Prosecutors are seeking life in prison for an Indonesian militant accused of building the car bomb used in the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks.

Umar Patek, a leading member of the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah, is the last key suspect to be tried in the twin blasts that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists.

Lead prosecutor Bambang Suharijadi told the West Jakarta District Court on Monday the 45-year-old militant deserved to spend the rest of his life in jail.

He said Patek was guilty of illegal weapons possession, helping and concealing terrorist acts, immigration violations and premeditated murder.

A verdict is not expected until next month.

A German doctor has died while descending from the Everest summit, and a Nepalese official says four other climbers may be missing on the world's highest mountain.

Ang Tshering of the Asian Trekking in Katmandu said 61-year-old Eberhard Schaaf died Saturday. Doctors believe he had high altitude cerebral edema.

Kamal Shrestha of Nepal's Mountaineering Department said a Nepal-born Canadian national identified as Shriya Shah is also missing on the mountain.

Shrestha said he has heard of a Korean, a Chinese and a Nepali Sherpa guide missing on their way back but did not have any more details.

May is the busiest month for climbing attempts on the 29,035-foot summit.

Lebanese security officials say overnight clashes in Beirut between Sunni groups that support and oppose the regime in Damascus have killed one person and wounded 10.

The clashes in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Tariq Jadidah are Beirut's worst in four years. They erupted hours after an anti-Syrian cleric and his bodyguard were shot dead in northern Lebanon.

The officials said Monday that the man who was killed was a member of a pro-Syrian Sunni group. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which are easily enflamed. Last week, clashes sparked by the Syrian crisis killed at least eight people and wounded dozens in the northern city of Tripoli.

Lucio Adan Nelson dozed on a riverboat ferrying him home from a visit with his mother when helicopters appeared overhead and started shooting. He and about a dozen other passengers traveling in the middle of the night jumped into the water for cover.

Nelson was hit in the arm and back, but says he couldn't seek help.

"I had to stay in the water for some time because they kept shooting," he said Sunday from a hospital bed.

Honduran police, who with DEA agents were aboard U.S. helicopters for an anti-drug operation, have said they were shooting at drug traffickers who fired first from a boat in the Patuca River in the remote Mosquitia region near the Caribbean coast.

Local officials say four innocent people died in the incident May 11. Honduran police say they can't confirm that, saying the anti-drug team didn't find any casualties after the shooting but only an empty boat with nearly a half ton of cocaine.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents never fired during the operation, acting only in an advisory role, both U.S. and Honduran officials say.

Honduran military intelligence is investigating, but no one has talked to Nelson, 22.

He could hardly speak from the pain Sunday, more than a week after the shooting, as he recovered in the hospital in La Ceiba where he was flown for treatment.

Elsewhere in the hospital lay 14-year-old Willmer Lucas Walter, who had a hand amputated because of damage from the shooting.

Willmer's mother, Sabina Romero, said she was too angry to speak about what happened.

"Here nobody is going to talk because they will kill you," she said. "The only help we need here is from doctors, not from reporters."

Nelson's uncle, Dany, 32, helped tell the story for his nephew, Lucio, who speaks mostly Miskito, the language of the indigenous who have lived in the region for centuries.

Lucio Nelson has been awaiting surgery to put pins in his lower arm.

He and Willmer were flown from Ahuas, a community of less than 2,000 people a week, by the Moravian Church, said Dany Nelson, a health technician who works for the Honduran government on malaria prevention.

They both arrived unaccompanied and with IV bags attached to their arms, said Luis Savillon, the taxi driver who picked them up at the airport.

Nelson said he was returning to Barra Patuca, a community of about 6,000 on the Caribbean coast, after visiting his mother in a tiny river community when the shooting occurred about 3 a.m. He managed to pull himself ashore alongside Willmer, and waited there until the helicopters left.

He said he never saw any police on the ground. National Police Chief Ricardo Ramirez del Cid has said officers rappelled to the spot from the helicopters after the shooting.

Nelson said he and Willmer started walking in the dark and came upon a house. A woman there walked with them to the clinic in nearby Ahuas. Dany Nelson said he was called by the clinic at 5:30 a.m.

Initial reports from local officials said the people killed by the shooting were diving for lobster and shellfish.

Honduran and U.S. officials have voiced doubts about whether people with legitimate business would be traveling the river at night in a heavy drug-trafficking area. President Porfirio Lobo said many in the impoverished indigenous community transport the cocaine that comes in on illicit airplanes from South America to its next destination on the coast.

The State Department says 79 percent of all cocaine smuggling flights leaving South America first land in Honduras.

Ramirez said the national police spotted a plane that night, and the helicopters were monitoring people taking bales of cocaine from the plane to a boat on the river when their aircraft were fired on. He said the national police policy is not to attack planes when they are being unloaded because of the possibility that civilians will be hit.

Dany Nelson said boats are the public transit of the river, running people from tiny communities to larger towns such as Barra Patuca and Brus Laguna. Ahuas is about 18 miles (30 kilometers) as the crow flies from Barra Patuca, but at least double or triple that distance on the winding river. It takes four hours between major points and the boats often travel at night to avoid the heat and to carry workers to their jobs early in the morning, he said.

"The boats make a lot of stops between communities. There are no roads here. The river is our highway," he said. "If the government wants us to stop traveling at night, that would keep us from working. We know the criminals travel at night, but so do workers. Those helicopters have technology to tell the difference between a criminal and a worker."

Honduran military intelligence is investigating, said Col. Joaquin Arevalo, a military spokesman. He referred The Associated Press to two Honduran commanders at the Caratasca Naval Base and a U.S. Joint Task Force installation in Mocoron in the heart of the Mosquitia. The area, which is near the Nicaraguan border, saw heavy U.S. military presence in the 1980s when the U.S. was backing Contra rebels fighting the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua.

