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Cameroon: Abducted French family freed

A French family kidnapped in northern Cameroon earlier this year has been released, the Cameroonian government said Friday. FULL STORY

Kidnappers free French family abducted in Cameroon, officials say

From Tapang Ivo Tanku, for CNN

April 19, 2013 -- Updated 1345 GMT (2145 HKT)

February 21, 2013: Security guard shows photos of the French family kidnapped on February 19.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

A French family kidnapped in northern Cameroon earlier this year has been released
Four children, their parents and an uncle were kidnapped in February in Waza National Park
The seven members of the family were handed over to government officials unharmed

Yaounde, Cameroon (CNN) -- A French family kidnapped in northern Cameroon earlier this year has been released, the Cameroonian government said Friday.

The seven members of the family were handed over to government officials late Thursday and are unharmed, said Cameroon's Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakari.

The family of four children, their parents and an uncle were kidnapped in February in Waza National Park, a thickly forested area of northern Cameroon popular among tourists and situated near the border with Nigeria.

Dozens killed in Baghdad cafe blast

April 20, 2013 -- Updated 0416 GMT (1216 HKT)

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Dozens killed in Baghdad cafe blast

A bomb hidden in a plastic bag exploded inside a popular coffee shop in western Baghdad killing at least 27 people -- including four children -- and wounding 51 others, city police officials said. FULL STORY | WAVE OF BOMBINGS

Blast in popular Baghdad coffee shop kills at least 27

By Mohammed Tawfeeq and Greg Botelho, CNN

April 19, 2013 -- Updated 1407 GMT (2207 HKT)

Mourners give their condolences to family members of the victims who were killed in the explosion in Al- Amirya.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Four of at least 27 people killed are children, police say
NEW: The building targeted in western Baghdad had an ice cream shop and medical offices
A bomb was hidden in a plastic bag and detonated around 10 p.m. local time
There have been several attacks ahead of Saturday's provincial elections

Baghdad (CNN) -- A bomb exploded on Thursday night in a popular coffee shop in western Baghdad, killing at least 27 people and wounding 51 others, city police officials said.

The bomb was hidden in a plastic bag and then put in a cafe in the Iraqi capital's al-Amriya neighborhood, where it detonated around 10 p.m. (3 p.m. ET), according to police.

They estimated the device contained about two kilograms of highly explosive material.

The explosion ripped through the three-story building, which also includes an ice cream parlor on the first floor and medical offices on the second floor. The coffee shop was on the third floor.

Deadly wave of bombings across Iraq

Most of those killed and hurt were young men, though four children were among the dead, police said.

Mostly Sunni Muslims live in the neighborhood, which is surrounded by walls except for one checkpoint staffed by Iraqi soldiers.

The violence follows a spate of attacks preceding the country's provincial elections, set for Saturday.

On Wednesday, three people died and 16 were wounded in four explosions in and around Baghdad, according to police.

There is concern that the security situation could affect the outcome of the vote, especially if Iraqis don't participate because of fears that polling stations may come under attack.

U.N. official Martin Kobler appealed Thursday for security forces to be on "heightened alert" so that citizens can vote "in a safe environment without fear of violence."

In the same statement, Kobler -- the special representative in Iraq for the U.N. secretary-general -- stressed that Iraqi leaders must "collectively endure a transparent and peaceful election, free of intimidation or political interference."

And he urged Iraqis to vote, casting it as their patriotic duty.

"I am calling on all women and men to cast their ballots for a better future for them and their children," Kobler said. "My appeal goes particularly to young Iraqis, because you are the future of this country."

CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq reported from Baghdad and Greg Botelho wrote this story from Atlanta.

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Chavez's successor sworn in

Hugo Chavez's handpicked successor was sworn in as Venezuela's president on Friday. FULL STORY | VENEZUELA DIVIDED | iREPORT: WHO ARE THE OPPOSITION PROTESTERS?

