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Dalam kabinet pemerintah baru Presiden Dilma Rousseff, setelah Tahun Baru lalu, Brasil dihebohkan dengan munculnya wajah cantik nan muda. Mantan peserta ratu kecantikan berusia 27 tahun ini tiba-tiba menjadi pusat perhatian seluruh media Brasil.

Marcela Temer, nama wanita cantik ini, langsung meraup popularitas sangat tinggi dan nyaris mengalahkan popularitas Presiden Brasil Dilma Rousseff karena menikahi pria usia 70 tahun, Michel Temer, Wakil Presiden Brasil.

Gambar Marcela Temer dan suaminya, Wakil Presiden Michel Temer, menghiasi halaman depan surat kabar lokal secara berturut-turut sejak Tahun Baru setelah hubungan mereka diresmikan.

"Soal hubungan, umur tak menjadi penghalang dalam kasus kami. Rasanya Michel bak usia 30 tahun, masih bersemangat dan penuh energi. Luar biasa," kata Marcela Temer kepada Estado de S Paulo.

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Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika Tifatul Sembiring mengatakan, berdasarkan data yang didapatinya dari Komisi Nasional Perlindungan Anak, 97 persen siswa sekolah menengah pertama (SMP) sudah pernah menonton video porno.

Tifatul mengaku prihatin dengan kondisi ini. Menurut dia, hal ini tak lepas dari mudahnya mendapat keping VCD/DVD. Selain itu, internet juga turut mendukung suburnya penyebaran materi porno.

"Coba saja kalau ketik kata SMP dan SMU di Google Search. Maka, yang keluar adalah listing situs porno, seperti SMP bugil, SMU bokep (film porno), bukan keterangan informasi seputar SMU, kegiatan ekstrakurikuler, dan lainnya," ujar Tifatul pada acara breakfast meeting, Kamis (17/6/2010), di Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika, Jakarta.

Pernyataan ini langsung mengundang gelak tawa para undangan. "Ya, yang tertawa itu berarti pernah melihat," celetuk Tifatul.

Terkait kasus video mesum yang diduga dibintangi artis cantik Luna Maya, Cut Tari, dan Ariel Peterpan, Tifatul mengatakan, jika nanti terbukti, hal ini akan menjadi contoh buruk bagi generasi muda. Pasalnya, ketiga orang tersebut adalah tokoh publik yang memiliki penggemar. "Kalau benar, yang kecewa bukan saya saja, tetapi juga publik," ujarnya.

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Yangon (ANTARA/Reuters) - Myanmar`s junta has rejected a legal appeal for the release of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose latest house arrest is due to expire on May 27, her party said on Tuesday.

Lawyers for Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate who has spent more than 13 of the past 19 years under some form of detention, were told of the regime`s decision last week, Nyan Win of the National League for Democracy (NLD) said.

Suu Kyi`s latest detention began on May 30, 2003 under Section 10 (B) of the Law Safeguarding the State from the Dangers of Subversive Elements.

The law allows for a detention of five consecutive years before the accused must be freed or put on trial.

When the regime extended Suu Kyi`s house arrest last year in an apparent violation of the law, her lawyers filed an appeal.

"Since the appeal was the last resort allowed under that law, we will have to explore other avenues to work for her release," Nyan Win said. A commentary in a state-owned newspaper several months ago said the law allowed for detentions of up to six years.

The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled that the 63-year-old Suu Kyi`s confinement in her Yangon home is illegal under Myanmar law.

But analysts say it is unlikely the military, which has ruled the former Burma for more than four decades and refused to recognize the NLD`s 1990 landslide election victory, will release her anytime soon.

The generals have vowed to press ahead with a seven-step "roadmap to democracy" that should culminate in multi-party elections in 2010, as a replacement to the absolute power wielded by the army since a 1962 coup.

The NLD and Western governments dismiss the roadmap and the army-drafted constitution as a blueprint for the generals cementing their grip on power. (*)


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Paris (ANTARA News/AFP) - Nearly two-thirds of French voters are disappointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy`s performance since his election two years ago, according to a new poll published on Monday.

Asked in a survey for the Metro daily whether they were satisfied with Sarkozy, 65 percent of respondents said they were diasappointed, 24 percent were satisfied and 11 percent said they had no opinion.

The same survey found that 63 percent viewed Sarkozy`s overall record in office as negative while 28 percent regarded it as positive. Nine percent said they had no opinion.

The figures roughly correspond to those garnered by Sarkozy`s predecessor Jacques Chirac at the same stage in his mandate, the paper said.