Starting Wednesday, Egypt is holding its first free presidential election since it came under dictatorship 60 years ago. The winner will succeed Hosni Mubarak, one of four rulers toppled in the uprisings that began 18 months ago across the Middle East and became known as the Arab Spring. But replacing dictatorships with democracy is proving much harder. Here's where things stand:

TUNISIA

The first Arab country to throw off its ruler, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in January 2011, Tunisia has also had the smoothest transition. Elections in October resulted in an interim coalition led by the election-winning Islamist Ennahda Party in a coalition with two liberal parties. Ennahda has taken a moderate track in this country that has a strong secular heritage, refraining from seeking to base the new constitution on Islamic law. But secular Tunisians worry that ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis have grown more assertive.

EGYPT

Since Hosni Mubarak was toppled on Feb. 11, 2011, Egypt has been ruled by the military in a tumultuous transition. Protests against the generals have repeatedly turned into deadly clashes killing dozens. A series of military-installed interim governments have been largely ineffectual, hesitant to make significant decisions. Police, angered and humiliated during the anti-Mubarak uprising, have often refused to work, letting crime increase. With big money earners like tourism and foreign investment plunging, fueling unemployment, the government has burned through more than half its hard currency reserves to prop up the Egyptian pound. Islamists won the first post-Mubarak parliamentary election and stand a good chance of capturing the presidency. Divisions run deep, with some fearing the imposition of Islamic rule, and others that the military is angling to keep a grip on the country.

SYRIA

What began in January 2011 as a wave of peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad has turned into a bloodbath and near civil war, with well over 9,000 dead. Assad's regime responded to the protests with gunfire and some opponents have taken up arms, joined by army defectors. The military has responded with all-out assaults on opposition areas, leaving heavy destruction in neighborhoods of some cities. The conflict has also taken on a worrying sectarian tone. The Sunni Muslim majority largely backs the opposition, while the Alawites and other minorities support Assad, himself an Alawite. There have been tit-for-tat killings and a string of suicide bombings against military buildings.

LIBYA

Protests against Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's strongman for more than 40 years, quickly turned into civil war. Much of the eastern half of the country threw off his rule early last year, and the ramshackle rebel army tried to march on the west. It took months of NATO airstrikes to open the way for rebels to take Tripoli, the capital. Gadhafi fled and two months later was caught and killed. The oil-rich North African nation has been mired in instability ever since. The rebel militias refuse to disarm and have carved out fiefdoms, sometimes taking brutal revenge against suspected regime supporters. The east has made moves to declare autonomy while the ruling National Transitional Council is largely ineffectual. A major test of the country's chances for stability comes in national elections next month and an effort to write a constitution.

YEMEN

In power for 33 years, President Ali Abdullah Saleh clung to his post through a year of nationwide daily protests. Many allies abandoned him, major military units joined the opposition, and a bomb blast at his palace badly burned him. Finally, after balking three times at resigning, he bent to U.S. and Gulf pressure and agreed to step down in return for immunity from prosecution. He left office in February, his vice president was elected president unopposed, and a coalition of Salah's party and the opposition took over. But Saleh's son and nephew command elite military units and his loyalists remain in posts throughout the government. His opponents accuse him of using those levers to hamper the new government as it tries to deal with poverty and deep tribal divisions. Saleh's replacement as president, Abed Rabbo Hadi, has stepped up cooperation with Washington in a major offensive against al-Qaida militants who seized control of parts of the south.

PERSIAN GULF

Majority Shiites on the tiny island nation of Bahrain, a vital U.S. ally and home to the U.S. Navy in the region, mounted a wave of protests alleging discrimination and disenfranchisement by the Sunni monarchy, which responded with two months of martial law. In March last year, Saudi Arabia, which feared the Shiite uprising was a proxy for spreading Iranian influence, led a Gulf military force into Bahrain that helped largely crush the protests, though they have continued sporadically. In all, at least 50 people have died. The conservative Sunni-led Gulf monarchies have largely prevented the eruption of protests. Saudi Arabia saw some demonstrations by its own Shiite minority, which it promptly put down, and the king sought to quell discontent with largesse.

A German doctor has died while descending from the Everest summit, and a Nepalese official says four other climbers may be missing on the world's highest mountain.

Ang Tshering of the Asian Trekking in Katmandu said 61-year-old Eberhard Schaaf died Saturday. Doctors believe he had high altitude cerebral edema.

Kamal Shrestha of Nepal's Mountaineering Department said a Nepal-born Canadian national identified as Shriya Shah is also missing on the mountain.

Shrestha said he has heard of a Korean, a Chinese and a Nepali Sherpa guide missing on their way back but did not have any more details.

May is the busiest month for climbing attempts on the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit.

Quebec's student protest movement gained some high-profile supporters in the fight against tuition fee increases over the weekend as anger mounted and demonstrations continued against a new law aimed at curbing the three months of demonstrations. Montreal police arrested more than 180 people on Sunday night.

Quebec's provincial government passed an emergency law Friday restricting protests, including a requirement that police be informed eight hours before and told the route of any demonstration that includes 50 or more people. Demonstrations were held again Sunday, including a rowdy evening march, for the 27th night in a row.

The new law has only served to fuel the student movement.

The nightly demonstration was quickly declared illegal by police after it started at around 8:30 p.m. after objects were thrown at police, said Sgt. Ian Lafreniere early Monday.

A first group of protesters was cornered and 110 people were arrested. As the demonstration continued, more arrests were made after demonstrators climbed on police and civilian vehicles, causing damage, he said.

The previous night's protest also ended with dozens of arrests as police clashed with protesters.

