Nigerians vote as blasts hit in the north - CNN International

Africa's most populous country votesNEW: Separate blasts rock a voting and collation centerNEW: The second blast caused "serious casualties," an official says There have been riots, bombings and assassinations ahead of the electionsNigerians are voting Saturday for House and Senate seats

Ibadan, Nigeria (CNN) -- Separate bomb blasts ripped through a polling station and a collation center in northeastern Nigeria Saturday as Africa's most populous nation began voting in elections marred by violence and delays.

The first explosion occurred at a voting station in the city of Maiduguri, National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Yushau Shuaib said. No deaths were reported; the number of injuries was still unknown.

The second blast was also reported in Maiduguri, at the Abba Ganaram collation center, Shuaib said, adding that the explosion caused "serious casualties." It was not immediately clear how many people died.

Also in Maiduguri, armed youths set a government building afire, Shuaib said.

A new election chief promised "free and fair" elections this year, but the election has already been plagued by related bombings, assassinations and logistical problems that delayed the vote. Concerns are that continued violence could derail the vote altogether.

Nigerians began voting Saturday for 360 House of Representatives seats and 109 Senate seats. The staggered voting structure will take them back to the polls next Saturday to vote for a president and on April 26 for a gubernatorial vote.

Despite domestic and international pressure, Nigeria's Electoral Commission was forced to put off elections by a week after a nationwide logistical disaster -- many voting materials were not even in the country until voting day and party logos were missing from ballot papers.

It was a huge setback, reminiscent of the problems of Nigeria's 2007 elections, described by the European Union as the worst it had seen anywhere in the world with rampant vote rigging, violence, theft of ballot boxes and intimidation.

The legitimacy of the country now rides on the three rounds of polling.

On the eve of the vote, a bomb exploded at the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Suleja in central Nigeria, officials said.

A government official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, told CNN that eight people died in the attack.

Shuaib said more than seven people were seriously injured.

"We condemn this cowardly and dastardly action, which seems designed to instill fear in Nigerians and paralyze their aspirations for peaceful and credible elections," the chairman of the electoral commission, Attahiru Jega, said in a statement. "Our deep sympathies go to the families of all these young Nigerians who lost their lives or were injured."

Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 85 people have been killed in political violence so far.

As Africa's most populous country and its largest oil producer, Nigeria is important. Yet, despite its enormous oil wealth, 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, according to the United Nations.

"Make no mistake about it: This test of honour is inescapably a collective one for all Nigerians," the Independent National Electoral Commission said in a recent statement. "It is our national honour at stake, and our relevance in the affairs of the modern world being redefined."

Separately on Friday, one man was killed and another seriously injured in a blast in the northern city of Kaduna, state news reported.

Police rushed to the scene and found unexploded dynamite there, according to the Kaduna State Police Commissioner Haruna John, Voice of Nigeria reported. They found more dynamite at a house belonging to he injured man, the outlet said.

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Libyans vow to protest despite violence from government - CNN International

Protester in Benghazi: "There are a lot of people getting killed for their freedom" An army official siding with the opposition says the government "caused a massacre"The Libyan government's tight controls make it difficult to verify information

(CNN) -- Libyans protesting against longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi vowed to hit the streets again Sunday, saying a violent crackdown by security forces since demonstrations started last week has left them energized.

Meanwhile, a doctor in Benghazi said her facility is taking on trauma patients because a trauma hospital in the city is inundated by those injured in the unrest.

"All of them have been injured by bullets," said the doctor, whose identity is not being released for security reasons. She said most suffered gunshot wounds to the head, chest or neck.

Benghazi, the North African nation's second-largest city and hub of its eastern province, was home to some of the bloodiest clashes Saturday. Still, an anti-government demonstrator there said that despite having been barraged for days by tear gas and bullets, many of his colleagues slept outside the city's courthouse and planned another rally at 1 p.m. Sunday.

"There are a lot of people getting killed for their freedom," the man, who was not identified for safety reasons, told CNN Sunday morning. "Our goal is simple: We want Gadhafi to leave. We want freedom. ... We want democracy."

Our goal is simple: We want Gadhafi to leave. We want freedom. ... We want democracy.
--Libyan protester

The man, a technology expert who has set up cameras airing live online video streams around Benghazi, estimated that the numbers of anti-government demonstrators in the city has grown by 20% since the protests began Tuesday.

"We are peaceful people," he said. "They are killing unarmed civilians."

Another protester in Misratah, a city about 250 km (155 miles) east of Tripoli, said that roughly 1,300 remained on the streets there through the night and into the morning Sunday, burning pictures of Gadhafi and calling for an end to his rule.

CNN could not independently confirm information on the escalating unrest in Libya, the most isolated nation in the region, though it has interviewed numerous witnesses by phone. The government has not responded to repeated requests from CNN for access to the country and maintains tight control over communications.

Instead, a report from Libya's state-run JANA news agency blames "acts of sabotage and burning" on outsiders aiming to undermine the nation's stability, security and unity. The report claims that the unrest has been fomented in Libya as well as Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon and Iran by an Israeli-led network of covert operatives.

Since Wednesday, authorities have arrested "dozens of foreign members of this network who were trained on starting clashes," the JANA story said, adding that the outsiders were of Tunisian, Egyptian, Sudanese, Turkish, Palestinian and Syrian descent.

Meanwhile, the toll from the unrest continued to mount. Human Rights Watch, citing interviews with hospital staff and witnesses, reported at least 84 deaths since Tuesday. CNN could not independently verify the numbers.

