MISSION - A police pursuit started on the Rio Grande south of Mission and ended on Bentsen Palm north of the expressway. It all started when a Homeland Security helicopter on routine patrol noticed a white pickup and a group of men who had just crossed the river.

The chopper followed the vehicle until Border Patrol and Mission police picked up the chase northbound on Bentsen Palm. It ended just two and a half miles later.

Police say the driver knew he couldn't outrun the helicopter, so he pulled over without incident. Investigators searching the car found several license plates in the trunk that the smuggler would use to change the appearance of the vehicle.

Four suspected illegal immigrants and the smuggler were detained.

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MISSION - A woman who had been held against her will and assaulted for several days was rescued after handing a passerby a note.

The exchange happened at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the H-E-B parking lot at 495 and Conway. The woman told police her boyfriend, 36-year-old Martin Adolfo Pina, had been beating her for several days and holding her against her will.

He was arrested shortly after police were called and has been charged with unlawful restraint. He remains behind bars on $100,000 bond.

The woman is in the intensive care unit in critical condition.

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It also gave families a chance to reissue pleas for further investigation.

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence official, died of cancer, a relative said. Al-Megrahi was convicted of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town on Dec. 21, 1988. The bombing killed 270 people, many of them New York and New Jersey residents. Syracuse University in central New York was particularly hard hit: 35 students on the way home for Christmas break died in the bombing.

Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi handed over al-Megrahi and a second suspect to Scottish authorities after years of punishing U.N. sanctions. In 2003, Gadhafi acknowledged responsibility, though not guilt, for the bombing and paid compensation of about $2.7 billion to victims' families.

The families had banded together after the bombing, immersing themselves in terrorist policy, international relations and airline security and lobbying for compensation from the Libyan government. Some relatives attended al-Megrahi's trial in the Netherlands. When he was released to Libya from a Scottish prison in 2009 on humanitarian grounds — he was supposedly close to death — they were outraged, especially after al-Megrahi lived far longer than the few months the doctors had believed.

Still, their views on al-Megrahi's role in the bombing are far from uniform.

"Megrahi is the 271st victim of Lockerbie," said David Ben-Ayreah, who represents some British families of victims. He attended the trial and still believes al-Megrahi was not responsible for the bombing.

Even those who believe al-Megrahi did take part in the bombing say his death still leaves questions unanswered.

"It closes a chapter but it doesn't close the book. We know he wasn't the only person involved," Frank Dugan, president of the group Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, said from Alexandria, Va.

To the end, al-Megrahi insisted he had nothing to do with the bombing. Those who believe him got a boost in 2007 when a three-year investigation by a Scottish tribunal found that new evidence — and old evidence withheld from trial — suggested that al-Megrahi "may have suffered a miscarriage of justice." Its 800-page report prompted an appeal on al-Megrahi's behalf, but by then his fate was in the hands of politicians in London, Tripoli and Edinburgh, all of whom jockeyed for position as Libya rebuilt its ties with Britain and al-Megrahi's health deteriorated.

Still protesting his innocence, al-Megrahi dropped the appeal in a bid to clear the path for his release on compassionate grounds. He flew home to a hero's welcome in 2009.

He should have died in prison, said Susan Cohen of Cape May Court House, N.J., whose daughter was among the Syracuse University students on the flight.

"The fact that he was able to get out and live with his family these past few years is an appalling miscarriage of justice. There was no excuse for that," Cohen said Sunday. "He should have died in the Scottish prison. He should have been tried in the United States and faced capital punishment."

Al-Megrahi's death should not be an excuse to stop trying to find out who was behind the bombing, she added. She called on U.S. and British officials to "dig even deeper" into the case.

Bert Ammerman of River Vale, N.J., lost his brother in the bombing. He blames the U.S. and Britain for failing to track all leads in the case and noted that Gadhafi's former spy chief was arrested in March in Mauritania.

"He holds the key to what actually took place in Pan Am 103," Ammerman said. "He knows what other individuals were involved and, more importantly, what other countries were involved."

After Gadhafi's fall, Britain asked Libya's new rulers to help fully investigate but they put off any probe.

"Ironically, 24 years later, I now have more confidence in the new Libyan government than the British or American governments to find the truth because I believe Libya would like the truth to come out to show that they were not the only country involved," Ammerman said.