Student groups have panned the law and said they would challenge it in court and continue demonstrations.

A major demonstration is scheduled Tuesday to mark the 100th day of protest. Montreal police said more than 200 demonstrations have taken place since the student movement began in February. More than 300 arrests have been made in the last week.

The movement also gained celebrity support. Montreal indie rockers Arcade Fire wore the movement's iconic red squares during an appearance with Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live. Twitter erupted with questions about the meaning of the fashion statement, while student backers praised the move.

Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore also gave his support to the students, featuring links about the issue on his website.

The conflict has caused considerable social upheaval in the French-speaking province known for having more contentious protests than elsewhere in Canada.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest has refused to roll back the tuition hikes of $254 per year over seven years. Quebec has the lowest tuition rates in Canada, but even after such an 80 percent increase, it would remain among the lowest in the country.

While the new legislation aimed at stopping the protests is unpopular among students and rights groups, a poll published the day after legislation was passed showed two-thirds of Quebecers supported it.

The U.S. consulate in Montreal last month warned visitors and U.S. expatriates to be wary of demonstrations.

A governing party official appeared headed for a first-round win in the Dominican Republic's presidential election as supporters of his opponent complained of rampant vote-buying and other forms of fraud.

Danilo Medina of the current president's Dominican Liberation Party led with 51 percent of the vote with 75 percent of ballots counted. His main rival, former President Hipolito Mejia of Dominican Revolutionary Party had nearly 47 percent. The winner needed more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff.

Reinaldo Pared Perez, the secretary general of the Dominican Liberation Party, told jubilant supporters that Medina had won but they were still awaiting official confirmation from the Electoral Commission.

Mejia's representative on the Electoral Commission accused the ruling party of fraud, saying the former president should have received many more votes than what was being reflected in the results. "We all know what party the director of the Electoral Commission belongs to," he said at a news conference.

Voting appeared smooth, though several people told The Associated Press that backers of Medina were offering people payments of about $15 to vote for their candidate or to turn over their voting cards and withhold their vote for his opponent. Medina campaign organizers denied the allegations, which have circulated in the country for weeks.

Francisco Alvarez, coordinating the 3,000 observers of the civic group Citizen Participation, said many reports had come in from around the country of vote-buying by local workers for both parties.

"Both the PRD and the PLD, in large measure, have been engaging in this practice," Alvarez said at a news conference.

Observers from the Organization of American States also confirmed several instances of vote-buying but not enough to taint the vote, which was "successful" overall, said the head of the mission, Tabare Vazquez, a former president of Uruguay.

Medina hoped to succeed President Leonel Fernandez, spent $2.6 billion on such major infrastructure projects as a subway system, hospitals and roads to modernize a country that is the top tourist destination in the Caribbean but remains largely poor. Fernandez was barred by the Constitution from running for a third consecutive term.

Many voters conceded that Medina, a 60-year-old economist and stalwart of the Dominican Liberation Party, wasn't a particularly exciting candidate, but said they were eager for stability in a country with a history of economic and political turmoil.

"I don't want major change," said Amauris Chang, a 59-year-old shop owner. "I want the country to grow and I want it to be peaceful, and I think that's a common idea among people who are civilized."

Six candidates were running for president, but Medina's only real opponent was Mejia, who lost his bid for a second presidential term in 2004 because of a deep economic crisis sparked by the collapse of three banks.

Mejia and his Dominican Revolutionary Party have a devoted following. Supporters of the 71-year-old garrulous populist sought to portray some of the public works spending as wasteful and benefiting backers of the president, and insisted he wasn't to blame for the 2004 economic crisis.

"The crisis could have happened to any government. It had nothing to do with Hipolito Mejia," said 62-year-old maintenance man Alonso Calcano.

Rosario Espinal, a leading political analyst for the Dominican Republic, said the outcome would largely depend on swing voters who aren't committed to either major party. She said there was a lot of disenchantment with the government, particularly because of the high cost of living and lack of good jobs, but it was not clear whether that was enough to overcome memories of the crisis at the end of Mejia's term.

"The question is whether they are more tired of the current government or more fearful of what might happen under Mejia," said Espinal, director of the Latin American Studies Center at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Besides president, Dominicans were electing a vice president from a field that included the heavily favored first lady, Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez, and seven members of the Chamber of Deputies who will represent people who have settled overseas. Tens of thousands were expected to cast ballots in places with large numbers of Dominicans, including New York, New Jersey, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Both presidential candidates proposed to increase spending on education and to do what they can to create jobs in a country of 10 million people that is largely dependent on tourism and where unemployment is officially about 14 percent, though the vast majority of workers are in the poorly paid informal sector. The typical salary for those who do have regular jobs is around $260 a month.

The Dominican Republic has also become an important route for drug smugglers seeking to reach the U.S. through nearby Puerto Rico and there are widespread concerns about the influence of drug trafficking. The candidates also traded accusations of incompetence and corruption.

Oil prices rose to near $92 a barrel Monday in Asia ahead of talks this week aimed at avoiding a military conflict over Iran's nuclear program.

Benchmark oil for June delivery was up 43 cents to $91.90 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.08 to settle at $91.48 in New York on Friday.

Brent crude for July delivery was up 78 cents at $107.92 per barrel in London.

Iran plans to meet Wednesday in Baghdad with officials from the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany following initial discussions in April. Investors are concerned that a pre-emptive attack by Israel or the U.S. on Iran's nuclear facilities would likely pinch global crude supplies and send prices higher.

World leaders have warned Iran that misusing its nuclear energy program to develop a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. Iran says it is enriching uranium only to create nuclear fuel.

"May is shaping up to be a key month for international efforts to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough on the Iranian nuclear program," Barclays said in a report.

