Judge gives Mexican singer accused of rape 6 days to present evidence

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 23, 2011 -- Updated 0747 GMT (1547 HKT)

Pop singer Kalimba was detained on Friday after arriving at the airport in Chetumal.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Kalimba signs a statement that says he is innocent of the charges
• He is accused of raping a teen in a hotel in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo
• Fans march in support of the pop star outside the prison where he is held
• Report: An employee and a guard at the prison ask for the singer's autograph

Mexico City (CNN) -- A judge has given a Mexican singer accused of raping a teen a six-day extension to present evidence in the case, state media reported.

In a hearing Saturday that was closed to the media and the public, pop singer Kalimba signed a statement stating that he was innocent of the charges, lawyer Eliezer Garcia told the state-run Notimex news agency.

Prosecutors in the state of Quintana Roo allege he raped a 17-year-old girl in a hotel there in December.

Last week, the singer, whose full name is Kalimba Marichal Ibar, was deported from the United States to Mexico after an immigration violation in El Paso, Texas, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero said.

The 28-year-old singer is a former member of the group OV7, and also was the voice of Simba in a Spanish version of Disney's "The Lion King."

After Saturday's hearing, an employee and a guard at the prison where the singer is being held asked him for his autograph, Notimex said.

Outside the prison, the news agency reported that hundreds of fans marched to show their support. Groups of teenagers carried signs and shouted, "Let Kalimba out!" and "He is innocent!"

About 500 fans also gathered to show support for the singer in the nation's capital Saturday, Notimex said, carrying signs that said, "Kalimba we are with you" and "Kalimba, cheer up, Christ loves you."

Lawyer: Duvalier wants U.S. entity to disburse frozen funds

By Moni Basu

January 23, 2011 -- Updated 0025 GMT (0825 HKT)

Bob Barr represented Georgia's 7th District in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Duvalier is seeking advice from three U.S. lawyers, including former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr
• The lawyers say the former dictator wants to claim money frozen in Switzerland
• They say he wants to use the funds to help rebuild Haiti
• Duvalier is accused of siphoning the money from national coffers

Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- An American attorney representing Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier said Saturday that the former dictator returned to Haiti in hopes of recovering millions frozen in Swiss bank accounts and channeling them through a U.S. intermediary to help rebuild his troubled homeland.

In the past, Duvalier has attempted to personally claim the $5.7 million in a bank account belonging to a family foundation. But attorney Ed Marger said the highly controversial and polarizing former leader now wants to use the money to help Haiti, devastated a year ago by a massive earthquake.

"He doesn't want the funds for himself," Marger told CNN. "He wants a transparent entity to release the funds."

Marger is working with two other Georgia attorneys -- former Republican congressman Bob Barr and Mike Puglise -- to find a company that could transfer those funds. Marger named business consultants Ernst & Young and Deloitte as two possibilities.

Duvalier stands accused of pillaging Haiti's national treasury during his brutal 15-year rule. Haitian authorities are investigating allegations of corruption and embezzlement but the strongman has not yet been formally charged.

He also could face further charges of human rights abuses committed under his leadership. Amnesty International wants Duvalier to face justice for the alleged torture and killings of thousands of Haitians.

Barr, who represented Georgia's 7th District from 1995 to 2003, and was the Libertarian Party's 2008 presidential nominee, said Saturday that the allegations against Duvalier are just that.

"I deal with allegations all the time," he said. "They are the cheapest commodity on the market."

Barr said he returned to Port-au-Prince for the first time in nearly 30 years because he believed Duvalier is genuinely interested in alleviating Haiti's suffering. He said the Caribbean nation was in worse shape now than it was when Duvalier was at the helm.

"I also am reminded of others who have risen from the ashes," Barr said. "The city of Atlanta is the Phoenix city. The people of Haiti, likewise, will rise from the problems created by last year's earthquake and emerge stronger and better than before. That I know is Mr. Duvalier's deep wish and something that he knows in his heart."

