July 8, 2009

Michael Jackson memorial:

The memorial service Tuesday for Michael Jackson was marked by poignant comments from the singer's 11-year-old daughter, Paris.

Thousands of people were inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the service, which included a series of eulogies and musical performances. The event was broadcast worldwide.

The Jackson family had a private service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park before the more public one at the sports arena but said Jackson's body won't be buried just yet.

There is word of another large memorial planned for Aug. 29 -- the singer's birthday -- in London, which was to have been the site for the start of his planned 50-concert series of appearances this summer.

G8 Summit:

The leaders of the world's largest economies, most of which are still in recession, gather Wednesday in an earthquake zone to discuss plans for recovery, nuclear proliferation and climate change.

No major policy steps are expected from the sessions. U.S. President Barack Obama will be watched to see if he proposes a second stimulus package for his country. Some of his subordinates have said the $787 billion stimulus package enacted isn't enough to get the United States going economically. Many European countries have balked at additional spending for their countries.

The G8 meeting isn't as exclusive as it once was with representatives from emerging economies, such as China, Egypt, Mexico and Turkey joining the discussions.

The site of the summit, L'Aquila, Italy, was hit by an earthquake in April in which nearly 300 people were killed and 60,000 were made homeless. Many people in the region still live in tents in the quake's aftermath.

Northwest China unrest:

Chinese Premier Hu Jintao left L'Aquila before formal meetings began as his country deals with unrest in the northwestern city of Urumqi. China isn't a G8 nation but was among the extra countries invited to Italy.

Troops have been sent to the city as ethnic violence continues. On Sunday, Chinese officials said more than 150 people were killed but the actual figure may be much higher.

While the large marches seemed to have ebbed -- perhaps because of the military presence -- ethnic Hans roamed the streets armed with clubs and machetes, attacking Uighur-owned businesses.

Fighting between Hans and Uighurs, a Turkic ethnic group in the region, flared following the introduction of a larger Han population to the province. Uighurs saw the influx of another ethnic group as a threat.

Uighurs claim China is using a drummed-up threat of Islamist terrorism to suppress the group, which has been known to seek an independent area for Uighurs.

Chinese officials have blamed the violence on Uighur leaders from outside China.

Cyberattacks:

South Korean intelligence officials say North Korea is behind a series of cyberattacks on government Web sites. U.S. government sites were also hacked, South Korean media said, although U.S. officials didn't confirm that.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported the attacks shut off access to sites run by Seoul's presidential office and the defense and foreign ministries. Yonhap said during the last week, U.S. government sites, including the Treasury Department and the Secret Service, were offline.

The intelligence officials said the attacks were "denial of service" in which as many as 20,000 computers in South Korea and overseas were commandeered for a coordinated attack.

Kim surfaces:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appeared at ceremonies Wednesday to mark the 15th anniversary of the death of his father, North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung.

Video of the event showed a much thinner Kim, whose health has been a matter of speculation for the last year. It is suspected he had at least one stroke last fall.

The tape of the ceremony didn't include comments by Kim although another Pyongyang official criticized the United States and South Korea.

North Korea has carried out a series of weapons tests, including an underground nuclear test and, last Saturday, a barrage of short-range missile launches. The U.N. Security Council has condemned the tests.