On Saturday, the Group of Eight industrial nations said they were prepared to ensure the oil market is "fully and timely supplied" as sanctions aimed at limiting Iran's crude exports will likely take full effect in a few weeks.

Crude has slid from $106 earlier this month amid signs of slowing global economic growth. Oil prices have also fallen because tensions over Iran's nuclear program have eased since April's meeting between Iran and the six world powers.

In other energy trading, heating oil was up 2.4 cents at $2.86 per gallon and gasoline futures gained 1.8 cents at $2.84 per gallon. Natural gas fell 2.1 cents at $2.72 per 1,000 cubic feet.

___

Follow Alex Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexkennedy_ap

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency has arrived in Tehran on a key mission that could lead to the resumption of probes on whether Iran has secretly worked on a nuclear weapon.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano and his two aides landed early Monday morning in Iran but where quickly whisked away from the Tehran airport.

They are to meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, as well as the foreign minister and other Iranian officials later in the day.

The visit is focused on getting Iran to agree to terms that will allow IAEA probes of suspect Iranian sites. Tehran denies having worked on atomic weapons.

Western diplomats have expressed skepticism that Iran will honor a deal. But with both Iran and the IAEA reporting progress in a previous round last week, anticipation was high as Amano prepared to board his flight to Tehran.

While expressing some optimism, Amano said he could not predict whether he would clinch a deal that would allow his agency to renew its long-stalled probe.

"Nothing is certain in life, in diplomacy," he told reporters at Vienna's airport. "But there has been good progress.

"I really think this is the right time to reach agreement."

The one-day trip is significant both for what it can achieve in terms of probing Iran's secretive nuclear program and as a mood-setter for talks Wednesday in Baghdad between Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.

The latter six nations are in the forefront of trying to persuade Tehran to curb its nuclear program and ease concerns it wants to use it to make nuclear weapons.

Iran will seek to stay looming U.S. and European Union sanctions on its oil exports at the Baghdad talks.

The six in turn will attempt to get Iran to commit to stop enriching uranium to a level that can be turned quickly into the fissile core of nuclear warheads, while ignoring — for now — its program of lower enrichment, which would take longer to turn toward weapons-making.

Iran insists it is enriching uranium only to produce nuclear fuel. It denies that it worked secretly on developing components of a nuclear arms program, despite what the IAEA describes as credible intelligence and other evidence that it hid work "specific to nuclear weapons."

Amano's visit and the talks in Baghdad are thus separate but indirectly related — a point that Amano touched on as well, saying he hoped they "will give (a) positive good impact (on) each other." His lead partner in the Tehran talks will be Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, who will also lead his country's delegation to Baghdad.

Western diplomats following the IAEA's work are skeptical that Iran would honor the terms of any deal suddenly allowing the IAEA access to sites, people and documents it seeks in its probe, pointing out that Tehran has stonewalled the agency's efforts since 2007. They say Tehran is seeking to make points ahead of the Baghdad talks, where it would refer to any deal with the IAEA as a sign of its good will and demand that the upcoming sanctions on Iranian oil be suspended.

Diplomats told The Associated Press ahead of the Baghdad talks that there is agreement among the six powers not to give in to such demands. G-8 leaders last week set the stage for a united release of world oil reserves to balance any disruption in world markets when those tough new sanctions are imposed. President Barack Obama said world powers "are unified in our approach to Iran."

Still, an Iran-IAEA deal could reopen fissures among the six, with Russia and China — traditional opponents of tough anti-Iran sanctions — demanding that the oil penalties be held up to reward the Islamic Republic's approval of a deal with the IAEA.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Baghdad talks should already focus on lifting of sanctions if Iran shows signs of compromise, in comments reported Sunday by the Itar-Tass news agency.

"Russia denies the efficiency of sanctions against Iran; it thinks that the sanctions are driving the problem into an impasse," he was quoted as saying. "Yet bearing in mind the adherence of Western partners to sanctions, I think they should think about the time when the sanctions may be suspended and lifted."

Amano deferred an Iranian invitation to visit Tehran last year, saying he would go only if he was assured of progress in the standoff over the IAEA probe. Pressed at the airport whether he expected to come back with a deal in his pocket, he repeated that "nothing is certain but ... I stay positive."

Quebec's student protest movement has gained some high-profile supporters in the fight against tuition fee increases as anger mounts and demonstrations continue against a new law aimed at curbing the three months of demonstrations.

Quebec's provincial government passed an emergency law Friday restricting protests, including a requirement that police be informed eight hours before and told the route of any demonstration that includes 50 or more people.

Demonstrations were held again Sunday, including a rowdy evening march, for the 27th night in a row.

Montreal indie rockers Arcade Fire wore the movement's iconic red squares during an appearance with Mick Jagger on Saturday Night Live. Student backers praised the move.

Activist and filmmaker Michael Moore also gave his support to the students, featuring links about the issue on his website.

Asian stock markets struggled for direction Monday, with investors unconvinced that the world's major economies nailed a solution to the European debt crisis following a summit in Washington.

Markets fell or posted muted gains worries about the economic future of Greece and whether it would exit the 17-country euro currency union kept traders on edge.

A weekend summit in Washington among leaders of the world's most powerful nations provided little in the way of encouragement for investors already nervous about slowing growth in China and fears that turmoil in Europe could hit key export industries.

Leaders of the G-8 countries issued a statement calling for both painful cutbacks and growth-promoting measures to deal with a crisis that threatens the global economy. But actual steps were left up to individual countries to take.

"Although G8 leaders made plenty of noises about combating the crisis and shifting focus towards growth, there was as usual little concrete news in terms of how they would do this," analysts at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong said in an email.

