35-year-old man jailed for causing death of motorcyclist

SINGAPORE: A man who caused the death of a motorcyclist, and cajoled his friend into lying for him to escape punishment, was sentenced to 30 months' jail on Thursday.

35-year-old Sivabalan Suppiah, who is self-employed, was also disqualified from driving for 12 years.

Suppiah was found guilty of one count of causing the death of 51-year-old Jalal Abdul Rahman by driving dangerously, and another count of internationally perverting the course of justice.

In sentencing, a district judge berated Suppiah for "preying on the concern and kindness of his friends" and called his conduct "abhorrent and repugnant."

On March 7, 2010, Suppiah was traveling at a speed of 91 kilometres per hour (km/h) along Upper Aljunied Road towards Upper Serangoon Road.

This exceeded the 50 km/hour limit for the road he was on.

Suppiah lost control of his car when he was negotiating a left bend and swerved into the opposite traffic lane.

He then collided with the victim's motorcycle, causing the victim to be flung to the side of the road.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Suppiah sustained injures and was warded for two days at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

It was then Suppiah tried coercing his friends to be false witnesses when they visited him in hospital.

Suppiah painted a false picture of how the accident happened and persuaded his friend Bryan Tiven Feroz Sandirasegaran to go along with it.

The ruse involved Bryan lying to the police that he had witnessed the victim's motorcycle entering Suppiah's lane instead.

Although Bryan eventually agreed to the ruse, the plan was discovered by authorities later.

In mitigation, the court heard that Suppiah was remorseful and suffers from a major depressive disorder.

However, this cut no ice with the judge who said Suppiah showed "absolutely no remorse and no regard for the deceased's family by shifting all the blame to the deceased."

The judge said Suppiah's post-accident conduct is "clearly deplorable", and added that he had "absolutely no qualms about getting his friends into trouble for selfish reasons."

- CNA/lp

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Japan scrambles fighter jets over disputed islands

By Yoko Wakatsuki and Alex Zolbert, CNN

updated 3:28 AM EST, Thu December 13, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A Japanese Coast Guard vessel spots the Chinese plane near the islands


• Japan says it sent four F-15 jets and another aircraft to the area


• This is the first time the island dispute has involved aircraft

Tokyo (CNN) -- Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese plane was seen Thursday near small islands in the East China Sea that are claimed by both countries.

This is the first time the dispute over the islands, which Japan calls Senkaku and China refers to as Diaoyu, has involved aircraft.

Chinese government ships have repeatedly entered the waters around the remote, rocky islands since the Japanese government announced in September it was buying several of the islands from private owners.

Japanese Coast Guard vessels have engaged in games of cat and mouse with the Chinese ships, with both sides broadcasting messages to one another insisting they have territorial sovereignty over the area.

On Thursday morning, a Japanese Coast Guard patrol vessel spotted the Chinese government plane in airspace around the islands, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said.

Japanese Self Defense Force sent four F-15 jets and another aircraft to the area, Fujimura said, describing the Chinese plane's entry into the area as "extremely regrettable." Japan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government through diplomatic channels, he said.

The Japanese government's acquisition of the islands in September also set off several days of violent anti-Japanese protests across China and soured economic ties between the two Asian nations.

There was no immediate reaction from China about the incident.

Part of complete coverage on

Asia's disputed islands

Although claims of occupation and administration stretch back centuries, all of the disputes exist, to some extent, as legacies of imperial Japan's expansion through East Asia.

CNN looks at the main flashpoints as tension simmers between rival countries over a series of scattered and relatively barren islands.

updated 3:54 AM EST, Thu November 15, 2012

China uses perceived provocations as a chance to change the status-quo in its favor, writes Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt.

updated 10:33 AM EST, Wed November 28, 2012

Southeast Asia's top diplomat has warned that the South China Sea disputes risk becoming "Asia's Palestine"-- a violent conflict that destabilises the whole region.

updated 6:45 AM EDT, Thu September 20, 2012

The temptation of patriotic blustering is hard for either side to resist, but both countries have a lot to lose, writes Jeffrey Kingston.

updated 4:41 AM EDT, Tue September 18, 2012

The current wave of anti-Japanese protests sweeping China can be traced back to April and the firebrand governor of Tokyo.

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In cautionary move, Europe centralizes bank oversight

BRUSSELSEuropean Union finance ministers reached an agreement early Thursday to create a single supervisor for their banks - one of the most significant transfers of authority from national governments to regional authorities since the creation of the euro currency.

Under the deal, banks with more than $39 billion in assets supervised or those that represent a significant proportion of their national economies will be placed under the oversight of the European Central Bank.

The deal gives the ECB broad powers, including the ability to grant and withdraw banking licenses, investigate institutions, and financially sanction banks that don't follow the rules.

