CNN 2009-04-06

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I'm Asieh Namdar at the CNN.com newsroom in Atlanta. Here's a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Despite international pressure, North Korea launched a rocket late last night. It says carried a satellite. But the North American Aerospace¹ Defense² Command says the payload crashed in the Pacific Ocean instead of going into orbit. US and other countries fear the launch could have been a missile carrying a warhead. UN Security Council meets today to discuss the launch. China and Russia have called for restraint and calm.

Ahead of the Security Council meeting, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is busy working to build an international consensus³ on condemning⁴ the North Korean rocket launch. Clinton spoke⁵ on the phone today with the foreign ministers of China, Japan and Russia this morning. All three countries in talks aimed at getting that North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.

President Obama is traveling through Europe on an 8-day-trip. He and first lady are now headed to Turkey. In Prague, Mr. Obama called North Korea's launch a provocative⁶ act and called for the elimination⁷ of nuclear weapons.

The US military says an American soldier has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of a contractor⁸ in Iraq. Pfc. Carl Stovall was arrested last month the day of the contractor’s death. The military has not released any other details about the incident. It didn't say the contractor was neither Iraqi nor American.

Police in Washington State say a father apparently⁹ shot and killed his five children and then took his own life. The children's bodies were found in the family’s mobile home near Takoma. The youngest, 7 years old. Police say after the father killed them, he drove to a nearby casino and shot himself. It’s not clear where the mother was at the time of the shootings.

And millions of Christians¹⁰ around the world have begun their Holy Week with Palm Sunday celebrations. Pope Benedict XVI held an open air mass at the Vatican. He called for an end to human trafficking which he says could increase during the global economic slowdown.

And those are the headlines this hour. For more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV, or when you're on the go.