[Samer al-Atrush | AFP] Egypt was on high alert on Monday ahead of the Coptic Christmas holiday following a New Year's Day church bombing that killed 21 people as investigators raced to identify those behind the attack.

Police cancelled leave for top officers and were tightening surveillance of airports and ports to prevent suspects from leaving the country, as new checkpoints were set up across the nation.

THE first Sunday of the year was bloody in Batangas as seven persons perished in a three-vehicle pile-up – all members of one clan.

The tragic accident almost wiped out the Festejo clan. Francisco, Zosimo, Joy, Elizardo, Laurence, and Jermel died on the spot while Maricris Festejo died at the Batangas Regional Hospital. Four other Festejos were injured – Frank Ace, Marilyn, Anabel and Aron.

The victims had just come from vacation in Batangas and were on their way home when tragedy struck.

Police said a Gasat passenger bus going to Batangas City tried to overtake a car along the Star tollways in Barangay Sabang at 1:15 p.m. and smashed into the Festejos’ passenger jeepney coming from the opposite direction. Another vehicle, a Nissan Exalta with plate number SFB-447, was hit by the bus.

The bus driver was arrested and detained. He will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and serious injuries and damage to property, police said.

The names of the other victims are still being established, said Batangas police office director Senior Supt. Alberto Supapo.

[CNN] Arkansas game officials hope testing scheduled to begin Monday will solve the mystery of why up to 5,000 blackbirds fell from the sky just before midnight New Year’s Eve.

The birds — most of which were dead — were found within a one-mile area of Beebe, about 40 miles northeast of Little Rock, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said. The blackbirds fell over about a one-mile area, the commission said in a statement.

As of Saturday, between 4,000 and 5,000 blackbirds had been found dead, said Keith Stephens with the commission.

Watch the unfortunate event below...



[FoxNews.com] Commission ornithologist Karen Rowe said the he birds showed physical trauma, and she speculated that "the flock could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail."

The commission said that New Year's Eve revelers shooting off fireworks in the area could have startled the birds from their roost and caused them to die from stress.

Robby King, a wildlife officer for the agency, collected about 65 dead birds, which will be sent for testing to the state Livestock and Poultry Commission lab and the National Wildlife Health Center lab in Wisconsin.

Rowe said that similar events have occurred elsewhere and that test results "usually were inconclusive." She said she doubted the birds were poisoned.

Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO welterweight title against Shane Mosley on May. 7 in an HBO pay-per-view fight from the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Mosley told FanHouse Tuesday evening.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) also holds the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt, but that is not on the line, according to Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) and Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum .

"It's done. I'm fighting Many Pacquiao on May 7," said the 39-year-old Mosley.

"We came to an agreement today, in fact, just a few minutes ago. Bob Arum, James Prince and I," said Mosley. "We sat down, and we came to an agreement. The only thing that I have to do now is to sign it. Bob Arum is writing it all up right now."

Mosley was the main subject of conversation as the next opponent for the WBO welterweight champ during last week's meetings between Pacquiao, Arum and Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz. It produced a counter proposal that had been presented to Mosley's adviser James Princefor approval, Koncz told FanHouse on Tuesday.

Mosley was chosen over 37-year-old WBO and WBA lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs) and 27-year-old WBC welterweight belt-holder Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs), Mosley said.

Mosley also confirmed that his purse, up front, stands to be around $5 million against Pacquiao. But with incentives, Mosley could wind up earning a career-high amount, surpassing the previous career-best of $7 million that he pocketed after his unanimous decision loss to Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) back in May, who received a non-heavyweight record guarantee of $22.5 million.

"That's still accurate. We came to an agreement with everything involved, including the financial end of it," Mosley said of the numbers pertaining to his purse.

"We're looking to start a promotional campaign probably in early to mid-February, so there will be a press tour," said Mosley. "But the main thing is that I got the fight on May 7, and me and Bob and James Prince, we're all in agreement on everything. I think that I can go in and sign it in about two days or so. But the bottom line is that it's done."

Reached in the Philippines, Koncz told FanHouse that he had not yet heard from Arum, and that Pacquiao still needed to approve of the contract even though Mosley's side was in agreement.

"The contracts haven't been signed, but it's real close," said Prince. "I think that that is something that will happen some time tomorrow."

Arum had told FanHouse that Marquez's asking price for a third bout was too high, with Koncz saying that Golden Boy Promotions had "overpriced" the Mexican, three-division champion.

