Michael Jackson's final resting place a mystery

AP – In this image released by the Jackson family, pallbearers carry a casket holding Michael Jackson's body …

By MARK KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer Mark Kennedy, Associated Press Writer.

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson's glimmering casket took center stage at the Staples Center, sitting for more than two hours as celebrities memorialized the King of Pop under the watchful eyes of millions. And when the ceremony was over, it was gone.

By law, the golden casket that presumably held Jackson's body should be exactly where his death certificate says it is: back at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills cemetery, the site of a private family memorial service held before the Staples ceremony. Los Angeles County records show the cemetery as the temporary location, where it must stay until those records are officially updated.

But where Jackson's body will eventually be laid to rest remained a mystery, fed by the same level of rumor and speculation that surrounded much of his life. Will he be interred at Forest Lawn? Is Neverland Ranch still a possibility?

What if he's not buried at all, but cremated? The family isn't talking — and may not even have decided yet.

The casket was first seen leaving the mortuary at Forest Lawn, where it got into a hearse for the 10-mile trip to the Staples Center. But before the service even started, the hearse was seen leaving the facility — empty — and wasn't spotted again.

But to keep in good standing with the law, the casket would have needed to return to Forest Lawn at some point, presumably after the crowds went home and the television cameras were long gone.

Robert J. Biggins, a former president of the National Funeral Directors Association, said Jackson's body is likely in his casket which he identified it as a custom-made, top-of-the-line coffin made by the Indiana-based Batesville Casket Company that is called a "Promethean." The casket is probably in a temporary holding area — perhaps a mausoleum — pending a final location, he said.

"This happened so quickly that it's something that has to have an awful lot of thoughtful consideration," said Biggins, who is the owner of Magoun-Biggins Funeral home in Rockland, Mass. "This is bigger than your average burial."

Conjecture about Jackson's final resting place has been as fraught as the rumors about where his memorial service would be held in the days before the Staples Center was announced. His 5-page will, signed in 2002, does not include final wishes for his body.

Forest Lawn is one likely possibility. If Jackson is buried there, he would join other celebrities such as Liberace, Gene Autry, Bette Davis and Andy Gibb. Recently deceased actor David Carradine and "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon also are buried there.

The Jackson family seems divided over whether the body should go to Neverland, which would surely turn the Santa Barbara County ranch into a West-coast Graceland. But Jackson abandoned the 2,500-acre estate after going into seclusion following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005, and many of the things that made it unique — the merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and zoo — are gone.

Billionaire Thomas Barrack, who owns Neverland in a joint venture with Jackson, has expressed an openness to the idea of having the singer's body buried at the ranch. The family would need to get permission from local land-use officials to bury Jackson on private property, then submit an application and paperwork with the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

The state application would then need to be approved by the funeral board, a process that could take anywhere from seven to 30 days.

Beyond that, accessibility remains an issue at Neverland. A single two-lane highway leads to the property about 130 miles north of Los Angeles, and infrastructure changes would likely be necessary to accommodate the additional traffic.

Another possibility is cremation. State law requires that the person who has control of the cremated remains obtain written permission of the property owner or governing agency to scatter on the property.

Funeral experts said the delay in Jackson's funeral may be due to the fact that such celebrity deaths create logistical, security and legal headaches.

"One of the issues you're going to run into with any high-profile name, whether it be a former president of the United States or somebody of Michael Jackson's stature, is what does the cemetery — if it's to be a burial — do to establish security, to protect the remains, to protect the privacy of the family during the service, to protect remains afterward and what kind of built-in overhead comes with it," said Paul Elvig, former president of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

Experts said even a two-week delay between death and funeral is not unusual. The body of singer James Brown was kept in a sealed gold casket inside his South Carolina home for more than two months before being interred in 2007 at the home of one of his daughters.

"You're probably talking more about an impatient public and an impatient press wanting to know what's going to happen and that impatience needs to be understood," Elvig said. "If a body's been properly prepared by an embalmer, it can be held for a considerable period of time with minor touchups to it."

Biggins said he is even encouraged by the delay.

"I think the fact that there's this pause is a wonderful thing because it's being given thoughtful consideration," he said, "to make sure this is done right and this is done in a way that honors his legacy."

SOURCE HERE

Poignant service says goodbye to M.J., the man

AP – Janet Jackson, center, comforts her niece Paris Jackson as LaToya Jackson, left, and Prince Michael look …

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Ap Music Writer

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was an entertainment phenomenon both triumphant and troubled, a dazzling performer who transcended barriers, transformed the music world and transfixed fans and non-fans alike in every corner of the Earth.

But Tuesday's memorial was not for that Michael Jackson.

Instead, those closest to the legend gave us a glimpse of Michael Jackson the man.

In a poignant and serene service, the portrait they painted was of a human just as remarkable, making his loss doubly painful to bear for those who truly loved him.

"I just wanted to say ... ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him — so much," said Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris-Michael, before dissolving into tears and falling into the embrace of her aunt Janet.

It was a deeply emotional moment, the most profound part of a memorial that accomplished what Jackson could not in life: humanizing a man who for so long had seemed like a caricature.

How could someone who moved like he moved, sang like he sang, and reached musical heights no person has ever touched be as human as the rest of us? How could a man who threw a wedding for Elizabeth Taylor, had a chimpanzee as a companion, and wore masks to cover his surgically altered face be any part normal?

How can a man who admitted he shared his bed with boys — though he maintained it was never sexual, as others suggested — be a decent man, closer to saintly than devilish?

It took those closest to him, from his brother Marlon to his old friend Brooke Shields, to explain Michael Jackson to those who saw him as a talented freak — an image that deeply pained Jackson.

So while Motown founder Berry Gordy talked about the child prodigy he signed at age 10, and pronounced him not just the King of Pop, but "the greatest entertainer who ever lived," he also talked about the little kid who played catcher during family softball games against the Gordys, who cracked jokes and frolicked in the pool. Magic Johnson talked about the perfectionist who made him achieve higher heights as a basketball player, but also told of sitting around and eating KFC at his home. And Shields talked about a friendship in which laughter was central to it all.

