FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4061046

LEAD IN:

A choir without a voice is set to tour Europe to raise awareness of the plight of throat cancer patients.

The group, fitted with artificial voice boxes, call themselves "Shout at Cancer" because they're fighting back against the cancer which robbed them of their ability to speak.

STORY-LINE:

Thanks to this choir, these people are able to 'shout' again and they're aiming to 'let it all out' as loudly as they possibly can.

The words of the song by the 1980s pop band "Tears for Fears" is special to them and they've named themselves "Shout at Cancer" because of it.

Here the choir's been given the opportunity of performing at the Royal College of Surgeons in London.

They're all on a mission to make people, including doctors, aware of how isolating and difficult it is to have throat cancer.

While most physicians understand the trauma of having cancer, not not everyone understands what it's like to live after having your voice taken away.

Apart from a few specialist voices, everyone here has had an operation to have their larynx cut out and their windpipe brought through to a hole made in the front of their throats.

The laryngectomy is a complex operation which takes several hours.

Afterwards breathing is never the same again.

Patients have to master the technique of using a valve which becomes a permanent reminder of the cancer.

To speak, patients have to draw air through the hole in their windpipe and use the valve to trap the air into the mouth.

This allows them to manipulate the air to form what doctors call a 'valve voice'.

Margaret Young discovered she had thyroid cancer over seven years ago, she thought it had been treated, but it spread and before Christmas two years ago she discovered it had metasticised.

It would not have occurred to Young to join a choir before her cancer, but she was persuaded to do it by a speech therapist who'd heard about "Shout at Cancer".

She remembers: "They kept saying I should join the choir, but I've never been able to sing, so they fooled me by saying, well you don't really have to sing, it's just speech therapy and well, they lied, because we do sing and that's how I've ended up in the choir. But it's nice to meet other people in the same position because you can become very isolated, it would be easy to become isolated."

Andrew Beaumont was among the first members of the choir.

He, like Young, had his voice box removed when his cancer spread.

Beaumont is a vigorous advocate for the charity: "It is absolutely essential, it stretches the tonal range one is able to create and apart from the social side, the sense of community and a sense of purpose. You know it's very important to have a sense of purpose in all things and this charity is unique in doing that for laryngectomees."

Shout at Cancer is also a charity which helps to fund the choir.

Thomas Moors is the co-founder and one of an array of medical experts from scientists, voice therapists, musicians and surgeons who are raising money to spearhead new research.

They want a scientific enquiry into how music therapy can be used aid voice exercises for people who have had laryngectomies and examine how it can be used to ensure they're not isolated by the rest of society.

Although there are published studies physical problems experienced by laryngectomees, there is little research on their their emotional welfare or the psychosocial implications of the operation.

An additional problem is that most laryngectomees are nearing retirement which means they are more easily isolated.

Evangelos Himonides from University College London is among the scientists aiming to use music as a tool to help survivors of throat cancer.

"There's nothing about all the psychosocial factors that are part of this game and anything that is to do with how we can foster the development of these people, how we can enable their engagement and how we can help them gain the confidence and the support structures and all the different understandings that need to be in place, so that they can return back to society, they can relinquish the stigma that is connected to this."

The charity says there is simply not enough research, or progress into using new technologies because the number of laryngectomies each year are relatively few.

Here in the UK there are fewer than 1,800 operations a year according to "Shout at Cancer".

During the concert, choir member Jean Cooper reads her testimonial: "I thought I would never talk again and I did, I thought I would never sing again and I have. Now I know I can do anything and I will, I am me again."

Though the sentiment is personal, her experience is shared by the rest of the choir.

As well as conducting, Dr. Thomas Moors is the choir's director and cofounder of Shout at Cancer.

He is hoping the choir will make people sit up and understand the needs of people surviving throat cancer - better social support, better voice training services and even research into better technology.

Moors says: "Up to thirty percent, forty percent of them get into social isolation because of the effect on their voice and psychological affects. Does it have an effect by them joining the choir, yes. As soon as they do it, after their first concert, but (also) going and preparing and meeting up and having the group effect and enjoying the music and the sound they are producing together, it has an amazingly uplifting effect on them and they are the best ambassadors for this project themselves, because they go out and they spread the word and they are so enthusiastic about it that sometimes I even have to ask them to shut up. (laughs)."

As well as planning a number of Christmas concerts, next spring the choir will travel Brussels and Barcelona to spread their message.

Music/video/performance rights must be cleared

London, UK - 5 October 2016

1. Mid of Shout at Cancer choir who've all had laryngectomies rehearsing their signature tune "Shout" by Tears for Fears

2. Close tilt down over the shoulder of charity founder Dr. Thomas Moors with choir in background

3. Close of concert pianist

4. Mid of choir

5. Close of pianist

6. Close of musical score

7. Wide of choir

8. Close of people in audience

9. Mid of audience

10. Wide pan from choir to audience applauding

11. UPSOUND: (English) Margaret Young, choir member, Shout at Cancer (shows wide of Margaret Young reading composition)

"It's gone, the box, the vocal chords, they took it all away. If I am mid sentence and I stop, it's not by choice. So I'll ask you again in a different way: can you hear my voice?"

12. Mid of audience applauding

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Margaret Young, choir member, Shout at Cancer

"They kept saying I should join the choir, but I've never been able to sing, so they fooled my by saying, well you don't really have to sing, it's just speech therapy and well, they lied, because we do sing and that's how I've ended up in the choir. But it's nice to meet other people in the same position because you can become very isolated, it would be easy to become isolated."

14. Close of choir member pressing their speech valve

15. Close of Dr Thomas Moors directing choir with professional mezzo soprano La Verne Williams in the background

16. Close of speech valve on choir member

17. Tracking shot of Moors' hands

18. Various of choir members rehearsing "We Will Rock You" by Queen

19. Close tilt up of Andrew Beaumont pressing his speech valve to his face during singing

20. Mid rear view of choir during rehearsal

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Beaumont, choir member, Shout at Cancer:

"It is absolutely essential, it stretches the tonal range one is able to create and apart from the social side, the sense of community and a sense of purpose. You know it's very important to have a sense of purpose in all things and this charity is unique in doing that for laryngectomees."

22. Close pan of audience (of surgeons and voice therapists) listening to La Verne Williams explain the use of vocal exercise

23. Close pan up of pianist playing "Brussels" by Jaques Brel accompanied by choir including Williams

24. Mid zoom out of Williams to reveal whole choir

25. Various of choristers singing accompaniment to Brussels

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Evangelos Himonides, senior lecturer, University College London:

"There's nothing about all the psychosocial factors that are part of this game and anything that has to do with how we can foster the development of these people, how we can enable their engagement and how we can help them gain the confidence and the support structures and all the different understandings that need to be in place, so that they can return back to society, they can relinquish the stigma that is connected to this."

27. UPSOUND: (English) Jean Cooper, choir member, Shout at Cancer (reading her Testimonial during concert)

"I thought I would never talk again and I did, I thought I would never sing again and I have. Now I know I can do anything and I will, I am me again."

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Thomas Moors, director, founder, Shout at Cancer:

"Up to thirty percent, forty percent of them get into social isolation because of the effect on their voice and psychological affects. Does it have an effect by them joining the choir, yes. As soon as they do it, after their first concert, but (also) going and preparing and meeting up and having the group effect and enjoying the music and the sound they are producing together, it has an amazingly uplifting effect on them and they are the best ambassadors for this project themselves, because they go out and they spread the word and they are so enthusiastic about it that sometimes I even have to ask them to shut up. (laughs)."

29. Various of choir singing their own composition for the Paralympians " Together we shout … Louder!"

LEAD IN:

A choir without a voice is set to tour Europe to raise awareness of the plight of throat cancer patients.

The group, fitted with artificial voice boxes, call themselves "Shout at Cancer" because they're fighting back against the cancer which robbed them of their ability to speak.

STORY-LINE:

Thanks to this choir, these people are able to 'shout' again and they're aiming to 'let it all out' as loudly as they possibly can.

The words of the song by the 1980s pop band "Tears for Fears" is special to them and they've named themselves "Shout at Cancer" because of it.

Here the choir's been given the opportunity of performing at the Royal College of Surgeons in London.

They're all on a mission to make people, including doctors, aware of how isolating and difficult it is to have throat cancer.

While most physicians understand the trauma of having cancer, not not everyone understands what it's like to live after having your voice taken away.

Apart from a few specialist voices, everyone here has had an operation to have their larynx cut out and their windpipe brought through to a hole made in the front of their throats.

The laryngectomy is a complex operation which takes several hours.

Afterwards breathing is never the same again.

Patients have to master the technique of using a valve which becomes a permanent reminder of the cancer.

To speak, patients have to draw air through the hole in their windpipe and use the valve to trap the air into the mouth.

This allows them to manipulate the air to form what doctors call a 'valve voice'.

Margaret Young discovered she had thyroid cancer over seven years ago, she thought it had been treated, but it spread and before Christmas two years ago she discovered it had metasticised.

