OMAHA, Nebraska (CNN) -- A 19-year-old gunman who police said killed eight people and then himself at a Nebraska mall left a suicide note predicting the shootings would make him famous, his landlord said.
Police have identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins, 19, of Nebraska.
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Five other people were injured, and two of them were in critical condition, hospital officials said.
The shootings inside the Von Maur department store at the popular Westroads Mall in Omaha sent panicked holiday shoppers fleeing for cover.
"It was just so loud, and then it was silence," said witness Jennifer Kramer, who hid behind a clothing rack. "I was scared to death he'd be walking around looking for someone else."
Police identified the gunman as Robert A. Hawkins of Nebraska.
Chief Thomas Warren of the Omaha Police Department called the shooting "premeditated," but said it "appears to be very random and without provocation."
Debora Maruca Kovac, Hawkins' landlord, said she found the suicide note after getting a phone call from Hawkins about 1 p.m., just minutes before the shootings. Watch landlord describe phone call from shooter »
"He basically said how sorry he was for everything," Maruca Kovac said of the note. "He didn't want to be a burden to people and that he was a piece of s--- all of his life and that now he'd be famous."
She said Hawkins was a friend of her sons and "reminded me of a lost puppy that nobody wanted." He came to live with her about a year and a half ago, telling her he could not stay with his own family because of "some issues with his stepmother."
She described Hawkins as well-behaved, although "he had a lot of emotional problems, obviously."
The shootings began about 1:42 p.m. (2:42 p.m. ET).
Seven people were found dead at the scene by officers who arrived six minutes later; two others, a male and a female, died after being transported to Creighton University Medical Center, said Fire Chief Robert Dahlquist.
A Creighton spokeswoman said a second female underwent surgery and was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.
Three other people were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
One, a 61-year-old man who sustained a chest wound after being shot in the armpit, had surgery and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit Wednesday night, said hospital spokeswoman Maggie O'Brien.
The other two -- a 34-year-old man who was shot in the arm, and a 55-year-old man who fell and struck a clothing rack as he was trying to escape -- were treated and released, she said.
Warren said Hawkins was armed with an SKS assault rifle. His body, and the weapon, were found on the store's third floor, he said.
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I-Report: Were you at the mall? Share your story
KETV: Worst mass slaying in Nebraska history
Maruca Kovac told CNN that Hawkins left the house Wednesday about 11 a.m., and called the house about two hours later, sounding upset.
"He just said he wanted to thank me for everything I'd done for him ... and he was sorry," Maruca Kovac said. He told her he had gotten fired from his job at a McDonald's restaurant, she said.
"I said, 'Come home and we'll talk about it,' " she recounted. "He said, 'It's too late.' He said he'd left a note explaining everything."
Kramer told CNN she heard at least 25 shots. Watch witnesses describe the ordeal »
"I looked at my mom and said, 'We need to get out of here. Those are gunshots,' " Kramer said. "I just grabbed my mom and we ran to the back of the men's department and hid in some pants racks."
"He just kept firing," he said. She said she called 911 on her cell phone, whispering into it out of fear of being heard. A dispatcher told her other calls had been received and help was on the way, but she said it seemed to take "a long time" for them to arrive.
She said as she was being escorted out by police, she saw a man lying injured by the escalator where she had been previously.
Mall employee Charissa Tatoon said a man by an escalator near her was heard saying he was calling 911. See a map of where the shooting took place »
"Immediately after that, the shooter shot down from the third floor and shot him on the second floor," she said.
"All of us were slightly confused because we didn't know what it was," Tatoon said. "Immediately after that, there was a series of maybe 20 to 25 more shots up on the third floor."
Warren, the police chief, said the victims included five females and three males, not including Hawkins. The shooting appeared to be contained in the Von Maur store, he said.
"We believe there was one shooter, and one shooter only," he said. Watch police talk about the shooting »
Maruca Kovac said she was unaware Hawkins had any guns, although he knew a lot about them, as did his stepfather.
"When he first came to live with us, he was in the fetal position and chewed his fingernails all the time," she said. But she said she thought he was improving, as he had gotten a job, a haircut and a girlfriend.
However, she said Hawkins and his girlfriend had broken up in the last couple of weeks, and he had taken it hard.
She said late Wednesday that authorities were searching her house for evidence.
"My kids are devastated," she said. "We're all in shock."
Hawkins' former school district released a photo of a youth with glasses and long black hair. A spokeswoman said he attended Papillion-La Vista High School until he withdrew in March 2006.
President Bush had visited Omaha Wednesday before the shooting.
"The president is deeply saddened by the shootings in Omaha," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "His thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."
