Thursday, April 02, 2009
040109.01
Hollywood Journey: From Law School to 'Prairie Scum'
By Mike O'Sullivan, Los Angeles
Some of the finest performers in Hollywood are character actors, who
are often seen on screen but are hardly household names to audiences.
William Sanderson, who plays a sheriff in the series True Blood on the
HBO cable network, is one of those actors.
He is a native of Memphis, Tennessee, says
he is often cast in Westerns as an outlaw or
derelict because of his southern accent. He
finds himself playing the kind of unkempt
characters he jokingly calls "prairie scum."
He was the quirky E. B. Farnum in the series
Deadwood. The award-winning show, set in
the historical Western town of Deadwood,
South Dakota, mixed fact and fiction with offbeat humor and raw language.
Sanderson played a neurotic, obsequious and greedy character , a hotel
owner who became the town's mayor .
Sanderson often gets small roles but sometimes plays memorable
characters. One of the best-known was the toymaker and genetic
designer J. F . Sebastian in the 1982 science fiction classic Blade
Runner .
The film by director Ridley Scott starred Harrison Ford and Daryl
Hannah. It concerned a future world where humans felt threatened by
the clones they had created. Sanderson says it was a high point in more
than 100 film and television roles. "I played a lot of renegades, you can
imagine, with this accent, or derelicts, but after Blade Runner
, because
William Sanderson as Sheriff Bud Dearborne
I played a genetic engineer with two hours of makeup, I began to also get what they call 'more sympathetic parts'. It would have been nice to be a romantic lead. But since I will not win any beauty contests, I am not counting on it," he said.
Sanderson started acting in New York after a hitch in the U.S. Army. He then got help to go to college and law school under the G.I. Bill, a government program for veterans. He graduated from Memphis State University with a law degree, but chose a different path from most of his classmates. "I did. I never took the bar exam, which makes me call myself an ignorant man, almost a lawyer. But I never regretted going to law school. Just, how did I end up an actor? That is the question," he said.
Sanderson answers his own question, saying he performed in some plays in college and learned that pretending to be someone else was more fun than poring over law books and researching legal cases. His decision to enter acting has paid off.
"I have been very lucky, but I had my apprenticeship in New York where I bartended after law school and studied acting, did plays that people often did not come see. But when I look at the resume, I say you have been pretty fortunate to do some movies and a lot of television and some theater. [I] do voiceovers, cartoons. I probably scared some of the Hollywood audience, but I think it all is providence. It is a gift from heaven, to survive," he said.
Sanderson played eight seasons on the television comedy Newhart, as one of three rustic brothers, Larry, Darryl and Darryl, who had moved from Appalachia to the northeastern state of Vermont, where comedian Bob Newhart ran an inn in the series.
Sanderson recalls the show was filmed in front of an audience, which raised the stakes for the actors. If the audience applauded, the performers knew the characters would remain in future shows. "They said I looked calm when I came on the stage, but off-stage - I did not throw up like a lot of actors - but I [had] lots of roiling stomach and fears and adrenaline and insecurities," he said.
He has worked with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, from Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon to Angelina Jolie.
Sanderson enjoys working in Hollywood, but with so many other actors here, he faces tough competition, as he notes philosophically. "Many are called, but few are chosen," he said.
In his latest role, the actor has shaved and cut his hair. He plays a modern small-town sheriff in a series about vampires called True Blood. Although he is often typecast as a cowboy or Southerner, Sanderson enjoys taking roles in new directions. Through more than three decades in Hollywood, he has played nuanced and original characters, and worked with some of the best in the business.
040109.02
Obama: No One Country Can Fix Economic Crisis
By Paula Wolfson, London
U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are calling for global unity as world leaders gather in London for an emergency economic summit. The two leaders downplayed differences on steps to reverse the current economic slide.
The president says no one country can fix the economic crisis. Speaking just hours before the start of the G20 meeting of major economies, Mr. Obama stressed the need for all participants to seek common ground.
"I am absolutely confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work together to deal with these problems," said Mr. Obama.