He said the three American lawyers were not involved in Duvalier's legal problems in Haiti. They were there to advise him on international matters.

On Friday, Duvalier spoke publicly for the first time since his unexpected return. He stopped short of apologizing to the Haitian people but said he regretted their suffering.

"The desire to participate at your side in this national reconstruction effort is more important than any of the problems I could face," he said. "The price to pay is not important. The essential (thing) for me is to be with you."

He made no mention of political ambition, though his return at a tumultuous moment in Haitian history has fueled speculation about his real intentions. Haiti's November elections resulted in controversy and have yet to be resolved.

But many people believe Duvalier's actions were motivated not by power but money.

Reviled by some Haitians who remember the despot's lavish lifestyle in the Western hemisphere's poorest nation, Duvalier reportedly lost much of his wealth in his bitter divorce from Michele Bennett in the early 1990s. Marger said Duvalier was living an austere life and was dependent on the generosity of friends and family.

He has laid claim to the $5.7 million in Switzerland but that battle has dragged on for a quarter century.

A new Swiss law that goes into effect February 1 eases the repatriation of the money even if Haiti declines to prosecute Duvalier. However, Haitian authorities must show that the country lacked the resources for legal action or that Duvalier was not within reach.

By making himself available, Duvalier could potentially erase Haiti's right to the funds.

After the earthquake, Duvalier pledged some of the money to the Red Cross for relief efforts. His attorney in Haiti, Reynold Georges, told CNN that Duvalier had already transferred money to the agency.

"There have been media reports for more than a year about a donation from Mr. Duvalier for Haiti earthquake relief, but the American Red Cross has no record of ever receiving any donation from him," said Laura Howe, spokeswoman for the Red Cross.

In any case, she said, the Red Cross is not willing to accept Duvalier's money.

"We simply would not accept a donation from someone accused of taking funds from the coffers of a government entity," she said.

Marger, who has known Baby Doc from childhood, said Duvalier had changed in exile. Marger found the 59-year-old Duvalier to be much more humble than he was when he became president for life at the young age of 19.

"He's a lot more interested in doing something productive," Marger said.

Duvalier set foot on Haitian soil after 25 years in exile. He came back to nation struggling to recover from the earthquake's destruction, a cholera epidemic and political chaos.

It's unclear what his presence in Haiti will mean for its future.

Arrests, strong rhetoric in Albania despite calls for compromise

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 23, 2011 -- Updated 0210 GMT (1010 HKT)

Relatives grieve over the body of Herukan Deda, 40, in Laknas on Saturday a day after a deadly riot that killed Deda and two others.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Police arrest 113 people after Friday's violent demonstration in Tirana, a spokeswoman says
• Albania's PM has accused the Socialist Party head of targeting him and fomenting violence
• The opposition blames the government and says the PM's party rigged the last election
• The U.S. ambassador retirates calls for compromise to resolve the political stalemate

(CNN) -- Despite international calls for calm and negotiations, Albania's ruling government continued Saturday to levy sharply-worded rhetoric against its opposition and arrested 113 people following a massive Friday protest that turned violent, state-run media reported.

Those arrested were charged with confronting riot police and destroying property during Friday's demonstration in Tirana, a city police spokeswoman told reporters, according to the state-run ATA news agency.

Three protesters were killed -- all shot at close range, according to Tirana Military Hospital emergency chief Sami Koceku.

The clashes left at least 35 civilians and 27 police hurt, the state-run TVSH network reported.

"Yesterday was a terrible day for Albania," U.S. Ambassador Alexander Arvizu said Saturday. "There were no winners. There were only losers."

Gallery: Albania protesters clash with police

Albanian anti-govt. protest turns deadly

RELATED TOPICS

• Albania

The opposition Socialist Party claimed, on its website, that around 250,000 people had gathered outside Prime Minister Sali Berisha's office to implore him to resign. Some protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the more than 1,000 police at the scene, who used water cannon to disperse the crowd.