The shooting was at least the fourth at a mall or shopping center so far this year, following incidents in Salt Lake City, Utah; Kansas City, Missouri; and Douglasville, Georgia. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Push for faster net 'premature'
The push for next-generation broadband could be premature, according to some senior industry figures.
Both regulator Ofcom and BT have expressed doubts about whether the time is ripe for rolling out what would be expensive fibre optic networks.
"We need significant evidence that such a network is required and I don't think it exists yet," said Peter Philips, Ofcom's head of strategy.
Network firms have also questioned if a faster net would make economic sense.
"The question is how to make money and I'm not sure the answer is good," said Justin Paul, a development manager at telecoms equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent.
Broadband speeds around the world
There is also uncertainty over whether people would be willing to pay more for faster broadband.
Super-fast broadband capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second) has worked their way up the political agenda in recent months.
Competitiveness minister Stephen Timms recently hosted a summit on the issue, while MPs recently held an eForum to debate the need for next-generation networks and regulator Ofcom has launched its own consultation.
Fibre networks capable of speeds of up to 100Mbps are already commonplace in Japan and South Korea and are starting to be rolled out in countries such as the US, France and Germany.
We are not facing large numbers of people today who are constrained by their bandwidth,
Peter McCarthy-Ward, BT
The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) kick-started the debate in the spring of this year with a major report looking at how and why Britain would need next-generation broadband network.
BSG chief executive Antony Walker said it was not yet time to panic.
"There is lots of competition and innovation in the broadband market and [it is not clear that] current bandwidth is a problem. We don't need to make any rash moves but the time is ripe for some collective thinking," he said.
You can shoot someone so much quicker at 50 megabits
Howard Watson, Virgin
Regulator Ofcom is also heavily involved in the debate and is aware that for any company to commit to a multi-billion pound investment in a new network it would require some assurances from the government that it would be able to recoup its money.
While acknowledging that a fibre network "could be one of the most fundamental changes to our communications infrastructure in decades," Peter Philips, head of strategy and market development at Ofcom, is not entirely convinced that it is ready to come out of the starting blocks just yet.
"We need significant evidence that such a network is required and I don't think it exists yet," he said.
"We have to ask ourselves what would be the disadvantage if your investment comes later than others. We would be able to learn from the experiences in other countries," he added.
Commercial incentive
Most industry watchers are aware that the obvious candidate for any network upgrade is the custodian of the current ADSL broadband network, BT.
What will deliver next-generation broadband?
BT is planning to up the speeds of ADSL, with a new technology offering speeds of up to 24Mbps and The roll-out of so-called ADSL2+ will begin early next year and by 2011 all of BT telephone exchanges will have been upgraded.
It is also considering the business case of rolling out VDSL - a technology that offer fibre as far as the street cabinets. This would offer speeds of up to 50Mbps.
As far as fibre to the home goes - the real gold standard in the network world - BT has only committed to offering this technology (which offers speeds of up to 100Mbps) on new housing estates, such as Ebsfleet in Kent which will eventually serve thousands of homes.
"No-one would be more delighted if a commercial incentive emerged that enabled us to fibre the nation," said Peter McCarthy-Ward, BT's director of equivalence.
But he is not yet sure the demand is there.
"We are not facing large numbers of people today who are constrained by their bandwidth," he said.
Will gaming be one of key drivers for increased bandwidth?
Any commitment to a fibre network would need to be backed by reassurances from Ofcom that it would be able to recoup its investment, he said.
It may sometimes seem like Britain's best kept secret, but there is already a next-generation network serving just over half the population.
Virgin has pledged to upgrade its cable network - which reaches 52% of the population - to 50Mbps speeds by the end of 2008.
Speaking at a recent broadband conference, Virgin Media's chief technology officer Howard Watson admitted that an upgrade of cable would not "be on the same scale as what BT would have to do, but neither is it a trivial amount of money",
But, he said, the investment was crucial to Virgin's strategy going forward.
"We are shifting our position to one driven by broadband and increasing speed," he said.
Triallists at the pilot sites in Ashford, Dover and Folkestone are very happy with the service especially the ability it gives them to do fast downloads and access high-definition TV content, said Mr Watson.
"And gamers love it. You can shoot someone so much quicker at 50 megabits," he said.
Both regulator Ofcom and BT have expressed doubts about whether the time is ripe for rolling out what would be expensive fibre optic networks.
"We need significant evidence that such a network is required and I don't think it exists yet," said Peter Philips, Ofcom's head of strategy.
Network firms have also questioned if a faster net would make economic sense.