Jim Swire, whose 19-year-old daughter, Flora, died in the bombing, is a leading voice for some of the British families who believe al-Megrahi was innocent. Swire, who attended the trial in the Netherlands, asked for further inquiry from the Scottish government.

He said he saw al-Megrahi in December. "We talked as two old friends who were saying goodbye," he said.

Related coverage:

• Libyan intelligence officer convicted in Lockerbie bombing dies

• Braun: Legacy of Syracuse student killed in Lockerbie bombing lives on through foundation

• Braun: N.J. families of those lost in Lockerbie plane bombing receive closure through Gadhafi's killing

• N.J. senators call Gadhafi death a 'measure of justice,' marking end of 'brutal regime'

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The US and Afghan leaders vowed to work together as talks began

US President Barack Obama has warned of "hard days ahead" at a Nato summit in Chicago dominated by the issue of withdrawal from Afghanistan.

France's new President Francois Hollande has again said he will pull French troops out by the end of 2012, nearly two years ahead of schedule.

Nato is preparing to hand over security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his country was fully aware of its responsibilities.

Some Nato members have pledged aid to help Afghan forces tackle the Taliban insurgency on their own.

The BBC's defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt says the summit is seeking to reconcile two different messages.

It is telling the public in Nato countries that the fighting in Afghanistan is coming to an end for their troops, while reassuring the Afghans that the alliance will not abandon them after 2014, our correspondent says.

The meeting continues for a second day on Monday with discussion about how much money is needed to continue to support Afghanistan and who pays.

Talks are also due to take place with President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan over the re-opening of supply routes through his country to Afghanistan.

"There will be no rush for the exits," Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Sunday. "Our goal, our strategy, our timetable remain unchanged."

Mr Obama warned there were still "great challenges ahead", urging leaders to "pool resources".

"Just as we've sacrificed together for our common security, we will stand united in our determination to complete this mission," Mr Obama told the summit, which is taking place in his home city.

More than 50 leaders are attending the summit, including heads of state and government from the 28 Nato countries, along with President Karzai and and Pakistani leader President Zardari.

As talks began, President Obama spoke of a "transformational decade" in Afghanistan and the enormous sacrifices of the American people on the road to peace, stability and development.

In addition to Mr Hollande, several Nato leaders are under domestic political pressure to withdraw troops from Afghanistan before 2014.

However, Mr Rasmussen said such moves were part of the plan, rather than a contradiction.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the French troop pull-out

"We are now in a process of gradually handing over lead responsibility for security to the Afghans and that process will be completed by the end of 2014 and during that process you will see withdrawal of troops, a shift from combat to support," he told the BBC.

US officials said the alliance was expected to formally endorse a plan to put Afghan troops in charge of combat operations by mid- to late 2013.

Some nations - including the US, Australia, Britain, and Germany - have pledged to contribute to an international fund to help Afghan forces after the Nato pullout.

The US is expected to pay half of an estimated $4bn (£2.5bn) needed every year.

President Karzai, standing alongside President Obama, thanked Americans for their financial help and said his country looked forward to the day that it was "no longer a burden" on the international community.

More than 10 years after the US toppled the Taliban regime, violence is continuing unabated in Afghanistan. According to UN figures, the number of deaths reached a record 3,031 in 2011 - the great majority caused by militants.

Earlier this month, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive. On Saturday, a suicide bomber killed at least 10 people, a number of them children, at a checkpoint in the eastern province of Khost.

Protesters clashed with police near the summit venue

Correspondents say the Obama administration is hoping that President Zardari will agree to reopen key Nato supply routes through Pakistan into Afghanistan, which were closed in November after US air strikes killed Pakistani troops.

Pakistan's co-operation is regarded as key to the success of the international mission in Afghanistan, as 130,000 US-led troops fight a Taliban insurgency.

Also on the agenda at the Nato summit are plans for a US-led missile defence system for Europe, aimed at countering a possible threat from Iran.

The leaders are expected to announce the first phase of the scheme, with the deployment of US warships armed with interceptors in the Mediterranean and a radar system based in Turkey.

Russia has voiced strong opposition to the plan, saying it undermines the value of its nuclear deterrent.

The summit is taking place amid heavy security.

Outside the conference, riot police clashed with demonstrators protesting about war, climate change and a wide range of other issues.