But perhaps most important is that it paves the way for Europe's rescue fund to directly rescue the continent's troubled banks.

"It's real progress that opens up interesting possibilities," said French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, without giving a specific date for when the first banks could seek direct aid.

That step is crucial because weak banks remain at the core of Europe's financial problems. Many are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy after the investments they made up in boom times plummeted in value. Some governments have stepped in to save their banks, only to worsen their own finances in the process.

European leaders want to shield troubled governments from the burden of supporting their banks. That would be a huge relief to countries like Spain, which are facing the prospect of taking on enormous debts - and worrying markets - in order to bail out their banks.

The magnitude of the deal was reflected in the in size of the fight: Concerns ranged from which banks would be covered to how the ECB would manage to insulate its monetary responsibilities from the new powers to how the deal would affect EU countries that chose not to submit their banks to the ECB's oversight.

This last point was a major contention: Countries that don't use the euro worried their voices in the body that creates banking regulation - the European Banking Authority - would be drowned out by the new euro-machine, particularly since countries with other currencies can opt into the supervision.

The EBA sets all of the rules that govern EU banking, and Britain, in particular - a non-euro country with Europe's largest banking sector - was nervous that the new supervision would mean all the banks under the ECB would vote together at the EBA, effectively steamrolling everyone else.

Ministers reached a compromise that ensures that measures can't pass in the EBA without at least some support from countries outside of the ECB's supervision.

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N. Korean Missile Hits Target of Alarming the World

North Korea's successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile hit its target: it bolstered the standing of its young tyrant Kim Jong Un and raised the specter of being able to eventually strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon.

The pride in the success of the launch -- after several failures -- is a huge boost for Kim Jong Un, 29, who took power one year ago. He has been trying to cement his authority and win the hearts of the people with soft social and economic reforms, like allowing women to wear pants or more small businesses to operate based on profit.

But the rocket launch was on a different scale. A North Korean female announcer in a pink and dark grey national costume excitedly read an announcement of the missile's success and national TV aired interviews with people jumping and cheering on the news.

There had been reservations within and outside of North Korea when Kim Jong Un took power after his father's death on Dec. 17 last year as to whether the young Kim could lead a nuclear state. Looking determined at his first official appearance earlier this year, he had pledged to fulfill the legacy of his father Kim Jong Il to become a "self-sufficient strong nation" with space rocket technology.

The missile is believed to have a range of 6,212 miles, enough distance to reach the west coast of the United States. Its existence, along with a small North Korean nuclear arsenal, is an alarming possibility for many.

PHOTOS: An Inside Look At North Korea

North Korea, however, says it was simply putting a satellite in orbit.

"Picking on our launch (and not others) accusing that ours is a long-range missile and a provocative act causing instability comes from seeing us from a hostile point of view," said North Korea's foreign ministry in an official statement. "We do not want this to be overblown into something that none of us intended to be and hope all related nations act with reason and calmness."

But North Korean denials carry little credibility.

This evidence that North Korea has mastered the long-range missile technology does not mean there will be an imminent nuclear threat.

"They haven't figured out how to weaponize a nuclear (bomb) that will fit in a missile, nor do they have accurate guidance at long ranges," said Stephen Ganyard, ABC News consultant and former deputy assistant secretary of state.

Another crucial technology North Korea is yet to achieve is a proper heat shielding required to protect the warhead while re-entering the earth's atmosphere.

"This is a big leap for Pyongyang. They have been a threat with potential capability. But now a new era begins as a threat with possible capability," said Hwee-Rhak Park, professor of political leadership at Kookmin University in Seoul.

There was obvious alarm, however, as the international community condemned the launch, as North Korea is banned from developing nuclear and missile-related technology under U.N. resolutions.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak convened an emergency national security meeting. Japan's envoy to the United Nations called for consultations on the launch within the U.N. Security Council. Russian Foreign Ministry said it "has caused us deep regret," and even China "expressed regret," a significant notch up in condemnation from previous statements on North Korea, its traditional ally.

That international attention, analysts in Seoul say, is exactly what North Korea wanted.

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Boxing: Philippines' Pacquiao promises to 'rise again'

MANILA: Philippines boxing icon Manny Pacquiao vowed to "rise again" as he flew home Wednesday after a brutal knockout defeat that prompted some fans and experts to urge him to retire.

"Don't worry, we will rise again," he told well-wishers as arrived in Manila from the United States, where he suffered his second consecutive loss with a sixth-round knockout by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday.

Pacquiao, who has 54 wins, five defeats and two draws in nearly 18 years in the pro ring, lost his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown in June on a controversial points decision to unbeaten US fighter Timothy Bradley.

But retirement appears far from the mind of Pacquiao, who turns 34 on Monday and was once regarded as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.