"The question is how to make money and I'm not sure the answer is good," said Justin Paul, a development manager at telecoms equipment firm Alcatel-Lucent.
Broadband speeds around the world
There is also uncertainty over whether people would be willing to pay more for faster broadband.
Super-fast broadband capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps (megabits per second) has worked their way up the political agenda in recent months.
Competitiveness minister Stephen Timms recently hosted a summit on the issue, while MPs recently held an eForum to debate the need for next-generation networks and regulator Ofcom has launched its own consultation.
Fibre networks capable of speeds of up to 100Mbps are already commonplace in Japan and South Korea and are starting to be rolled out in countries such as the US, France and Germany.
We are not facing large numbers of people today who are constrained by their bandwidth,
Peter McCarthy-Ward, BT
The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) kick-started the debate in the spring of this year with a major report looking at how and why Britain would need next-generation broadband network.
BSG chief executive Antony Walker said it was not yet time to panic.
"There is lots of competition and innovation in the broadband market and [it is not clear that] current bandwidth is a problem. We don't need to make any rash moves but the time is ripe for some collective thinking," he said.
You can shoot someone so much quicker at 50 megabits
Howard Watson, Virgin
Regulator Ofcom is also heavily involved in the debate and is aware that for any company to commit to a multi-billion pound investment in a new network it would require some assurances from the government that it would be able to recoup its money.
While acknowledging that a fibre network "could be one of the most fundamental changes to our communications infrastructure in decades," Peter Philips, head of strategy and market development at Ofcom, is not entirely convinced that it is ready to come out of the starting blocks just yet.
"We need significant evidence that such a network is required and I don't think it exists yet," he said.
"We have to ask ourselves what would be the disadvantage if your investment comes later than others. We would be able to learn from the experiences in other countries," he added.
Commercial incentive
Most industry watchers are aware that the obvious candidate for any network upgrade is the custodian of the current ADSL broadband network, BT.
What will deliver next-generation broadband?
BT is planning to up the speeds of ADSL, with a new technology offering speeds of up to 24Mbps and The roll-out of so-called ADSL2+ will begin early next year and by 2011 all of BT telephone exchanges will have been upgraded.
It is also considering the business case of rolling out VDSL - a technology that offer fibre as far as the street cabinets. This would offer speeds of up to 50Mbps.
As far as fibre to the home goes - the real gold standard in the network world - BT has only committed to offering this technology (which offers speeds of up to 100Mbps) on new housing estates, such as Ebsfleet in Kent which will eventually serve thousands of homes.
"No-one would be more delighted if a commercial incentive emerged that enabled us to fibre the nation," said Peter McCarthy-Ward, BT's director of equivalence.
But he is not yet sure the demand is there.
"We are not facing large numbers of people today who are constrained by their bandwidth," he said.
Will gaming be one of key drivers for increased bandwidth?
Any commitment to a fibre network would need to be backed by reassurances from Ofcom that it would be able to recoup its investment, he said.
It may sometimes seem like Britain's best kept secret, but there is already a next-generation network serving just over half the population.
Virgin has pledged to upgrade its cable network - which reaches 52% of the population - to 50Mbps speeds by the end of 2008.
Speaking at a recent broadband conference, Virgin Media's chief technology officer Howard Watson admitted that an upgrade of cable would not "be on the same scale as what BT would have to do, but neither is it a trivial amount of money",
But, he said, the investment was crucial to Virgin's strategy going forward.
"We are shifting our position to one driven by broadband and increasing speed," he said.
Triallists at the pilot sites in Ashford, Dover and Folkestone are very happy with the service especially the ability it gives them to do fast downloads and access high-definition TV content, said Mr Watson.
"And gamers love it. You can shoot someone so much quicker at 50 megabits," he said.
Teddy row teacher to be released
Teacher Gillian Gibbons is to be released from prison in Sudan after she was jailed for allowing children in her class to name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Mrs Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was jailed for 15 days by a court in Sudan.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir pardoned her after a meeting with two British Muslim peers, Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "delighted and relieved" at the news and that "common sense had prevailed".
The BBC's Adam Mynott said Mrs Gibbons is expected to be released later on Monday.
The jailing of Mrs Gibbons has led to an international outcry and has embarrassed the government.
"The president has told us he has already signed the papers for her pardon," Lord Ahmed told the AP news agency.
Efforts applauded
Mr Brown said Mrs Gibbons would be released into the care of the British embassy in Khartoum.
"Through the course of Ms Gibbons' detention I was glad to see Muslim groups across the UK express strong support for her case.
Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed both travelled to Sudan
"I applaud the particular efforts of Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi in securing her freedom. I am also grateful to our officials for all their work behind the scenes."