It would not have occurred to Young to join a choir before her cancer, but she was persuaded to do it by a speech therapist who'd heard about "Shout at Cancer".

She remembers: "They kept saying I should join the choir, but I've never been able to sing, so they fooled me by saying, well you don't really have to sing, it's just speech therapy and well, they lied, because we do sing and that's how I've ended up in the choir. But it's nice to meet other people in the same position because you can become very isolated, it would be easy to become isolated."

Andrew Beaumont was among the first members of the choir.

He, like Young, had his voice box removed when his cancer spread.

Beaumont is a vigorous advocate for the charity: "It is absolutely essential, it stretches the tonal range one is able to create and apart from the social side, the sense of community and a sense of purpose. You know it's very important to have a sense of purpose in all things and this charity is unique in doing that for laryngectomees."

Shout at Cancer is also a charity which helps to fund the choir.

Thomas Moors is the co-founder and one of an array of medical experts from scientists, voice therapists, musicians and surgeons who are raising money to spearhead new research.

They want a scientific enquiry into how music therapy can be used aid voice exercises for people who have had laryngectomies and examine how it can be used to ensure they're not isolated by the rest of society.

Although there are published studies physical problems experienced by laryngectomees, there is little research on their their emotional welfare or the psychosocial implications of the operation.

An additional problem is that most laryngectomees are nearing retirement which means they are more easily isolated.

Evangelos Himonides from University College London is among the scientists aiming to use music as a tool to help survivors of throat cancer.

"There's nothing about all the psychosocial factors that are part of this game and anything that is to do with how we can foster the development of these people, how we can enable their engagement and how we can help them gain the confidence and the support structures and all the different understandings that need to be in place, so that they can return back to society, they can relinquish the stigma that is connected to this."

The charity says there is simply not enough research, or progress into using new technologies because the number of laryngectomies each year are relatively few.

Here in the UK there are fewer than 1,800 operations a year according to "Shout at Cancer".

During the concert, choir member Jean Cooper reads her testimonial: "I thought I would never talk again and I did, I thought I would never sing again and I have. Now I know I can do anything and I will, I am me again."

Though the sentiment is personal, her experience is shared by the rest of the choir.

As well as conducting, Dr. Thomas Moors is the choir's director and cofounder of Shout at Cancer.

He is hoping the choir will make people sit up and understand the needs of people surviving throat cancer - better social support, better voice training services and even research into better technology.

Moors says: "Up to thirty percent, forty percent of them get into social isolation because of the effect on their voice and psychological affects. Does it have an effect by them joining the choir, yes. As soon as they do it, after their first concert, but (also) going and preparing and meeting up and having the group effect and enjoying the music and the sound they are producing together, it has an amazingly uplifting effect on them and they are the best ambassadors for this project themselves, because they go out and they spread the word and they are so enthusiastic about it that sometimes I even have to ask them to shut up. (laughs)."

As well as planning a number of Christmas concerts, next spring the choir will travel Brussels and Barcelona to spread their message.

AP TELEVISION - Music/video/performance rights must be cleared

London, UK - 5 October 2016

1. Mid of Shout at Cancer choir who've all had laryngectomies rehearsing their signature tune "Shout" by Tears for Fears

2. Close tilt down over the shoulder of charity founder Dr. Thomas Moors with choir in background

3. Close of concert pianist

4. Mid of choir

5. Close of pianist

6. Close of musical score

7. Wide of choir

8. Close of people in audience

9. Mid of audience

10. Wide pan from choir to audience applauding

11. UPSOUND: (English) Margaret Young, choir member, Shout at Cancer (shows wide of Margaret Young reading composition)

"It's gone, the box, the vocal chords, they took it all away. If I am mid sentence and I stop, it's not by choice. So I'll ask you again in a different way: can you hear my voice?"

12. Mid of audience applauding

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Margaret Young, choir member, Shout at Cancer

"They kept saying I should join the choir, but I've never been able to sing, so they fooled my by saying, well you don't really have to sing, it's just speech therapy and well, they lied, because we do sing and that's how I've ended up in the choir. But it's nice to meet other people in the same position because you can become very isolated, it would be easy to become isolated."

14. Close of choir member pressing their speech valve

15. Close of Dr Thomas Moors directing choir with professional mezzo soprano La Verne Williams in the background

16. Close of speech valve on choir member

17. Tracking shot of Moors' hands

18. Various of choir members rehearsing "We Will Rock You" by Queen

19. Close tilt up of Andrew Beaumont pressing his speech valve to his face during singing

20. Mid rear view of choir during rehearsal

21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Andrew Beaumont, choir member, Shout at Cancer:

"It is absolutely essential, it stretches the tonal range one is able to create and apart from the social side, the sense of community and a sense of purpose. You know it's very important to have a sense of purpose in all things and this charity is unique in doing that for laryngectomees."

22. Close pan of audience (of surgeons and voice therapists) listening to La Verne Williams explain the use of vocal exercise

23. Close pan up of pianist playing "Brussels" by Jaques Brel accompanied by choir including Williams

24. Mid zoom out of Williams to reveal whole choir

25. Various of choristers singing accompaniment to Brussels

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Evangelos Himonides, senior lecturer, University College London:

"There's nothing about all the psychosocial factors that are part of this game and anything that has to do with how we can foster the development of these people, how we can enable their engagement and how we can help them gain the confidence and the support structures and all the different understandings that need to be in place, so that they can return back to society, they can relinquish the stigma that is connected to this."

27. UPSOUND: (English) Jean Cooper, choir member, Shout at Cancer (reading her Testimonial during concert)

"I thought I would never talk again and I did, I thought I would never sing again and I have. Now I know I can do anything and I will, I am me again."

28. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dr. Thomas Moors, director, founder, Shout at Cancer:

"Up to thirty percent, forty percent of them get into social isolation because of the effect on their voice and psychological affects. Does it have an effect by them joining the choir, yes. As soon as they do it, after their first concert, but (also) going and preparing and meeting up and having the group effect and enjoying the music and the sound they are producing together, it has an amazingly uplifting effect on them and they are the best ambassadors for this project themselves, because they go out and they spread the word and they are so enthusiastic about it that sometimes I even have to ask them to shut up. (laughs)."

29. Various of choir singing their own composition for the Paralympians " Together we shout … Louder!"

SHOTLIST (including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

London, 2 October 2012

1. Wide shot entrance of Royal Albert Hall

2. Mid shot Anthony Hopkins poses for photographs with Andre Rieu

3. Tilt up ceremony host Myleene Klass

4. Mid shot Russell Watson

5. Mid shot Anthony Hopkins and Andre Rieu walk up red carpet

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Anthony Hopkins, actor:

"I play the piano, I'm not an expert, not a classical musician or anything, but I love improvising and writing music and I wrote this waltz in 1964, many, many years ago, almost 50 years ago. And, I've written lots of other music but I've never orchestrated it and I orchestrated various pieces and I sent it to Andre (Rieu) - my wife did, actually - and I got a phone call from him when I was in Mexico City doing publicity for a movie and he played it to me, made a recording with his orchestra and I heard it over the phone. I couldn't believe it. Then we went to Maastricht, Vienna last year, July, then later Maastricht where he played the waltz, to 8 thousand people I believe."

Andre Rieu: "10 thousand."

Anthony Hopkins: "10 thousand people."

(Reporter: What was your initial reaction when you first went through the music?)

Andre Rieu: "So I tell you every day people ask me to play their waltzes and until now I prefer the big waltzes by the big maestro Johann Strauss but then this waltz, this man called me and when Anthony Hopkins calls you, you 'oh yes of course I'm very interested' and then I was sent the score and immediately, you know when you play music you hear it, if it touches your heart or not, and this touched my heart immediately and we made a first draft and he liked it so I was very honored."

(Reporter: Will you be collaborating again?)

Anthony Hopkins: "I don't know, life's a dream."

Andre Rieu: "Who knows."

7. Mid shot Russell Watson

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Watson, recording artist - on his nomination for Album of the Year for "Anthems":

"In all fairness this one for me isn't really about winning or losing an award, it's about the fact that it's been 10 years since I was here and it's about the struggle that I've had to come through to get back to this point and get back in the Classical BRITs and it's just a delight and a thrill to be here."

9. Wide shot Russell Watson jokes with reporter

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Watson, recording artist - on which of the performances scheduled for the evening his is looking forward to:

"Well obviously Andrea Boccelli's got an absolutely sublime voice so I'm looking forward to him, I know Gary's doing a little stint with The Military Wives, so I think that'll be super."

11. Mid shot choir master Gareth Malone with members of choir The Military Wives Eden Burrell and Maria Dudley

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Gareth Malone, choir master: "We've got a big performance to do at the end of the night which is sort of what we're all focused on, and then there's a small matter of being nominated for best single, which would be really lovely. It's great to be here celebrating what choirs have achieved in the last year. I think in the last - 5, 10 years ago I don't think anyone would have put money on a choir getting to number one, and we've done that and that's testament to these ladies' efforts."

