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The Scene: Jackman turns into Wolverine

He is the international superstar responsible for breathing life into the iconic comic book hero Wolverine. Her movies have earned more than $2 billion worldwide, including the entire "X-Men" franchise. Actor Hugh Jackman and film producer Lauren Shuler Donner recently sat down for a candid conversation about their new film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Specifically, the pair talked about the scene in which Jackman’s character is transformed from a simple mutant with bony claws that periodically protrude from the back of his hands to an invincible mutant filled with an indestructible metal called adamantium.

In the Developing World, Swine Flu Elicits Shrugs, Not Panic

If the fast spread of swine flu suggests the world is small, the global response to the epidemic reminds us that in many ways it’s still light years apart. Swine flu has been making headlines in the Western world, but in places like India and Africa, where “pandemic” is just another part of the daily vocabulary, no one has so much as stifled a sneeze

Red Cross: Thousands still trapped in Sri Lanka

Thousands of civilians remain trapped and at risk in a small area of the conflict zone along the northeastern Sri Lankan coast, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday. The civilians include women, children, and elderly, and many are wounded and sick, the ICRC said in a statement.

Torture tape delays U.S.-UAE nuclear deal, say U.S. officials

A videotape of a heinous torture session is delaying the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, senior U.S. officials familiar with the case said

McLaren handed suspended three-race ban

World champion Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren team have escaped with a suspended three-race ban for "deliverately misleading" stewards at the Australian Grand Prix.

N. Korea seen as using bargaining chips

North Korea’s announcement last week that it has begun reprocessing nuclear fuel rods at the Yongbyon nuclear facility about 60 miles (nearly 100 kilometers) north of the capitol, Pyongyang, raises questions about the secretive nation’s agenda. CNN talked to two top North Korea experts to gain insights into what North Korea may be signaling, what it is realistically capable of accomplishing, and what the developments mean for its relations with the U.S

Pandemic equals economic pain

While the swine flu raises public-health alarms globally, the prognosis for the world economy is not good if the outbreaks mutate into a pandemic. If there’s a pandemic on the level of the 1918 “Spanish” flu, a 2008 World Bank analysis says, it would cost the world economy $3.1 trillion and drop the world’s gross domestic product by 4.8 percent in the first year of infection. A pandemic like the less severe 1957 “Asian” flu would reduce global GDP by 2 percent, The World Bank concluded, while a pandemic like the most recent 1968 “Hong Kong” flu would cut world economic output by just under 1 percent

U.S. airlines waive fees for passengers traveling to Mexico

Though the United States has not issued any travel warnings related to the swine flu outbreak in Mexico, major U.S. airlines are waiving fees for passengers who want to change their tickets to Mexico. Three marines were wounded in the operation conducted by Yemeni forces, according to the SABA news agency

Sri Lanka rejects Tamil Tigers cease-fire

Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposed cease-fire from the Tamil Tiger rebels Sunday, warning instead that government troops intended to continue a new offensive until the group surrenders, a senior government official said. “The government is firm that (the rebels) lay down their arms and surrender. We do not recognize this so-called offer,” said Lakshman Hulugalle, director of Sri Lanka’s Media Center for National Security.

Center-left claims victory in Iceland

Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir of the center-left Social Democratic Alliance has claimed victory in general elections triggered by the collapse of the Nordic nation’s economy. Sigurdardottir’s party, which has headed an interim government since February 1, was on course to win around 30 percent of the vote or 20 parliamentary seats, according to state broadcaster RUV. The Left-Green Movement, the Social Democratic Alliance’s coalition ally, was expected to win 14 seats, giving the coalition a controlling 34-seat block in the 63-member Icelandic parliament, the Althing