Sarkozy, who was elected president after Chirac stood down in May 2007, has been facing mounting public anger over his handling of the economic crisis with more than one million people taking part in demonstrations in recent weeks.

Some 250,000 people have joined the ranks of France`s 2.2 million jobless already this year and workers angry over layoffs are staging "bossnappings" despite warnings from Sarkozy that such radical tactics are illegal.(*)

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President Barack Obama called on Americans Thursday to follow Abraham Lincoln's example of showing generosity to political opponents and valuing national unity — above all else.

At a ceremony in the stately Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol marking the 16th president's 200th birthday, Obama said he felt "a special gratitude" to the historical giant, who in many ways made his own story possible. On Thursday night, Obama, the nation's first black president, will deliver the keynote address at the Abraham Lincoln Association's annual banquet in Springfield, Ill.

As lawmakers and guests looked on, Obama recalled Lincoln's words in the closing days of the Civil War, when the South's defeat was certain.

Lincoln "could have sought revenge," Obama said, but he insisted that no Confederate troops be punished.

"All Lincoln wanted was for Confederate troops to go back home and return to work on their farms and in their shops," Obama said. "That was the only way, Lincoln knew, to repair the rifts that had torn this country apart. It was the only way to begin the healing that our nation so desperately needed."

A day after House and Senate leaders agreed on a costly economic stimulus plan that drew scant Republican support, Obama said, "we are far less divided than in Lincoln's day," but "we are once again debating the critical issues of our time."

"Let us remember that we are doing so as servants to the same flag, as representatives of the same people, and as stakeholders in a common future," Obama said. "That is the most fitting tribute we can pay and the most lasting monument we can build to that most remarkable of men, Abraham Lincoln."

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Hamas police seized thousands of blankets and food packages meant for the needy in Gaza, the U.N. said Wednesday, a move that could threaten the provision of aid essential for a majority of Gaza's impoverished residents.

Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said Hamas policemen broke into an aid warehouse in Gaza City on Tuesday evening and confiscated 3,500 blankets and more than 400 packages of food.

"They were armed, they seized this, they took it by force," Gunness said, terming the seizure "absolutely unacceptable."

He said police confiscated aid meant for 500 families after U.N. officials refused to voluntarily hand it over to the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Affairs. Similar U.N. aid packages had already been distributed to 70,000 residents over the past two weeks.

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President Barack Obama is ready to trumpet Hillary Rodham Clinton's installation as secretary of state while turning to veteran politician and dealmaker George Mitchell to guide the new administration through the Mideast thicket.

It amounts to a new-look U.S. foreign policy by four senators — Obama and Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, who served together until after this year's election, and Mitchell, who served much earlier as Senate majority leader. Obama was going to the State Department Thursday to join Clinton in addressing diplomats there and — very likely — setting forth major elements of the administration's emerging national security strategy.

One key aspect of that policy would move forward Thursday, with Obama planning to sign an order to shutter the much-maligned Guantanamo prison within a year, according to a senior administration official. This would redeem a promise that Obama frequently made on the campaign trail.

The U.S. naval facility has been a major sore point for critics around the world who say it violates domestic and international detainee rights. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the order has not yet been issued.

The executive order on Guantanamo was one of three expected on how to interrogate and prosecute al-Qaida, Taliban or other foreign fighters believed to threaten the United States. The administration already has suspended trials for terrorist suspects at Guantanamo for 120 days pending a review of the military tribunals.

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has kicked off her new position as chief diplomat by introducing herself to State Department diplomats and employees. Clinton's appointment was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate on Wednesday.

She arrived for work under sunny morning skies at the main entrance to State Department headquarters and entered Thursday morning to a burst of applause and cheers from hundreds of department employees.

She told career diplomats and political appointees that "not everybody's ideas will make it into policy." And Clinton also said, "This is not going to be easy. ... But if it weren't hard, somebody else could do it."

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Stepping into history, Barack Hussein Obama grasped the reins of power as America's first black president on Tuesday, declaring the nation must choose "hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord" to overcome the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

In frigid temperatures, an exuberant crowd of more than a million packed the National Mall and parade route to celebrate Obama's inauguration in a high-noon ceremony. Waving and cheering in jubilation, they stretched from the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol toward the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.

With 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars lost in the stock market's tumble, Obama emphasized that his biggest challenge is to repair the tattered economy left behind by outgoing President George W. Bush.

"Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed," Obama said. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin the work of remaking America."