However, sharp sell-offs last week presented bargain-hunting opportunities. Japan's Nikkei 225 index came off four-month lows to rise 0.3 percent at 8.633.94.

Australia's S&P/ASX rose 0.2 percent to 4,055.90. But Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.2 percent at 18,919.3. Singapore and Indonesia also fell.

Benchmark oil for June delivery was up 41 cents to $91.89 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.08 to settle at $91.48 in New York on Friday.

In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.2797 from $1.2737 late Friday in New York. The dollar rose to 79.16 yen from 79.08 yen.

South Korea's top nuclear negotiator says a different path will open for North Korea if it refrains from provocations.

Lim Sung-nam spoke before meeting with U.S. and Japanese envoys Monday to discuss North Korea. The meeting comes weeks after its failed long-range rocket launch and amid worries Pyongyang is preparing for a third nuclear test.

Lim says the international community has sent North Korea a clear message that it should refrain from additional provocations.

World leaders attending the Group of Eight summit said Saturday the North could face more sanctions if it continues to threaten the stability of the region.

With his carefully tended hair, tight trousers and perfect harmonies, Robin Gibb, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry, defined the disco era. As part of the Bee Gees — short for the Brothers Gibb — they created dance floor classics like "Stayin Alive," ''Jive Talkin'," and "Night Fever" that can still get crowds onto a dance floor.

The catchy songs, with their falsetto vocals and relentless beat, are familiar pop culture mainstays. There are more than 6,000 cover versions of the Bee Gees hits, and they are still heard on dance floors and at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and other festive occasions.

Robin Gibb, 62, died Sunday "following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," his family announced in a statement released by Gibb's representative Doug Wright.

Gibb was the second disco-era star to die this week. Donna Summer — who earned the Queen of Disco title by singing "Last Dance" and "I Feel Love" — died of cancer in Florida on Thursday.

The Bee Gees, born in England but raised in Australia, began their career in the musically rich 1960s but it was their soundtrack for the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" that sealed their success. The album's signature sound — some called it "blue-eyed soul" — remains instantly recognizable more than 40 years after its release.

The album remains a turning point in popular music history, ending the hard rock era and ushering in a time when dance music ruled supreme. It became one of the fastest-selling albums of all time with its innovative fusion of harmony and pulsing beats. The movie launched the career of a young John Travolta whose snake-hipped moves to the sounds of "You Should Be Dancing" established his reputation as a dancer and forever linked his image to that of the Bee Gees.

Recording Academy president Neil Portnow predicted that fans will dance to "Stayin' Alive" and other songs Bee Gees songs for generations to come.

"Robin has had an indelible impact on music," he said.

Despite financial success, Robin Gibb and his brothers endured repeated tragedies. Maurice died suddenly of intestinal and cardiac problems in 2003. Their younger brother Andy Gibb, who also enjoyed considerable chart success as a solo artist, had died in 1988 just after turning 30. He suffered from an inflamed heart muscle attributed to a severe viral infection.

Robin Gibb himself took care of his health and, at the time of his death, was a vegan who did not drink alcohol.

Gibb was for decades a familiar figure on the pop stage, starting out in the 1960s when the Bee Gees were seen as talented Beatles copycats. They sounded so much like the Beatles at first that there were strong rumors that the Bee Gees' singles were really the Beatles performing under another name.

Many late-'60s bands were quickly forgotten, but the Bee Gees transformed themselves into an enduring A-List powerhouse with the almost unbelievable, and certainly unexpected, success of the song "Stayin' Alive" and others from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack that accompanied the movie.

With this second wind, the Bee Gees sold more than 200 million records and had a long string of successful singles, making their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Saturday Night Fever" — actually a compilation album featuring the Bee Gees but including songs by other performers — represented the pinnacle of Gibb's career, but he enjoyed more than 40 years of prominence as a Bee Gee, as a solo artist, and as a songwriter and producer for other artists.

The Bee Gees consisted of Barry Gibb, the eldest, and twins Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb. Their three-part harmonies became their musical signature, particularly in the disco phase, when Barry's matchless falsetto often dominated, and they were renowned for their wide-ranging songwriting and producing skills.

The Gibbs were born in England on the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea, but moved to Australia with their parents in 1958 when they were still quite young and began their musical career there. They had been born into a musical family, with a father who was a drummer and bandleader and a mother who liked to sing.

After several hits in Australia, their career started to really take off when they returned to England in 1967 and linked up with promoter Robert Stigwood.

After several hits and successful albums, Robin Gibb left the group in 1969 after a series of disagreements, some focusing on whether he or Barry should be lead vocalist. He released some successful solo material — most notably "Saved by the Bell" — before rejoining his brothers in 1970 and scoring a major hit with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart."

The Gibbs then suffered some slack years — searching for a style that could sustain them in the post-Beatles era — and Barry Gibb started experimenting with falsetto vocals, first on backup, and then in the lead position.

The brothers were at a low point when they went into a French studio to try to come up with some songs for the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack at the urging of Stigwood.

The success of those tunes — closely linked to the popularity of the movie, and the power of the disco movement — changed their lives forever, giving them a string of number one hits.

After several years of chart success, the Gibbs spent much of the 1980s writing songs and producing records for other artists, working closely with top talents such as Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Dolly Parton. They also continued touring and releasing their own records.

Gibb also released more solo albums, including "Secret Agent," during this period.

The band continued in the 1990s, gaining recognition for their body of work with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Then came Maurice's sudden death in 2003. The surviving brothers announced that the name Bee Gees would be retired with Maurice Gibb's death, although Robin and Barry did collaborate on projects and Robin Gibb continued his solo career and extensive touring despite mounting health problems.