Tension precedes summit start
But there are signs of tension, as the
G20 summit prepares to begin its work
in London. Some countries are
blaming the United States for sparking
the economic crisis through the
deregulation of its financial scene - a
move that led to a credit crunch and
sparked an economic recession. The president says the United States has made mistakes, but so too did other countries whose regulatory
systems could not keep pace with a
changing financial sector . He says it is time to look for solutions.
"At this point, I am less interested in identifying blame, than in fixing
the problem," he said.
President says differences are overstated
At home, Mr . Obama has focused on government spending to
jump-start the economy and he was expected to urge other nations to
take similar steps at the economic summit.
France and Germany have balked at such action, saying the emphasis
should be on regulatory reform. French President Nicholas Sarkozy
even told an interviewer that he might walk out of the summit, if
nations fail to agree on stricter regulation of global financial markets.
Brown predicts no walkouts
President Obama says reports of differences are overstated. And,
Prime Minister Brown predicts no one will walk away from the summit
and its important work.
"I am confident President Sarkozy will not be here for the first course of
our dinner , but will still be sitting as we complete our dinner this
evening," said Mr
. Brown.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, left, and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands following a news conference at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, 01 Apr 2009
Mr. Brown says everyone knows the stakes are high.
"Never before has the world come together in this way to talk about an economic crisis," he said. " Any of the crises we have seen since the second World War, you have not had this level of international cooperation."
Obama agenda packed on first overseas trip
On his first European tour as president, Barack Obama is seeking cooperation on both the economic and security front as he holds bilateral talks on the sidelines of the London summit.
His discussions with Gordon Brown also covered the new American strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iran and the search for Middle East peace.
At their joint news conference, Mr. Obama also talked about efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons - an issue that is topping the agenda for his discussions here with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
040109.03
Suicide Bombers Raid Government Compound in Kandahar
By Barry Newhouse, Islamabad
Officials in Afghanistan say four suicide attackers have stormed a provincial council office in Kandahar, killing at least seven civilians and six police. The incident is the latest in a series of assault-style raids to strike targets in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said the attack on the provincial council building in Kandahar occurred before midday when a car carrying four armed men stopped outside the compound gates.
Ministry spokesman Zamary Bashary said three men, strapped with
explosives, jumped out and then the driver detonated a bomb. The
blast destroyed the vehicle and killed several civilians and police.
"After the bombing, the three bombers
got into the compound and opened fire
on the civilians who were in the yard of
the provincial council office," he said.
"The good thing was the police of
Kandahar showed a very quick reaction
and in a five-minute period they got to
the scene. They were able to target
two of the bombers and killed them on
the spot." Bashary says the final attacker was able to detonate a suicide vest before police shot him.
Kandahar is the largest city in southern Afghanistan's Taliban
dominated provinces and the assault was the second against the
provincial council headquarters in recent months.
In November , a suicide truck bomb detonated in the same area of
government offices. President Hamid Karzai's brother , provincial
assembly chief Wali Karzai, narrowly escaped both attacks.
Meanwhile, Afghan security forces reported intense clashes with
Taliban fighters in nearby Helmand province. Officials says Afghan and
U.S.-led forces killed at least 30 militants and wounded 20 others on
Tuesday. On Monday, in southern Uruzgan province, officials said a
joint operation killed 30 militants.
The coordinated assault on the Kandahar provincial government offices
compound is the latest in a series of commando-style raids on
non-military targets in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
While different militant groups are suspected to be behind the attacks,
they have all featured coordinated assaults by trained gunmen who
An Afghan youth comforts his mother near the site of suicide attack in Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, 01 Apr 2009
fight pitched battles with rescuers, drawing widespread media
coverage.
Militants in the eastern Pakistani city Lahore carried out similar gun and
grenade attacks against a police training school earlier this week. Last
month, a group of gunmen targeted the Sri Lanka cricket team's bus in
the same city, battling with police on live television before fleeing.
In February, attackers stormed Afghanistan's Justice Ministry in
downtown Kabul, gunning down workers in their offices. The attack
shut down the city center for hours, while television crews filmed the
rescue operation.
The most notorious such assault occurred in Mumbai, India in
November . Groups of gunmen killed civilians in hotels, a train station,
a Jewish-owned guest house and a restaurant. The siege lasted three
days and killed more than 170 people.