"We had a bond, and maybe it was because we both understood what it was like to be in the spotlight from a very, very young age," Shields said, fighting back tears. "Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ... M.J.'s laugh was the sweetest and purest of anyone I've known."

For Jackson's family and the organizers of the memorial, it was a successful rehabilitation of the image of a superstar who had been derided for so long. The words "sweet" and "pure" had rarely been used to describe Jackson in the last two decades of his life, marked by allegations of child abuse, an ever-changing face, multiple lawsuits, eccentric behavior and what seemed to be one bad career move after another.

Only true Jackson fans, a number that seemed to be dwindling year after year, seemed to remember the man who dazzled us with "Thriller," made us swoon with delight with infectious grooves like "Rock With You" and "Remember the Time," and conversed with presidents, kings and queens.

Tuesday's memorial reminded us of that Michael Jackson, too. The universally revered and admired former South African President, Nelson Mandela, offered words of condolences and love for Jackson in a statement read by Smokey Robinson.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, talked about how Jackson held court with African leaders in his bid to help slow the spread of AIDS there.

And Maya Angelou, who was also represented by her words instead of her presence, offered a loving tribute for the entertainer in remarks read by Queen Latifah.

"He took a pose on his toes for all of us," Angelou wrote, remarking on his worldwide influence from "Birmingham, Ala., to Birmingham, England."

For an entertainer known for his amazing music, song took a backseat to sentiment at the service. But when it was used, it was to great effect. His very biggest hits were not part of the program.

Instead, what we heard were the songs that reinforced Jackson outside of entertainment. Longtime friend Stevie Wonder — who summarized the thoughts of many when he said, "This is a moment I wished I didn't live to see" — sang his own "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer," originally intended as a bitter breakup song but repurposed as a sad goodbye.

Lionel Richie, Jackson's collaborator on the anthem "We Are the World," sang a gospel classic, "Jesus is Love." Another gospel hymn heralded the arrival of Jackson's casket when a choir sang the lines, "Hallelujah, hallelujah, we're going to see the King."

Two of Jackson's songs underscored his humanitarian side — the closing numbers, "We Are the World" and the anthem for his charity, "Heal the World."

Usher's heartbreaking rendition of "Gone Too Soon," which Jackson wrote as a memorial for Ryan White, one of the early public faces of AIDS, captured the pain not only of his fans and friends, but of his family, as the Jackson brothers came together and gripped a sobbing Usher in their arms afterward.

And Jermaine Jackson's version of "Smile," which Michael Jackson had often used as a metaphor for his own tragic life, was a fitting epitaph for his brother.

But perhaps no one lifted up the image of Jackson more than the Rev. Al Sharpton, in rousing, church-like sermon that took Michael Jackson back from the tabloid headlines. Sharpton looked at Jackson's children and declared: "Your daddy wasn't strange — what he had to deal with was strange."

SOURCE HERE

Jackson's will puts assets in trust

Reuters – Fans remember Michael Jackson during the Michael Jackson public memorial at Apollo Theater in New York …

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, Associated Press Writer Ryan Nakashima, Associated Press Writer –

LOS ANGELES – The first hints about Michael Jackson's final wishes surfaced Tuesday in a will he signed nearly seven years ago to the day, and although details won't be available until the document is filed in a court, there's nothing to indicate that its instructions are at odds with the hasty arrangements made by the singer's mother and father.

The will gives guardianship over his children to the singer's mother and leaves all his assets in a trust fund, a person with knowledge of the document told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The will was signed on July 7, 2002, and named as executors Jackson's longtime lawyer John Branca and John McClain, a music executive and a family friend, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the topic.

The will surfaced just a day after the family said in court documents it believed the 50-year-old entertainer had died without a valid will and moved to take control over his lucrative, but debt-encumbered estate.

In response, Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted Jackson's 79-year-old mother Katherine Jackson temporary guardianship of her son's three children, who range in age from 7 to 12.

The judge also gave her control over some of her son's personal property that is now in the hands of an unnamed third party. But the judge did not immediately rule on her requests to take charge of the children's and Jackson's estates.

The move by Jackson's family to proactively take legal action does not seem to be conflict with the singer's stated desire to have his children put under his parents' care and their financial welfare assured.

Experts said the personal bankruptcy of Jackson's parents in 1999 could work against Katherine taking control of the estate.

Court documents show Katherine and Joe Jackson filed for Chapter 7 and listed nearly $24 million in debts that included court judgments, auto loans and credit cards. The only valuable asset listed was a house in Las Vegas then valued at $290,000. The bankruptcy was terminated in March 2007, but the documents gave no further details.

"I think it would be a negative factor but not necessarily a disqualifier," said Beth Kaufman, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney specializing in estate tax issues. "It could indicate that she is not capable of sound financial management."

The will's contents became known on a day that a flurry of vehicles, heavy construction equipment and workers were spotted going in and out of Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

More than a dozen vehicles, including a tractor, a cement mixer and a backhoe were seen Tuesday. One bore a phone number that rang at a custom ironworks company. Gardeners and police also were spotted on the grounds.

There has been intense speculation since Jackson died Thursday over where and when a memorial service will be held. It's also not known where he will be buried.

Members of Jackson's family met Tuesday with officials from the police and California Highway Patrol about funeral services but "details are still pending," according to Fran Clader, a spokeswoman for the patrol.

Officials from the Santa Barbara County board of supervisors, the county executive and law enforcement also met Tuesday to discuss the possibility of restricting parking along parts of Figueroa Mountain Road, which runs past Neverland.

County Executive William Boyer said the meeting was to prepare in case a public event was staged at the ranch, which would overwhelm the two-lane narrow road with media and fans. He said he was not in contact with the family and was not aware of their wishes.

It was unclear whether Jackson could be legally buried at the ranch. California Funeral Directors Association executive director Bob Achermann said state law would prohibit Jackson's uncremated remains from being interred at Neverland.

The state's health and safety code makes interring any uncremated remains outside of a cemetery a misdemeanor, he said. Cremated remains can be kept in a home or private mausoleum outside a cemetery, he said.

At once a symbol of Jackson's success and excesses, Neverland became the site of a makeshift memorial after his death. Scores of fans have streamed past the gated entrance to leave handwritten notes, photographs, balloons and flowers.

