuesday in the northern state, where religious tensions are running
high.

Sikh leaders are demanding an apology from the leader of a
Punjab-based religious sect, who posed for newspaper advertisements
dressed up as a revered 17th century Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh.

Protests by outraged Sikhs have engulfed the state since the
controversy began last week. Angry Sikh leaders say Gurmeet Ram Rahim
Singh, the head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, has insulted their
religion. They have blocked highways, and clashed with Dera
supporters. Security was stepped up after one person was killed and
many were injured.

The state's political leadership has joined Sikh religious leaders in
calling for an apology.

However, the state's Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal says law and
order should not be disturbed.

He has called for calm, and says the government is determined to
maintain peace at all costs.

Although Punjab remained calm during the daylong shutdown, sporadic
protests by Sikhs were reported on Tuesday in two neighboring regions,
Haryana and Jammu.

A spokesman for the Dera sect, Aditya Insaan, has said the leader did
not mean to offend Sikhs when he dressed up as a Sikh guru.

"We have expressed our sincere and heartfelt regrets on several
occasions in front of the media," said Insaan. "If an effort is not
made to understand the full import of whatever we have tried to convey
and it is transformed into a battle of semantics, then I think we have
not been understood."

But the failure of the Dera leader to issue an outright apology has
angered Sikhs, and prompted a demand for a shutdown of all branches of
the sect in the state.

The Dera Sacha Sauda calls itself a spiritual, humanitarian
organization and says its followers are drawn from all religions.

Analysts say the government should watch out for wider violence in a
state that was engulfed in a violent insurgency in the 1980s and 90s
by Sikhs seeking an independent homeland.

Punjab is India's only Sikh majority state.

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Kazakh President Abolishes Term Limits

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E5B:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 Political
opposition immediately denounces move as undemocratic Kazakhstan's
President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed into law constitutional
amendments allowing him to stay in office, indefinitely. From Moscow,
VOA's Lisa McAdams has more on the move, which the political
opposition denounces as undemocratic.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev (Jan 2007)In signing the
amendments into law, Mr. Nazarbayev - who has led Kazakhstan since
1991 - secured his already-firm grip on power. The new legislation
allows him to run again in 2012, if he so chooses, and to stay in
office for an unlimited number of terms.

His eventual successors are not afforded the same right, but are
barred from serving more than two consecutive terms - as Nazarbayev
had been until this law was pushed through.

Government supporters say the law will ensure continued stability in
the oil-rich nation. But, Kazakhstan's fragmented political opposition
immediately denounced the move as undemocratic.

The director of the Heritage Foundation in Moscow, Yevgeni Volk,
agrees. He says the new law cements a long-standing trend toward
authoritarian rule under Mr. Nazarbayev and across Central Asia.

"Nazarbayev is following the path taken by many other leaders in
Central Asia who really like power," said Volk. "They don't want to
leave their office. They understand it really means not just their
personal wealth, but their personal security. No one can really be
guaranteed that in case of a change of power, they will be personally
safe."

The set of reforms also strengthened parliament's powers, including
giving lawmakers a greater say in picking the prime minister, but Volk
doubts that will be enough to ease concerns in Europe and the West
over Kazakhstan's democratic record.

Mr. Nazarbayev's rule has been marred by flawed elections and the
slaying of two vocal opponents of the government.

Volk notes that the concerns, even before Tuesday's amendments were
signed into law, threaten to derail Kazakhstan's bid to assume the
rotating chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
(OSCE) in Europe in 2009.

"I believe that in this sense, Kazakhstan will not be a good example
for other OSCE nations and to a great extent it will try to silence
calls for democracy, individual freedoms, for human rights
protection," said Volk. "And, in fact, I believe it will certainly
limit the OSCE performance and its results [if approved]."

President Nazarbayev has said the reforms were undertaken to make
Kazakhstan more democratic.

 

------------------------------------------------------

Niger Delta Militants, Villagers Plead For Help From Incoming
Administration

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E5A:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 People say
dialogue, development needed rather than security crackdown that has
created more violence in region Militants and villagers in Nigeria's
restive, oil-rich and lawless Niger Delta are pleading for help from
the incoming government that takes power next week. They say dialogue
and development are needed, rather than the security crackdown that
has created more violence, and a large number of groups conducting
criminal business. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from the creeks around
Okrika island, near Port Harcourt.

Militants whiz by on speedboats in oil-rich creeks trying to avoid
security forces and rival gangs, all of which compete in oil bunkering
and other illegal activities.

Militant commander wants change of policiesSpeaking from a safe place
on Okrika Island, Commander Marcus Appolos, from the militant Ijaw
Youth Council, says the incoming president and new state governors
should break from past policies.