By Catherine E. Shoichet and Rafael Romo, CNN

April 20, 2013 -- Updated 2021 GMT (0421 HKT)

Nicolas Maduro, Hugo Chavez's handpicked successor, is sworn in Friday as Venezuela's president.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Nicolas Maduro is sworn in as Venezuela's president
Hugo Chavez tapped him as a successor
The opposition candidate has called for a recount; election officials auditing results
Man rushes toward podium; "He could have shot me right here," Maduro says

(CNN) -- Hugo Chavez's handpicked successor was sworn in as Venezuela's president on Friday.

Nicolas Maduro's inauguration ceremony took a dramatic turn at one point as a man in a red jacket rushed toward the podium in Venezuela's National Assembly.

"They could have shot me right here. Security has failed," Maduro said after the man was taken away.

Maduro was quick to regain the floor and spoke for more than two hours, vowing to crack down on any coup attempts to remove him from the presidency and slamming political opponents for waging what he called a "dirty election campaign" against him.

Maduro's inauguration comes a day after Venezuela's National Electoral Council said it would complete 100% audit of votes cast in Sunday's election "to preserve a climate of harmony between Venezuelans."

Maduro secured 50.8% of votes in the election while opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski won 49%, election officials said earlier this week.

Capriles had called for a vote-by-vote recount but said late Thursday that he accepted the decision by election officials to audit the tally.

The narrow margin has sparked mounting tensions in Venezuela after the closely watched election to pick Chavez's successor.

Venezuela's state-run AVN news agency said at least eight people have been killed in post-election violence across the country.

The government news agency tied the deaths to opposition protests and said the victims were all followers of Maduro.

CNN could not independently confirm government reports of violence and it was unknown whether there were any opposition injuries or fatalities.

Opposition protesters have sent numerous accounts to CNN's iReport, criticizing the government and pushing for a recount.

In one of his last public appearances before his March 5 death, Chavez said he wanted Maduro to be his successor.

Maduro now describes himself as "Chavez's son" and has vowed to continue the late leader's plans to build "21st century socialism."

On Thursday night, Capriles urged supporters not to be discouraged by Friday's inauguration and to stay at home and listen to salsa music.

"This fight has not finished. ... I am sure that sooner rather than later the truth will come out," he said.

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Death in abortion case 'misadventure'

The death of an Indian dentist who died after a miscarriage in an Irish hospital was the result of medical misadventure, an inquest jury ruled Friday. FULL STORY

By Peter Taggart and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

April 19, 2013 -- Updated 1704 GMT (0104 HKT)

Protest during a march against Government austerity measures in Dublin, Ireland on November 24, 2012.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Inquest jury in Galway returns verdict of death by medical misadventure
Savita Halappanavar, 31, died last October after suffering a miscarriage
Coroner offers Ireland's "deepest sympathy" to Savita's widower, Praveen
He says his wife's treatment in hospital was "horrendous, barbaric and inhuman"

(CNN) -- The death of an Indian dentist who died after a miscarriage in an Irish hospital was the result of medical misadventure, an inquest jury ruled Friday.

Savita Halappanavar, 31, was 17 weeks pregnant when she died in October at University Hospital Galway.

The inquest jury heard seven days of evidence from staff and expert witnesses, as well as her widower, Praveen Halappanavar.

A pathologist, Professor Grace Callagy, told the inquest the cause of death was septic shock, E. Coli in Savita Halappanavar's bloodstream and a miscarriage.

Ireland amends abortion law

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In his evidence, a leading obstetrician said Halappanavar's life could have been saved had a termination been carried out a day or two before her miscarriage.

However, Dr. Peter Boylan admitted it would not have been practical under Irish law, which states there has to be a real and substantial risk to the mother's life.

The coroner, Dr. Ciaran MacLoughlin, on Friday directed jurors at Galway Coroner's Court to consider carefully the verdict and his recommendations, including that Ireland's Medical Council should lay out exactly when doctors can intervene to save the life of a mother.

The jury unanimously returned the misadventure verdict and "strongly endorsed" his recommendations.

MacLoughlin told the dentist's husband: "The whole of Ireland has followed your story and I want, on their behalf, to offer our deepest sympathy."