040109.04
North Korea Threatens to Shoot Down Spy Planes
By Kurt Achin, Seoul
North Korea is warning it will shoot
down any U.S. planes coming close to
the site of its imminent rocket launch.
With liftoff potentially just days away,
South Korean officials say there will
absolutely be some form of response to
the launch.
North Korea is warning the United
States not to send surveillance planes too close to the site of a planned long-range rocket launch. In an announcement on state-run radio,
North Korea warned what it calls, "the
DigitalGlobe satellite image thought to show missile launch pad at Musudan-ni, northeast coastal region of North Korea, 27 Mar 2009
U.S. imperialist racketeers", that its forces will "shoot them down" if they engage in aerial espionage.
The announcement described the imminent rocket mission as a "satellite launch for peaceful purposes."
North Korea informed international agencies it would send a satellite into space sometime between April 4 and 8. That means the long-range rocket, which international satellites have spotted on a North Korean launch pad, could fire its engines as early as Saturday.
South Korea, Japan, and the United States say the launch will be a provocative attempt to advance North Korea's ability to deliver warheads, via ballistic missiles. They and the European Union say it will violate a U.N. resolution imposed after North Korea conducted at 2006 nuclear weapons test.
Wi Sung-lac is South Korea's chief delegate to international talks aimed at getting rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons. Returning to Seoul from consultations in Washington, he said the launch will have consequences.
He says this is a launch that the international community has been trying to stop. He says, if it goes forward, a response by the international community will clearly be inevitable.
North Korea has warned it will pull out of nuclear disarmament talks, if international sanctions are imposed because of the launch. It has threatened war if Japan follows through on its vow to shoot down the rocket if it appears to threaten Japanese territory.
Pyongyang maintains it has a right to peaceful space exploration. South Korea's Wi says even a satellite launch is troubling, in the tense context of the North's weapons programs.
He says what South Korea and its allies have a problem with is the North's ability to deliver weapons of mass destruction at a long range, regardless of what is mounted on top of this particular rocket.
The North Korean rocket expected to launch this weekend is
theoretically capable of reaching the western United States.
040109.05
Accused Mumbai Terrorist Finally Finds Lawyer
By Steve Herman, New Delhi
The sole surviving gunman suspected of participating last year's
terrorist attack in Mumbai has been having difficulty keeping a lawyer .
His latest court-appointed counsel had threatened to quit after angry
demonstrators surrounded her home. But the lawyer has agreed to
stay on the case.
The latest defense attorney appointed to represent Mohammad Ajmal
Kasab began having second thoughts almost immediately.
Court-appointed lawyer Anjali
Waghmare had written a note Monday
night to protesters pelting her house
with stones that she would bow to their
demand not to represent an accused
terrorist. But, after promises of police
protection, on Wednesday, the 40-year-old senior advocate of the Maharashtra state public legal authority agreed to stay on the case.
"In fact, my life is in threat," she noted. "Let me tell [say] I'm doing
everything on my own risk for the interest of the country, which I
reiterate and reiterate and reiterate the same sentence. I'm doing [this]
for the interest of justice."
Indian media report Waghmare, who is married to an assistant police
commissioner , will receive the highest tier of protection ("Z" level with
36 armed guards), normally reserved for members of the Indian
cabinet, state leaders, members of the supreme court and certain
Anjali Waghmare, 40, center, the lawyer appointed to represent Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, in Mumbai, 31 Mar 2009
politicians under threat.
Waghmare was named to defend Kasab after other lawyers, who had been appointed or considered, opted out.
Police say they arrested nine demonstrators from the far-right Hindu Shiv Sena party outside Waghmare's residence.
The home minister of the state of Maharashtra, Jayant Patil, says intimidation of defense lawyers will hinder the delivery of justice in the high-profile case.
The special prosecutor in the case also has condemned such protests, saying the world must see the suspect receive a fair trial in India. Kasab faces charges of murder and of "waging war" against India. His trial is scheduled to begin week. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.
Kasab, arrested at the end of the 60-hour siege of Mumbai in late November, was the only known survivor of a group of gunmen said to have all come from Pakistan.