(Reporter: How confident are you feeling about the actual award?)

SOUNDBITE (English) Eden Burrell, The Military Wives: "To be honest, just being here is amazing, so whether we win or not, we've already achieved so much for so many charities."

Gareth Malone: "You're like a politician!"

Eden Burrell: "Sorry"

Gareth Malone: "That was brilliant, textbook answer. Yeah I'm really excited, I'm hopeful, I'm hopeful."

13. Mid shot Joe McElderry

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe McElderry, recording artist

"Bocelli's singing as well that will be pretty cool. And you know, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gary Barlow, they're all - The Military Wives, that's going to be a really cool thing to see. I always just like events that celebrate music, you know whether it's the BRITs or the Classic BRITs, any music ceremony where it brings loads of artists together and it's supportive and it puts a positive - you know there's something a lot of negativity in this industry. It's nice to see all the positively filled in this room tonight."

15. Mid shot Andrea Bocelli arrives

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrea Bocelli, recording artist: "It's a big honor because when you receive some award like this which means that people love you, so it's a big - which is the most important thing."

17. Wide shot Anthony Hopkins poses for photographers, goes into Royal Albert Hall

18. Wide shot exterior Royal Albert Hall

+++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: AWARD RESULTS INFORMATION IS EMARGOED TIL 2100 GMT

ANTHONY HOPKINS JOINS STARS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC AT CLASSIC BRIT AWARDS

Hollywood star Sir Anthony Hopkins can add another accolade to his long list of honors - he has contributed to the winning Album of the Year, at the Classic BRIT Awards 2012.

The actor joined classical music stars including Andre Rieu, Andrea Bocelli and Russell Watson in London, Tuesday (2 OCT.), for the awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall.

Fans of Hopkin's films may be less familiar with his musical work - but he composed the title track of Rieu's winning album "And the Waltz Goes On."

"The Silence of the Lambs" star arrived on the red carpet with his violinist friend, and explained how he came to contribute to the album.

"I play the piano, I'm not an expert, not a classical musician or anything, but I love improvising and writing music and I wrote this waltz in 1964, many, many years ago, almost 50 years ago," said Hopkins. "And, I've written lots of other music but I've never orchestrated it and I orchestrated various pieces and I sent it to Andre - my wife did, actually - and I got a phone call from him when I was in Mexico City doing publicity for a movie and he played it to me, made a recording with his orchestra and I heard it over the phone. I couldn't believe it."

"Every day people ask me to play their waltzes and until now I prefer the big waltzes by the big maestro Johann Strauss," added Rieu, " but then this waltz, this man called me and when Anthony Hopkins calls you, you 'Oh yes of course I'm very interested' and then I was sent the score and immediately, you know when you play music you hear it, if it touches your heart or not, and this touched my heart immediately and we made a first draft and he liked it so I was very honored."

"And the Waltz Goes On" beat out nominees including Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and four times Classic BRIT winner Russell Watson.

Watson, a brain cancer survivor, arrived ready to perform during the ceremony, after having to pull out of last year's event just the night before, due to ill health.

The English tenor was in philosophical mood on the red carpet about whether his 8th Classic BRIT nomination would lead to a prize.

"In all fairness this one for me isn't really about winning or losing an award, it's about the fact that it's been 10 years since I was here and it's about the struggle that I've had to come through to get back to this point and get back in the Classical BRITs and it's just a delight and a thrill to be here."

Watson was also eager to watch his fellow performers, who included Bocelli, and "Sing" composers Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The pair played two grand pianos to accompany The Military Wives choir, who sang the jubilee anthem.

Choir master Gareth Malone arrived with Military Wives members Eden Burrell and Maria Dudley, eager to perform.

"We've got a big performance to do at the end of the night which is sort of what we're all focused on," said Malone,"and then there's a small matter of being nominated for best single, which would be really lovely."

The choir went on to win the award for Single of the Year, for "Wherever You Are"

"It's great to be here celebrating what choirs have achieved in the last year," Malone said before the ceremony. "I think in the last - 5, 10 years ago I don't think anyone would have put money on a choir getting to number one, and we've done that and that's testament to these ladies' efforts."

"To be honest, just being here is amazing, so whether we win or not, we've already achieved so much for so many charities," agreed Burrell.

Andrea Bocelli, who arrived shortly before the ceremony began, had previously been announced as International Artist of the Year.

Classical music's biggest selling solo artist, who has sold more than 75 million records worldwide, arrived still thrilled to be getting tributes.

"It's a big honor because when you receive some award like this which means that people love you, so it's a big - which is the most important thing," said Bocelli.

Also previously announced, Oscar winning Hollywood composer John Williams was given a Lifetime Achievement award, to honor his iconic scores including "Jaws," "ET The Extra Terrestrial," "Indiana Jones," "Harry Potter" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Williams was also named best composer for "War Horse" and "The Adventures of TinTin."

Nelson Mandela's dream of a hospital to provide specialised care for children opened in Johannesburg on Friday.

The 200-bed Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital cost 70 million US dollars to build and will employ 150 paediatric doctors and 450 nurses.

It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and will provide child-centre treatment for cancer, kidney, brain, lung and heart ailments.

Video equipment has also been installed in the operating rooms to send live broadcasts of surgeries in order to educate doctors in remote areas across southern Africa.

The idea for the hospital was conceived by Mandela more than a decade ago, with the construction funded largely by donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Islamic Relief Worldwide and the Kellogg Foundation.

Johannesburg - 2 December 2016

1. Exterior of the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital

2. Donors and government officials inside the hospital

3. MRI machine in hospital

4. XRays on screens

5. MRI machine

6. Part of the children's ward

7. Children's choir singing

8.SOUNDBITE (English) Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela's widow:

"Madiba (Mandela's clan name) said to us 'any society will be judged according to the way it treats its children' and the children's hospital is exactly stating that. Children are to have in this hospital the very best we can. The trust has raised the standards for his country and for this continent. It has been proved that we can do it and from now on there are no excuses."

9. Pan of MRI machine

10. Donors and government officials inside the ward

11.SOUNDBITE (English) Aaron Motsoaledi, South African Health Minister:

"The Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital will play a pivotal role in achieving the goals, especially with the respect to highly specialized services, for children in South Africa and the region".

12. People talking inside hospital room

13. Various of choir singing and dancing along with Machel and Motsoaledi

14. Painting of Mandela holding young child with cap reading (English) "Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital"

15. Various of lady painting Nelson Mandela portrait

16. Choir singing and dancing

SHOTLIST

AP Television

Nashville, Tennessee, 7 June 2010

1. Wide shot Greer Stadium

2. Wide shot City of Hope sign

3. Wide shot players from both teams taking group picture

4. Medium shot players taking group picture, including Carrie Underwood and her finacee, NHL player Mike Fisher, above her in a white hat

5. Wide player warms up in front of the City of Hope sign

6. Medium Cheyenne Kimball and Mike Gossin of Gloriana warm up

7. Medium fans, pan to Carrie Underwood signing autographs

8. Carrie Underwood warming up at second base, throws ball to first

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Carrie Underwood, Recording Artist: "You would never know it now, but I played about nine years of softball, and I would like to think I was pretty good. I don't really know what happened. I think somewhere along the way I became a girly girl, a prissy girl. We're just out here to have fun. That's what it's all about."

10. Medium shot Carrie Underwood as the After MidNite team is introduced

11. Medium shot Ottawa Senators hockey player and Carrie Underwood's fianc�e Mike Fisher (wearing white hat)

12. Tight shot Mike Fisher

13. Medium shot Jason Aldean warming up at short stop

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jason Aldean, Recording Artist: "I'd like to think I used to be athletic back when I was in high school. That's been a long time ago. But I grew up playing baseball and football. I played baseball from the time I was five until I was 19. That was my favorite sport growing up. I still try to get out and do some stuff every now and then, but definitely not what I once was for sure. I'm just trying to keep from embarrassing myself today."

15. Medium shot Joe Nichols, pan down to his cleats

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Nichols, Recording Artist: "I'm going to spike Luke Bryan with these, just going to slide into second really hard and spike him. If he's not on the same team. I may do it if he's on the same team. I may do that, too."

17. Medium shot Luke Bryan talking with members of the Trailer Choir

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Luke Bryan, Recording Artist: "I grew up playing all sports, baseball, football and basketball, and I played high school baseball a lot. It's always fun to come out here and see how much my skills have diminished with every passing year. It's fun coming out here and playing ball."

19. Medium shot Carrie Underwood hits the ball

20. Medium shot player from another team chases the ball

21. Medium shot Carrie Underwood gets to first base

22. Pan of fans taking pictures

23. Carrie Underwood runs from second to third and then scores for the Grand Ole Opry team

24. Batter from the Trailer Choir slides into home for the Grand Ole Opry team

25. Jason Aldean runs from second to third

26. Joe Nichols on the After MidNite team throws his hands up in mock frustration

27. Wide shot of crowd

28. Tight shot of fan taking a picture

29. Grand Ole Opry player pitches the ball

30. Chuck Wicks and Keith Anderson of the After MidNite team run through second base, pull out to Jason Aldean fielding the ball

CARRIE UNDERWOOD, JASON ALDEAN AND OTHER COUNTRY STARS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES AT CHARITY SOFTBALL GAME

Before they were stars, most of the country artists playing in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge Monday night (07 JUNE 2010) were athletes.

