CRUISE SHIP ATTACKED

Cruise ship attacked
MIAMI -- Pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade and machine guns Saturday in an attack on a luxury cruise liner off the east African coast, the vessel's owners said. Two armed boats approached the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles off the coast of Somalia and fired as the boats' occupants attempted to get onboard, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp. The ship outran them and changed its course. "Our suspicion at this time is that the motive was theft," Good said, adding that the crew had been trained for "various scenarios, including people trying to get on the ship that you don't want on the ship." The attackers never got close enough to board the Spirit, but one member of the 161-person crew was injured by shrapnel, said Debrah Natansohn, president of the cruise line. Press Association, the British news agency, said passengers awoke to the sound of gunfire as two 25-foot inflatable boats approached the liner.
Forces keep capital calmafter a week of violence
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Sporadic gunfire erupted outside Ethiopia's capital Saturday as security forces kept a fragile calm, following a week of political violence in which at least 44 people were killed and thousands arrested. A media watchdog urged the government to end a crackdown that has prompted most independent journalists to stop reporting on the violence and forced others into hiding to avoid arrest. Demonstrators and security forces clashed in Debre Brahan, a town northeast of Addis Ababa, a human rights group said. "There was shooting. We believe there may be causalities," said a member of the group, who spoke on condition that neither he nor his group be named for fear of arrest. On Friday, the violence spread to at least six other towns, killing at least four people, and scattered gunfire erupted throughout the capital, said Western diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid jeopardizing relations with the government. Gunfire broke out Friday night in one neighborhood of Addis Ababa, diplomats said.
Beatty, Bening keptout of campaign rally
SAN DIEGO -- Actors Warren Beatty and wife Annette Bening tried to crash a campaign appearance Saturday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the governor sought to drum up last-minute support for a group of statewide ballot measures. The Hollywood couple strode side-by-side to the entrance of an airport hangar where several hundred of the governor's supporters had gathered. A Schwarzenegger aide told the "Bulworth" star he was not on the guest list and did not have the appropriate wristband to get inside. "You have to have a wristband to listen to the governor?" Bening asked. "He represents all of us, right?" The couple's appearance caused momentary confusion. Just before the governor took the stage, the hangar door was closed -- literally in their faces. It was later reopened as Schwarzenegger spoke. Inside, Schwarzenegger told cheering supporters that his slate of four ballot proposals on Tuesday's ballot would "reform the broken system."
DeLay gets help fromprosecutor's ex-workers
AUSTIN, Texas -- Rep. Tom DeLay has relied on friends for support in the face of felony indictments, but for his legal strategy, he has tried to get close to his enemy. Two members of DeLay's legal team once worked for Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle, who heads the investigation into DeLay's 2002 fund raising for Republicans and sought the indictments against the former House majority leader alleging money laundering and conspiracy. Their insight into how Earle works could help DeLay as he prepares for trial. "If you've tried a case before with the opposing counsel, you can anticipate the moves they make," said Joe Turner, an alum of Earle's office who is representing John Colyandro, one of DeLay's co-defendants. "They make the same arguments over and over, so you have a feel for them."
Pilot killed in collision
POHATCONG TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Two small planes collided in midair Saturday, killing one pilot while the other apparently escaped serious injury. State police found the body of Jeffrey L. Glasserow, 55, of Franklin Township (Hunterdon County), in the wreckage of his plane, a Zodiac 601, which ended up in a wooded area of Pohatcong Township in Warren County. The other pilot, James P. Walter, 56, of Kintersville, Pa., was flying a Cessna 172 and safely made an emergency landing a short time later in a field in nearby Alpha. It did not appear that Walter was seriously hurt in the crash, and it was not known if his plane was damaged, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman. "He told us he had just seen the other plane go down" and was able to land his plane, Jones said.
Associated Press