Medical sources at a Misratah hospital said at least three died and 70 were wounded in clashes Saturday between security forces and anti-government protesters. Three of those injured were in critical condition, the sources said.

A doctor at a Benghazi hospital said at least 30 people died Saturday, most from gunshot wounds to the head. Hovering helicopters fired into the crowds and the hospital was receiving a steady stream of injured people, said the doctor, who CNN is also not identifying for security reasons.

His count did not include casualties from a clash between the protesters on the funeral march and soldiers at a military camp. Soldiers there fired tear gas and guns; the protesters hurled rocks and at least two hand grenades, witnesses said.

The female doctor in Benghazi said Sunday she worries that her hospital will not be able to keep up with the need.

"Every day it's increasing," she said.

Lt. Col. Mohammed al-Majbari, who helped lead Libyan military forces in Benghazi before deciding early this week to join the opposition, claimed that government forces -- aided by mercenaries from other African countries -- "caused a massacre."

"It is time for freedom," al-Majbari said. "(Gadhafi) is not a human being. A Libyan would never do this to his people. He is a dictator."

Several eyewitnesses told CNN that cars of riflemen drove past protesters, indiscriminately firing at them.

The soldiers... said, 'We are with you.' We believed them. After that, they started shooting the people. Why?
--Libyan woman

A Libyan woman supportive of the protesters, who was not identified to protect her safety, told CNN that army soldiers on Saturday initially claimed solidarity with the demonstrators, only to reverse their tack and open fire on the crowd.

"The soldiers ... said, 'We are with you.' We believed them," she said. "After that, they started shooting the people. Why? Why did they lie?"

Others in Libya reported similar protests in the cities of al-Baida, Ajdabiya and significantly in Misratah -- an indication that the demonstrations centered in the east were spreading west.

A protester identified only as Moftah told CNN that Libyans, inspired by the toppling of dictators in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia, had simply had enough of Gadhafi.

"He will tell you that his secret police are everywhere," Moftah said. "It's time to break this fear barrier. We reach a point that we don't care anymore."

The official Jamahiriya News Agency reported that Gadhafi had spoken in recent days with fellow leaders from Guinea, Liberia and Yemen.

The government also sent out, via text, a tacit warning against "the inappropriate use of telecommunications services (that) contradict our religion ... our customs ... and our traditions." Internet service in Libya shut down Friday evening, though it was more available by Sunday.

The government's firm grip on power heightened the concerns of a woman from Benghazi, who urged U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders to help the Libyan people in the face of the government crackdown.

"We have no freedom here," she said. "I speak to all the world, to America, to Mr. Obama: Please help us. We (did) nothing. We want to live a good life."

The female doctor at the Benghazi hospital said Sunday she worries more violence will ensue.

"I think -- and I hope not -- it's going to be (a) more disastrous situation than yesterday because yesterday was more of a disaster than the two days before," she said. "I'm so scared."

CNN's Moni Basu, Amir Ahmed, Yousuf Basil, Greg Botelho, Salma Abdelaziz, Zain Verjee, Anderson Cooper, Holly Yan and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report.

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Body floating in canal thought to be California kidnapper - CNN International

Jose Esteban Rodriguez allegedly snatched 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas from his grandmother's arms on January 18.NEW: The kidnapped boy's mother says she's "relieved that all this is over"NEW: She tells Rodriguez's mother that she feels her pain, having lost a son herselfA water authority worker alerts police after finding a floating body in the Delta-Mendota CanalPolice believe the body is that of Jose Rodriguez, accused of kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend's son

(CNN) -- A floating body was found Saturday that authorities believe to be the man who kidnapped his ex-girlfriend's 4-year-old son and drove with him into a canal.

A California water authority employee saw the body, believed to be that of Jose Esteban Rodriguez, at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. It was discovered in a part of the 117-mile Delta-Mendota Canal in the northern California city of Patterson, according to a press release from the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

The employee alerted Stanislaus County Sheriff's detectives, who went to the scene along with members of the department's dive team and the West Stanislaus-Patterson Fire Department.

Authorities determined the body was that of an adult Hispanic male with clothing and a physical make-up matching that of Rodriguez. Authorities will now employ scientific measures, such as DNA tests and dental records, and examine other evidence to definitively identify the body.

The discovery comes 11 days after authorities found the body of young Juliani Cardenas, the boy who Rodriguez allegedly swiped from his grandmother's arms on January 18.

Tabitha Cardenas, the boy's mother, who broke up with Rodriguez five months earlier, told CNN affiliate KCRA that she was "relieved that all this is over." She also expressed sympathy for Rodriguez's mother, now that his body has apparently been found.

"I feel her pain, because I know what it's like to lose a son," Cardenas said. "She knows that I have always given her the utmost respect, through everything."

A day later, a farmer saw a car that appeared to be Rodriguez's 2003 silver Toyota Corrolla -- purportedly with a man and youngster inside -- careen into the canal.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said that the body found Saturday was about 11 miles south of where that car was driven into the water.

A homicide warrant had been issued for Rodriguez in connection with Juliani's death while authorities searched for him, Sheriff Adam Christianson said.

Last month, authorities found the man's Toyota trapped in 50 feet of water and intertwined with two other vehicles, according to Christianson. The windows of the car were opened and it was badly damaged, but there were no bodies inside.

Tabitha Cardenas had said Rodriguez either wanted to have her son for himself or wanted revenge for their breakup. She said she never thought Rodriguez, who is the father of her unborn child, would harm Juliani.

Rodriguez "wanted to be with my son," Cardenas said January 20. "He wanted to be with my son so bad that he took it to the extreme."

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