Nine dead in Italian train accident

A derailled train in Italy has killed nine people this morning, according to Italy's Civil Protection office. CNN reports at least 20 more are injured, five being serious.

The train was traveling on the Val Venosta line, one of the newest railways opened in 2005, when it was derailed by a landslide, say authorities. More than 200 rescures are on the scene

Head of the transport department for the local government Thomas Widmann says the landslide was probably caused by a broken irrigation pipe. The mud entered the train and suffocated the passengers, Widmann says.

The train stopped after hitting two trees, says a local journalist. One of the carriages was left overlooking the Adige River.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/12/italy.train.derailment/index.html?hpt=T1

Tea Party Protests

The Tea Party members in Syracuse say they do not want to become a distinct political party, nor do they want to endorse a canidate, but they do want to have a say in politics, the Post-Standard reports. 

“We are not a political party," says coordinator of a local Tea Party group Joanne Wilder. "We are a group of concerned citizens that want representatives to represent us, not their pocketbooks.”

Wilder and her group will be supported by the Tea Party Express, a bus tour that is planned to stop in 43 cities around the country and stops in Syracuse today. The rallies are meant to tell politicians they have had enough. The movement demands lower taxes a more limited government and a return to upholding the Constitution.

Wilder expects 500-1000 people at the rallies. Protesting will start at 4 p.m. today in Clinton Square.

Actress Dixie Carter dies at age 70.

Best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on the TV show "Designing Women," and her recent guest appearance on "Desperate Housewives," Dixie Carter, 70, died according to CNN. 

Carter died  from cancer says her her publicist, Steve Rohr.

Carter was known to have many roles characterizing Southern women. She was nominated for an emmy in her gues role in "Desperate Housewives,"  in 2007.

"This has been a terrible blow to our family," says husband, actor Hal Holbrook. Holbrook asked the media to honor the families wishes and keep the tragedy within the family.

Carter was born in 1939 in McLemoresville, Tennessee. Carter has appeared on television series including "Family Law" and "Diff'rent Strokes."