He had to cancel several engagements in 2011, including one with British Prime Minister David Cameron, and he showed an alarming weight loss on his rare public appearances. He was hospitalized briefly in 2011 with what doctors said was an inflamed colon and had surgery for intestinal problems in March, 2012.

One of his final projects was "The Titanic Requiem," a classical work he co-wrote with his son RJ, that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra premiered in April to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Robin Gibb remained emotionally attached to the Isle of Man, keeping a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and Miami.

He also became involved with numerous charities and worked to establish a permanent memorial to the veterans of Britain's World War II Bomber Command and recorded songs honoring British veterans.

Gibb is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, as well as his older brother, fellow Bee Gee Barry Gibb, and his sister Lesley Evans, who lives in Australia.

With his carefully tended hair, tight trousers and perfect harmonies, Robin Gibb, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry, defined the disco era. As part of the Bee Gees — short for the Brothers Gibb — they created dance floor classics like "Stayin Alive," ''Jive Talkin'," and "Night Fever" that can still get crowds onto a dance floor.

The catchy songs, with their falsetto vocals and relentless beat, are familiar pop culture mainstays. There are more than 6,000 cover versions of the Bee Gees hits, and they are still heard on dance floors and at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and other festive occasions.

Robin Gibb, 62, died Sunday "following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," his family announced in a statement released by Gibb's representative Doug Wright.

Gibb was the second disco-era star to die this week. Donna Summer — who earned the Queen of Disco title by singing "Last Dance" and "I Feel Love" — died of cancer in Florida on Thursday.

The Bee Gees, born in England but raised in Australia, began their career in the musically rich 1960s but it was their soundtrack for the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" that sealed their success. The album's signature sound — some called it "blue-eyed soul" — remains instantly recognizable more than 40 years after its release.

The album remains a turning point in popular music history, ending the hard rock era and ushering in a time when dance music ruled supreme. It became one of the fastest-selling albums of all time with its innovative fusion of harmony and pulsing beats. The movie launched the career of a young John Travolta whose snake-hipped moves to the sounds of "You Should Be Dancing" established his reputation as a dancer and forever linked his image to that of the Bee Gees.

Recording Academy president Neil Portnow predicted that fans will dance to "Stayin' Alive" and other songs Bee Gees songs for generations to come.

"Robin has had an indelible impact on music," he said.

Despite financial success, Robin Gibb and his brothers endured repeated tragedies. Maurice died suddenly of intestinal and cardiac problems in 2003. Their younger brother Andy Gibb, who also enjoyed considerable chart success as a solo artist, had died in 1988 just after turning 30. He suffered from an inflamed heart muscle attributed to a severe viral infection.

Robin Gibb himself took care of his health and, at the time of his death, was a vegan who did not drink alcohol.

Gibb was for decades a familiar figure on the pop stage, starting out in the 1960s when the Bee Gees were seen as talented Beatles copycats. They sounded so much like the Beatles at first that there were strong rumors that the Bee Gees' singles were really the Beatles performing under another name.

Many late-'60s bands were quickly forgotten, but the Bee Gees transformed themselves into an enduring A-List powerhouse with the almost unbelievable, and certainly unexpected, success of the song "Stayin' Alive" and others from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack that accompanied the movie.

With this second wind, the Bee Gees sold more than 200 million records and had a long string of successful singles, making their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Saturday Night Fever" — actually a compilation album featuring the Bee Gees but including songs by other performers — represented the pinnacle of Gibb's career, but he enjoyed more than 40 years of prominence as a Bee Gee, as a solo artist, and as a songwriter and producer for other artists.

The Bee Gees consisted of Barry Gibb, the eldest, and twins Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb. Their three-part harmonies became their musical signature, particularly in the disco phase, when Barry's matchless falsetto often dominated, and they were renowned for their wide-ranging songwriting and producing skills.

The Gibbs were born in England on the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea, but moved to Australia with their parents in 1958 when they were still quite young and began their musical career there. They had been born into a musical family, with a father who was a drummer and bandleader and a mother who liked to sing.

After several hits in Australia, their career started to really take off when they returned to England in 1967 and linked up with promoter Robert Stigwood.

After several hits and successful albums, Robin Gibb left the group in 1969 after a series of disagreements, some focusing on whether he or Barry should be lead vocalist. He released some successful solo material — most notably "Saved by the Bell" — before rejoining his brothers in 1970 and scoring a major hit with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart."

The Gibbs then suffered some slack years — searching for a style that could sustain them in the post-Beatles era — and Barry Gibb started experimenting with falsetto vocals, first on backup, and then in the lead position.

The brothers were at a low point when they went into a French studio to try to come up with some songs for the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack at the urging of Stigwood.

The success of those tunes — closely linked to the popularity of the movie, and the power of the disco movement — changed their lives forever, giving them a string of number one hits.

After several years of chart success, the Gibbs spent much of the 1980s writing songs and producing records for other artists, working closely with top talents such as Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Dolly Parton. They also continued touring and releasing their own records.

Gibb also released more solo albums, including "Secret Agent," during this period.

The band continued in the 1990s, gaining recognition for their body of work with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Then came Maurice's sudden death in 2003. The surviving brothers announced that the name Bee Gees would be retired with Maurice Gibb's death, although Robin and Barry did collaborate on projects and Robin Gibb continued his solo career and extensive touring despite mounting health problems.

He had to cancel several engagements in 2011, including one with British Prime Minister David Cameron, and he showed an alarming weight loss on his rare public appearances. He was hospitalized briefly in 2011 with what doctors said was an inflamed colon and had surgery for intestinal problems in March, 2012.

One of his final projects was "The Titanic Requiem," a classical work he co-wrote with his son RJ, that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra premiered in April to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Robin Gibb remained emotionally attached to the Isle of Man, keeping a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and Miami.