Artists including Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean got a chance to show off their skills at Monday night's game, and Underwood's fianc�, Ottawa Senators hockey player Mike Fisher, also joined the fun.

"You would never know it now, but I played about nine years of softball," said Underwood. "I would like to think I was pretty good. I don't really know what happened. I think somewhere along the way I became a girly girl, a prissy girl. We're just out here to have fun. That's what it's all about."

Jason Aldean also remembers his athletic glory days.

"I'd like to think I used to be athletic back when I was in high school," he said. "That's been a long time ago. But I grew up playing baseball and football. I played baseball from the time I was five until I was 19. That was my favorite sport growing up. I still try to get out and do some stuff every now and then, but definitely not what I once was for sure. I'm just trying to keep from embarrassing myself today."

It was easy to tell who came to play by the shoes on their feet. Singer Joe Nichols was wearing Under Armour cleats.

Asked what he was most looking forward to, Nichols joked: "I'm going to spike Luke Bryan with these, just going to slide into second really hard and spike him. If he's not on the same team. I may do it if he's on the same team. I may do that, too."

Turns out they were both on the After MidNite team.

"I grew up playing all sports, baseball, football and basketball," said Bryan. "I played high school baseball a lot. It's always fun to come out here and see how much my skills have diminished with every passing year."

Underwood had a strong showing at the game, sending a line drive into the outfield on her first trip up to bat and eventually making her way around the bases to score. She also made an impressive, leaping catch to get a runner out as she was covering second base.

The score was tied 10-10 at the end of the sixth inning, and the fans were given the power to decide if the teams should play an extra inning. They said play ball, and After MidNite scored an additional five runs, beating the Grand Ole Opry 15-10.

Tickets from the game and its corresponding auction raised money for the City of Hope, a research and treatment center for cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Since it began, the event has raised more than $2 million (USD) for the cause.

Other celebrities playing softball included: Vince Gill, The Oak Ridge Boys, Keith Anderson, Justin Moore, Josh Thompson, The Band Perry, Whitney Duncan, Gloriana, Trailer Choir, Craig Morgan, Love and Theft, Chuck Wicks, Colt Ford, David Nail, Jaron and The Long Road to Love, Julianne Hough and Randy Montana.

SHOTLIST

1. Christian worshippers in prayer in the Church of the Nativity

2. Close-up of worshipper praying

3. Mid of clergy sitting

4. Mid of worshippers praying

5. Mid of worshippers singing during Mass

6. Alter boys and girl during service

7. Worshippers sitting during sermon

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Father Marwan Dades:

"This morning we prayed for him (Hugo Chavez) and we still pray for him and wish him every goodness and luck."

9. Girl walking with candle ahead of clergy

10. Choir singing

11. Worshippers in church, on right Palestinian Minister for Tourism Rula Ma'ayah

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rula Ma'ayah, Palestinian Minister for Tourism:

"This Mass was to pray for his excellency the president of Venezuela Mr. Chavez. He asked for us to pray for him and that's what we did and we hope that he will recover soon."

13. Worshippers receiving communion

14. Close-up of worshippers receiving communion

15. Tourists taking photographs

16. Worshippers gathering at courtyard of the Church of the Nativity

17. Exterior shot of the Church of the Nativity

18. Wide of the Church of the Nativity

STORYLINE

A Mass was held to pray for the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Dozens of Christian worshippers gathered at the church in the West Bank town where a special prayer was said for Chavez.

Father Marwan Dades said on Sunday that "this morning we prayed for him (Hugo Chavez) and we still pray for him and wish him every goodness and luck."

The Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Ma'ayah also attended the service.

"This Mass was to pray for his excellency the president of Venezuela Mr. Chavez. He asked for us to pray for him and that's what we did and we hope that he will recover soon," she said.

It's unclear when Chavez might be well enough to return home from Cuba after an operation.

Chavez, who was re-elected in October, is due to be sworn in for another six-year term on January 10.

The 58-year-old Venezuelan leader underwent his fourth cancer-related operation in Cuba after tests found the illness had come back despite previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. He previously had said in July that tests showed he was cancer-free.

Throughout his treatments in Cuba, Chavez has kept secret some details about his pelvic cancer, including the exact location and type of tumours removed.

Venezuela's government has said Chavez suffered complications during a six-hour surgery but has since been recovering progressively.

SHOTLIST

Kisumu, Kenya

1. Wide of Kisumu-Nairobi road with a big billboard of US Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

2. Group of men reading newspaper

3. Mid of newspaper headlines

4. Pan of mock election, presided over by two comedians

5. Man casting his vote

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Thom Obingo, voter in mock elections:

"OK, I voted today just to show a symbol of solidarity, we Kenyans are together with Americans. So, it is a symbol of solidarity."

7. Another man voting in mock election

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Said Obama, uncle of Barack Obama:

"I think it is going to affect him, only that I don't know whether it's going to cost him, I mean, the election, but I think it is going to affect him because as he has always said - this is somebody who sacrificed everything, who even had to forego buying a car so as to send him to school. And I think this is one person he could have wanted to be there and witness him becoming the president of the United States of America."

Kogelo, Kenya

9. Wide of "Kogelo Dispensary" building

10. Wide of choir singing

11. Close of choir singing

12. Painting of Obama and other current and former world leaders

13. Wide of people dancing

14. Mid of people dancing

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ogonyo Ngende, Bishop:

"But now let us pray for the family of grandmother of Senator Obama in Hawaii."

16. Various of Sarah Obama, Barack Obama's, paternal step-grandmother listening to the sermon

17. Sarah Obama talking to Auma Obama, Barack's aunt

Nairobi, Kenya

18. Low shot of cross

19. Nun entering church

20. Close-up of crucifix

21. Various of Catholics praying

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Otieno, Catholic worshiper:

"I'm praying for Obama to be the president of the United States of America."

23. Muslims arriving to mosque for noon prayers

24. Muslims praying

25. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mohamed Ikram, Muslim worshiper:

"We are praying for Mr. Obama. I would like Americans to vote for Mr. Obama and I think he is going to do right by Americans because I think he is going to make America right and he's going to make America stronger, and he's going to make Americans just and he's going to make Americans reflect on other human beings as equals and as people with rights and needs just like the rest of America."

26. Set-up of Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and head of the Kenyan Greenbelt Movement

27. SOUNDBITE: (English) Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and head of the Kenyan Greenbelt Movement:

"I think it is very important for all of us to realise that as much as the world loves Obama, and as much as Kenyans love Obama, he is first and foremost the president of the United States of America. He will be the president of the United States of America and so his responsibility is first and foremost to America. But we all hope that his foreign policy will be friendly."

28. Various of Maathai reading newspaper with close up of headline, reading: (English) "Obama's Defining Moment."

STORYLINE

Kenyans filled churches and mosques on Tuesday to pray for Barack Obama to become the first black American president as people organised all-night election parties in honour of the candidate who is wildly popular across Africa.

Support for the Democrat is particularly strong in Kenya, where Obama's late father was born about an hour's drive from the lakeside town of Kisumu.

In Kisumu on Tuesday, residents held mock elections to show support for Obama and solidarity for Americans as they headed to the polls across the United States.

Obama's uncle, Said Obama said he hoped the Democratic candidate wouldn't be affected by the death of his maternal grandmother a day earlier in Hawaii.

Madelyn Payne Dunham died from cancer at the age of 86. Obama was very close to his grandmother, who helped to bring him up.

In Kogelo, where Obama's paternal step-grandmother Sarah Obama still lives, hordes of journalists gathered and police blocked access to the family's homestead.

During a religious service, attended by Sarah Obama and Barack's aunt Auma Obama, local bishop Ogonyo Ngende offered prayers for Dunham's family, following her death.

And in Nairobi, Muslims and Christians alike offered prayers for a easy Obama victory in the historic US elections.

Some Africans hope a win for Obama will mean more US aid to Africa, while others bask in the glory of a successful black politician with African roots.

Meanwhile Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of Kenya's environmental Greenbelt Movement, Wangari Maathai, warned fellow Kenyans that, if elected, Obama's allegiances would first and foremost be to the US.

But she said she hoped his foreign policy would be "friendly".

keyword us elections 2008

SHOTLIST

Kisumu, Kenya

1. Wide of Kisumu-Nairobi road with a big billboard of US Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

2. Wide of busy street, people going to work

3. Various of people reading newspapers

4. Mid of newspaper headlines

5. Men looking at newspapers

6. Pan of mock election, presided over by two comedians

7. Man casting his vote

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Thom Obingo, voter in mock elections:

"OK, I voted today just to show a symbol of solidarity, we Kenyans are together with Americans. So, it is a symbol of solidarity."