President Omar al-Bashir has been under pressure from Sudanese hardliners to ensure Mrs Gibbons served her full sentence.
There had even been calls for a retrial and for the sentence to be increased.
Mrs Gibbons had been held in a secret location due to fears for her safety.
She was arrested after a member of staff at Unity High School complained to the Ministry of Education.
Crowds of protesters had marched in the capital Khartoum demanding a tougher sentence for her alleged crime of blasphemy. Some called for her to be executed by firing squad.
The British politicians had meetings with Sudanese government officials, including the foreign minister, over the weekend.
They had been due to return home on Monday, but announced they would stay for a third day, after indications that the weekend's "difficult" meetings had led to progress in the case.
Putin party secures huge victory
The United Russia party of President Vladimir Putin has secured more than 60% of the vote in Sunday's election, preliminary official results indicate.
Only two other pro-Kremlin parties and the opposition Communists appear to have got sufficient votes to pass the threshold needed for seats in the Duma.
United Russia said the result showed Russians supported Mr Putin's course.
The US has urged Moscow to investigate claims of voting irregularities by opposition leaders and the OSCE.
United Russia has admitted there were some irregularities on Sunday, but said they were not significant enough to affect the result.
Mr Putin has said a strong result would give him the authority to retain political power after his presidential term ends next year, possibly as prime minister.
'National leader'
With nearly 98% of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission announced on Monday morning that United Russia was leading with 64.1%, while the opposition Communists trailed with 11.6%.
Only two other parties - the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and A Fair Russia, which are allied to United Russia - are on track to clear the 7% threshold required to qualify for seats.
The vote affirmed the main idea - that Vladimir Putin is the national leader
Boris GryzlovLeader, United Russia
Food, music welcome voters
In pictures: Russia votes
Profile: Vladimir Putin
The result would mean pro-Kremlin parties would have the two-thirds majority in the Duma required to able to amend the constitution.
Yabloko, the standard-bearer of the liberal left in the country, was a distant sixth with only 1.6% of the vote.
The election commission said the turnout amongst Russia's 109m voters had been 63%, up from 56% in the last parliamentary election four years ago.
United Russia's leader, parliamentary speaker Boris Gryzlov, hailed the result as a signal from Russian voters that they wanted President Putin to retain influence and his policies to be maintained even after he leaves office in 2008.
RESULTS SO FAR
With 97.8% of vote counted
United Russia: 64.1%
Communist Party of Russia: 11.6%
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia: 8.2%
A Fair Russia (Mothers/Pensioners/Life): 7.8%
Source: Central Election Commission
"The vote affirmed the main idea - that Vladimir Putin is the national leader, that the people support his course, and this course will continue," he said after the results of exit polls were announced on Sunday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the result was "extremely important from the point of view of continuation... of the reforms started in the last eight years".
Mr Putin is constitutionally obliged to stand down after his second term as president ends in March next year.
Mr Peskov said Mr Putin planned to "transfer his presidency to another man" following the presidential election in March, while United Russia announced it would nominate its candidate for the post at a party congress on 17 December.
The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow says United Russia's landslide win on Sunday will enable Mr Putin to continue wielding great influence in politics - even if he is no longer in high office.
'Irresponsible and dirty'
However opponents have been crying foul.
The Communists and several smaller opposition parties have said they will mount a legal challenge in the Supreme Court .
The executive branch acted as though it practically elected the parliament
Kimmo KiljunenDeputy Head, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said the election had been the "most irresponsible and dirty" in the post-Soviet era and warned that the new parliament would be a "subsidiary of the Kremlin, a rubber-stamp factory".
The election also came under strong criticism from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"The executive branch acted as though it practically elected the parliament," the OSCE's Kimmo Kiljunen told the Moscow Echo radio station.
The OSCE abandoned its plans to send a big team of election observers, accusing Moscow of imposing curbs and delaying visas. Russia denied the claims.
The independent Russian monitoring group Golos said violations had amounted to "an organised campaign".
Turnout at the election is believed to have been very high
Spokeswoman Tatyana Bogdanova said observers had reported cases where state employees and students had been pressured to vote.
The White House urged Russian authorities to investigate the reports of fraud.
However, the chairman of the Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov, told Russian television he knew of "no serious violations in the course of polling day".
Mr Gryzlov also acknowledged there had been violations but dismissed them as insignificant.
The election also appears to have delivered a parliamentary seat to Andrei Lugovoi, the man the UK wants to put on trial for the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
He has denied the charge, but status as a member of parliament for the Liberal Democratic Party would bring with it immunity from prosecution in Russia.
