After its evacuation, the 20-year-old ship run by "Louis Hellenic-Cruises" anchored at Athinio coast but it finally sank at dawn on Holy Friday, when water flooded the engine room and decks No 2 and 3, resulting in increase of its list.

It is reported that Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is being continually briefed by Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefalogiannis and Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos on the case.

On board the ship were 1,170 passengers, the majority being American and German tourists, and 390 crew members. Two French people were reported missing while the rest of passengers and crewmen were rescued.

The 22,412-ton Sea Diamond, which flew the Greek flag since 2006, was built in 1986 and was refurbished in 1999. It could carry 1,250 passengers in 570 cabins. The ship was on a 7-day cruise, scheduled to arrive in Piraeus on Holy Friday morning. 

Jason Russell Richardson pleaded not guilty Friday to shooting and killing Tom Egan, a night manager at the Tustin Marketplace Home Depot, while robbing the store Feb. 9.

In a court appearance that lasted just seconds, Richardson, a convicted rapist who had been out on parole for spousal abuse, stood shackled and chained as he entered his plea through his attorney, Hector M. Chaparro of the county's Associate Defender's Office.

"That's good," Richardson, 36, said when Orange County Superior Court Judge Kazuharu Makino asked Richardson if June 11 would work for a preliminary hearing – when a judge decides if prosecutors have enough evidence to take their case to trial. Richardson could get the death penalty if convicted.

Egan, a 40-year-old father of twin girls, was shot once in the abdomen when he tried to stop a man dressed in painter coveralls, dust mask and yellow construction helmet from robbing his store. Egan, who stayed on hours after his shift had ended, begged the man to leave the store and not to hurt anyone, police said.

Egan pleaded with the man to leave as he grabbed wads of cash from the register. The heavily disguised man turned and shot him once. Surveillance tape shows the shooter stepping over Egan's body as he walked out of the store. He got away with about $500.

Egan died a short time later at a hospital.

A massive manhunt was on for the shooter. Less than two weeks later, Tustin police arrested Richardson, 36, in Oceanside when he went to check in with his parole officer. Digitally enhanced surveillance video led investigators to a dirty sock dropped inside the Home Depot. Forensic scientists matched DNA from the sock to a DNA sample Richardson was forced to give after his 1992 rape conviction.

At a Feb. 23 news conference announcing Richardson's arrest, Tustin police said Richardson had been convicted of sexual assault on a child. In fact, Richardson pleaded guilty to burglary, rape and forced oral copulation and was sentenced to six years in prison. In 2002, he was sentenced to four years for spousal abuse.

The report said global warming, widely blamed on human activities, will cause species to extinct, seas to rise, water shortages to spread and droughts and floods to become more frequent. With poor countries to be worst hit, all regions from Africa to Pacific islands will suffer from the adverse effects of climate change.

"Approximately twenty to thirty percent of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed 1.5-2.5 degrees Celsius," said the report, drafted by experts from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC had said in its previous report issued in February that global average temperature had already increased by 0.74 degrees Celsius in the past century, while it could rise by another 1.1 to 6.4 degrees Celsius this century.

According to Friday's report, many ecosystems are likely to be overburdened this century by an unprecedented combination of climate change and its associated disturbances like flooding, drought and wildfire. Other man-made consequences like land use change, pollution and over-exploitation of resources could make the situation even worse.

The overall picture drawn by the report showed that drought-affected areas will likely increase in extent, while frequent heavy rainfalls will augment flood risk. During this century, water supplies stored in glaciers and snow cover are projected to decline, leaving one-sixth of the world population at risk.

For the first time, the nearly 1,500-page report broke down its findings into regions.

Take Asia as an example. More than 1 billion people there will be affected by less freshwater by the 2050s.

"Freshwater availability in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia particularly in large river basins is projected to decrease due to climate change," the report said.

Ironically, some Asian areas will first be hit by flood ahead of drought due to the melting of glacier in the Himalayas, an obvious proof of climate change.

While 1 billion people are thirsty for water, the coastal areas throughout the continent will be at great risk due to increased flooding from the sea and in some mega-deltas flooding from the rivers, the report said.

Besides water shortage, Asia will also face the risk of hunger, particularly in Central and South Asia, by the middle of this century.

Experts estimated that crop yields could increase up to 20 percent in East and Southeast Asia while it could decrease up to 30 percent in Central and South Asia by 2050s.

However, the places that will be worst affected by global warming are poor countries.

"Poor people are the most vulnerable and will be the worst hit by the impacts of climate change. This becomes a global responsibility," said Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of IPCC.

Africa, a continent mainly composed of less developed countries, will be hardest hit by the adverse effects of climate change, according to the report.

"New studies confirm that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity," the report summary said.

By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people in Africa are projected to be exposed to an increase of water shortages. As a result of climate change, the area suitable for agriculture, the length of growing seasons and yield potential are expected to decrease, which will further adversely affect food production in the continent as it was already suffering from malnutrition.