Jackson fled the ranch — and the country — after his acquittal on charges that he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor in 2003 at the estate after getting him drunk.

Also Tuesday, it was learned that Jackson was recently in shaky financial health. In the most detailed account yet of the singer's tangled financial empire, documents obtained by the AP show Jackson claimed to have a net worth of $236.6 million as of March 31, 2007.

Since that time both Jackson's debts and assets grew substantially — he refinanced loans later that year that increased his debt load by tens of millions of dollars, but the Sony/ATV Music Publishing joint venture he is a part of also spent hundreds of millions acquiring new songs.

Jackson's own health was a concern in his final days. A nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid said Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful.

Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said she got a frantic phone call from Jackson four days before his death that made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep.

Lee said Jackson in the call complained that one side of his body felt hot and the other side was cold, prompting her to believe the "somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system."

"He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out," she said.

Meanwhile, on the other coast Tuesday, some 600 Jackson fans crammed into New York City's famed Apollo Theater for a public tribute to the performer, clutching photographs, cheering and dancing to his music at the legendary venue that launched the one-time child star's career.

"He knew he was loved, but he didn't know he was this loved," said one participant, Rosiland Sargent, 59, of West Orange, N.J.

SOURCE HERE

Michael Jackson, Dead At 50, Was Hugely Popular Across Former Soviet Bloc

NEW YORK -- The sudden death of music legend Michael Jackson has sent shock waves around the globe, as fans mourn the passing of one of the world's most famous pop icons.


In the Bulgarian city of Varna, dozens of followers turned out after midnight for an impromptu vigil in memory of the 50-year-old star, who died June 25 in Los Angeles after being rushed to the hospital in a coma.

Jackson's death quickly became the most-discussed item on yandex.ru, Russia's most popular web portal, while searches for "Michael Jackson" on baidu.cn -- China's answer to Google -- increased a hundred-fold in the hours following his death.

A makeshift memorial to Michael Jackson at the UCLA Medical Plaza in Los Angeles

It has been reported that even though Russian President Dmitry Medvedev favorite rock act is Deep Purple, he's had a weak spot for Michael Jackson ever since his early student years.




He's not alone.

Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller" is the best-selling album of all time, with sales reaching 109 million.

Jackson was arguably the only American artist whose influence was as great elsewhere in the world as it was back home in the United States. And as news spread of his death by suspected cardiac arrest, people across the globe expressed a mixture of grief, confusion, and regret.

'Final' Concerts

Jackson's fortunes had faded in recent years as the childlike star was dogged by child-abuse allegations and an expensive and bizarre penchant for plastic surgery. But there were hopes that the performer would resurrect his career with an ambitious 50-concert gig at London's O2 Arena starting in mid-July.

The news of Jackson's death was met with shock and disbelief in Harlem, traditionally a citadel of African-American culture in the United States.

A sprightly middle-aged man who gave his name only as Rocky told RFE/RL that the news of Jackson's death -- coming just hours after the death of another beloved American icon, television actress Farrah Fawcett -- had left him numb:


Another resident of Harlem, 51-year old Maxine, who described herself as a "single grandmother" who also goes by the name of "Champagne," told RFE/RL she is heartbroken:


Jackson, who had performed as part of a family act since the age of 5, emerged as a major solo artist at the dawn of the music-video era. A talented dancer as well as singer, his performances were electrifying and made him a household name worldwide -- even in the countries of the former Soviet bloc.

For reasons that were never fully understood, Jackson received an unofficial blessing from communist censors, who allowed "Thriller" to be licensed and issued as a vinyl record by the Soviet recording company Melodia in 1985.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the biggest-selling album of all time

Jackson's popularity in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s was matched only by that of supergroup ABBA from Sweden. His stunning video clips and original dance moves inspired a generation of performers in the former communist bloc. His live concert in Moscow in 1993 sparked near-hysteria among scores of Russians hungry for a taste of Western culture.

Even when Jackson was well beyond his prime, he was still capable of attracting massive audiences. In August 1996, it was reported that more than 150,000 people attended Jackson's concert in the Czech capital, Prague. A huge statue of Jackson briefly stood in the spot where a monument to Josef Stalin had once stood.

Jackson's legal problems in the United States and accusations of child molestation did considerable harm to his reputation at home, but they had little influence on the public perception of Jackson’s music in the former communist states. His popularity transcended ethnic, racial, and political divides -- Jackson was as much adored in a Roma village in Romania as on a slick dancing floor in a Moscow discotheque.

In Harlem, where Jackson was much loved, many of the people interviewed by RFE/RL said that he was unfairly hounded by the media and that repeated accusations of child molestation were never really proven.

A 26-year-old African-American man who gave his name as Transformer told RFE/RL he listened to "Thriller" as a toddler and vividly remembers the impression that Jackson's music videos made on him as a child:



Jackson is survived by three children, his parents, and eight brothers and sisters.


SOURCE HERE

Yahoo! News reports from UCLA Medical Center

As news of the death of Michael Jackson spread, fans converged at UCLA Medical Center. Allison Louie-Garcia of Yahoo! News headed to Westwood, Calif. to get their reactions.

(Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

31-year-old Abe Romero holds a Michael Jackson poster outside of UCLA Medical Center. “I’m a very dedicated fan and was looking forward to seeing him in concert.

” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

Romero’s friend, 22-year-old Matthew Daneel (R), who is originally from South Africa, found out about Jackson’s death from a friend living in South Africa. He immediately chatted online with Romero and said: “Let’s go over there [to the hospital]; let’s pay some respect.” Romero’s favorite song: “You Rock My World.” Daneel’s favorite song: “Love is a Feeling.

” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

24-year-old medical student Mansour Jammal was at the hospital at the time of Jackson’s death. “Nobody thought it was true at first,” he said. “I just went outside to see all the commotion.” Jammal’s favorite song:

“Beat It” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

Olivier Tarpaga, a West African and Contemporary Dance instructor at UCLA somberly said of Jackson’s passing: “It was a really bad surprise.

” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

49-year-old Yoshako Plair (L) said a random man gave her a flower and simply said it was “for Michael.” “Afterwards, we just hugged,” Plair said. “His death is like the devastating loss of a family member. We want to show our love. We’re here because we want to be a part of history.

” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

Fans taking cell phone photos and members of the media crowd the entrance of UCLA Medical Center. A chant of 'Michael! Michael!' broke out soon after.

(Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

30- year-old Maya Wunstell is taking an anatomy class at the hospital, and she was patiently waiting among the crowds for her class to start.

(Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

38-year-old Erica Renaud claims to be Michael Jackson’s number one fan. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Renaud said she’s been to almost all of Jackson’s concerts, has all of his original albums, and has portrayed him many times at Halloween. “We’re not going to leave until we see something…something Michael Jackson. I will stand here for days and days if I have to. There will never be another Michael Jackson.

” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

Renaud then sang a line from her favorite song, “I’ll be There” and screamed “Michael, I will be there for you.” She then danced some of her favorite Michael moves. “When I found out that he died, I sped over here as fast as I could; I had to get vicious on the roads, sorry Michael. ” (Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)

Renaud’s daughter, 18-year-old Jade Vargas said, “I’ve been a Michael Jackson fan since I was in a walker! I mean, my mom was president of his fan club!”

(Yahoo! News/Michelle Barnes)


All Pictures source from HERE

Jacksons gain children, estate as fight begins

AFP – Joe Jackson (C), father of music legend Michael Jackson, after a news conference outside the Jackson …

by Rob Woollard Rob Woollard

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Michael Jackson's family won temporary custody of the star's children and estate as the first legal shots were fired in the fight arising from the icon's death.

The court rulings came as the investigation intensified into what killed the King of Pop last week, with coroners collecting two bags of medication from Jackson's home as evidence.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge named the star's 79-year-old mother Katherine temporary guardian of his three children and his estate, which includes the Neverland ranch and rights to songs by The Beatles.

The judge, Mitchell Beckloff, set a July 6 hearing to make a final decision.

It was unclear whether Jackson had a will. The family told the court that Jackson did not have one, but at least one of the pop star's many lawyers reportedly said there was one under wraps.

Family patriarch Joe Jackson applauded the court decision to make his wife Katherine the temporary guardian of their grandchildren, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7.

"This is where they belong," Jackson told reporters. "We're going to take care of them and give them the education they're supposed to have."

Jackson's former wife of three years, Debbie Rowe, is the mother of the two eldest children, while the third was born in 2002 to a surrogate whose identity has never been made public.

Rowe, a dermatologist who met Jackson when he was under treatment, has kept a low profile since their divorce. But she appealed through her lawyers to let the children mourn their father in peace.

Rowe "requests that Michael's family, and particularly the children, be spared such harmful, sensationalist speculation" about their status, lawyer Marta Almli said.

Another attorney expected Rowe to make a decision on her next step in the coming days.

Legal experts say that Rowe, as the biological mother, would have a strong chance to gain custody of her two children. A court battle could also unearth ugly details about Joe Jackson, who the pop singer said beat him as a child.

Joe Jackson on Monday hit back at fan criticism that he has been insensitive over his son's death, calling him a "superstar."

The father said that no funeral date would be set until results of a second autopsy out on his son were complete.

"We're not ready for that yet because we're trying to wait on something else. We're searching to see what happened to Michael," he said outside the family home.

Reports have said Jackson's family is considering a series of simultaneous memorial services around the world for the singer, reflecting the huge global reach of an artist who sold more than 750 million records.

"It is the determination of the family to be careful and deliberate on how they plan his celebration of life, because we're talking about a historic figure that really changed pop culture around the world," family representative and prominent New York politician Al Sharpton said.

"This is not something you do carelessly and spontaneously. We must remember they are still grieving and in their grief, determined to uphold his legacy."

The Jackson family already has hired a private pathologist who has carried out a second autopsy on the body.

The Los Angeles Coroner's office on Monday carried out two bags of medication from Jackson's house. Craig Harvey, the coroner's chief investigator, said only that it was "additional medical evidence" in the case.

Speculation has been rife that excessive use of powerful prescription pain killers may have played a role in Jackson's death.

But a lawyer for personal physician Conrad Murray -- who was with Jackson in the hours before his death -- went on the attack, insisting his client was blameless.

Murray "never prescribed nor administered" two particular drugs -- Demerol or Oxycontin -- to Jackson, attorney Edward Chernoff said.

"There's nothing in his history, nothing that Dr Murray knew, that would lead him to believe he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure," Chernoff told CNN.

"There was no red flag available to Dr Murray, which led him to believe he would have died the way he did. It's still a mystery how he died."

He also defended how Murray responded to the immediate crisis after Jackson lost consciousness last week, recounting step-by-step the failed effort by the doctor to revive the singer.

The coroner's office meanwhile strongly denied a report in Britain's Sun tabloid, which said pathologists had found nothing in Jackson's stomach but partially dissolved pills.

SOURCE HERE

Jackson's mother wins temporary control of estate

Reuters – Lara Khalaf lays flowers at a memorial for deceased pop star Michael Jackson outside the Jackson family …

By Jill Serjeant Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Michael Jackson's mother Katherine on Monday won temporary guardianship of the late singer's children and control of his estate as a legal battle over his kids, money and belongings began to take shape.

Katherine Jackson won the first round in what could become a protracted fight over an estate that could be valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. It is unclear if Jackson drew up a will before he died.

Questions about the singer's health prior to his death resurfaced Monday when Celebrity Website TMZ.com reported that Los Angeles County coroner officials returned to Jackson's rented home looking for more medication.

Four days after the singer's death from cardiac arrest, his father, Joe Jackson said the family was awaiting results of a second, private autopsy, and he expected to get details "real soon." He said funeral arrangements had not been made.

"We don't have a timeframe for that (the funeral) because I want to see how this autopsy is coming out," Jackson said after a family meeting at his home in suburban Los Angeles.

Two autopsies have been carried out on Jackson's body, one by the coroner's office and a second by a private pathologist. Speculation about what caused Jackson's heart to stop has centered on his prescription drug use, but toxicology tests are expected to take several more weeks.

The pop star died on Thursday at his rented Los Angeles home, days before kicking off a string of concerts in London that were designed to revive a career grounded by his 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation charges.