9. Another man voting in mock election

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Said Obama, uncle of Barack Obama:

"I'm only praying that it (Obama's grandmother's death) doesn't affect Barack's last minute campaigns, yeah, in as much as we understand how sad he feels."

11. Cutaway of Said Obama's hands

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Said Obama, uncle of Barack Obama:

"I think it is going to affect him, only that I don't know whether it's going to cost him, I mean, the election, but I think it is going to affect him because as he has always said - this is somebody who sacrificed everything, who even had to forego buying a car so as to send him to school. And I think this is one person he could have wanted to be there and witness him becoming the president of the United States of America."

13. Said Obama talking to reporter

Kogelo, Kenya

14. Wide of "Kogelo Dispensary" building

15. Wide of choir singing

16. Close of choir singing

17. Painting of Obama and other current and former world leaders

18. Wide of people dancing

19. Mid of people dancing

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Ogonyo Ngende, Bishop: ++includes simultaneous translation in local dialect++

"But now let us pray for the family of grandmother of Senator Obama in Hawaii. Father, at this moment, I stand before thee as your servant praying for peace to be in Hawaii where our grandmother has been taken to be with you in heaven."

21. Various of Sarah Obama, Barack Obama's, paternal step-grandmother listening to the sermon

22. Sarah talking to Auma Obama, Barack's aunt

STORYLINE

Kenyans filled churches on Tuesday to pray that Barack Obama becomes the first black American president as people organised all-night election parties in honour of a candidate who is wildly popular across Africa.

Support for the Democrat is particularly strong in Kenya, where Obama's late father was born about an hour's drive from the lakeside town of Kisumu.

In Kisumu on Tuesday, residents held mock elections to show support for Obama and solidarity for Americans as they headed to the polls across the United States.

Obama's uncle, Said Obama said he hoped the Democratic candidate wouldn't be affected by the death of his maternal grandmother a day earlier in Hawaii.

In Kogelo, where Obama's paternal step-grandmother Sarah Obama still lives, hordes of journalists gathered and police blocked access to the family's homestead.

During a Kogelo service, attended by Sarah and Barack's aunt Auma Obama, local bishop Ogonyo Ngende offered prayers for the candidate's late maternal grandmother, who helped bring him up.

Madelyn Payne Dunham died from cancer only a few days before seeing her grandson perhaps become the nation's first black president. She was 86.

Many Africans hope an Obama presidency would help the continent, the poorest in the world.

Some are hoping for promises of more US aid to Africa, while others bask in the glory of a successful black politician with African roots.

Kenya's two main newspapers ran Obama stories on the front page. The Standard newspaper also offered a 16-page "Obama Magic Souvenir Pullout," with photos of the candidate as a child and during his campaign.

Obama was born in Hawaii, where he spent most of his childhood reared by his mother, a white American from Kansas.

He barely knew his late father, an economist from Kogelo. But that has not stopped "Obamamania" from sweeping the continent.

keyword us elections 2008

SHOTLIST

Kisumu, Kenya

1. Wide of Kisumu-Nairobi road with a big billboard of US Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama

2. Wide of busy street, people going to work

3. Various of people reading newspapers

4. Mid of newspaper headlines

5. Men looking at newspapers

6. Pan of mock election, presided over by two comedians

7. Man casting his vote

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Thom Obingo, voter in mock elections:

"OK, I voted today just to show a symbol of solidarity, we Kenyans are together with Americans. So, it is a symbol of solidarity."

9. Another man voting in mock election

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Said Obama, uncle of Barack Obama:

"I'm only praying that it (Obama's grandmother's death) doesn't affect Barack's last minute campaigns, yeah, in as much as we understand how sad he feels."

11. Cutaway of Said Obama's hands

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Said Obama, uncle of Barack Obama:

"I think it is going to affect him, only that I don't know whether it's going to cost him, I mean, the election, but I think it is going to affect him because as he has always said - this is somebody who sacrificed everything, who even had to forego buying a car so as to send him to school. And I think this is one person he could have wanted to be there and witness him becoming the president of the United States of America."

13. Said Obama talking to reporter

Kogelo, Kenya

14. Wide of "Kogelo Dispensary" building

15. Wide of choir singing

16. Close of choir singing

17. Painting of Obama and other current and former world leaders

18. Wide of people dancing

19. Mid of people dancing

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Ogonyo Ngende, Bishop: ++includes simultaneous translation in local dialect++

"But now let us pray for the family of grandmother of Senator Obama in Hawaii. Father, at this moment, I stand before thee as your servant praying for peace to be in Hawaii where our grandmother has been taken to be with you in heaven."

21. Various of congregation

STORYLINE

Kenyans filled churches on Tuesday to pray that Barack Obama becomes the first black American president as people organised all-night election parties in honour of a candidate who is wildly popular across Africa.

Support for the Democrat is particularly strong in Kenya, where Obama's late father was born about an hour's drive from the lakeside town of Kisumu.

In Kisumu on Tuesday, residents held mock elections to show support for Obama and solidarity for Americans as they headed to the polls across the United States.

Obama's uncle, Said Obama said he hoped the Democratic candidate wouldn't be affected by the death of his maternal grandmother a day earlier in Hawaii.

In Kogelo, where Obama's step-grandmother still lives, hordes of journalists gathered and police blocked access to the family's homestead.

During a service in the town to pray for Obama's success, local bishop Ogonyo Ngende offered prayers for the candidate's late grandmother, who helped bring him up.

Madelyn Payne Dunham died from cancer only a few days before seeing her grandson perhaps become the nation's first black president. She was 86.

Many Africans hope an Obama presidency would help the continent, the poorest in the world.

Some are hoping for promises of more US aid to Africa, while others bask in the glory of a successful black politician with African roots.

Kenya's two main newspapers ran Obama stories on the front page. The Standard newspaper also offered a 16-page "Obama Magic Souvenir Pullout," with photos of the candidate as a child and during his campaign.

Obama was born in Hawaii, where he spent most of his childhood reared by his mother, a white American from Kansas.

He barely knew his late father, an economist from Kogelo. But that has not stopped "Obamamania" from sweeping the continent.

keyword us elections 2008

STORYLINE :

It all looks delicious.

But these dishes aren't always what they appear to be.

Of course noodles are a traditional favourite of Indonesians whether they are vegetarians, or not.

But this festival is all about broadening people's culinary horizons.

This might look like beef satay, but it's not.

The fried fish, might be fried and it might look like fish, but it certainly isn't.

All the food here is made of vegetables and the aim is to entice people into becoming vegetarians as part of a campaign to encourage people to eat less saturated fat.

According to the festival organisers Indonesia has one of the fastest growing vegetarian societies, so it's not surprising the World Vegetarian Congress decided to stage the festival in Jakarta.

The Indonesian Vegetarian Society (IVS) has grown rapidly from just 5,000 in 1998 to over 60,000 now.

IVS chairman Susyanto says interest in vegetarianism is growing because people want to be healthy and avoid chronic diseases.

Susyanto insists vegetarian foods "can also reduce the risks of chronic and degenerative diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, cancers and many more".

But although doctors encourage all of us to eat more fruit and vegetables, there is no proof that meat and fish can cause all these diseases.

Many studies have shown that the omega 3 oils found in fish are positively beneficial.

The congress was launched with a performance by a children's choir and young people are central to this year's festival.

The IWS is urging the Indonesian government to back it's call for Mondays to be meat free.

The campaign is global and the vegetarian cause is also taking place in several other major cities including Sao Paolo, Washington DC and San Francisco.

The universal aim is to persuade city dwellers to stop consuming animal products for at least one day a week.

The IWS says it's chosen Monday because people are more likely to be ready to consume less after heavy lunches and dinners out over the weekend.

Susyanto says the campaign is crucial to reduce the worrying trend of obesity among school children in the capital.

His society believes it's caused by the high level of cholesterol and fat in their diet.

The local government in Jakarta supports the idea.

Deputy governor Margani Mustar says the campaign for Meat Free Monday would benefit the environment as well as local residents.

"I think the 'Meat Free Monday' program is a positive event and it can involve a lot of residents. We can see how the culture of vegetarianism can have a positive impact on individual health, society and the environment," he says.

Restaurant owner Suharjo Wijaya says his vegetarian business has been booming since he started in 2003.

The whole of his restaurant menu is based on ingredients such as soybean and mushroom.

Suharjo hasn't eaten meat, or fish for 14 years and he believes vegetables can be made to taste like any other food.

He claims his food appeals to customers because they can't tell if they're eating vegetables, or not.

While most people get down to the serious business of eating, international delegates at the conference start their agenda for discussions, healthy living and climate change.

The International Vegetarian Union, which sponsors the meeting, says the livestock industry is responsible for nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and argues there's an urgent need for more people to convert to a meat free diet.

Mustikasari doesn't need persuading.

She's stopped eating dairy produce and she has been a vegan for the past six years.

Mustikasari claims vegetarianism has been good for her and she hasn't fallen sick as much since becoming a vegan.