The attacks on luxury hotels, a rail station and a Jewish community center, killed more than 160 people and caused relations to deteriorate between India and Pakistan. India blames the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, based in Pakistan.
Officials here have also questioned whether the attackers were trained by or had the support of people linked to Pakistan's military or intelligence agencies.
040109.06
Former Soviet President Pays Tribute to Ronald Reagan
By Kane Farabaugh, Eureka, Illinois
In the midwestern state of Illinois, the town of Eureka is home to a small liberal arts college. Eureka College gained national attention when one of its graduates, Ronald Reagan, became President of the
United States. President Reagan gave several speeches at his alma
mater , including a 1982 address where he proposed a reduction in
nuclear weapons.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the
symbolic end of the Cold War , the fall of
the Berlin Wall, former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev visited Eureka College
and paid tribute to the man he came to
know as a partner in peace.
President Ronald Reagan is revered in
Eureka. Signs welcoming visitors to the small town announce that it is home to Mr . Reagan's
alma mater , Eureka College.
Mr . Reagan received an undergraduate degree here in 1932 and on May
9, 1982, the 50th anniversary of his graduation, he made history by
proposing, here, a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as START .
On May 9, 1982, President Ronald Reagan said, "The focus of our
efforts will be to reduce significantly the most destabilizing systems,
the ballistic missiles, the number of warheads they carry, and their
overall destructive potential."
This year , the Ronald Reagan Society at Eureka College invited Mr .
Reagan's onetime foe and then friend, former Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev, to speak about Mr . Reagan's legacy.
"No one can deny one important fact. The Cold War was ended. We
started the process of eliminating nuclear weapons. And relations
between our two nations at that time turned into an excellent
relationship," former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev stated.
One of the first stops on Mr . Gorbachev's visit to Eureka was the
Reagan Peace Garden, not far from where the former President
Mikhail Gorbachev visits Eureka College
delivered his 1982 speech.
The Garden also features a remnant of the Berlin Wall, the Cold War symbol Mr. Reagan famously told Mr. Gorbachev to tear down.
"When I am asked what was my impression when he said that, it didn't have much of an impact on us. We knew that President Reagan in his initial career was an actor," Mr. Gorbachev said.
Mr. Gorbachev's light-hearted reflection provided insight into historic events that occured before students like Jennifer Dama were born. "The Cold War and Ronald Reagan and the Gorbachev connection happened before most of us on the college were even born," Dama said. "So it's like living your history books. It's very exciting."
Dama was one of several students invited to ask Mr. Gorbachev questions at a convocation in his honor.
Her question focused on the current state of U.S.-Russia relations.
"I believe however that there is still understanding and importance in our relations, but many people in Russia believe that Americans can not be trusted, and that's why the main issue is how to rebuild the trust, how to rebuild a normal relationship of trust," Mr. Gorbachev said.
In another historic moment for Eureka, Mr. Gorbachev received an honorary degree from the faculty.
So in addition to sharing credit for moving to end the Cold War, Mr. Gorbachev now shares an honorary doctorate from Eureka College with its other famous alumni, Ronald Reagan.
040109.07
Economists: Thailand's Political Uncertainty May Undermine Economy
By Ron Corben, Bangkok
The Thai economy, already forecast to contract in 2009, faces more
pressure because of anti-government protests. Political analysts and
economists warn political fighting could delay key economic stimulus
packages.
Supporters of former Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra have surrounded
the main government office building for
a week. As many as 30,000 people,
most wearing red, join the rallies each
day. The protests are an echo of
anti-Thaksin protests held for six
months last year .
Each night, Mr . Thaksin speaks to his supporters by video link, urging them to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call elections.
Mr . Abhisit came to power in December after legal problems forced out
a pro-Thaksin government.
Mr . Thaksin, ousted from power in coup in 2006, fled Thailand last year
to avoid corruption charges.
The new protests come at a bad time for Thailand, which saw its
economy badly hurt last year , when anti-Thaksin protesters blockaded
the Bangkok airports, crippling the tourism industry.
The Asian Development Bank expects the economy to contract by two
percent this year . But Jean Pierre Verbiest, the bank's Thailand director ,
says political instability will delay the government's $3-billion stimulus
package.