Only two other pro-Kremlin parties and the opposition Communists appear to have got sufficient votes to pass the threshold needed for seats in the Duma.
United Russia said the result showed Russians supported Mr Putin's course.
The US has urged Moscow to investigate claims of voting irregularities by opposition leaders and the OSCE.
United Russia has admitted there were some irregularities on Sunday, but said they were not significant enough to affect the result.
Mr Putin has said a strong result would give him the authority to retain political power after his presidential term ends next year, possibly as prime minister.
'National leader'
With nearly 98% of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission announced on Monday morning that United Russia was leading with 64.1%, while the opposition Communists trailed with 11.6%.
Only two other parties - the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia and A Fair Russia, which are allied to United Russia - are on track to clear the 7% threshold required to qualify for seats.
The vote affirmed the main idea - that Vladimir Putin is the national leader
Boris GryzlovLeader, United Russia
Food, music welcome voters
In pictures: Russia votes
Profile: Vladimir Putin
The result would mean pro-Kremlin parties would have the two-thirds majority in the Duma required to able to amend the constitution.
Yabloko, the standard-bearer of the liberal left in the country, was a distant sixth with only 1.6% of the vote.
The election commission said the turnout amongst Russia's 109m voters had been 63%, up from 56% in the last parliamentary election four years ago.
United Russia's leader, parliamentary speaker Boris Gryzlov, hailed the result as a signal from Russian voters that they wanted President Putin to retain influence and his policies to be maintained even after he leaves office in 2008.
RESULTS SO FAR
With 97.8% of vote counted
United Russia: 64.1%
Communist Party of Russia: 11.6%
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia: 8.2%
A Fair Russia (Mothers/Pensioners/Life): 7.8%
Source: Central Election Commission
"The vote affirmed the main idea - that Vladimir Putin is the national leader, that the people support his course, and this course will continue," he said after the results of exit polls were announced on Sunday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the result was "extremely important from the point of view of continuation... of the reforms started in the last eight years".
Mr Putin is constitutionally obliged to stand down after his second term as president ends in March next year.
Mr Peskov said Mr Putin planned to "transfer his presidency to another man" following the presidential election in March, while United Russia announced it would nominate its candidate for the post at a party congress on 17 December.
The BBC's James Rodgers in Moscow says United Russia's landslide win on Sunday will enable Mr Putin to continue wielding great influence in politics - even if he is no longer in high office.
'Irresponsible and dirty'
However opponents have been crying foul.
The Communists and several smaller opposition parties have said they will mount a legal challenge in the Supreme Court .
The executive branch acted as though it practically elected the parliament
Kimmo KiljunenDeputy Head, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said the election had been the "most irresponsible and dirty" in the post-Soviet era and warned that the new parliament would be a "subsidiary of the Kremlin, a rubber-stamp factory".
The election also came under strong criticism from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"The executive branch acted as though it practically elected the parliament," the OSCE's Kimmo Kiljunen told the Moscow Echo radio station.
The OSCE abandoned its plans to send a big team of election observers, accusing Moscow of imposing curbs and delaying visas. Russia denied the claims.
The independent Russian monitoring group Golos said violations had amounted to "an organised campaign".
Turnout at the election is believed to have been very high
Spokeswoman Tatyana Bogdanova said observers had reported cases where state employees and students had been pressured to vote.
The White House urged Russian authorities to investigate the reports of fraud.
However, the chairman of the Central Election Commission, Vladimir Churov, told Russian television he knew of "no serious violations in the course of polling day".
Mr Gryzlov also acknowledged there had been violations but dismissed them as insignificant.
The election also appears to have delivered a parliamentary seat to Andrei Lugovoi, the man the UK wants to put on trial for the murder of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.
He has denied the charge, but status as a member of parliament for the Liberal Democratic Party would bring with it immunity from prosecution in Russia.
Chavez defeated over reform vote
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has narrowly lost a referendum on controversial constitutional changes.
Voters rejected the raft of reforms by a margin of 51% to 49%, the chief of the National Electoral Council said.
Mr Chavez described the defeat as a "photo finish", and urged followers not to turn it into a point of conflict.
Correspondents say the opposition could barely hide their delight and that the victory will put a brake on Mr Chavez's self-styled "Socialist revolution".
Celebrations by the opposition began almost immediately in the capital, Caracas, with activists cheering, beeping car horns and waving flags.
"Venezuela won today, democracy won today, and I am sure that this victory for the Venezuelan people will have a very important impact in the rest of Latin America," Leopoldo Lopez, opposition mayor of Caracas' Chaqua municipality, told the BBC.