On Monday, promoters AEG Live released pictures from a dress rehearsal two days before Jackson's death. Jackson looks thin, but much like his typical singing and dancing self. AEG Live declined to comment on reports it had video footage of the rehearsals that could be released on DVD.

JACKSON'S MOM WINS TEMPORARY CONTROL

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Monday approved the appointment of Katherine Jackson as temporary guardian of Prince Michael, 12, Paris Katherine, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, pending a hearing next week.

Katherine Jackson was also named "special administrator" of her son's estate until a July 6 hearing, but the court order stipulated that she was not to take possession of money or property, except as permitted by the court.

In her court filing, Katherine Jackson said she was seeking control of funds "for the exclusive use of the decedent's children" and was concerned about bank accounts controlled by unnamed "third parties."

Jackson was reported to be as much as $500 million in debt when he died, but his estate has been estimated at $1 billion or more and is likely to rise following his death. Court papers list the value of the estate as "unknown."

His two eldest children were from his marriage to Debbie Rowe and the third is from an unidentified surrogate mother. In court papers, Katherine Jackson said the children had "no relationship with their biological mother," and it was unclear whether Rowe would also seek custody of the kids.

"Whoever has ultimate custody of these children, who are probably going to be the beneficiaries of his estate, will get control of his money to care for the children. So to that extent, whoever the permanent guardian will be will have tremendous sums of money to take care of the children," entertainment attorney Jerry Reisman told Reuters.

Jackson's court filing indicated the "Thriller" singer died without a will, but media reports said a former Jackson lawyer, John Branca, possessed a will signed by the pop star. Branca did not return calls on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles coroner's office dismissed as inaccurate a Monday report in Britain's Sun newspaper that said Jackson was almost bald, emaciated and that his hips, thighs and shoulders were riddled with needle wounds when he died.

Assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said the details did not come from the private or county autopsies. "I don't know where that information came from, or who that information came from. It is not accurate. Some of it is totally false," he said.

(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb)

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Jackson's family moves quickly to take charge

AP – In this handout photo provided by AEG, pop star Michael Jackson rehearses at the Staples Center in Los …

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson's family moved quickly Monday to take control of his complicated personal and financial affairs, winning temporary custody of his three children and asking a judge to name the King of Pop's mother as administrator of his estate. In documents filed in Superior Court, Jackson's parents said they believe their 50-year-old son died without a valid will.

They also made it clear they believe they should take charge of both his debt-ridden but potentially lucrative financial empire and act as permanent caretakers of his three children.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted 79-year-old Katherine Jackson temporary guardianship of the children, who range in age from 7 to 12. He did not immediately rule on her requests to take charge of the children's and Jackson's estates.

Beckloff scheduled a hearing for July 6 and another for Aug. 3 to consider those issues and whether Katherine Jackson should be appointed the children's permanent guardian.

L. Londell McMillan, the family's attorney, said in a statement that the Jacksons are pleased with the results of their Monday filings.

"Mrs. Jackson deserves custody, and the family should have the administration of the brilliance of Mr. Michael Jackson. Mrs. Jackson is a wonderful, loving and strong woman with a special family many of us have admired for years. The personal and legal priorities are focused on first protecting the best interests of Mr. Michael Jackson's children, his family, his memorial services and then preserving his creative and business legacy with the dignity and honor it deserves."

When Jackson died Thursday, he left behind a 12-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter by his ex-wife Deborah Rowe, as well as a 7-year-old son born to a surrogate mother.

The Jackson family said the children — Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (known as Prince Michael), Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael II — are living at the Jackson family compound in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

"They have a long established relationship with paternal grandmother and are comfortable in her care," the family said in court documents.

Family patriarch Joe Jackson, 79, said at a news conference that the children were enjoying playing with other kids — something they do not normally do.

The documents state that although Rowe is the mother of the two older children, her whereabouts are unknown. The document simply listed "none" for the mother of the youngest child, Prince Michael II.

Supporting Katherine Jackson in her petition bid to administer the estate was Jackson's father, Joe Jackson.

The Jacksons say they have not heard from Rowe since their son's death. Rowe's attorney, Marta Almli, did not respond to an e-mail message seeking comment Monday. She previously said, "Ms. Rowe's only thoughts at this time have been regarding the devastating loss Michael's family has suffered."

Mark Lester, a former British child star who is godfather to Jackson's children, told The Associated Press he believes they belong with Jackson's mother.

"She is a very loving, kind and gracious woman, and she had a very close relationship with Michael and a very good rapport with her grandchildren," Lester said. "I know the kids are fine. They are deeply saddened by what's happened, but they're coping."

Meanwhile, authorities continued to investigate Jackson's death. Officials with the Los Angeles County coroner's office returned to the mansion he was renting at the time of his death and left with two large plastic bags of evidence.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the bags contained medication. He declined to elaborate.

Lawyers for Jackson's cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray said the physician never prescribed the powerful drugs Demerol or Oxycontin for Jackson and did all he could to revive him when he found the entertainer near death.

Attorney Matt Alford told the AP it took as long as 30 minutes for paramedics to be called after Murray found Jackson with a faint pulse and performed CPR.

The delay was partly because Jackson's room in the rented mansion didn't have a telephone and Murray didn't know Jackson's street address to give to emergency crews, Alford said.

Eventually, Murray found a chef in the house and had him summon a security guard, who called for help while the doctor continued to perform CPR.

Jackson's father told reporters at the family compound that his son's funeral was still in the planning stages.

"It will be some private, but not closed all the way down to the public," he said without elaborating.

He added that his son would not be buried at Neverland Ranch, the sprawling playground he built in the rolling hills of Santa Barbara County then abandoned after going into seclusion following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005.

Jackson's father also used the news conference to plug a record company he said he's founding with a business partner.

"We have a lot of good artists pitching to come out," he said.

His son, who had not released a new recording or performed publicly in years, was believed to be hundreds of millions of dollars in debt at the time of his death. However, his finances are complicated and could take years to unravel.

Clearly one of his most valuable assets is his recording catalog, which his father could potentially rerelease through his new record company if the family gains control of his assets. There could also be recordings in Jackson's estate that he had never released.