Obama wove a thread of personal responsibility and accountability through the address. He spoke of a "new era of responsibility" and alluded to the inability — or unwillingness — of Americans to adjust to the passing of an industrial-based economy. "Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age," he said.

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Barack Hussein Obama is now the nation's 44th president — and first black chief executive.

Even before he took the oath of office, Obama assumed the country's highest office by mandate of the U.S. Constitution.

The 20th Amendment specifies that the terms of office of the president and vice president "shall end at noon on the 20th day of January ... and the terms of their successors shall then begin."

And so, the transfer of power was complete when the clock struck noon.

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As the recession continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and inauguration celebrations ramp up, a lot of people are asking: "How much will this shindig cost?"

The short answer? Likely more than $150 million — and yep, that would be the most expensive ever. (By comparison, George W. Bush's 2005 inauguration cost $42.3 million. Bill Clinton managed with $33 million in 1993.)

The long answer includes a lot of beefed-up security. For the first time, President Bush has declared an emergency in Washington, D.C. to supplement the $15 million Congress has already allotted for security measures.

It's no surprise that security costs are sky-high — Barack Obama received Secret Service protection very early in his presidential run and record crowds (likely anywhere from 1.5 to 3 million people) are expected for the events. In fact, the Secret Service will be in charge of security not just for inauguration day, but for four days, starting Saturday with Obama's train ride from Philadelphia.

The good news for taxpayers: Inaugural celebrations are paid for by the inaugural committee — and Obama has, once again, been a very successful fundraiser — at least $35 million by recent counts.

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Israeli troops, some smiling and dancing, began to withdraw from Gaza Sunday after their government and Hamas militants declared an end to a three-week war. But neither side achieved long-term goals and the burden of consolidating the fragile calm fell to world leaders.

The truce brought relief to Gaza's citizens, who took stock of the devastation in relative safety for the first time since Israel launched the offensive on Dec. 27. And it brought more trauma, as rescue workers in surgical masks ventured into what were once no-go areas and pulled 100 bodies from buildings pulverized by bombs.

"We've pulled out my nephew, but I don't know how many are still under there," Zayed Hadar said as he sifted through the rubble of his flattened home in the northern town of Jebaliya.

Tension eased in southern Israel, the target of Palestinian rocket fire, even though Hamas launched nearly 20 rockets in a final salvo before announcing a cease-fire. Three Israelis were lightly wounded, while two Palestinians were killed in last-minute fighting, medics said.

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One of the top Hamas leaders in Gaza has been killed in an air strike, Hamas and Israeli officials have said.

Said Siyam, the Hamas interior minister, was killed in an air raid on his brother's home near Gaza City.

Earlier, Israeli troops and tanks moved closer into the heart of Gaza City, engaging in fierce gun battles with fighters from Hamas.

The UN's relief agency, Unrwa, said part of its HQ in Gaza caught fire after being hit by Israeli shells.

As interior minister, Mr Siyam controlled thousands of Hamas security troops in Gaza and was said to be widely feared.

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Israel shelled the United Nations headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, engulfing the compound and a warehouse in fire and destroying thousands of pounds of food and humanitarian supplies intended for Palestinian refugees.

U.N. workers and Palestinian firefighters, some wearing bulletproof jackets, struggled to douse the flames and pull bags of food from the debris after the Israeli attack, which was another blow to efforts to ease the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Dense smoke billowed from the compound.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in the region to end the devastating offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, demanded a "full explanation" and said the Israeli defense minister told him there had been a "grave mistake."

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the military fired artillery shells at the U.N. compound after Hamas militants opened fire from the location. Three people were wounded.

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Barack Obama will be "nerd-in-chief" when he takes office as U.S. president this month, according to Marvel Comics, which is putting him on the cover of its next "Spider-Man" comic.

The special edition of the weekly Spider-Man comic features a six-page story about the superhero saving the day when an imposter tries to take Obama's place as president. It is due to hit newsstands next Wednesday.

Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said the idea for the "Spidey meets the President!" edition came from a statement from Obama's campaign listing 10 little known facts about the Democrat who will be America's first black president.

"Right at the top of that list was he collected Spider-Man comics," Quesada told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

"I was inundated with tons of fan mail saying 'Have you read this?'" Quesada said. "I was just floored, absolutely floored, to find out that the future commander-in-chief was actually going to be the future nerd-in-chief."

Excitement about Obama's election has already fueled a boom in memorabilia, from posters to front pages of November 5 newspapers announcing his victory. The Spider-Man edition, likely to become an instant collectors' item, features Obama on the cover, smiling and giving a thumbs-up.