The Socialist Party blamed police for provoking protesters by using the water tanks and tear gas. But on Saturday, Berisha again accused his rival Edi Rama, Tirana's mayor and the Socialist Party head, of spearheading the violence.

He claimed that demonstrators were trying to takeover the prime minister's office, parliament and cabinet ministries.

"Those behind the putsch and bandits will receive the deserved punishment," he told reporters, according to ATA. "No force in this world can take over the democratic institutions of Albania, a NATO member country."

Earlier this month, in an interview quoted in a Socialist Party newsletter, Rama reiterated long-standing claims that Berisha's ruling Democratic Party had rigged the June 2009 election.

"Are there any Albanians who have not yet understood that (Berisha) stole the elections in order to rob Albania?" he said.

The country's supreme court determined that the elections were valid, and the ballots were burned by the Central Election Commission.

The Socialist Party boycotted Albania's parliament between September 2009 and February 2010, according to the U.S. State Department. Reconciliation efforts since then have been unsuccessful, with opposition parties continuing to push hard against the Democrats in alleging corruption.

The tensions escalated in the past two weeks, after a former government minister sent the media a secret recording that allegedly documented an illicit back-room deal.

In addition to the increasingly pointed, accusatory barbs between Rama and Berisha, personal slurs marred a parliamentary session this week meant to settle governmental changes following the resignation of a minister central to that video.

On Friday, Berisha vowed that there would "be no early elections" and that "general elections will be held in 2013," a rebuttal to a proposal being pushed by the opposition

Such entrenched stances, the strong language and Friday's violence came as diplomats outside Albania continued to push for a peaceful solution to a southern European nation's stalemate. Rama, then the nation's president, was the focus of the last such severe unrest in 1997, when angry mobs protested voting irregularities and government-backed Ponzi schemes that plunged Albania into near anarchy.

Albania's current president, Bamir Topi, met Saturday with prominent U.S., U.K. and European diplomats. A day earlier, he'd urged all parties to resume talks soon and not to reopen old wounds.

"We have repeatedly urged Albania's political leaders to search for compromise," said Arvizu, one of those who met with Topi. "When one side -- or both -- insists on maximalist positions that it knows the other side cannot accept, I'm sorry, that's not compromise. Resolving political differences through street battles is also not compromise, and does not reflect the democratic aspirations of Albanians."

"It's time to desist from further provocations," he added. "It's time to stop the mutual recriminations and name-calling."

Those remarks echoed similar ones the previous day from the European Union, which has been considering adding Albania as a member. On Saturday, a key member of the EU's parliament said the recent escalation of tensions could hinder that development.

"I hope that, in this critical moment, the politicians will show maturity and will engage ... in finding a compromise solution," said Eduard Kukan of Slovakia.

Journalist Altin Raxhimi contributed to this report.

Marches planned on anniversary of dictator's ouster in Venezuela

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 23, 2011 -- Updated 1108 GMT (1908 HKT)

Venezuela president Hugo Chavez listens to the national anthem during an event earlier in January.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Venezuela celebrates "National Democracy Day" Sunday
• Critics of the country's current government plan marches declaring it a "dictatorship"
• A lawmaker from Chavez's party says the people are participating in Venezuela's government

(CNN) -- Opponents and supporters of Venezuela's current government have planned marches on Sunday -- the anniversary of a popular revolt that overthrew dicator Marcos Perez in 1958.

In Venezuela, marches were scheduled to commemorate "National Democracy Day," the state-run AVN news agency reported.

"On this day we honor the force of the people and their determination to defend national sovereignty, democracy and popular participation. ... Now in our democracy we are living this participation of the people," Dario Vias, a Venezuelan lawmaker from President Hugo Chavez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela, told state-run VTV.