He also became involved with numerous charities and worked to establish a permanent memorial to the veterans of Britain's World War II Bomber Command and recorded songs honoring British veterans.

Gibb is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, as well as his older brother, fellow Bee Gee Barry Gibb, and his sister Lesley Evans, who lives in Australia.

Even Colombians accustomed to treachery and deceit after more than a half-century of civil conflict and drug violence were stunned by the arrest of a one-time provincial lawmaker for allegedly helping plan the mass kidnapping of 11 colleagues later slain by leftist rebels.

Even more remarkable, the alleged traitor was among the kidnapped, and "miraculously" survived seven years later when the others were killed in murky circumstances.

"I can't get it in my head that this could actually have been possible," Interior Minister Federico Renjifo said after last week's arrest of Sigifredo Lopez. "I can only hold out the hope, as a human being, that this doesn't turn out to be true."

Plenty of Colombians, including relatives of the slain deputies, are perplexed by the arrest of Lopez on suspicion of murder, hostage-taking, perfidy and rebellion in connection with events that began on April 11, 2002, when guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia disguised as soldiers slipped into the state Assembly building in Cali, the Andean nation's No. 3 city, and rounded up the deputies, killing a police officer.

Prosecutors have not yet offered a possible motive for the ex-lawmaker's arrest, prompting speculation that the 49-year-old Lopez, released by the FARC in 2009, was somehow double-crossed by the rebels.

Did he truly endure a harsh jungle captivity? Could he be a rebel mole?

"Judas?" asks the cover of Colombia's top newsmagazine, Semana, wondering if Lopez can be likened to the biblical betrayer of Jesus Christ.

Prosecutors have based their case on a 40-minute video discovered in the digital data trove of Alfonso Cano, the FARC commander in chief slain by the military in November, said an official in the chief prosecutor's office who has seen it.

"In the video, a man is explaining to the guerrillas in detail the layout of the Valle (del Cauca) Legislature," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case file is not yet public.

The man calls police posted at a nearby station "the enemy" but he does not mention an armed raid on the legislature. His face is not visible. Only his voice is heard as he runs down the location of entrances and exits in the building, the official added. Until, that is, he drops a piece of paper and the silhouette of his face shows.

Investigators spent months analyzing the silhouette and matching the voice print to confirm their suspicion it was Lopez, the official said.

Lopez, who last year ran unsuccessfully for congress and for Cali mayor, had called his survival in the confusing deaths of the other 11 deputies "a miracle of God."

He said the FARC had separated him from the others when their guerrilla jailers, mistaking an approaching rebel unit for a military patrol, shot and killed them all. Standing orders in the FARC mandate that rebels should prevent prisoners from being rescued alive.

Lopez said he was nearby and saw nothing but heard the bursts of gunfire, only learning of the slaughter two weeks later from his rebel guards.

"It's a story that generates much suspicion," said the official in the prosecutor's office familiar with the case.

That part of the story is given credence, though, by a message later found in a slain rebel commander's laptop in which Cano says "a deputy survived who was being held in another place ... who didn't see anything, only heard it," Semana reported.

Another reason to suspect Lopez: He served as mayor in the 1990s of his hometown of Pradera, long a FARC sanctuary. In a country with a weak central state, local authorities have always been pressured to get along with whichever armed group happens to control their area.

"Contacts between the civilian population and the rebels are constant," said security analyst Alfredo Rangel of the Seguridad y Democracia foundation.

The official in the chief prosecutor's office said without offering details that several FARC deserters have also implicated Lopez in the 2002 kidnapping.

In a court hearing last week, Lopez denied he was the man in the video and declared himself innocent. His lawyer, Alfredo Montenegro, suggested that foreign experts, such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, compare the silhouette and voice print.

The prosecution has its doubters.

"If you apply logic to the case it's impossible that it could be true because no one is going to have themselves kidnapped so they can spent seven years (in captivity) and come out without teeth and not right in the head," said the Cali writer and radio commentator Gustavo Alvarez Gardeazabal.

The day of his release, Lopez's discourse was rambling and not always coherent when he met with reporters. He was the last of a series of politicians freed by the FARC, which announced three months ago that it was halting ransom kidnappings. It released 10 soldiers and police officers last month it described as its last "political prisoners."

The FARC holds a French journalist who was accompanying a military patrol attacked by insurgents on April 28 but has promised to free him soon.

The co-author of the book that Lopez published last year, Julio Cesar Londono, says the physical toll of Lopez's 82 months included the loss of teeth, severe gastritis, a hernia and heart trouble.

"He endures seven years in the jungle in the hands of that oldest, stupidest and cruelest rebels in the word, suffers all manner of ignominy, doesn't see his kids grow up," Londono wrote in a newspaper column. "His wife is the victim of con men peddling false hopes ... His mother suffers serious health setbacks due to the traumatic stress."

Lopez's wife, Patricia Nieto, has refused to discuss her husband's legal troubles. The couple has two sons, ages 21 and 23.

Relatives of slain deputies who spent considerable time with Nieto over the years were shocked by Lopez's arrest.

"I hope there has been some kind of confusion or some error," said Diego Quintero, who lost his brother, Alberto.

In the book about his ordeal titled "Sigifredo: The Triumph of Hope," Lopez says he had to acknowledge the "the masterful manner" in which the mass kidnapping was planned. And he laments the death of the police officer who had his throat cut during the rebel raid.

"Today, every time I see a soldier or a police officer, "I want to hug them and thank them for the good they do the country," he wrote.

___

Associated Press writer Frank Bajak contributed to this report.