But the IWS believes its campaign still has far to go, because only half a million Indonesians are vegetarians in a country of 240 million people.

The least everyone at the festival hopes for is that it might get people to be more careful about their diet.

SHOTLIST

Jakarta, Indonesia, October 2, 2010

1. Slow pan right of various vegetarian dishes on display

2. Wide of festival with chef in foreground in front of food stall

Jakarta, Indonesia, October 1, 2010

3. Wide of people looking at stalls at vegetarian festival

4. Low mid shot of stall selling vegetarian instant noodles

5. Close up of noodles in a pot

6. Low mid shot of woman cooking noodles

7. Mid shot of woman eating noodles

8. Close up of vegetarian beef satay

9. Close up of vegetarian fried fish

10. Wide tilt up from vegetarian food to stall holders

11. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian), Susyanto, Chairman of Indonesian Vegetarian Society:

"I think the main reason is that everyone wants to be healthy and it is proven that the vegetarian eating habit is very healthy. It can also reduce the risks of chronic and degenerative diseases, such as heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, cancers and many more."

12. Mid shot of children singing on stage during opening ceremony

13. Wide of children singing on stage

14. Medium wide of audience clapping

15. Wide of official on stage banging gong to open the congress

16. Close up of vegetarian symbol on the wall

17. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian), Susyanto, Chairman of Indonesian Vegetarian Society:

"One of the reasons behind the 'Meat Free Monday' campaign is to avoid or reduce the tendency of obesity at schools. Our research with the University of Indonesia shows that up to 28 per cent of school children aged between 10 and 12-years-old are obese. This trend can be turned around if the children reduce their consumption of animal-based foods in their diet, because they tend to have high levels of cholesterol and fat."

18. Wide of local government official walking up to stage to give a speech

19. Mid shot of audience

20. Wide of officials holding up hands on stage during opening ceremony

21. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian), Margani Mustar, deputy governor, Jakarta:

"I think the 'Meat Free Monday' program is a positive event and it can involve a lot of residents. We can see how the culture of vegetarianism can have a positive impact on individual health, society and the environment. "

Jakarta, 2 October 2010

22. Close up of vegetarian fried beef

23. Wide of customers buying food

24. Close up of stall holder serving

25. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian), Suharjo Wijaya, vegetarian restaurant owner:

"People are happy with our vegetarian food, because a lot of them say they taste like the real thing. During annual events such as the Jakarta Fair, which we have been a part of for the last six years, we have a lot of customers from the general public and they are not aware that they are eating vegetarian food. They cannot tell (whether it's vegetarian) from their texture, taste and shape."

26. Wide of vegetarian congress

27. Various of delegates

28. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian), Mustikasari, vegetarian:

"I hope the Indonesian people can have an open mind to accept vegetarianism. It is not just something related to a certain religion, but it is for our health and our world."

29. Mid shot tilt from woman frying vegetarian fish to fryer

30. Close up of noodles being placed over fried food

31. Close zoom out of sauce being squeezed on spring rolls to chefs at work

32. Mid shot of stall

LEAD IN:

Tackling childhood obesity is one of the key themes of an international festival celebrating vegetarian food in Jakarta.

Thousands of tempting treats are on offer, including some that look and taste like meat and fish, as part of drive to persuade young people and adults alike to eat less saturated fat.

Families of some of the 270 people who died in the bombing of an airliner over Scotland 25 years ago gathered on Saturday for simultaneous memorial services in the U.S. and Britain.

Bagpipes played and wreaths were laid in the United States, as hundreds gathered at a service at Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former FBI director Robert Mueller were among the speakers at Arlington's memorial service for victims of the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland.

"And today may the thought of your loved one bring a smile to your lips. May you feel the warmth of those who have blessed your lives even for too brief a time," Mueller told family members.

A bell rang as the names of victims were read aloud.

"We keep calling for change, and fighting for justice, on behalf of those no longer with us. We rededicate ourselves and our nation to the qualities that defined the men and women we lost," Holder said.

At the end of the service a bugler then sounded taps in the honour of those who died.

One man - former Libyan intelligence official Abdel Baset al-Megrahi - was convicted of the bombing.

He was given a life sentence, but Scottish authorities released him on humanitarian grounds in 2009 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He died in Tripoli last year.

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of several wreaths laid at the Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery

2. Zoom out of speakers under tents

3. Pan of family members walking up to main tent to read names of victims

4. Mid of woman ringing bell for each name read

5. Mid of woman reading names

6. Pan of family members listening

7. UPSOUND of choir singing

8. UPSOUND of bagpipe player in forefront of wreaths playing "Amazing Grace"

9. Mid of Robert Mueller, former FBI Director approaching lectern, zoom out

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Mueller, former FBI Director:

"And today may the thought of your loved one bring a smile to your lips. May you feel the warmth of those who have blessed your lives even for too brief a time, and may we continue to do everything in our power to ensure a world that is safe and secure for all."

11. Mid of Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General approaching lectern, zoom out

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General:

"Although a quarter century has passed since the world was shaken and so many lives were devastated by a heinous and cowardly act of terror, no amount of distance or time can ease the pain or erase the loss that was inflicted on that day."

13. Cutaway of family members listening

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General:

"We keep calling for change and fighting for justice on behalf of those no longer with us. We rededicate ourselves, and our nation to the qualities that defined the men and women we lost."

15. Pan of woman speaking at lectern

16. Mid of family members laying wreath

17. Close of wreath

18. UPSOUND: Bugler amid wreaths

On March 23rd 2012 Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Mexico, his first visit to the country as Pope, with President Felipe Calderon and first lady Margarita Zavala escorting him along a red carpet, to the chimes of church bells and cheers from a crowd waving Vatican flags.

"Benedict, brother, you are now Mexican," people shouted in a warm welcome, complete with folk dancing and mariachis, to a pope some consider distant and academic compared to his predecessor John Paul II, who was dubbed "Mexico's pope" after making five trips to the country.

"This is a proud country of hospitality and nobody feels like a stranger in your land. I knew that, now I see it and now I feel it in my heart," the pope said to wild cheers.

After his Alitalia flight landed, the streets of nearby Leon, where the Pope will stay, took on a carnival atmosphere, with thousands lining the 20-mile (32-kilometre) route that Benedict travelled from the airport in the Popemobile.

Some blocks exploded in yellow confetti as he passed.

Many see his Latin America trip as a way to strengthen the faithful in a region where Catholicism has dropped over the decades, though not as dramatically as in Europe and elsewhere.

Benedict is visiting a church battling to overcome painful setbacks that include legalised abortion and gay marriage in the capital of the most populous Catholic country in the Spanish-speaking world.

Guanajuato's constitution declares that life begins at conception and bans abortion with extremely limited exceptions.

Benedict's church is encouraging more such laws across Mexico, and a measure before Congress would strip away many of the remaining restrictions on religion from more than a century ago.

Church leaders also are trying to overcome a scandal over a senior cleric accused of child and drug abuse.

Marcial Maciel founded the order 'Legionaires of Christ', which John Paul II praised as a model of rectitude but a series of investigations forced the order to acknowledge in 2010 that he had sexually abused seminarians and fathered three children.

Church documents released in a book this week claim the Vatican had been told of Maciel's drug abuse and pederasty decades ago.

***

On March 25th Pope Benedict XVI worked to build the future of Mexico's church by reaching out to children, during a speech to about 4,000 young people in Peace Plaza in the city of Guanajuato.

The focus on youth fits with the Vatican's drive to re-evangelise parts of the world where Catholicism has fallen by the wayside, trying to rally the next generation to embrace a faith that their parents may have abandoned.

"You, my little friends, are not alone," the Pope said from the balcony of the Casa Del Conde Rul, a historical mansion in downtown Guanajuato where he was welcomed by Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

He also called on adults "to protect and take care of the children, so their smiles never fade away and they can live in peace."

But while Benedict was receiving a rapturous welcome from young Catholics, his first full day in Mexico was not without criticism - particularly concerning the church's treatment of children and sexual abuse.

Victims of the late Marcial Maciel on March 25th launched a new book containing documents on the Vatican's alleged cover-up of sexual abuse of seminarians by Maciel, who founded the Legionaries of Christ.

Questions about the Vatican's handling of Maciel and his victims have grown in the lead-up to Benedict's arrival.

"Pray for all, including myself, I will pray for all of you, I will pray so Mexico can be a home where all his children can leave with serenity and harmony. I bless you will all my heart," the Pope said at the end of his speech.

Of the 43.5 (m) million Mexicans under 20-years-old, 36.2 (m) million are Catholic, or 83.2 percent.

The largest group of Mexicans overall are children aged five to nine - a prime target for Benedict's efforts to rebuild a church that has fallen victim to the same secular trends that have emptied churches across Europe.

The week-long trip to Mexico and Cuba is Benedict's first to both countries, and only his second to Latin America.

He visited Brazil in 2007.