Outside the court, Praveen Halappanavar said he still had not got all the answers but would "get to the bottom of the truth."

Somebody has to take responsibility for his wife's death, he said.

He told reporters that the way Savita had been treated in the hospital was "horrendous, barbaric and inhuman."

Friday was particularly poignant as it would have been the couple's fifth wedding anniversary, he added.

In his evidence last week, Praveen Halappananvar said that he had been told an abortion could not be done while the fetus was still alive because Ireland is a Catholic country.

The couple were married in India before moving to Ireland, where they had lived for four years before Savita's death.

'System failures'

Giving evidence last week, consultant Dr. Katherine Astbury, who treated Halappanavar, denied saying an abortion could not be carried out "because Ireland is a Catholic country."

But she acknowledged that she felt constrained by Irish law, which does not permit a termination even if there is no prospect of the fetus surviving.

Astbury also admitted that there were "system failures" in Halappanavar's care. For example, Astbury had not been made aware of blood test abnormalities and an infection, she said.

A midwife at Galway hospital, Ann Maria Burke, apologized in her evidence for telling Halappanavar a termination would not be possible "because Ireland is a Catholic country." She said the comment was not meant to be hurtful.

Halappanavar went into the hospital on October 21, complaining of back pain. Three days after the request for a termination was made, the fetus died and was removed. Four days later, Savita died of a blood infection.

An inquest by a coroner is standard procedure in cases of sudden, unexplained or unnatural deaths in Ireland.

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Musharraf's Pakistan gamble

Pakistan's ex-leader Pervez Musharraf returned to Pakistan after five years in exile, determined to make a comeback. But could his grand plan be turning into a disaster? FULL STORY | MUSHARRAF CONFINED TO HOME

By Paul Armstrong and Nic Robertson, CNN

April 20, 2013 -- Updated 0406 GMT (1206 HKT)

Pervez Musharraf facing charges

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Pervez Musharraf went back to Pakistan after five years in exile, hoping to return to politics
But officials barred Musharraf from running for parliament, days later he was arrested
Some Pakistanis would be happy to see the return of the ex-military ruler
Others will point to the many enemies he made in the final years of his presidency

(CNN) -- Pervez Musharraf recently returned to Pakistan after five years in exile, determined to face down his challengers in the courtroom and make a sensational return to politics in time for the May 11 election.

But his grand plan has turned to a disaster following a week that the former president would rather forget.

On Tuesday, election officials barred Musharraf from running for a seat in parliament. By Friday he was formally arrested -- the first time that has happened to any former chief of the Pakistani army -- amid claims he illegally placed senior judges under house arrest during a period of emergency rule he imposed in 2007.

Later that day he was transferred to a guest house at Islamabad Police HQ where he can be held for a maximum 48 hours before he appears in court to face charges relating to the detention of the judges. At that point he could get bail, go to jail or return to house arrest at his villa. Most analysts expect the house arrest option.

Musharraf under house arrest

Pakistani court: No bail for Musharraf

The ex-military strongman still has to face two separate other cases dating from his time in power. The first relates to claims he did not do enough protect the life of Benazir Bhutto -- the first woman to be elected prime minister of Pakistan -- after she was assassinated in 2007, just weeks before an election in which she hoped to be returned to office. Musharraf is also accused of ordering his troops to kill Nawab Akbar Bugti, a popular tribal leader, in the volatile province of Balochistan, in 2006.

Musharraf comes clean on drone strikes

WATCH: Musharraf under house arrest

Former Pakistani president's new life

Last month, Musharraf told CNN that all the charges against him are "trumped up, politicized cases." But he now finds himself under house arrest at his farmhouse compound on the outskirts of Islamabad.

Why did Musharraf bother returning to Pakistan?

Despite the criminal charges awaiting him and the threat of assassination by the country's Taliban extremists, Musharraf arrived in Karachi last month and declared: "I have come to save Pakistan."

Though the party that succeeded him became the first democratically elected government to serve a full five-year term during the country's 65-year history, Pakistan is still beset with problems -- a crippled economy, food shortages, frequent power cuts and a bloody insurgency.