According to a source with knowledge of Marquez's demands, the Mexican, three-division champion has asked for a $5 million guarantee, while making $5 per pay-per-view buy above 500,000, for $8.5 million total if the fight generated 1.2 million buys.

Pacquiao is coming off of a Nov. 13 unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito that earned him the WBC's junior middleweight belt, his eighth crown in as many different weight classes, and, also, his 13th straight win with eight knockouts during that span.

Pacquiao's last loss was by a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005. During his run, Pacquiao's eight stoppages included four consecutively. That spree comprised those againstDavid Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, respectively, in nine, eight, two rounds, and, 12 rounds.

Pacquaio's winning streak also includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006. The run also includes 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as an eighth-round knockout of Jorge Solis, who entered their matchup unbeaten at 33-0-2, with 24 knockouts.

Pacquiao-Margarito, and, Pacquiao-Cotto were contested at catch weights favoring the smaller man, meaning that neither fighter can weigh more than that. Pacquiao weighed in at 144, and, 144.5 pounds, respectively, for both Cotto and Margarito, whose catch weights were 145, and, 150.

Still, Margarito had out-weighed Pacquiao, 165-to-148, by the time the fighters entered the ring.

Prince said that the notion of a catch weight "wasn't in the conversation" during the negotiations, emphasizing that "the fight is going to be at an even 147 pounds."

A former IBF lightweight champion, Mosley has fought at welterweight or higher exclusively since relinquishing his lightweight belt in 1999, including seven bouts at junior middleweight (154 pounds), and one other at 148 pounds -- an April, 2005 decision over David Estrada.

At junior middleweight, Mosley has twice stopped former world champion, Fernando Vargas, knocked out former world titlist, Ricardo Mayorga, and earned his second win over former world champ, De La Hoya -- the latter for the WBC and WBA crowns in September of 2003.

Mosley, who also dispatched of De La Hoya by split-decision in June of 200 for the WBC welterweight crown, also twice lost to former world titlist Winky Wright at 154 pounds, and was decisioned by Cotto in November of 2007 during a failed bid to earn the WBA welterweight belt.

Mosley ended a nearly 16 month ring absence against Mayweather, whom Mosley staggered yet couldn't finish in the second round. Mayweather followed a January, 2009, ninth-round knockout victory which dethroned Margarito as WBA super world welterweight champion.

Mosley is coming off September's junior middleweight, split-decision draw with ex-world champion,Sergio Mora (21-1-1, six KOs), at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Asked if he thought that Pacquiao's selection of him had anything to do with his age or a perception of deteriorating skills, Mosley said, "Maybe."

"People will do what they do to get their advantage. People thought that I was too old and at a disadvantage and past my prime against Antonio Margarito, and look what happened there. They felt like they had the upper hand, but it was up to me to prove that they didn't," said Mosley.

"When I fought Mayorga, they thought that I was past my prime and that I was going to go in there and get destroyed. But when we got into the ring, it didn't happen. But that's what the fight game is all about," said Mosley. "Nobody really knows what's going to happen."

To that end, Mosley watched last Saturday's Showtime televised, WBC light heavyweight (175 pounds) bout with interest, as 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs) -- who turns 46 in January and was looking to become the oldest man in the history of the sport to win a major world title -- appeared to have successfully negated knockdowns in the first and third rounds to defeat 28-year-old Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KOs) before Pascal's partisan fans at the Pepsi Colesium in Quebec City, Canada.

"They thought that Bernard Hopkins was over the hill, but he got in there and did a job on Jean Pascal. Jean Pascal called him out, thinking that it was the right time to get Bernard Hopkins, but it turned out that that was not true. I'm definitely encouraged by that," said Mosley.

"I figured that Bernard would win, and, I figured that he would win by knockout because of his experience and because of the type of person that he is," said Mosley. "I knew that he would work hard to win the fight. But, you know, I'm sure that's why Pascal picked him out because he thought he was older. That may be the way that Pacquiao' feels, but that's not the way that I feel."

Does Mosley believe, as Hopkins said after the Pascal fight, that he needs to score a knockout to defeat Pacquiao?

"I can probably win a decision, but I will most likely be looking to knock Manny Pacquiao out. I know that his defense is not as good as Floyd Mayweather's, and I know that Pacquiao's mentality is going to be that he will try to knock me out," said Mosley.

"So the thing is that I think he is going to try to come in there and knock me out, and I know that I'm going to go in there trying to knock him out," said Mosley. "So that's why I think that it's going to be a great fight because we're both guys who like to get in there and fight."