'Don't feel sad'
The BBC's James Ingham in Caracas says Mr Chavez had expected a big win and will be very disappointed.
KEY PROPOSALS
Indefinite re-election of president, term increased from 6 to 7 years
Central Bank autonomy ended
Structure of country's administrative districts reorganised
Maximum working day cut from 8 hours to 6
Voting age lowered from 18 to 16
Social security benefits extended to workers in informal sector
Reaction in quotes
Q&A: Venezuela's referendum
However, he swiftly conceded and urged the opposition to show restraint.
"To those who voted against my proposal, I thank them and congratulate them," he said. "I ask all of you to go home, know how to handle your victory."
He insisted that he would "continue in the battle to build socialism".
"Don't feel sad," he told his supporters, saying there were "microscopic differences" between the "yes" and "no" options.
He said the reforms had failed "for now" but they were "still alive".
Our correspondent says that some of Mr Chavez' loyal supporters have gone against him on this occasion.
Though some of them may still support him, he says, they think he has gone a little too far in a country which has a history of dictatorships.
'Too much power'
The result marks the president's first electoral reverse since he won power in an election in 1998.
Since then he has set about introducing sweeping changes in the country's laws aimed at redistributing Venezuela's oil wealth to poorer farmers in rural areas.
Just a year ago, he was re-elected with 63% of the vote.
But analysts say the defeat should cause him to rethink the pace and scope of his reforms.
With his constitutional reform proposals, Mr Chavez was seeking an end to presidential term limits and the removal of the Central Bank's autonomy. Having lost the vote, the current rules state that he will have to stand down in 2013.
The main opposition parties had claimed during the referendum campaign that Mr Chavez was seeking to give himself too much power, and was trying to establish a dictatorship.
Mr Chavez said the package of reforms was necessary to "construct a new socialist economy".
Voters rejected the raft of reforms by a margin of 51% to 49%, the chief of the National Electoral Council said.
Mr Chavez described the defeat as a "photo finish", and urged followers not to turn it into a point of conflict.
Correspondents say the opposition could barely hide their delight and that the victory will put a brake on Mr Chavez's self-styled "Socialist revolution".
Celebrations by the opposition began almost immediately in the capital, Caracas, with activists cheering, beeping car horns and waving flags.
"Venezuela won today, democracy won today, and I am sure that this victory for the Venezuelan people will have a very important impact in the rest of Latin America," Leopoldo Lopez, opposition mayor of Caracas' Chaqua municipality, told the BBC.
'Don't feel sad'
The BBC's James Ingham in Caracas says Mr Chavez had expected a big win and will be very disappointed.
KEY PROPOSALS
Indefinite re-election of president, term increased from 6 to 7 years
Central Bank autonomy ended
Structure of country's administrative districts reorganised
Maximum working day cut from 8 hours to 6
Voting age lowered from 18 to 16
Social security benefits extended to workers in informal sector
Reaction in quotes
Q&A: Venezuela's referendum
However, he swiftly conceded and urged the opposition to show restraint.
"To those who voted against my proposal, I thank them and congratulate them," he said. "I ask all of you to go home, know how to handle your victory."
He insisted that he would "continue in the battle to build socialism".
"Don't feel sad," he told his supporters, saying there were "microscopic differences" between the "yes" and "no" options.
He said the reforms had failed "for now" but they were "still alive".
Our correspondent says that some of Mr Chavez' loyal supporters have gone against him on this occasion.
Though some of them may still support him, he says, they think he has gone a little too far in a country which has a history of dictatorships.
'Too much power'
The result marks the president's first electoral reverse since he won power in an election in 1998.
Since then he has set about introducing sweeping changes in the country's laws aimed at redistributing Venezuela's oil wealth to poorer farmers in rural areas.
Just a year ago, he was re-elected with 63% of the vote.
But analysts say the defeat should cause him to rethink the pace and scope of his reforms.
With his constitutional reform proposals, Mr Chavez was seeking an end to presidential term limits and the removal of the Central Bank's autonomy. Having lost the vote, the current rules state that he will have to stand down in 2013.
The main opposition parties had claimed during the referendum campaign that Mr Chavez was seeking to give himself too much power, and was trying to establish a dictatorship.
Mr Chavez said the package of reforms was necessary to "construct a new socialist economy".
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Protests force Facebook to change
Facebook members have forced the social networking site to change the way a controversial ad system worked.
More than 50,000 Facebook users signed a petition calling on the company to alter or abandon its Beacon advertising technology.
When Facebook users shopped online, Beacon told friends and businesses what they looked at or bought.