In his absence overseas, the government had frozen the considerable wealth Musharraf had acquired.

According to CNN's Nic Robertson in Islamabad, Musharraf expected a swift return to politics amid plenty of popular support -- but that proved a major miscalculation.

"From day one it didn't happen," said Robertson. "As one of his advisers told us, 'it would have been better if he hadn't come back.' Musharraf anticipated hundreds of thousands of people greeting him at the airport when he landed. It turned out to be hundreds.

"Then there were the legal cases: charges of treason, of being involved in the Bhutto murder and of putting judges under house arrest. In all those cases the judges really went after them aggressively.

"Musharraf had expected them to hold off until after the election. That didn't happen.

"Then his apparent miscalculation in the election itself -- he was barred by the election commission from challenging for four different seats. Now he's not able to leave the country and under house arrest. The reality is the advice he appears to have been given about the level of popular support he still has in Pakistan was erroneous."

What level of support does Musharraf have?

Musharraf's popularity began to wane in 2007 after he suspended the chief justice of the Supreme Court for "misuse of authority." The move resulted in protests and accusations that he was attempting to influence a court decision on whether he could seek another term in office.

More than six years on and some Pakistanis would be happy to see the return of the ex-military ruler, hoping his leadership could help restore order to a country riddled with political division and plagued by extremist violence. But others will point to the many enemies in the final years of his presidency, notably among the judges he detained.

The Pakistani Taliban vowed to send a death squad to hunt down the former president if he returned to the country, although Musharraf has admitted he has been living under threat of death since September 11, 2001, when he supported the American war on terror and fought against the Taliban.

Musharraf also revealed last week that his government secretly signed off on U.S. drone strikes within its borders, but only if there was no time for Pakistan's military to act against al Qaeda targets. This is the first time a top Pakistani official, past or present, has admitted publicly to such a deal.

"He said it wasn't a blanket agreement -- he agreed to perhaps several of these types of drone attacks -- but until now absolutely no word, no hint of this, only ever denials that there were ever any green lights," said Robertson.

Can Musharraf count on support from the military?

As the former army chief, Musharraf will have retained support and influence within Pakistan's powerful military. "Most people here think the army won't let him go to jail and won't tolerate him being under house arrest for long," said Robertson.

"However they will not do anything rash. They'll exert their influence behind the scenes to secure a favorable outcome. I think for now the legal process continues apace."

What's next for Musharraf?

More court appearances. After appearing before a magistrate Friday, Musharraf returned home where he is being held under house arrest, according to his lawyer, Ahmed Raza Qasoori.

Musharraf will continue to seek bail in the case, Qasoori said. However, an attempt on Thursday to appeal the Islamabad court's decision at the Supreme Court appeared to have so far been unsuccessful. To further complicate matters, Qasoori claimed the Islamabad High Court judge who ordered Musharraf's arrest is one of the judges whom Musharraf is alleged to have had detained in 2007 and therefore should have recused himself from the case.

Are there implications for Pakistan?

"The judiciary has been emboldened, though they are widely perceived to operate a political bias," said Robertson. "But in the end we are seeing small steps towards democracy in Pakistan. Ultimately a strong and unbiased judiciary is a good check on political corruption and excess."

But an editorial Friday in The Nation, an English-language newspaper, took a more critical view of events this week. "All segments of society, supporter or opponent, official or non-official, high or low, are watching keenly to ascertain just how Pakistan will deal with the first of its former dictators to go on trial.

"Adding further spice to the case was the total inaction shown by the police in putting him under arrest that had been specifically ordered by the IHC (Islamabad High Court). As he came out of the court room, he sped off to his villa ... in a bullet-proof vehicle, guarded by his personal security, with the police and rangers playing the part of silent spectators."

Referring to the provisional administration in place until after next month's election, it added "the shameful reality is the utter lack of cooperation and indifference shown by the caretaker setup in Musharraf's trial, though it is simply carrying on with the tradition set by its predecessor governments."

CNN's Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.