[Walaa Hawari | ArabNews.com] RIYADH: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) celebrated on Sunday the launch of its Saudi Excellence in Tourism Prize at its headquarters in Riyadh. The prize has been announced in the third issue of the SCTA’s new English-language magazine, Saudi Voyager.

Chairman of SCTA Prince Sultan bin Salman said the magazine, which took five years to prepare, is an opportunity to educate people. “My dream is for all those living in the Kingdom to see what I see in it in terms of the much undiscovered history, places of interest and culture,” he said.

Speaking about the prize, Abdullah Al-Jehani, vice president for SCTA’s marketing and media, said that incentives always lead to progress, pointing out that such prizes create honest competition between various sectors to enhance tourism services.

Al-Jehani said the magazine has been launched to bridge the existing gap in English brochures and periodicals that focus on Saudi tourism. He added that the magazine presents its foreign readers with a variety of tourist destinations in the Kingdom, and those involved in the tourist industry with cultural and historical information about the Kingdom.

“Voyager has been established to address an English-speaking audience and those interested in the tourism industry,” said the magazine’s consultant-editor Barry Gray. He added that the Kingdom holds a lot of potential with regard to tourism and hospitality, and that the magazine has been launched to highlight this.

“I myself came to the Kingdom in 1983 and visited many remote areas and interesting places, including taking the train to Dammam, which I believe many Saudis have not yet done,” said Gray, adding that tourism in the Kingdom is promising, yet the lack of awareness is what holds people back and this will be one of the magazine's missions.

“We will influence both ends of the spectrum — on one side there are English- or Arabic-speaking residents and on the other, there are those involved in the tourism industry who will find a market here,” he said.

The magazine has been published by SCTA in cooperation with Alef Publishing & Media International. The magazine will be distributed at embassies, hotels and other points of sales.

Meanwhile, 588,363 Saudi travelers left the Kingdom during the Eid Al-Adha holidays spending a total SR3.14 billion (an average SR5,339 per tourist), a 5 percent increase to last year. The number of tourists coming to the Kingdom exceeded 715,282 visitors spending a total SR1.6 billion (an average SR2,264 per tourist).

According to a report by Tourism Research and Information at SCTA, Bahrain was the top destination for Saudi tourists, followed by Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE, Yemen, Qatar, Egypt and Lebanon. The majority of tourists coming into the Kingdom were from Bahrain, followed by Kuwait, the UAE, Yemen and Qatar.

Convinced Juan Manuel Marquez won’t be fighting Manny Pacquiao next, Freddie Roach is now leaning on Sugar Shane Mosley to be the Filipino boxing star’s opponent in his ring return on May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I pick Mosley myself,” said Roach while waiting for his afternoon flight aboard the private plane of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson that will take him back to Manila after attending the birthday celebration of Pacquiao over the weekend.

Roach has been vocal about his choice for a third fight with Marquez, whom he wants Pacquiao to shut up after claiming that he twice beat the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter in two closely-fought wars in the last six years.

For the record, the 32-year-old Pacquiao settled for a controversial draw against his long-time Mexican rival in their first fight in 2004, and then scored a highly-contentious split decision in their rematch four years later.

Although a clamor for a third fight has been repeatedly made, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum believes the bout isn’t saleable both in terms of gate attendance and pay-per-view sales.

Besides, Marquez is reportedly asking for a hefty $5 million fight purse and a share in the pay-per-view sales if and when he faces Pacquiao again.

“He already priced himself out of the negotiations,” revealed Roach. “That’s a polite way of saying he doesn’t want to fight us.

“And he’s too small. He wants the fight at 140, but I said no. We want it at 147.”

In a separate interview with Arum earlier, the Top Rank big boss said he’s set for a meeting with Mosley and his representative, James Prince, once he returns to his Las Vegas office this week.

The veteran promoter also said Top Rank president Todd deBoef is scheduled to sit down within the week with Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Golden Boy Promotions which represents Marquez.

But Roach claims it all boils down now between Mosley and reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Andre Berto, whom Arum, meanwhile, said is already out of the picture.

“Of course, the choice is Manny's, not mine,” said the four-time Trainer of the Year.

Although he’s favoring Mosley, Roach thinks the three-time world champion is going to be a tough opponent for his most popular ward.

“Mosley is a tough fighter. He’s got experience and a good puncher, too,” Roach, 50, stressed.

“But Manny and Bob will have to work that out and whoever they get, I’m going to get Manny ready for him.”