Spidey hangs upside down behind him whispering in his ear: "Hey, if you get to be on my cover, can I be on the dollar bill?"

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Israeli warplanes pounded the homes of Hamas leaders and ground troops edged closer to the Gaza Strip's densely populated urban center Monday, as Israel weighed a decision to escalate its devastating offensive.

Despite the tightening Israeli cordon, militants managed to fire off at least four rockets Monday morning. There were no reports of injuries, though one rocket hit a house in the southern city of Ashkelon.

Black smoke rose over Gaza City's suburbs, where the two sides skirmished throughout the night. At least six Palestinians died in the new airstrikes or of wounds on Monday, Gaza health officials said. One of the dead was a militant killed in a northern Gaza battle.

The army announced Sunday that it was sending reserve units into Gaza to assist thousands of ground forces already in the territory. The use of reserves is a strong signal that Israel is planning to move the offensive, which Gaza officials say has killed some 870 Palestinians, into a new, more punishing phase.

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Israel vowed to escalate its war in Gaza on Saturday after carrying out more deadly air strikes, as troops battled Hamas fighters into a third week despite growing calls for a ceasefire.

As the death rose to 825, Israeli planes sent a cloud of white leaflets fluttering across the Gaza City skyline warning residents it would soon step up its war on Hamas and other militant groups.

The airforce also carried out more than 40 air strikes overnight and into Saturday, targeting arms manufacturing sites, weapons depots and smuggling tunnels, the army said.

And ground troops, who entered Gaza a week ago, continued to clash with Palestinian fighters across the territory.

In one incident, eight members of the same Palestinian family, including a 12-year-old, were killed during the shelling of the northern town of Jabaliya.

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Facing growing criticism of his economic recovery plan, President-elect Barack Obama made public Saturday a detailed analysis by his economic advisers that estimates the $775 billion plan of tax cuts and new spending would create 3.5 million jobs over the next two years.

With an eye on Obama having immediate access to bailout money already approved by Congress when he becomes president, his economic team and the Bush administration have discussed having Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson ask lawmakers for access to the $350 billion remaining in the fund.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration hasn't decided whether to make such a request, which would be made within the next week. Under the terms of the legislation creating the fund, Congress would have 15 days to reject the request.

The Obama transition team also has asked Neel Kashkari, the head of the rescue program at the Treasury Department, to remain in that position for a short time after the inauguration to help assure a smooth transition, according to an Obama official.

The 14-page analysis of Obama's $775 billion plan, which was posted on the Internet, concedes that the estimates are "subject to significant margins of error," both because of the assumptions that went into their economic models and because no one knows the final outlines of the package that will emerge from Congress.

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Israel dropped a one-ton bomb on the home of a Hamas strongman Thursday, killing him along with two wives and four children in the first attack on the top leadership of Gaza's rulers.

As the aerial bombardment escalated, the army said it was also poised to launch a ground invasion. Israel also appeared to be sounding out a possible diplomatic exit from the 6-day-old military offensive against Hamas by demanding international monitors as a key term of any future truce.

The bombing targeted 49-year-old Nizar Rayan, ranked among Hamas' top five decision-makers in Gaza. His four-story apartment building crashed to the ground, sending a thick plume of smoke into the air and heavily damaging neighboring buildings. It killed Rayan and 11 others, including two of his four wives and four of his 12 children, Palestinian health officials said. The Muslim faith allows men to have up to four wives.

Israel has made clear that no one in Hamas is immune in this offensive, and the strike that flattened Rayan's apartment building in the northern town of Jebaliya drove that message home.

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A day after spending a quiet Christmas evening at their vacation retreat, President-elect Barack Obama and his children watched a dolphin show at an aquatic park and then picked up some shave ice, a local treat.

Obama and his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, visited Sea Life Park on Friday. Reporters were not allowed to join Obama inside the park, and aides to the president-elect did not immediately have a roster of who joined Obama for the 90-minute visit. Obama's wife, Michelle, was not in reporters' view during the outing.

Visitors to the park said the Obamas attended a dolphin show. Some visitors showed reporters snapshots they took with Obama, who assumes the office of president in less than a month.

Malia and Sasha later ate shave ice at Kokonuts Shave Ice and Snacks while their dad downed a tuna melt.

Obama joked with reporters traveling with him that he would eat his lunch first, to set an example for his daughters. The president-elect then ordered a mound of shave ice, colored orange and green.

He laughed as the children and family friends ordered their snacks, which included flavors such as pina colada, vanilla and cherry.

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