World datelines

Australia: Oil spill

BRISBANE — A salvage team could take weeks to remove a grounded coal-carrying ship from Australia's Great Barrier Reef, where it is leaking oil in a pristine marine environment, a state leader said on Monday. The Chinese Shen Neng 1 ran aground late Saturday on Douglas Shoals, a favorite pristine haunt for recreational fishing east of the Great Keppel Island tourist resort. The shoals — off the coast of Queensland state in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park — are in a protected part of the reef where shipping is restricted by environmental law.

Germany: War taboo

BERLIN — Germany's defense minister on Sunday for the first time referred to military operations in Afghanistan as a war, while he promised to investigate a friendly fire clash that left six Afghan soldiers dead. Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg broke a government taboo on the politically charged word, preparing Germans to expect more fighting by telling reporters: "Even if not everyone likes it, regarding what happens in parts of Afghanistan, one can colloquially refer to it as war."

Italy: Pope weary

VATICAN CITY — It was the Catholic calendar's holiest moment — the Mass celebrating the resurrection of Christ. But with Pope Benedict XVI accused of failing to protect children from abusive priests, Easter Sunday also was a high-profile opportunity to play defense.

"Holy Father, on your side are the people of God," Cardinal Angelo Sodano told the pontiff, whom victims of clergy sexual abuse accuse of helping to shape and perpetuate a climate of cover-up. Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, dismissed those claims as "petty gossip." Benedict looked weary during much of the Mass, the highlight of a heavy Holy Week schedule.

Mexico: Drug cartel

MEXICO CITY — One of Mexico's most famous reputed drug lords said in a rare interview published Sunday that he lives in fear of getting caught and believes the military has closed in on him four times. "I'm terrified of being incarcerated," Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada told the Mexican news magazine, Proceso. Zambada and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who allegedly control the Sinaloa cartel, are Mexico's two most-notorious fugitives, with a $2 million reward offered for information on their whereabouts.

Russia: 2nd bomber?