"Obviously, with the economy in Thailand the main risk is the political.
If you have major disruptions in leadership at this stage it would have
quite a strong impact," said Verbiest. "Internally, due to the political
Pro-Thaksin Shinawatra rally, Government House, Bangkok, 31 Mar 2009
situation, I guess you could have growth falling further to four to five percent easily."
Thailand, heavily dependent on exports for growth, faces its most severe downturn in a decade. The recession is expected to cost
two-million people their jobs.
Thai Government Pension Fund chief economist Arporn Chewrekrengkai says if the government is forced out, a pro-Thaksin opposition party, Pheu Thai, will benefit.
"Those measures and those policies that should be delayed, there is uncertainty because whether who will become the new government," said Arporn. "And if there is a new election it is likely - with plenty of money - Pheu Thai may win the election."
The government says it is prepared to talk with Mr. Thaksin to end the siege at the government house and avoid economically damaging political unrest.
Some political analysts also say there is a risk the protests will turn violent, which could scare away foreign tourists and foreign investors. Thai politics have been unsettled for more than three years. While Mr. Thaksin is popular among farmers and working-class voters, many in the middle and upper classes accused him of corruption and abuse of power. Thailand has its fourth government since 2006, when Mr. Thaksin was ousted.
040109.08
New Israeli FM Challenges Palestinian Peace Conditions
By VOA News
Israel's new foreign minister has criticized past Middle East peace efforts, saying that making concessions to the Palestinians will only result in more war.
Avigdor Lieberman stirred Palestinian
concern Wednesday when he said Israel is
not bound by a 2007 U.S.-brokered pact
on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
but rather that it would abide by a 2003
"road map."
Both plans call for the creation of a
Palestinian state. The 2007 Annapolis agreement aimed to revive the road map, which also calls for
an end to violence and for Israel to freeze all settlement activity.
Lieberman made his comments after Benjamin Netanyahu began his
second term as Israel's prime minister .
U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Mr . Netanyahu by
telephone Wednesday. He said he looked forward to working with Israel
on Arab-Israeli peace, as well as on Iran.
President Obama last week reaffirmed U.S. support for a two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised the issue in a
statement welcoming the formation of Israel's new government
Wednesday. He urged Israel to work toward the creation of an
independent Palestinian state.
In Qatar , Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the
international community to put pressure on Israel, saying Mr .
Netanyahu "does not believe in peace."
The Israeli-Palestinian situation is complicated by divisions between Mr .
Abbas' Fatah party and the Palestinian group Hamas.
Representatives from the rival groups resumed reconciliation talks in
Cairo Wednesday to try to work out a power-sharing agreement.
Israel's new Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, 01 Apr 2009
Previous talks have ended without success.
In other news, the head of the United Nations agency that helps
Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip has warned the agency will fire
employees found to be affiliated with Fatah or Hamas. In a letter to
some 10,000 staff, UNRWA, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, said
employees must not be affiliated with any political parties in the
conduct of their work.
Ging's warning comes after the rival Palestinian factions claimed
victories in the U.N. agency's union elections.
040109.09
US, Russia to Reopen Nuclear Talks
By Paula Wolfson, London
The United States and Russia have agreed to reopen talks on reducing
long-range nuclear weapons. The announcement was made as U.S.
President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev met
in London, the site of the G20 economic summit.
President Obama and Mr . Medvedev say
it is time to begin a new era in
U.S.-Russian relations.
They are starting with a pledge to
reduce strategic offensive arms.
"What I believe we have begun today is
a very constructive dialogue that will
allow us to work on issues of mutual
interest, like the reduction of nuclear weapons and the strengthening of our non-proliferation treaties," said Mr . Obama.
In a written statement issued as they met in London, they announced
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev during their meeting
ahead of G20 summit in London, 1 Apr 2009
the first substantive round of arms talks between their two countries in more than a decade.
New arms deal?
They say they are instructing their negotiators to begin work on a new arms deal to replace the soon-to-expire Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which was signed in 1991.