Many said the Pope's message of peace and unity would help heal their country, traumatised by the deaths of more than 47,000 people in a drug war that has escalated during a government offensive against cartels that began at the end of 2006.

Benedict will greet tens of thousands more on March 26th, when he celebrates Mass in the enormous Bicentennial Park.

***

The power of a diminutive icon drew the leader of the world's Roman Catholics to a bucolic hillside town in eastern Cuba on March 27th for a moment of private prayer and reflection amid days of vast ceremonies and meetings with heads of state.

On the second day of his Cuban tour, the pope knelt silently before the Virgin of Charity of Cobre for several minutes, his eyes open and hands clasped.

The crowned, wooden statue just over a foot (35 centimetres) tall stood on a covered table shrouded in a blue and white cloth.

The 84-year-old pontiff then rose with the help of two Cuban bishops, who held before him the text of a prayer.

Finally, Benedict approached the statue, lit a candle and stood in prayer as a choir sang hymns.

In a brief speech at the sanctuary, Benedict continued to touch on the themes of change and hope and expressed concern for prisoners and the enormous Cuban diaspora in South Florida and elsewhere, who he said were in his thoughts.

"I have entrusted to the Mother of God the future of your country, advancing along the ways of renewal and hope, for the greater good of all Cubans," he said.

The pope pointedly referred to the icon by her popular name, La Virgen Mambisa, in a gesture to the many non-Catholics on the island who nonetheless venerate the statue as an Afro-Cuban deity.

Mambisa is the word for the Cuban fighters who won independence from Spain at the turn of the last century.

While most Cubans are nominally Catholic, fewer than 10 percent practice the faith.

Bringing more Cubans back to the pews is a key aim of Benedict's trip to the Caribbean island.

After visiting the shrine, Benedict was flying to Havana to meet with President Raul Castro and possibly Fidel Castro, though that had not been confirmed.

***

Cuban President Raul Castro met with Pope Benedict XVI at the presidential palace in Havana on March 28th, marking the second day of the pontiff's visit to the communist island nation.

The Cuban leader was seen to be greeting the pontiff warmly on the church leader's arrival to the palace before the two went inside.

Castro then greeted members of the Vatican delegation and Benedict XVI briefly spoke with some of the members of the Cuban government who attended the event.

Both leaders then sat down for a private meeting and later Vatican officials presented Cuban authorities with a copy of an ancient book from the Vatican Archives.

Earlier in the day, the Pope's public prayers for freedom and renewal "for the greater good of all Cubans" prompted a quick response from communist leaders, who said there would be no forthcoming political reform.

Raul Castro has said that opening up Cuba's political system would inevitably spell doom for its socialist project since any alternative party would be dominated by enemies across the Florida Straits and beyond.

The pope has kept his language lofty, his criticism vague and open to interpretation, but officials' comments left no room for doubt.

During a quiet moment at the shrine of the Virgin of Charity, Benedict also prayed for more Cubans to embrace the faith in a country that is the least Catholic in Latin America.

While most Cubans are nominally Catholic, fewer than 10 percent practice the faith.

In subtle ways, the Pope has acknowledged a lack of faith in the island nation, and tried to make his trip appealing to potential believers.

There was no word of a visit to see Fidel Castro, nor were there plans to meet with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, in Havana receiving radiation treatment for cancer.

733673

Mexico - Pope Benedict XVI welcomed by president at start of tour

AP TELEVISION

Silao International Airport - 23 March 2012

1. Zoom in to podium with Mexican president Felipe Calderon, Pope Benedict XVI and Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala

2. Wide of podium

3. Close up of Pope

4. Top shot of crowd, cheering

733795

Mexico - Pope Benedict receives rapturous welcome from young Catholics

POOL

Guanajuato - 24 Mar 2012

++DUSK/NIGHT SHOTS++

5. Children standing beside Pope releasing white doves, AUDIO: crowd cheers

734170

Cuba - Pope Benedict visits shrine of Our Lady of Charity

POOL

Santiago, 27 Mar 2012

6. Wide Pope Benedict XVI entering Sanctuary of El Cobre, home to Cuba's Patron Saint

7. Benedict praying before Virgen del Cobre

8. Wide of Benedict lighting candle for Virgen del Cobre

9. Mid of Benedict reading to cardinals

734172

Cuba - Pope Benedict meets President Raul Castro

POOL

Havana, 27 Mar 2012

+4:3+

10. Mid of the Pope Benedict XVI and Cuban President Raul Castro walking side by side

11. Pan right to Castro speaking to Pope

SHOTLIST

Nairobi - 28 September 2011

++16:9++

1. Various of congregation singing hymn

2. Various of activist Ndungi Githuki signing condolence book

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ndungi Githuki, activist and human rights advocate attending ceremony:

"I am here to celebrate the life of a great ''''shero'''' (heroine) of this country, a woman of substance, a woman who rose above all the rest in this country in her crusade for dignity and human rights."

4. Wide of priest and congregation

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Timothy Njoya, priest and human rights advocate:

"We are here therefore to celebrate Wangari''''s life and give thanks to God for a non-stereotypical woman, a woman of beauty, character, intellect and dignity and to acknowledge, like in the whole world, that really, her place in the world has left a mark."

FILE: Nairobi, April 2006

++4:3++

6. Various of Maathai in garden

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Green Belt Movement, who passed away earlier this week:

"Some people I am sure are praising the Lord for giving them rain, but I am almost crying because I know that a lot of that water is rushing down the stream towards the Indian Ocean and other lakes and seas, and it is carrying with it the top soil. So instead of harvesting this beautiful water that the good God has given us, we are not only losing the water, we are losing the soil."

Nairobi - 28 September 2011

++16:9++

8. Various of boys'''' choir

STORYLINE:

A memorial service was held in the Kenyan capital on Wednesday to commemorate the life of Africa''''s only female Nobel peace prize winner.

Wangari Maathai died of cancer on Monday at the age of 71.

The Kenyan President declared two days of National mourning as of September 29th and ordered that Kenyan flags fly at half mast.

Ndungi Githuki, an activist and human rights advocate attending the ceremony, said that Maathai was, "a woman who rose above all the rest in this country in her crusade for dignity and human rights".

Wangari Maathai will receive a state funeral although a date has not officially been set.

However, it has been reported that in her will, Wangari Maathai''''s wish was not to be buried in a wooden casket in order to save the trees which she cared for dearly in life and also in death.

The Kenyan organisation she founded planted 30 (m) million trees in hopes of improving the chances for peace, a triumph for nature that inspired the UN to launch a worldwide campaign that resulted in 11 (b) billion trees planted.

Maathai staged popular protests that bedevilled former President Daniel arap Moi, a repressive and autocratic ruler who called her a threat to the security of Kenya.

Maathai said during her 2004 Peace Prize acceptance speech that the inspiration for her life''''s work came from her childhood experiences in rural Kenya.

There she witnessed forests being cleared and replaced by commercial plantations, which destroyed biodiversity and the capacity of forests to conserve water.

After arap Moi left government, Maathai served as an assistant minister for the environment and natural resources ministry.

SHOTLIST:

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of van carrying coffin of democracy activist Szeto Wah arriving at church

2. Close up of sign on front of van

3. Wide of coffin being taken out of van and carried into church

POOL

4. Wide of congregation standing inside church

5. Coffin being carried into church

6. Wide of congregation

7. SOUNDBITE: (Cantonese) Szeto Keung, Szeto Wah's brother:

"Uncle Wah, your respectable character is something that I would admire and follow. I am proud of everything you did in your life. Uncle Wah, rest in peace. I will miss you forever."

8. Low angle shot of Szeto Wah's coffin and picture of him surrounded with flowers

9. Close up of photograph of Szeto Wah

10. Choir singing

11. Congregation singing

12. Various of people lining up to lay flowers on coffin

13. Mid of mourners leaving church

14. Coffin being carried out of church into waiting van

AP TELEVISION

15. Wide of van leaving church

16. Close up of sign on front of car

17. Wide of van leaving with coffin

STORYLINE:

The funeral of the veteran democracy fighter Szeto Wah, a leading campaigner for the victims of Beijing's 1989 crackdown on protesters at Tiananmen Square and a voice for dissidents in mainland China, was held in Hong Kong, a former British colony on Saturday.

Many Hong Kongers identify with Szeto, who died Jan. 2 from lung cancer at age 79, because of his strident opposition to the undemocratic mainland regime.

Szeto's casket was carried into the church for a Christian funeral service as a church bell was struck six times, then four - symbolising the late activist's lifelong cause of remembering June 4, the date of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

Democracy activists including Martin Lee Chu-ming, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan paid their final respects to Szeto Wah. They laid flowers on the Szeto's casket in the funeral.

Besides fellow democracy activists, Tsang Yok-sing, the icon of pro-Beijing political party, also attended the funeral.

"Uncle Wah, your respectable character is something that I would admire and follow. I am proud of everything you did in your life. Uncle Wah, rest in peace. I will miss you forever," said Szeto Keung, Brother of Szeto.

Szeto Wah's casket was taken by the hearse to be cremated after the funeral service.