Many considered the data sharing to be an intrusion that exposed them to more scrutiny than was comfortable.
Privacy please
In response to the demands, Facebook's 55 million members will have more control over whether data about what they do online is used for Beacon.
Before the changes, Beacon was an "opt out" system and many complained that they missed the chance to avoid using it when it was introduced in early November.
Now Beacon will be an "opt in" system that only tracks data if explicit permission is granted to Facebook to do so.
More than 40 websites, including Fandango.com, Overstock.com and Blockbuster, signed up to use Beacon software on their webpages and report what Facebook users did when they visited.
Beacon embarrassed many doing Christmas shopping onlineActivist site MoveOn was at the forefront of protests against Beacon and set up the petition to gather signatures on 20 November.
"It also says a lot about the ability of internet users to band together to make a difference," said Adam Green, a spokesman for MoveOn.
Facebook apologised for its actions via a letter on its website.
"We're sorry if we spoiled some of your holiday gift-giving plans," read the letter. "We are really trying to provide you with new meaningful ways, like Beacon, to help you connect and share information with your friends."
Industry commentator Om Malik said Facebook users had to be certain to opt out completely from Beacon otherwise Facebook would still collect data from partner sites - even if that data was not shared more widely.
The changes to Beacon may not be the last that Facebook has to make to the technology.
Two rights groups, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy, are believed to be compiling a complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission about it.
More than 50,000 Facebook users signed a petition calling on the company to alter or abandon its Beacon advertising technology.
When Facebook users shopped online, Beacon told friends and businesses what they looked at or bought.
Many considered the data sharing to be an intrusion that exposed them to more scrutiny than was comfortable.
Privacy please
In response to the demands, Facebook's 55 million members will have more control over whether data about what they do online is used for Beacon.
Before the changes, Beacon was an "opt out" system and many complained that they missed the chance to avoid using it when it was introduced in early November.
Now Beacon will be an "opt in" system that only tracks data if explicit permission is granted to Facebook to do so.
More than 40 websites, including Fandango.com, Overstock.com and Blockbuster, signed up to use Beacon software on their webpages and report what Facebook users did when they visited.
Beacon embarrassed many doing Christmas shopping onlineActivist site MoveOn was at the forefront of protests against Beacon and set up the petition to gather signatures on 20 November.
"It also says a lot about the ability of internet users to band together to make a difference," said Adam Green, a spokesman for MoveOn.
Facebook apologised for its actions via a letter on its website.
"We're sorry if we spoiled some of your holiday gift-giving plans," read the letter. "We are really trying to provide you with new meaningful ways, like Beacon, to help you connect and share information with your friends."
Industry commentator Om Malik said Facebook users had to be certain to opt out completely from Beacon otherwise Facebook would still collect data from partner sites - even if that data was not shared more widely.
The changes to Beacon may not be the last that Facebook has to make to the technology.
Two rights groups, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy, are believed to be compiling a complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission about it.
Voting starts in Russian election
Polling stations have opened in the Russian capital, Moscow, as the country votes in general elections over 22 hours across 11 time zones.
Eleven parties are competing for places in the lower house, the Duma - though it is not clear how many will secure the 7% needed to qualify for seats.
President Vladimir Putin's party is predicted to win, boosting his bid to retain power after leaving the Kremlin.
Opposition parties have accused the government of stifling their campaigns.
Independent monitors say their attempts to observe the poll have been hampered.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has abandoned its plans to send a big team of election observers to Russia after accusing the Russian government of imposing unacceptable restrictions and of deliberately delaying the issuing of visas. Russia has denied the claims.
Only a much smaller group of MPs from the OSCE's parliamentary assembly will be in attendance.
MAIN RIVAL PARTIES
United Russia
Communist Party of Russia
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
A Fair Russia (Mothers/Pensioners/Life)
Yabloko
Union of Right Forces
Q&A: Russian election
That means just 330 foreign monitors will cover 95,000 polling stations.
The British ambassador in Moscow, Tony Brenton, told the BBC it appeared there had been what he called imbalances and misuses of the administration in this election.
The largest party in the Duma going into the elections is United Russia, and it will be hoping to maintain its dominance against the challenge from the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Yabloko party and others.
Mr Putin is at the top of the United Russia party list - opening the possibility that he could keep a grip on power from parliament even after stepping down as president next year.
Within Russia the media is banned from referring to parties, politicians, policies or opinion polls for the duration of the election.
Eastern start
Voting began at 0800 on Sunday (2000 GMT, Saturday) in Russia's easterly region of Kamchatka, about 6,000km (3,700 miles) east of Moscow.