The goal is to go well beyond the so-called START agreement, which limited their nuclear arsenals to between 1,700 and 2,200 warheads.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the two countries have not settled on a new cap. But as he sat down with the Russian leader for the first time, President Obama sounded optimistic.
"What we are seeing today is the beginning of new progress in
U.S.-Russian relations," he said.
President plans July visit to Moscow
Mr. Obama said he has accepted an invitation to visit Russia in July, when negotiators on the new treaty are expected to report back to their respective governments.
"The president extended an invitation for me to visit Moscow, to build on some of the areas that we discussed today, and I have agreed to visit Moscow in July, which we both agreed was a better time than January to visit," he said.
Medvedev: better relations possible
President Medvedev joined Mr. Obama's assessment that U.S. Russian relations have been drifting in recent years, and drifting in the wrong direction.
Speaking in Russian, he talked about the prospects for improving cooperation, saying there are many concerns the two countries can
address together , even though they have differences in other areas.
Administration officials say President Obama did not shy away from
raising those differences during his talks with the Russian president.
They say the discussions covered the situation in Georgia, and the
dispute over a pending U.S. plan to put components of a
missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
040109.10
Michelle Obama Dazzles Spectators During Visit to British
Cancer Center
By VOA News
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama visited a cancer care facility in London
Wednesday, where she joined the wife of British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown in celebrating the first anniversary of the center .
The first lady received a warm greeting
at Maggie's Cancer Care Center , where
she visited with patients as crowds
outside the facility chanted "Obama!
Obama!"
Mrs. Obama's G20 summit itinerary
includes a meeting with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and another with "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling. The author and the lawyer will sit next to each other at a pre-summit dinner of
world leaders Wednesday evening.
British media heaped praise on Mrs. Obama on the eve of the summit.
One outlet, London's Evening Standard newspaper , is said to have
referred to her as the "mighty Michelle," and a "welcome dash of class"
in the British capital.
French journalist Agnes Poirier described the U.S. first couple as "very
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama talks with staff and patients at Maggie's Cancer Care Center in west London, 01 Apr 2009
alluring and very sophisticated." She told U.S. television, CBS News, "that plays well with the French."
040109.11
Scientists Discover Rare Dolphins in Bangladesh
By VOA News
Researchers with a wildlife conservation group say they have
discovered thousands of rare Irrawaddy dolphins living in the waters of Bangladesh.
Authors of a study say they found nearly
6,000 of the endangered freshwater
animals in the Sundarbans mangrove
forest and in the adjacent waters of the
Bay of Bengal.
Wildlife protection agencies say before the
study, only small populations of Irrawaddy
dolphins were known to exist, numbering fewer than 200. The scientists began counting the
dolphins in 2004.
The results were released Wednesday at a marine wildlife conference in Hawaii, and published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management.
The lead researcher , Brian Smith of the New York-based Wildlife
Conservation Society, said the find "gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins."
In a statement from the conservation group, he said Bangladesh is an important sanctuary for the endangered mammals, and "conservation in this region should be a top priority."
Irrawaddy dolphins generally
travel in groups of fewer than 6 individuals
Smith warns that even the large population of the dolphins in Bangladesh is being threatened by entanglement in fishing nets, as well as by threats to its freshwater habitat posed by global warming.
Irrawaddy dolphins can grow to up to 2.5 meters in length and live in several waterways in southeast Asia. The animals were declared a threatened species last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
In addition to Smith, the study's other authors include scientists Benazir Ahmed from the Chittagong University zoology department and Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli from a Bangladeshi whale and dolphin research program.
040109.12
Obama Travels with Strong Support at Home
By Jim Malone, Washington, D.C.
President Barack Obama is making his debut on the world stage this week and the trip comes at a time when the president continues to enjoy generally strong support at home.
As world leaders take their measure of the new American president, they will surely take into account what appears to be strong domestic support for Mr. Obama.
Recent public opinion polls show the president's approval rating generally above 60 percent, down only slightly from the time of his inauguration in January.
The latest national survey by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut shows Mr. Obama's approval rating at 58 percent, with 31 percent disapproving.
Peter Brown is with the Quinnipiac Polling Institute.
"Now the question is how that number will fare as time goes on,