The AP learned that Jackson had finished an elaborate video production project just two weeks before he died. The five-week project dubbed "Dome Project" could be the final finished video piece overseen by the star.

There's also a financial bonanza to be had in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog of which Jackson owned 50 percent. The 750,000-song catalog includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers, and is estimated to be worth as much as $2 billion.

"Quite frankly, he may be worth more dead than alive," Jerry Reisman, general counsel for the Hit Factory, a recording studio where Jackson produced his best-selling album "Thriller," said recently.

Jackson nearly lost his beloved Neverland, which was once filled with amusement park rides and wild animals, to foreclosure in March. Billionaire real estate investor Thomas Barrack bailed him out at the 11th hour, setting up a joint venture with Jackson that took ownership of the 2,500-acre property.

The ranch's future is uncertain, but three of Jackson's brothers visited the estate with Barrack over the weekend. A spokesman for the holding company that now operates it said it was premature to talk about the ranch's future.

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47-million-year-old human link revealed

AFP – A boy looks at a 47 million year-old skeleton of the most complete fossil primate ever found, after it …

by Luis Torres de la Llosa Luis Torres De La Llosa

NEW YORK (AFP) – Scientists in New York unveiled Tuesday the skeleton of what they said could be the common ancestor to humans, apes and other primates.

The tiny creature, officially known as Darwinius masillae, but dubbed Ida, lived 47 million years ago and is unusually well preserved, missing only part of a leg, or five percent of the skeleton.

The finding, described Tuesday in the PloS ONE scientific journal, was displayed at a press conference at New York's Natural History Museum, and is due to be the subject of a documentary on the History Channel, BBC and other broadcasters.

Organizers said that scientists led by Norway's fossil expert, professor Jorn Hurum, worked for two years on Ida, first discovered in 1983 by private collectors who failed to understand her importance -- and split the bones into two lots.

The monkey-like creature was preserved through the ages in Germany's Messel Pit, a crater rich in Eocene Epoch fossils.

Although bearing a long tail, she had several human characteristics, including an opposable thumb, short arms and legs, and forward facing eyes.

She also lacked two key elements of modern lemurs: a grooming claw and a row of lower teeth known as the toothcomb.

"This is the first link to all humans -- truly a fossil that links world heritage," Hurum said in a statement.

David Attenborough, the renowned British naturalist and broadcaster, said the "little creature is going to show us our connection with all the rest of the mammals."

"The link they would have said until now is missing... it is no longer missing," he said.

Ida gives a glimpse into a time when the world was just taking its present shape. Dinosaurs were extinct, the Himalayas were forming and a huge range of mammals thrived in vast jungles.

According to the international team, Ida had suffered a badly broken wrist and that this might have been her undoing. The theory is that while drinking from the Messel lake she was overcome by carbon dioxide fumes and fell in.

"Ida slipped into unconsciousness, was washed into the lake, and sunk to the bottom, where the unique conditions preserved her for 47 million years," a statement said.

Her last meal shows she was a herbivore. Gut contents revealed remains of fruits, seeds and leaves.

"This fossil is so complete. Everything's there. It's unheard of in the primate record at all. You have to get to human burial to see something that's this complete," Hurum said.

The press conference was unusually strongly hyped for a scientific event and the announcement was tied into a media campaign including the release of the documentary.

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Scientists discover deadly secret of Komodo's bite

AFP/File – The world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, has a snake-like venom in its bite which sends victims …

SYDNEY (AFP) – The world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, has a snake-like venom in its bite which sends victims into shock and stops their blood from clotting, according to Australian research.

It had been widely believed that deadly bacteria in the carnivorous lizard's mouth helped kill its prey.

But magnetic resonance imagery has for the first time uncovered venom glands containing a shock-inducing poison which increases blood flow and decreases blood pressure, scientists say.

Lead researcher Bryan Fry said three-dimensional computer imaging comparing the Komodo's bite with that of Australia's saltwater crocodile showed it used a "grip and rip" pulling manoeuvre to tear deep wounds, similar to a shark or sabre cat.

Fry surgically removed a venom gland from a terminally ill Komodo at Singapore Zoo for the study, and said it contained a highly toxic poison which would induce potent stomach cramps, hypothermia and a drop in blood pressure.

The venom also blocked the blood's clotting ability, he said.

"Such a fall in blood pressure would be debilitating in conjunction with blood loss and would render the envenomed prey unable to escape," he said.

"These results are congruent with the observed unusual quietness and apparent rapid shock of prey items."

Komodos are the world's heaviest lizard, typically weighing 70 kilograms (150 pounds) and growing up to three metres (10 feet) in length.

They are native to several Indonesian islands and are considered a vulnerable species, with only a few thousand left in the world.

They live on a diet of large mammals, reptiles and birds but have been known to attack humans.

An Indonesian fisherman was in March mauled to death by a Komodo dragon after he ventured into a remote island sanctuary for the giant killer lizards.

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Israel publishes plan to add East Jerusalem housing

By Ori Lewis

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's mayor of Jerusalem outlined a plan on Monday to give many more building permits to Palestinian residents, but a Palestinian official dismissed it as an Israeli ruse to cement its hold on the city.

Nir Barkat (2ndL) is seen during a visit to the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem in this November 12, 2008 file photo. (REUTERS/Baz Ratner/Files)

Mayor Nir Barkat said in a statement he had devised what he called the city's first "master plan" in 50 years to allow the construction of some 23,550 housing units in eastern Jerusalem, a part of the city where mostly Palestinians live, by 2030.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it as part of its capital, in a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be capital of a future Palestinian state.

More than 30 percent of 740,000 people living in Jerusalem are Palestinians, and most of the remainder are Jews, many of whom live in the city's Western sector.

Barkat's Palestinian-appointed counterpart, Jerusalem Governor Adnan al-Husseini, who has no real powers in the Israeli-controlled municipality, rejected the plan as insufficient to meet minimal housing needs.

"This will not solve the problems for Palestinians in Jerusalem. It will cement Israel's grip on the city and will force more (Palestinian) people out," Husseini told Reuters.