Sailors in Vladivostok were among the first to vote
Voting is not set to end until 22 hours later, when polls are due to close in the enclave of Kaliningrad, on the Baltic Sea, 11 time zones to the west.
The BBC's Richard Galpin, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, says that in the far east of the country the turnout already seems high, with almost 40% of voters casting their ballots by early afternoon.
In Krasnoyarsk, our correspondent says, the elderly led the way - no doubt keen to take advantage of an offer of a free medical check up and advice on pensions and benefits.
Sailors in the port of Vladivostok waited at a polling station to cast their votes on Sunday morning.
"I'll vote for United Russia," Vladimir Babikov, 19, told the AFP news agency.
"They've done a good job, everything is getting better."
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Alexei Gutkin, a 42-year-old engineer, voted for the centre-right Union of Right Forces.
"United Russia is like a return to the Communist Party," he said. "I remember that time well."
'Farce'
The run-up to the vote has been marred by increasing allegations that the poll could be rigged.
In pictures: Siberia votes
Correspondents say more and more ordinary people have been speaking out in interviews with the mainstream media and on internet blogs about how they have been pressured to vote for United Russia.
Opposition rallies have been broken up, parties have complained that their headquarters have been raided, and that state media has been a mouthpiece for the government.
The former chess grandmaster and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov has dismissed the elections as a "farce". His political grouping is one of several to be barred from contesting the poll.
More than 100 million voters are eligible to cast ballots at 95,000 polling stations across the country, with about 450,000 police officers reportedly on duty to ensure order.
Eleven parties are competing for places in the lower house, the Duma - though it is not clear how many will secure the 7% needed to qualify for seats.
President Vladimir Putin's party is predicted to win, boosting his bid to retain power after leaving the Kremlin.
Opposition parties have accused the government of stifling their campaigns.
Independent monitors say their attempts to observe the poll have been hampered.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has abandoned its plans to send a big team of election observers to Russia after accusing the Russian government of imposing unacceptable restrictions and of deliberately delaying the issuing of visas. Russia has denied the claims.
Only a much smaller group of MPs from the OSCE's parliamentary assembly will be in attendance.
MAIN RIVAL PARTIES
United Russia
Communist Party of Russia
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
A Fair Russia (Mothers/Pensioners/Life)
Yabloko
Union of Right Forces
Q&A: Russian election
That means just 330 foreign monitors will cover 95,000 polling stations.
The British ambassador in Moscow, Tony Brenton, told the BBC it appeared there had been what he called imbalances and misuses of the administration in this election.
The largest party in the Duma going into the elections is United Russia, and it will be hoping to maintain its dominance against the challenge from the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Yabloko party and others.
Mr Putin is at the top of the United Russia party list - opening the possibility that he could keep a grip on power from parliament even after stepping down as president next year.
Within Russia the media is banned from referring to parties, politicians, policies or opinion polls for the duration of the election.
Eastern start
Voting began at 0800 on Sunday (2000 GMT, Saturday) in Russia's easterly region of Kamchatka, about 6,000km (3,700 miles) east of Moscow.
Sailors in Vladivostok were among the first to vote
Voting is not set to end until 22 hours later, when polls are due to close in the enclave of Kaliningrad, on the Baltic Sea, 11 time zones to the west.
The BBC's Richard Galpin, in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, says that in the far east of the country the turnout already seems high, with almost 40% of voters casting their ballots by early afternoon.
In Krasnoyarsk, our correspondent says, the elderly led the way - no doubt keen to take advantage of an offer of a free medical check up and advice on pensions and benefits.
Sailors in the port of Vladivostok waited at a polling station to cast their votes on Sunday morning.
"I'll vote for United Russia," Vladimir Babikov, 19, told the AFP news agency.
"They've done a good job, everything is getting better."
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Alexei Gutkin, a 42-year-old engineer, voted for the centre-right Union of Right Forces.
"United Russia is like a return to the Communist Party," he said. "I remember that time well."
'Farce'
The run-up to the vote has been marred by increasing allegations that the poll could be rigged.
In pictures: Siberia votes
Correspondents say more and more ordinary people have been speaking out in interviews with the mainstream media and on internet blogs about how they have been pressured to vote for United Russia.
Opposition rallies have been broken up, parties have complained that their headquarters have been raided, and that state media has been a mouthpiece for the government.
The former chess grandmaster and Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov has dismissed the elections as a "farce". His political grouping is one of several to be barred from contesting the poll.
More than 100 million voters are eligible to cast ballots at 95,000 polling stations across the country, with about 450,000 police officers reportedly on duty to ensure order.
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