With his carefully tended hair, tight trousers and perfect harmonies, Robin Gibb, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry, defined the disco era. As part of the Bee Gees — short for the Brothers Gibb — they created dance floor classics like "Stayin Alive," ''Jive Talkin'," and "Night Fever" that can still get crowds onto a dance floor.

The catchy songs, with their falsetto vocals and relentless beat, are familiar pop culture mainstays. There are more than 6,000 cover versions of the Bee Gees hits, and they are still heard on dance floors and at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and other festive occasions.

Robin Gibb, 62, died Sunday "following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery," his family announced in a statement released by Gibb's representative Doug Wright. "The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time," it said.

The Bee Gees, born in England but raised in Australia, began their career in the musically rich 1960s but it was their soundtrack for the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" that sealed their success. The album's signature sound — some called it "blue-eyed soul" — remains instantly recognizable more than 40 years after its release.

The album remains a turning point in popular music history, ending the hard rock era and ushering in a time when dance music ruled supreme. It became one of the fastest-selling albums of all time with its innovative fusion of harmony and pulsing beats. The movie launched the career of a young John Travolta whose snake-hipped moves to the sounds of "You Should Be Dancing" established his reputation as a dancer and forever linked his image to that of the Bee Gees.

Despite financial success, Robin Gibb and his brothers endured repeated tragedies. Maurice died suddenly of intestinal and cardiac problems in 2003. Their younger brother Andy Gibb, who also enjoyed considerable chart success as a solo artist, had died in 1988 just after turning 30. He suffered from an inflamed heart muscle attributed to a severe viral infection.

Robin Gibb himself took care of his health and, at the time of his death, was a vegan who did not drink alcohol.

Gibb was for decades a familiar figure on the pop stage, starting out in the 1960s when the Bee Gees were seen as talented Beatles copycats. They sounded so much like the Beatles at first that there were strong rumors that the Bee Gees' singles were really the Beatles performing under another name.

Many late-'60s bands were quickly forgotten, but the Bee Gees transformed themselves into an enduring A-List powerhouse with the almost unbelievable, and certainly unexpected, success of the song "Stayin' Alive" and others from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack that accompanied the movie.

With this second wind, the Bee Gees sold more than 200 million records and had a long string of successful singles, making their way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Saturday Night Fever" — actually a compilation album featuring the Bee Gees but including songs by other performers — represented the pinnacle of Gibb's career, but he enjoyed more than 40 years of prominence as a Bee Gee, as a solo artist, and as a songwriter and producer for other artists.

The Bee Gees consisted of Barry Gibb, the eldest, and twins Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb. Their three-part harmonies became their musical signature, particularly in the disco phase, when Barry's matchless falsetto often dominated, and they were renowned for their wide-ranging songwriting and producing skills.

The Gibbs were born in England on the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea, but moved to Australia with their parents in 1958 when they were still quite young and began their musical career there. They had been born into a musical family, with a father who was a drummer and bandleader and a mother who liked to sing.

After several hits in Australia, their career started to really take off when they returned to England in 1967 and linked up with promoter Robert Stigwood.

After several hits and successful albums, Robin Gibb left the group in 1969 after a series of disagreements, some focusing on whether he or Barry should be lead vocalist. He released some successful solo material — most notably "Saved by the Bell" — before rejoining his brothers in 1970 and scoring a major hit with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart."

The Gibbs then suffered some slack years — searching for a style that could sustain them in the post-Beatles era — and Barry Gibb started experimenting with falsetto vocals, first on backup, and then in the lead position.

The brothers were at a low point when they went into a French studio to try to come up with some songs for the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack at the urging of Stigwood.

The success of those tunes — closely linked to the popularity of the movie, and the power of the disco movement — changed their lives forever, giving them a string of number one hits.

After several years of chart success, the Gibbs spent much of the 1980s writing songs and producing records for other artists, working closely with top talents such as Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Dolly Parton. They also continued touring and releasing their own records.

Gibb also released more solo albums, including "Secret Agent," during this period.

The band continued in the 1990s, gaining recognition for their body of work with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Then came Maurice's sudden death in 2003. The surviving brothers announced that the name Bee Gees would be retired with Maurice Gibb's death, although Robin and Barry did collaborate on projects and Robin Gibb continued his solo career and extensive touring despite mounting health problems.

He had to cancel several engagements in 2011, including one with British Prime Minister David Cameron, and he showed an alarming weight loss on his rare public appearances. He was hospitalized briefly in 2011 with what doctors said was an inflamed colon and had surgery for intestinal problems in March, 2012.

One of his final projects was "The Titanic Requiem," a classical work he co-wrote with his son Robin-John, that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra premiered in April to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Robin Gibb remained emotionally attached to the Isle of Man, keeping a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire, England, and Miami.

He also became involved with numerous charities and worked to establish a permanent memorial to the veterans of Britain's World War II Bomber Command and recorded songs honoring British veterans.

Gibb is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, as well as his older brother, fellow Bee Gee Barry Gibb, and his sister Lesley Evans, who lives in Australia.

Robin Gibb, a founding member of the Bee Gees who helped propel the group to international stardom, has died. He was 62.

Gibb's representative Doug Wright announced in a statement that Gibb passed away Sunday "following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery."

Gibb was one of three brothers whose soaring falsetto harmonies helped power such hits as "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever."

The band was best known for the influential "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack album that became one of the fastest selling albums of all time. The 1977 soundtrack came to epitomize the flashy disco era.

Gibb enjoyed a long career as a Bee Gee and as a solo artist and also produced and wrote songs for many other performers.

He appeared gravely ill at his recent public appearances and had to cancel a string of meetings as his condition worsened.

Representative: Robin Gibb of Bee Gees dies at 62.

Representative: Robin Gibbs of Bee Gees dies at 62.