Hong Kong's Beijing-backed administration has had to handle Szeto's funeral carefully, given his revered status in the territory and his open opposition to the mainland Chinese regime.

SHOTLIST:

1. Pope Benedict XVI leaving Campo de Marte air base, where he canonised Brazil's first native-born saint

2. Wide of crowd waving

3. Cross in front of picture of Friar Antonio Galvao, who was canonised

4. Wide shot of Monastery of Light

5. Close-up of bells tolling

6. Various of signs addressed to Friar Galvao

7. Interior church and people praying to statue of Friar Galvao

8. Various of statue and people praying

9. Woman leaving note at Friar Galvao's grave

10. Wide of grave

11. Various of notes and wishes left for Friar Galvao

12. Man praying

13. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Antonio Brighenti, worshipper:

"Friar Galvao is Brazil's saint and I am certain that he will help everyone, you could be sure of that. What else can I say."

14. Tilt down of Friar Galvao statue

15. Wide of Pope Benedict XVI waving at crowd from balcony

16. Protesters chanting (in Portuguese) "Pope, you are a liar"

17. Close-up of protester's T-shirt

18. Wide shot of protesters

19. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Alvaro Albarracin, Miami Representative of Growing in Grace:

"We are here representing the man we call Jesus Christ (referring to Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda) to protest against Mr Benedict and to tell everyone, now that he is here in Brazil, that thousands of children are being raped all over the world. They (the Catholic church) are the only ones who could be held responsible. Most of the world's rapists come out of schools for priests like this one."

20. Zoom in on sign reading (in Portuguese) "Brazil is more blessed now by Benedict"

STORYLINE:

Pope Benedict XVI accused the media of promoting sexual immorality as he canonised Brazil's first native-born saint on Friday before hundreds of

thousands of faithful and a sea of flags from the world's largest Catholic nation.

Holding up Friar Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao as a model of rectitude and humility Benedict said the world needed clear souls and pure minds, suggesting his uneasiness with the impact of popular culture on young people.

Though more than 70 percent of the nation's 190 (m) million citizens are Catholic, sex before marriage is common.

And while polls show Brazilians oppose expanding access to abortion, they overwhelmingly support using condoms to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Brazilian news media said the crowd reached about one (m) million, as church officials had hoped for, although there were large empty spaces on the air field where Benedict sat on a throne of Brazilian hardwood, surrounded by Latin American bishops and choirs of hundreds.

Galvao, a Franciscan monk credited by the church with 5-thousand miracle cures, is the first native-born saint from the world's largest Roman Catholic country, home to more than 120 (m) million of the planet's 1.1 (b) billion Catholics, and the 10th to be canonised by Benedict.

Friar Galvao, who died in 1822, began a tradition among Brazilian Catholics of handing out tiny rice-paper pills, inscribed with a Latin prayer, to people seeking cures for everything from cancer to kidney stones.

People gathered in the Monastery of Light to pray to Galvao's statue and left messages on his grave.

Benedict's trip has so far focused on reinforcing church doctrine on abortion, sexual morality and euthanasia.

At a rally on Thursday night, he instructed young Catholics to avoid premarital sex, remain faithful once they are married and to promote life from "its beginning to natural end."

The Pope also warned against drug use, violence, corruption and the temptations of wealth and power.

Outside of Sao Bento Monastery where the Pope has been staying during his three-day visit to Sao Paulo, hundreds gathered to get a glimpse of the 80-year-old leader from a glass-encased balcony.

Among those gathered in the tiny square were a group of followers from the Florida-based "Growing in Grace" group.

The group, which has been deemed a cult by religious experts, claims Minister Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.

Alvaro Albarracin, one of the group's pastors from Miami, accused the Pope and the Catholic Church of being the culprits of several cases of child abuse and molestation.

"Thousands of children are being raped all over the world. They (the Catholic Church) are the only ones who could be held responsible," Alabarracin said.

The Pope heads on Friday evening to the shrine city of Aparecida, about 100 miles (161 kilometres) from Sao Paulo, where he will visit a drug treatment centre on Saturday and open a conference of Latin American and Caribbean bishops on Sunday.

Aparecida is the most important Catholic religious site in Brazil, home to the mammoth Basilica of Aparecida and the three-foot tall statue of a black Virgin Mary called "Our Lady Who Appeared," the patron saint of Brazil.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, venue of funeral service for renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich

2. Tilt down from Cathedral dome to gathered crowd inside

3. Naina Yeltsin, widow of former President Boris Yeltsin, crying over coffin

4. Close of coffin

5. Wide of Naina Yeltsin and daughters at service

6. Wide of Rostropovich's widow Galina Vishnevskaya sitting in chair next to coffin

7. Close of Vishnevskaya with mourner

8. Various of mourners

9. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Boris Bressler, Theatre Director, Vox pop:

"(He was) a saint of a man and a genius. We cannot find anybody else with his combination of qualities; humanity, spirit, genius, creativity, simplicity. I cannot compare him with anybody else."

10. Wide of queue of mourners

11. Extreme wide shot of Novodevichy monastery

12. Wide of funeral procession

13. Woman carrying photo of Rostropovich

14. Vishnevskaya following coffin in funeral procession

15. Wide of procession

16. Writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn's wife Natalya holding flowers

17. Priest conducting service

18. Pan from Sofia, Queen of Spain, to the widow

19. Mid of choir

20. Close-up of Vishnevskaya

21. Assembled media

22. Coffin being lowered into grave

23. Tomb cross

24. Tighter shot of coffin being lowered into grave

25. Low shot of line of soldiers and crowd with roses in the foreground

STORYLINE

Mstislav Rostropovich, the renowned cellist and conductor who won world fame for his masterly playing and his courage in defending human rights, was laid to rest in an elite Moscow cemetery on Sunday.

Several thousand Russians came to bid farewell to Rostropovich, who fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents and later triumphantly played

Bach suites below the crumbling Berlin Wall.

He died Friday at age 80 after a battle with intestinal cancer.

Teary admirers of Rostropovich's talent flocked to the mourning service in the soaring gold-domed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on the banks of the Moscow river, which was blown up by Communists in 1931 and which Rostropovich helped rebuild after the Soviet collapse.

Red-robed Orthodox priests sang prayers and swung incense burners as mourners lit thin wax candles and lay flowers near the open casket, where the musician's body lay covered with a white cloth embroidered with a cross.

Rostropovich's passing comes on the heels of the death of another key figure in the country's history, the first leader of post-Soviet Russia, Boris

Yeltsin, whose mourning service was performed in the same cathedral.

Yeltsin's widow Naina Yeltsin attended the funeral service with her daughters.

Rostropovich's widow, the Bolshoi Opera soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, and his two daughters Olga and Elena accepted condolences from mourners.

Throughout the day, dozens of people queued outside Cathedral, some brought flowers, while others lit candles for the renowned musician.

Boris Bressler, a theatre director who had come to pay his respects to Rostropovich and his family, described Rostropovich as "a saint of a man and a genius".

"We cannot find anybody else with his combination of qualities; humanity, spirit, genius creativity, simplicity. I cannot compare him with anybody else," he said.

After the ceremony, Rostropovich's coffin was transported to the elite, leafy Novodevichy Cemetery, which contains the graves of his teachers, Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev.

Yeltsin was also interred there on Wednesday.

Rostropovich's brown wooden coffin was gently lowered into the ground, after which his widow and daughters Olga and Yelena sprinkled the casket with fistfuls of earth in line with Orthodox tradition.

Hundreds of mourners stood nearby, some clutching red carnations, other wiping tears from their eyes.

Guests and dignitaries at the funeral included the wife of dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Natalya; Spain's Queen Sofia; French first lady Bernadette Chirac; and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev and his wife.

President Vladimir Putin, who called the musician's death "a huge loss for Russian culture" paid his respects during a civil mourning on Saturday

at the Moscow Conservatory, where Rostropovich studied and played.

"Slava" Rostropovich was considered by many to be the successor to Pablo Casals as the world's greatest cellist.

He was an effusive rather than an intimidating maestro, a teacher who nurtured Jacqueline du Pre among many other great cellists.

Rostropovich's sympathies against the Communist leaders of his homeland started when Shostakovich and Prokofiev were denounced during the Stalin era.

Under Leonid Brezhnev's regime, in the early 1970s, Rostropovich and his wife sheltered Solzhenitsyn in their dacha.

After Solzhenitsyn won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1970, Rostropovich wrote an open letter to the Soviet media protesting the official

vilification of the author.

His fight for cultural freedom resulted in the cancellation of concerts, foreign tours and recording projects.

Finally, in 1974, he and his wife fled to Paris with their two daughters.

Four years later, their Soviet citizenship was revoked.

In 1989, as the Berlin Wall was being torn down, Rostropovich showed up with his cello and played Bach cello suites amid the rubble.

The next year, his Soviet citizenship was restored, and he made a triumphant return to Russia to perform with Washington's National Symphony Orchestra, where he was music director from 1977 to 1994.