"Whatever has passed, if really they want to serve the people, they
should take corrections of the past and bring everybody together, and
put people in places where they are supposed to be, to take a new
dimension, a better emancipation for the people," he said.

The 28-year-old commander says it is just not fair for so many people
to suffer, while so much oil is being taken from their region, making
money for just a few officials and foreign-owned oil companies and
their shareholders.

"The government has all the money. We do not have the money," he said.
"We have the resources but we do not have anything to do with it. So
the government uses their own money to oppress us. So that is just the
difficulties."

The sounds of a small market are interrupted by the arrival of members
from a rival militant group, the Niger Delta Vigilante.

The group's second in command, Ebel Tomma Amakiri, also known by his
nickname Kpottoi, which means bad noise, says the government's first
priority should be establishing dialogue between armed groups.

"Without any peace, without any cooperation, there is nothing you can
do. So that the best thing that we have to agree on a point is that
there should be peace. Without peace, you cannot progress, you cannot
do anything."

In fishing villages across the water, villagers complain of a lack of
piped water, electricity, schools, hospitals and being at the
receiving end of violence from rival gangs trying to control different
areas.

Fisherman Samuel in hut attacked by gangsOne fisherman, Samuel Tamuno,
says he was recently attacked by a gang known as the Germans.

"All my things are lost. My house is burned, my canoe, all the nets
are finished. I just stay empty. I do not have anything to manage, to
get money. I just struggle," he said.

Another fisherman, Emmanuel, speaking in Okrika through an
interpreter, explains oil has made his life much worse.

Fisherman Emmanuel complains of oil pollution"Look at ships, the ships
are very close to them," he said. "Sometimes, they are polluting the
water. There is no fish here in the sea. Things are very difficult for
them. They need the incoming government to assist them to alleviate
their suffering."

Asked to comment on the allegations, oil companies said they were too
busy dealing with the dozen foreign oil workers currently being held
hostage for ransom by militants.

Newly-elected ruling party officials were returning from Abuja, where
they concluded a seminar on better governance, including for places
like here.

Labor unions have called for a stay at home strike to coincide with
the swearing-in of the next president, Musa Yar'Adua and new governors
on May 29, following elections marred by fraud and violence.

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Bush Defends Gonzalez Ahead of Congressional No-Confidence Vote

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E53:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 Attorney general's
handling of dismissal of eight US prosecutors will also be in
spotlight this week when one of his former aides testifies before a
House committee President Bush is accusing Democrats in Congress of
playing politics as they prepare to take a no-confidence vote this
week on Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. VOA's Dan Robinson reports
from Capitol Hill, controversy involving Gonzalez and his handling of
the dismissals of eight U.S. prosecutors, will also be in the
spotlight when one of his former aides testifies before a House
committee.

President Bush, 21 May 2007 President Bush Monday reiterated his
support for his embattled attorney general, who has admitted to
mishandling the process in which the U.S. attorneys were dismissed,
while denying any political motives were behind it.

"He has got my confidence," said President Bush. "He has done nothing
wrong. There's been enormous amount of attention on him. That there's
been no wrongdoing on his part. He has testified in front of Congress.
And I, frankly, view what's taking place in Washington today as pure
political theater."

The president's passion in defending Gonzalez indicates that if the
attorney general is to leave, it won't be the result of any decision
from the White House.

Alberto Gonzales, 15 May 2007 But while the president believes
political motivations are behind the move by Senate Democrats to
schedule an unusual no-confidence vote on the attorney general,
Gonzalez has lost the backing of five key Senate Republicans.

Appearing on CBS' Face the Nation last Sunday, Pennsylvania Senator
Arlen Specter, top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee,
suggested Gonzalez might choose to resign before the no-confidence
debate.

Designed to escalate pressure on Gonzalez to step down voluntarily,
the effort by Senate Democrats will have some help from the House,
where Democrats plan to bring up their own no-confidence resolution.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (l) and Adam Schiff Democrats Adam Schiff and
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz appeared at a news conference late Monday to
preview that effort.

SCHIFF: "We take this step reluctantly, but we take it with the
conviction that something is broken at the Department of Justice and
Mr. Gonzalez is not the man to fix it.

SCHULTZ: This is not about partisan politics. This is about an
individual who has lost the confidence of the Congress and the
American people and needs to step aside."

If approved, both Senate and House measures, would be non-binding.

Adding to pressure on Gonzalez, Monica Goodling, the former Department
of Justice liaison to the White House and a key figure in the U.S.
attorneys matter, comes to Capitol Hill to testify before the House
Judiciary Committee.

One of four key justice department officials to resign so far in
connection with the controversy, Goodling initially declined to
testify, citing her constitutional right against self-incrimination.

But lawmakers on the judiciary committee later voted to give her
limited immunity in exchange for her appearance this Wednesday.