Witnesses said some had blood streaming down their faces. Police were seen carrying some people away from the scene.

The protest march through Chicago had been largely peaceful until the end when a small group of demonstrators tried to break through police lines and reach the lakeside convention centre where the summit is being held.

(UKPA) – 37 minutes ago 

David Cameron is to join other Nato leaders in reaffirming their timetable to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

As alliance leaders and other members of the international force, Isaf, gathered in Chicago, the Prime Minister expressed his confidence that Afghan security forces would be able to prevent terrorists regaining a foothold once they had left.

He said that "one way or the other" the majority of British troops would be coming home as the Afghans took on responsibility for their own security. "We have to remember why we're in Afghanistan. We're there to stop it becoming a haven for terrorist training camps," he said.

"I'm very confident that one way or the other our troops will come home and Afghanistan will be looked after by Afghan security forces who will be capable of maintaining security in their country and, crucially for us, stopping it from being a terrorist training haven that can affect us at home in terms of terrorist attacks."

Nevertheless, a senior official has disclosed that a small number of British troops could stay on after 2014 in a counter-terrorism role in case al Qaida try to make a return to the country from where Osama bin Laden launched the 9/11 attacks.

It is the first time anyone in government has raised the prospect of any form of combat role for British troops after 2014, ministers having previously said any remaining troops would simply be their to train and mentor the Afghan forces.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai said his government knew what needed to be done as Isaf completed the transition to full Afghan control by the middle of 2013, before the final withdrawal the following year.

"Afghanistan is fully aware of the task ahead and of what Afghanistan needs to do to reach the objectives that we all have of a stable, peaceful and self-reliant Afghanistan," he said after meeting President Barack Obama.

The US president said he also believed that they were "on the right track", although he acknowledged that there were still further obstacles to overcome.

"We still have a lot of work to do, and there will be great challenges ahead," he said. "The loss of life continues in Afghanistan; there will be hard days ahead. But we're confident that we are on the right track."

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

(UKPA) – 37 minutes ago 

David Cameron is to join other Nato leaders in reaffirming their timetable to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

As alliance leaders and other members of the international force, Isaf, gathered in Chicago, the Prime Minister expressed his confidence that Afghan security forces would be able to prevent terrorists regaining a foothold once they had left.

He said that "one way or the other" the majority of British troops would be coming home as the Afghans took on responsibility for their own security. "We have to remember why we're in Afghanistan. We're there to stop it becoming a haven for terrorist training camps," he said.

"I'm very confident that one way or the other our troops will come home and Afghanistan will be looked after by Afghan security forces who will be capable of maintaining security in their country and, crucially for us, stopping it from being a terrorist training haven that can affect us at home in terms of terrorist attacks."

Nevertheless, a senior official has disclosed that a small number of British troops could stay on after 2014 in a counter-terrorism role in case al Qaida try to make a return to the country from where Osama bin Laden launched the 9/11 attacks.

It is the first time anyone in government has raised the prospect of any form of combat role for British troops after 2014, ministers having previously said any remaining troops would simply be their to train and mentor the Afghan forces.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai said his government knew what needed to be done as Isaf completed the transition to full Afghan control by the middle of 2013, before the final withdrawal the following year.

"Afghanistan is fully aware of the task ahead and of what Afghanistan needs to do to reach the objectives that we all have of a stable, peaceful and self-reliant Afghanistan," he said after meeting President Barack Obama.

The US president said he also believed that they were "on the right track", although he acknowledged that there were still further obstacles to overcome.

"We still have a lot of work to do, and there will be great challenges ahead," he said. "The loss of life continues in Afghanistan; there will be hard days ahead. But we're confident that we are on the right track."

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Thousands gathered to demonstrate against organised crime following a blast near a school in Brindisi, Italy. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

The men were identified from security cameras at the vocational school in the southern city of Brindisi, where the bomb ripped through a group of students as they waited to begin classes early on Saturday.

One of the suspects is an ex-soldier with knowledge of electronics, the daily Corriere della Sera reported, citing local news website Brindisireport.

Melissa Bassi died from her injuries in hospital, an only child from a working-class family who was studying to be a social worker.

Another young victim was fighting for her life after suffering extensive injuries to her chest, and another was badly wounded in the legs.

Italy's flags flew at half mast and the Adriatic port city held the first of two days of mourning as Pope Benedict XVI condemned the bombing as “despicable” and said he is praying for Bassi.