In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent by 2020, the report warned.

The poverty-inflicted continent may also have to spend at least five to ten percent of gross domestic products to cover the cost of adaptation since sea-level rise will affect low-lying coastal areas with large populations towards the end of this century.

The report is part of the IPCC's first review since 2001 of the evidence for climate change resulting from human activities. It is the second of four reports from the IPCC this year. With the first report in February elaborating how global warming is happening, the second one is focused on what the effects of global warming will be.

As the summary for policymakers was unanimously adopted by government delegates, it may serve as a policy guide in future international negotiations on climate change.

The mother and wife of the two missing notified the authorities about her beloved ones after the ship had been evacuated and after she and her son boarded a ship that transferred them to Piraeus.

The French woman said that after the collision, their cabin flooded with water and had to try hard to open the door. She added that she had to dive into the water to escape death, but it seems that her husband Jean-Christophe Allain and her daughter Maud were not successful with their efforts.

Local television reported that "Aegean 2" ship carrying the first 296 passengers and 38 crew members arrived in Piraeus Friday morning. Tourism Minister Fani Palli Petralia was there to welcome them.

The rest of the 1,040 passengers and crew members, who were transferred by the cruise ship Perla and arrived in Piraeus later Friday.


Capt., 5 officers charged in Greek cruise ship accident

However, the judge said Verizon would be injured if Vonage was completely free to continue infringing the patents.

A lawyer for Vonage, Roger Warin, told the court the ruling was a "slow strangling" of the company. The difference between a partial stay or a total prohibition on using the technology amounted to "cutting off oxygen or a bullet to the head," he said.

Hilton is expected to sign his order next Thursday. Vonage is then free to take the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which specializes in patent cases.

U.S. equities markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday. Vonage shares closed down almost 7 percent on Thursday to $3.37 on the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the court hearing. Verizon shares rose 1 percent to $38 on the NYSE.

Rebecca Arbogast, an analyst with Stifel Nicolaus, said Hilton's order was a blow to Vonage. "If they can't get new customers (while they appeal the case), I think it's going to be tough to attract capital."

Hilton announced on March 23 that he intended to issue an injunction blocking all use of Verizon's technology, sending Vonage shares down nearly 26 percent that day.

The judge gave Vonage two weeks to try to convince him to stay the injunction. Verizon then suggested the judge allow Vonage to keep servicing its existing customers if a stay was necessary.

Earlier in March, a jury found Vonage had infringed three patents owned by Verizon. The jury said Vonage must pay $58 million, plus 5.5 percent royalties on future sales.

Vonage stock has steadily lost value since its initial public offering at $17 a share in May last year. The shares posted an all-time closing low of $3 after Hilton's March 23 hearing.

Software giant Oracle is to open its fifth branch in China's Xi'an, capital of northwestern Shaanxi Province, an ambitious move to strengthen its presence in China's vast western market.

The company will work with local partners to develop IT products and solutions, and persuade businesses and government agencies to use more IT products, said Yan Xuan, vice president of Beijing Oracle Software Systems Co. at a trade fair in Xi'an on Friday.

Oracle will also provide internship and training opportunities for local university students, said Yan, adding Oracle plans to set up offices in Shenyang, Nanjing and Jinan.

Though he did not elaborate on the size of the Xi'an branch, Yan said "the bigger the better" as Xi'an has considerable scientific expertise, hosting lots of universities and colleges.

"The Xi'an office will manage Oracle's business in northwestern China," said Yan.

Founded in 1977, Oracle has developed into one of the world's leading software suppliers and independent software companies. It was the first global software titan to enter the Chinese market in1989.

Oracle China has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu and two development centers in Beijing and Shenzhen.

Mr. Li, 35, of El Monte, California, was originally indicted by a federal grand jury on June 15, 2004. He was charged with possession and use of counterfeit access devices as well as possession of access-making equipment. Mr. Li pleaded guilty to possessing over fifteen counterfeit credit cards. Mr. Li also admitted to using counterfeit credit cards to fraudulently purchase merchandise in retail stores in the Bay Area that resulted in a total loss of between $1,000,000 and $2,500,000.

Ms. Tan, 36, of Richmond, California, was indicted by the same grand jury with the same violations of federal law and pled guilty to the same violation as Mr. Li. Ms. Tan admitted that her actions in using counterfeit credit cards resulted in loss of more than $5,000.

"These sentences embody the United States Attorney’s Office ongoing commitment to work closely with the United States Secret Service to investigate and prosecute credit card fraud," U.S. Attorney Scott N. Schools stated. "The possession and use of counterfeit credit cards is a scourge on our modern society. Counterfeit credit cards threaten the integrity of our banking system and result in higher costs to businesses and consumers. Those who choose to engage in such fraud will be prosecuted, and if convicted, face lengthy jail time. The Department of Justice commends the dedication of the Secret Service in bringing Mr. Li and Ms. Tan to account for their crimes."