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New testimony could help Knox

PERUGIA, Italy, March 7 (UPI) -- New testimony has surfaced indicating U.S. student Amanda Knox, convicted of murder in Perugia, Italy, was not present when the killing occurred, lawyers say.

The new testimony is linked to Rudy Guede, 23, an Ivory Coast native convicted earlier of taking part in the murder of Knox's roommate, British exchange student Meredith Kercher, 21, ABC News reports.

Knox, 22, of Seattle and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 25, were convicted in December of sexually assaulting, then killing Kercher by slashing her throat. Guede was sentenced to 30 years in prison, reduced on appeal to 14; Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito received 25 years.

Sollecito's lawyers filed a videotape from Mario Alessi, a convicted child-murderer, who said fellow convict Guede told him that Knox and Sollecito were not present when Kercher was killed, ABC reported.

Guede told an appeals court he heard Knox arguing with Kercher shortly before she was killed, the report said.

Alessi is serving a life sentence for kidnapping and killing a 2-year-old boy, but has appealed.

Egypt's president recovering from surgery

CAIRO, March 7 (UPI) -- Doctors in Heidelberg, Germany, say Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is recovering from a successful surgery to have his gallbladder removed.

Dr. Markus Buchler, who conducted the surgery, said Mubarak appeared to be recovering nicely Saturday night at the Surgical Hospital of Heidelberg University Hospital, The New York Times reported.

"President Mubarak has fully recovered his consciousness and is meanwhile communicating with his family and his medical team," Buchler said. "We have just spoken to him and he was making jokes with our team."

Egypt's official MENA news agency said Mubarak, 81, was hospitalized with "severe inflammation of his gallbladder" following a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.

Before undergoing the surgical procedure in Heidelberg, Mubarak reportedly gave presidential authority to Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

The Times said Mubarak's illness and surgery come as the president's term is set to end in 2011, prompting speculation whether or not he will seek another term.

Chile mourns victims of quake, tsunami

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 7 (UPI) -- Chile began three days of mourning Sunday for the hundreds of victims of the powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck the country eight days ago.

National flags flew at half-staff and the government authorized every house to hang the flag.

The death toll Sunday remained uncertain.

CNN said Deputy Interior Minister Patricio Rosende read aloud the names of 279 victims who had been identified by Thursday evening. But that doesn't include hundreds more unidentified victims, the U.S. network said.

The 8.8-magnitude quake struck Feb. 27,and the ensuing tsunami wiped out buildings and entire communities, especially in the Maule region along the coast.

Aid continued flowing into Chile from inside and outside the country, CNN said.

"Chile Helps Chile," a local TV station's telethon that began Friday and ran until Saturday night, looked to raise $27 million.

In a visit to the country, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged up to $10 million toward relief and recovery efforts.

"I am visiting this city with a deep sadness," Ban said Saturday in the quake-ravaged city of Concepcion. "Standing before this destruction, I can feel for your loss, your struggle."

Ban said U.N. agencies and the Chile government would set priorities for use of funds, stressing health, shelter, education and water.

Militants blamed for Russian train bombing

MOSCOW, March 7 (UPI) -- Russian authorities say Islamic militants were responsible for the bombing of a luxury train in Russia that claimed 28 lives.

Authorities said Saturday those responsible for last November's deadly train bombing were either killed or captured last week during an offensive in Russia's Ingushetia province, The Washington Post reported.

Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov said the offensive against an Islamic militant group resulted in the recovery of explosive components that match evidence found in the wake of the 2009 bombing.

"These materials give grounds to presume that these very people were involved in that crime," Bortnikov said.

A total of 10 suspected militants were captured in the offensive Tuesday and Wednesday, while eight other suspects were killed.

Bortnikov said the suspected militants may also be responsible for 15 other attacks, including additional bombings.