Critics of Chavez's government also planned marches in at least 20 cities around the world to declare that "the current Venezuelan regime is a dictatorship both legally and politically," according to organizer Un Mundo Sin Mordaza.

Opponents of Chavez have sharply criticized last month's decision by Venezuela's lame-duck National Assembly granting him the power to pass laws by decree for 18 months.

Critics say the president sought the power in order to push his agenda through the legislative body after elections in September weakened the ruling party's hold on power.

But Chavez has said he was seeking the powers in order to be able to respond to flooding that left thousands of people homeless.

Police: 6 killed as car bombs go off in 5 Baghdad neighborhoods

From Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN

January 23, 2011 -- Updated 0925 GMT (1725 HKT)

Iraqi workers clean the site of a car bomb attack in the central Karrada district of Baghdad on January 23, 2011.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Police officials say the attacks appeared to be coordinated
• At least 30 others are wounded in the attacks, police officials say
• Car bombs target a police patrol and a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims

RELATED TOPICS

• Iraq

Baghdad (CNN) -- At least six people were killed when car bombs exploded in five different neighborhoods in Iraq's capital Sunday, police officials said.

At least 30 others were wounded in the attacks. Two police officials in Baghdad said the bombings, which occurred over a three-hour period Sunday morning, appeared to be part of a coordinated attack that showed the hallmarks of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Police said the sites of the bombings, located throughout Baghdad, were an Iraqi police patrol, a busy road, a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, a street outside a hotel and a commercial area.

One police officer was among the dead and four police officers were among the wounded, police officials said.

From CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq

Australian treasurer: economic toll from flooding 'will be enormous'

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 23, 2011 -- Updated 1011 GMT (1811 HKT)

Recent floods have devastated crops, tourism, retail and manufacturing and disrupted major urban areas like Brisbane.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Swan: More than 3.1 million people have been affected by recent floods
• He says Australia's coal exports are likely to be "one of the biggest casualties"
• Treasurer: The government will be investing billions of dollars to help Queensland

(CNN) -- Flooding in Australia has affected more than 3 million people, making it one of the most costly disasters in the nation, the federal treasurer said Sunday.

The cost of the damage surpasses past tragedies like major bushfires two years ago and floods in the 1970s, Treasurer Wayne Swan said.

The cost of the recent flooding is much higher because of a spike in population in the state of Queensland, Swan said.

"While the state's whole population in 1974 was just 2 million, more than 3.1 million people have been affected by the latest floods," Swan said.

Town braces for more floods

Floods impact dozens of Australian towns

Australia's flood of tears

RELATED TOPICS

• Australia
• Floods

In his first economic note of 2011, Swan said "it's still too early to quantify the impact with any certainty at this stage." But he said there's "no question that the economic impact of these floods will be enormous."

Swan said the floods have devastated crops, tourism, retail and manufacturing and have disrupted major urban areas like Brisbane.

"One of the biggest casualties is likely to be our coal exports, with many mines shut down in big coal mining regions like the Bowen Basin, and supply chains severely hampered," Swan said.

"While this will be partly offset by higher prices, the loss of production will be hit much harder."

Swan said the government has already made about $227 million in disaster recovery payments to people who have been affected by the floods.

"Over the coming weeks, months and years, the Commonwealth Government will be investing billions of dollars to get Queensland back on its feet," Swan said.

Baghdad hit by fresh car bombings

A series of car bombings across Baghdad has killed at least four people and wounded a number of others, Iraqi officials say.

One attack targeted a police patrol, another bomb went off near a hotel and a third is reported to have been aimed at a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims.

Last week, more than 150 people were killed in a wave of bombings in several Iraqi cities.

The targets of those attacks were security forces and Shia pilgrims.

Overall, violence in Iraq has fallen sharply since the height of the sectarian killings of 2006-07.

But shootings and bombings remain a daily occurrence.

US forces formally ended their combat operations last August, ahead of a planned full withdrawal from Iraq later this year.