Barkat was elected mayor in November. Though a political independent, his bold pledges to maintain Jerusalem's Jewish majority have found favour with Israel's newly-elected right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But Israel has increasingly been criticised by the United States and European allies for its recent demolition of houses belonging to Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

A report issued last week by the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs said some 1,500 demolition orders are pending for homes built without a permit in the city and their implementation could displace some 9,000 Palestinians.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visiting Israel in March, called the demolitions "unhelpful."

Barkat's office has said homes are razed when they are built without permits, while Palestinians say permits have been difficult to obtain.

Barkat's spokesman, Stephan Miller, said the new plan would address a need for more housing in areas populated mainly by Palestinians. He said the number of building permits had already risen from 268 in 2006 to 346 last year.

"The mayor said that while there is no excuse for illegal construction and breaking the law, he understands that there has been poor planning throughout the city, which is why he has expedited the process and has presented this plan," Miller said.

(Additional reporting Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah)

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

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Congress leery about Obama's plan on tax loopholes

AP – President Barack Obama speaks about tax reform in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, Monday, …

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press Writer Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama promised sternly on Monday to crack down on companies "that ship jobs overseas" and duck U.S. taxes with offshore havens. It won't be easy. Democrats have been fighting — and losing — this battle since John F. Kennedy made a similar proposal in 1961. Obama's proposal to close tax loopholes was a reliable applause line during the presidential campaign, but it got a lukewarm response Monday from Capitol Hill.

Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the plan needed further study, even though similar ideas have been around for years.

The president's plan would limit the ability of U.S. companies to defer paying U.S. taxes on overseas profits. At the same time, Obama would step up efforts to go after evaders who abuse offshore tax shelters.

Obama said his plan would raise $210 billion over the next 10 years, though no tax increases would go into effect until 2011. That's an average of $21 billion a year, less than a 2 percent nick in a federal budget deficit that is projected to hit $1.2 trillion in 2010.

Lost revenue isn't the only problem, Obama says. He contends the current system gives companies an incentive to invest overseas rather than creating jobs in the U.S.

"It's a tax code that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, N.Y.," Obama said Monday.

The business community argues the deferral system helps them compete against foreign companies that pay taxes only in the countries where they generate profits.

The bottom line?

"Nobody should miss the fact that this is about revenue," said Raymond Wiacek, head of the tax practice at the law firm Jones Day. "These companies have the money, and the U.S. government needs the money."

Obama also proposed a package of disclosure and enforcement measures designed to make it harder for financial institutions to help wealthy individuals evade taxes in overseas accounts. Obama said the government is hiring nearly 800 new IRS agents to enforce the tax code.

"I want to see our companies remain the most competitive in the world," Obama said at a White House announcement. "But the way to make sure that happens is not to reward our companies for moving jobs off our shores or transferring profits to overseas tax havens."

Obama's plan would impose billions of dollars in new taxes on many of the nation's largest corporations, including Google, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Johnson & Johnson, tax experts said. But it falls well short of the broad overhaul of the tax system that will probably have to wait until at least next year — after Congress deals with health care and energy.

In exchange for the increased taxes some companies would have to pay, Obama agreed to make permanent a research tax credit that would provide firms about $75 billion in breaks over the next 10 years. The credit currently is to expire at the end of the year.

Obama has widespread support in Congress to crack down on tax evaders who illegally hide assets in tax havens. But he faces stiff opposition — even within his own party — to increasing taxes on the legal transactions of U.S. multinational companies.

"To the extent the president continues on the road of cracking down on tax abuse, he can count on my support," said Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. "But if he's using tax shelters as a stalking horse to raise taxes on corporations at the cost of U.S. jobs, he'll lose me."

A coalition of business groups has already stepped up lobbying efforts to kill attempts to increase taxes on overseas profits, saying it would make American companies less competitive.

"We're talking about American jobs at American companies and their ability to compete overseas," said John J. Castellani, president of the Business Roundtable.

At issue is the way the U.S. taxes the overseas profits of American companies. Under current law, American corporations with subsidiaries in foreign countries can defer paying U.S. taxes on the profits of those subsidiaries until the money is transferred back to this country.

If companies leave the money overseas, where corporate tax rates in most countries are lower than in the U.S., they can avoid American taxes on those profits indefinitely. If the money is brought to the U.S., corporations can subtract foreign taxes already paid.

The U.S. has a top corporate income tax rate of 35 percent, which is among the highest in the developed world. However, most corporate income is taxed at much lower rates because of deductions and credits.

In 2004, large corporations paid an average effective tax rate of 25.2 percent on domestic income, according to a Government Accountability Office report last year. For foreign income, the effective U.S. tax rate was about 4 percent, the report said. That figure does not include taxes paid to foreign countries.

Obama's plan would:

_Prevent companies from writing off domestic expenses that help generate profits abroad — until those profits are returned to the U.S. and subjected to American taxes. For instance, administrative tasks performed in New York for a London office would not be tax deductible in the United States.

_Prohibit companies from receiving foreign tax credits on income that is not subject to U.S. taxes.

_End a provision that lets U.S. companies legally shift income from one foreign subsidiary to another, making the taxes they owe to the United States "disappear."

Former President Kennedy failed to end the tax deferral system in 1961, despite telling Congress the U.S. could no longer afford it. The system also survived overhaul efforts in the 1970s and 1980s.

Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, proposed a similar measure to limit the deductions of U.S. multinationals in 2007. But Rangel, a Democrat from New York, tied his proposal to lowering the overall corporate tax rate.

On Monday, he welcomed Obama's plan.

"For too long, our tax laws have rewarded companies that invest and keep their money overseas and turned a blind eye to the use of tax havens by the wealthy," Rangel said.

___

AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke contributed to this report.

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Mexican health chief: Swine flu cases leveling off

AP – A doctor questions people seeking medical treatment at the makeshift waiting area set up at the entrance …

By MARK STEVENSON and ANDREW O. SELSKY, Associated Press Writers Mark Stevenson And Andrew O. Selsky, Associated Press Writers

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's top health official said Thursday the number of new swine flu cases is stabilizing in the nation at the epicenter of the outbreak. Health secretary Jose Angel Cordova told a news conference he hoped the trend will continue and that a vaccine would be available in six months. European health ministers said they would speed efforts to develop such a vaccine.