Prime Minister Mario Monti was to return from the United States, where he was attending a NATO summit, earlier than scheduled, as his country reeled from the double shock of the school attack and a deadly quake in the north.

“Due to the grave events of which you are well aware, he will take part in the first working day (of the NATO summit in Chicago) and will let Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi represent him on the second day,” his spokeswoman said.

Public prosecutor Marco Di Napoli said there was clearly “a wish to carry out a massacre,” while playing down speculation that terrorist, foreign or mafia figures could be behind the attack.

“We are far from knowing the truth only 24 hours after” the attack, which has not been claimed, he admitted at a news conference.

“All possibilities remain open,” he said, but added: “The most likely hypothesis is that of an individual and isolated act. It's not impossible that it was the work of a single person.”

He said police had a photofit of the assailant, whom he described as an “adult man who does not appear to be a foreigner,” after security cameras captured “terrible images” of him detonating the bomb.

The person or persons who carried out the attack were familiar with the school's routines and had chosen the precise moment to strike, he said, emphasising that they were “expert at electronics.”

“It could be the act of someone at war with the rest of the world or who has psychological problems,” he said.

Police have searched the suspects' homes, Corriere reported.

Italy was in shock after the bombing, which revived memories of attacks by political militants and powerful mafia groups.

As people came to the school to lay flowers and attach messages to the perimeter fence, head teacher Angelo Rampino expressed incomprehension over the tragedy. “It the first time in Italy that a school has been attacked. The entire country must rise up. We cannot accept this.”

The victims were all scorched by the blast, caused by three gas canisters rigged to a timer, with doctors and witnesses describing flying shrapnel and their blackened bodies on the ground.

Thousands of young people spontaneously took to the streets of Italy's main cities in emotional demonstrations against the violence, which many protesters blamed on a rising climate of social tension linked to a severe economic crisis.

The region where the attack took place is a hub of the Sacra Corona Unita (United Sacred Crown), a local mafia that has been under pressure from investigators in recent years and whose influence is seen as being on the wane.

The group, which is heavily involved in drug-running and arms smuggling through the Balkans as well as human trafficking, is believed to be behind a separate bomb attack in the region earlier this month against an anti-mafia campaigner.

Observers pointed to the fact that the school is named after Francesca Morvillo, the wife of famous anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, who was assassinated with her husband and three bodyguards by a mafia bomb 20 years ago on Wednesday.

But officials have cautioned that it is unlikely the Sacra Corona Unita would target civilians in its own territory and said the device used was not sophisticated enough for an organisation that has easy access to explosives.

AFP

Bee Gees' singer Robin Gibb has died aged 62 after a long battle with colon and liver cancer, his family said.

They said they were making the announcement with "great sadness".

British-born Gibb's musical career began when he formed the Bee Gees with his brothers Barry and Maurice in 1958.

The group is among the biggest-selling groups of all time with hits spanning six decades including Stayin' Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Massachusetts and Night Fever.

Broadcaster Paul Gambaccini described the singer as "one of the major figures in the history of British music".

Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read described Gibb's death as a "tragedy".

The Bee Gees notched up record sales of more than 200 million since their first hits in the 1960s.

The brothers were born in the Isle of Man but grew up in Manchester, later moving to Australia.

"Everyone should be aware that the Bee Gees are second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music," said Gambaccini.

"Their accomplishments have been monumental.

"Not only have they written their own number one hits, but they wrote huge hit records for Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, the list goes on and on.

"What must also be said is Robin had one of the best white soul voices ever. He was singing lead on his first number one when he was 17, that was Massachusetts."

Gibb's family said in a statement: "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away today following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery.

"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."

A statement from Sony Music on Twitter said: "Rest in peace, Robin Gibb. Thanks for the music."

Gibb's twin brother and band partner Maurice died in 2003 at the age of 53 following complications from a twisted intestine.

Robin was diagnosed with cancer of the colon after having surgery on his bowel 18 months ago for an unrelated condition.

He was later also diagnosed with cancer of the liver, and underwent chemotherapy and surgery.

Last month, the singer fell into a coma after contracting pneumonia but a week later he regained consciousness.

Gibb's son Robin-John said at the time: "They (doctors) gave him an under 10% survival chance and he has beaten the odds... he really is something else."

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