Testifying before the panel earlier this month, Attorney General
Gonzalez apologized, as he did in an earlier Senate hearing, that the
matter had become an unfortunate and undignified public spectacle.

However, he reiterated the position he has taken since the controversy
began.

"It would be improper to remove a U.S. attorney to interfere with, or
influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain," said
Gonzales. "I did not do that. I would never do that."

John Conyers, the Democratic panel chairman, had this observation as
part of his opening remarks.

"One asks whether the administration is trying to cover up two simple
truths: who created the list [of attorneys] and why," said John
Conyers.

Adding to the pressure on Gonzalez was recent testimony to Congress by
James Comey, a former deputy attorney general, who said Gonzalez tried
in 2004 to persuade then Attorney General John Ashcroft, seriously ill
at the time in a hospital, to approve an extension of President Bush's
domestic eavesdropping program.

The key sponsor of the Senate no-confidence resolution on Gonzalez,
Democrat Charles Schumer, says he expects it to draw support from at
least 60 senators.

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Chinese Official Warns of Worsening Environmental Conditions

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E56:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 China so far
unable to balance integrity of its environment with heavy
industrialization Officials from China's top environmental watchdog
have told the state news agency some of the country's most polluted
rivers and lakes are not getting any cleaner. VOA's Joseph
Popiolkowski reports from Hong Kong.

Chengdu, China is covered in a heavy haze, caused by tons of dry
stalks burning on the city's outskirts, 10 May 2007The quarterly
report by China's chief environmental regulation agency delivers a
sobering warning, the quality of most of its cities' air and water has
declined since the beginning of the year.

China has been not been able to successfully balance the integrity of
its environment with heavy industrialization driven by record-breaking
economic growth.

In light of the report's findings, a key Chinese official on
environmental policy was quoted by the state news agency Tuesday as
calling for impact studies for all future projects.

Wen Bo, China Program Director for the U.S.-based activist group
Pacific Environment, agrees the situation is serious, and wants to see
companies penalized for harming the environment.

"They are conducting a crime," he said.  "They are conducting a
serious crime, although they didn't kill individual persons directly.
But by massively polluting the environment they are killing a whole
lot of people. So they should really make environmental pollution a
criminal charge."

State media last week quoted officials as saying that worsening water
and air pollution was partly to blame for making cancer the top killer
in China last year.

Wen also wants Chinese people to become more aware of the increasingly
diseased environments outside their cities and take action.

"Everybody can do their part. Everybody can do their share," he
added.  "Teachers can teach that in school. Consumers can pressure the
markets by what kind of products they choose."

The government's latest report said the quality of drinking water in
most cities has declined significantly since the beginning of the
year.

The government has made environmental protection a priority but has so
far failed to meet any of its own targets for cutting pollution and
improving energy efficiency. As the environment worsens, economic
growth rates continue to soar, more than eleven percent so far this
year.

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Film About Terrorist Victim Daniel Pearl Opens At Cannes Festival

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1792E54:0CD412E1D281094AA11CC7044168DE9C9574F7DCC14957C0 'A Mighty Heart'
is based on a book written by his wife Mariane Pearl, and stars
Angelina Jolie A film about American journalist Daniel Pearl, who was
kidnapped and murdered by Islamic militants in Pakistan in 2002, has
opened at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, A Mighty Heart, is based
on a book written by his wife Mariane Pearl, and stars Angelina Jolie.
For VOA, Anita Elash filed this report from Paris.

Daniel PearlAmerican journalist Daniel Pearl was researching a story
in Pakistan about Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber," when he
was kidnapped in 2002. A group of Islamic militants claimed
responsibility and said Pearl was an American spy. After he was
killed, the group circulated a video on the Internet showing his
execution.

The film, A Mighty Heart, is based on a book written by Pearl's wife,
Mariane, who was five months pregnant when he was killed. It begins on
her last day with her husband in Pakistan, where they were on
assignment together, and depicts her efforts to find Daniel and to
come to terms with his death.

From left: Mariane Pearl, Angelina Jolie and Bradd Pitt at Cannes Film
Festival, 21 May 2007Mariane Pearl is played by American actress
Angelina Jolie. Pearl said she asked Jolie to play the part after she
read an interview with her and thought they could be friends.

Jolie was about six-months pregnant as she prepared for the film. She
told reporters in Cannes that that helped her understand what Mariane
Pearl was going through.

"I remember being six-months pregnant, and thinking 'I cannot imagine,
at this time, not having the father with me', you know? Not having and
being concerned about his life and trying to eat, and trying to
remember to get some sleep and trying to take a deep breath, and
physically even just moving around," she said. "So, as a woman, it
just made me so much more connected to her and aware of her"

The film is directed by British director Michael Winterbottom and
co-produced by Jolie's partner Brad Pitt. It opens in the United
States on June 22.

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