The World Health Organization's flu chief, reacting to similar comments from other Mexican officials, cautioned that case numbers often go up and down, and said the WHO had yet to see concrete evidence that swine flu, believed to have killed 168 people in Mexico, was leveling off.

"It's a mixed pattern out there," Dr. Keiji Fukuda said. "What's happening in one part of the country is not necessarily what's happening in another part of the country."

New cases of swine flu were confirmed in the United States and Europe a day after the WHO said the virus threatened to become a global epidemic and raised its alert level to Phase 5, the second-highest stage, for the first time.

Health officials in the United States said Thursday the number of confirmed cases had risen to 109. President Barack Obama told Americans the government was "taking the utmost precautions and preparations" to stop the virus.

The Mexican health secretary's comments followed similarly hopeful remarks from the mayor of Mexico City, who said statistics indicated "we are entering a period of stabilization."

In Luxembourg, European Union health ministers holding an emergency talks on swine flu agreed to work "without delay" with drugmakers to develop a pilot vaccine to fight the virus.

U.S. scientists are racing to develop the key vaccine ingredient, a strain of the virus engineered to trigger the immune system. But they cautioned Thursday it would take months before enough doses could be ready for necessary testing in humans.

On Wednesday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered citizens to stay home, businesses to close and government services to be suspended for five days beginning Friday.

Calderon said only essential businesses such as supermarkets, hospitals and pharmacies should stay open, and only critical government workers such as police and soldiers would be on duty from Friday through Tuesday.

School had already been canceled nationwide through Tuesday. The steps are aimed at stopping further spread of the virus even though the WHO has suggested nations should focus on minimizing its effects, not containing its spread.

"There is no safer place to protect yourself against catching swine flu than in your house," Calderon said Wednesday night in a televised address. He defended the government against criticism that it had been slow to act against signs of a new and dangerous virus.

In the U.S., Vice President Joe Biden said on NBC's "Today" show he is advising his own family to stay off commercial airlines and even subways because of swine flu. His office later backtracked and said the vice president was talking about travel to Mexico.

Biden's precautions go beyond official advice from the U.S. government. Obama merely urged people to wash their hands, cover their coughs and stay home when they feel sick. Calderon gave similar advice.

Biden and the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in televised interviews Thursday there would be no practical benefit to closing the U.S.-Mexican border to stop the flu's spread.

The WHO's Phase 5 alert activates added efforts to produce a vaccine. Fukuda said Thursday there was nothing in the past day that would prompt the U.N. body to raise the alert further.

"So, at this time again, I want to repeat there is nothing to us which immunologically suggests today that we should be moving toward phase 6," he told reporters.

Switzerland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to report swine flu infections. In addition to Mexico and the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Austria have confirmed cases.

The Swiss government said a 19-year-old student with swine flu was mistakenly released from the hospital and then hastily readmitted. The Dutch said a 3-year-old child who recently returned from Mexico had contracted swine flu and was being treated and recovering well.

The WHO raised its tally of confirmed swine flu cases around the world to 257 from 148, with most of the new cases from Mexico. The WHO count lags behind what individual countries report.

The Red Cross said Thursday it is readying an army of 60 million volunteers who can be deployed around the world to help slow the virus' spread, including by educating people about hygiene and caring for the sick.

The United States confirmed its first swine flu death on Wednesday, a Mexican toddler who visited Texas with his family and died Monday night in Houston. Thirty-nine Marines were confined to their base in California after one came down with the virus.

Swine flu is a mix of pig, bird and human genes to which people have limited natural immunity. It has symptoms nearly identical to regular flu — fever, cough and sore throat — and spreads similarly, through tiny particles in the air, when people cough or sneeze. About 36,000 people die each year of flu in the United States.

Calderon said authorities would use the five-day partial shutdown in Mexico to consider whether to extend emergency measures or ease some restrictions. The dates include a weekend and two holidays, Labor Day and Cinco de Mayo, minimizing the added disruption.

Even before the shutdown went into full effect, a surprised radio reporter exclaimed that traffic was unusually light Thursday. Businessmen in surgical masks trudged in for their last day of work, passing beggars who kept their masks on too. Even the capital's legendary smog seemed to be easing.

Obama said his administration has made sure that needed medical supplies are on hand and he praised the Bush administration for stockpiling 50 million doses of antiviral medications.

"The key now is to just make sure we are maintaining great vigilance, that everybody responds appropriately when cases do come up. And individual families start taking very sensible precautions that can make a huge difference," he said.

Several nations have banned travel to or from Mexico, and some countries have urged their citizens to avoid the United States and Canada as well. Health officials said such bans would do little to stop the virus.

Medical detectives have not pinpointed where the outbreak began. Scientists believe that somewhere in the world, months or even a year ago, a pig virus jumped to a human and mutated, and has been spreading between humans ever since.

China has gone on a rhetorical offensive to squash any suggestion it's the source of the swine flu after some Mexican officials suggested it sprang from China or elsewhere in Asia. A Mexican health official has also suggested the virus could have been brought to Mexico from Pakistan or Bangladesh.

By March 9, the first symptoms were showing up in the Mexican state of Veracruz, where pig farming is a key industry in mountain hamlets and where small clinics provide the only local health care.

The earliest confirmed case was a 5-year-old Veracruz boy, one of hundreds of people in the town of La Gloria whose flu symptoms left them struggling to breathe. People from La Gloria kept going to jobs in Mexico City despite their illnesses, and could have infected people there.

Days later, a door-to-door tax inspector was hospitalized with acute respiratory problems in the neighboring state of Oaxaca, infecting 16 hospital workers before she became Mexico's first confirmed death.

Mexico's health care system has become the target of widespread anger and distrust. In case after case, patients have complained of being misdiagnosed, turned away by doctors and denied access to drugs.

___

AP writers Frank Jordans in Geneva; Tom Raum and Lauran Neergaard in Washington; Olga Rodriguez in Oaxaca, Mexico; Paul Haven and E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City; Mike Stobbe in Atlanta; Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Balz Bruppacher in Bern, Switzerland, contributed to this report.

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