"I watched a replay of my fight and I am satisfied with my movement," said Pacquiao.

"I was fighting very well from the first to the sixth round. I was moving well. It was just that I got hit with a lucky punch on the last second of the round."

Pacquiao, who on Wednesday also announced he was donating US$244,000 to the victims of a typhoon which devastated the Philippines' south last week, said he had been looking to finish off Marquez by the eighth round.

"The way the fight was going, there was no way it would have reached the 12th round," he said.

He cited how he had broken the Mexican's nose, leaving him with breathing difficulties that Pacquiao claimed had forced his foe to remove his mouthpiece at one point.

But Pacquiao acknowledged: "He owned that night. Let's give him due credit."

Former world champion Ricky Hatton, who was knocked out by Pacquiao in May 2009, has added his voice to calls for the Filipino to hang up his gloves.

"The only advice I could give Manny Pacquiao is that his legacy is already secured," said the Briton, a former world light-welterweight and welterweight champion who retired for a second time last month.

"The thing is with us fighters is that there is always one more fight," the 34-year-old told AFP during a visit to Hong Kong.

"What's he (Pacquiao) going to achieve by having one more fight? Probably nothing. He's an eight-weight world champion. There's nothing more to be said."

Hatton, who was knocked out in a failed return to the ring in November, in what he says was his last fight, said of his Filipino rival: "You'd like to see him go into retirement and spend some time with his family and be happy.

"He can't do any more from a boxing point of view."

- AFP/jc

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Sudan: Israeli 'spy vulture' nabbed

By Nick Thompson and Nima Elbagir, CNN

updated 2:13 PM EST, Tue December 11, 2012

Sudan: Israel using 'spy vultures'

Sudan: Israel using 'spy vultures'

Sudan: Israel using 'spy vultures'

Sudan: Israel using 'spy vultures'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sudan: Israeli vulture with GPS-equipped camera caught by officials in western Sudan


• Israeli scientists say a number of vultures tagged with GPS to study migration routes


• Expert: GPS tracking of this sort used in hundreds of studies around the world


• Griffon vultures are an endangered species in the Middle East, Hatzofe says

(CNN) -- A vulture captured by Sudanese authorities is actually an Israeli spy on a secret reconnaissance mission, a pro-government newspaper in the east African nation has claimed.

Government sources say the vulture, found in western Sudan, was tagged with a GPS-equipped camera to take and send pictures back to Israel, according to a December 8 story in the Alintibaha newspaper.

The bird also wore an ankle label reading "Hebrew University Jerusalem," "Israel Nature Service" and the contact details of an Israeli avian ecologist.

The ecologist, Ohad Hatzofe of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, has rejected the Sudanese government claims -- saying the vulture, which can fly up to 600 kilometers in a single day, was tagged with GPS equipment to study its migration pattern.

"The Sudanese accusations are untrue," Hatzofe told CNN. "The GPS gear on these vultures can only tell us where the birds are, nothing else."

He said: "This is ordinary equipment that is used around the world to detect movement of wildlife. There are hundreds of studies using this technology on everything from butterflies and sea turtles to sharks and whales."

Hatzofe also cast doubt on the practicality of using vultures as secret agents: "I'm not an intelligence expert, but what would be learned from putting a camera onto a vulture? You cannot control it. It's not a drone that you can send where you want. What would be the benefit of watching a vulture eat the insides of a dead camel?"

The Griffon vulture is an endangered species in the Middle East, according to Hebrew University Jerusalem professor Ran Nathan. His students, Roi Harel and Orr Spiegel, tagged more than 100 vultures -- 25 of them with GPS trackers -- as part of a project to observe the behavior and movement of younger vultures.

Hatzofe says the data from the tagged GPS vultures isn't transmitted solely back to Israel, but to the animal-tracking website Movebank, where other scientists can analyze the data.

The Israeli scientists first knew something was amiss in early December, when the GPS system (pictured above) indicated the vulture was on the ground and was moving along a road in western Sudan.

The Griffon vulture is not a migratory bird, but it isn't uncommon for them to make their way into northern Africa, according to Hatzofe, who says the vulture's wing tag included a message asking anyone who found the bird to contact him or the university.

"My email address is on the vulture," he told CNN, "but I never got a message."

The Israeli government declined to comment on this story, and repeated calls to Sudanese officials went unanswered.

Hatzofe says that the real danger of claiming that GPS-tagged birds are spies is that it could prompt government officials to kill animals they capture.

"There is nothing new about birds tagged for studies, and if governments will not reject these types of rumors, then others will grab their weapons and hunt down wildlife -- the exact opposite of what conservationists want."

CNN's Dominique van Heerden contributed to this report.

Part of complete coverage on

updated 9:22 AM EST, Tue December 11, 2012

Tibetans set themselves on fire because China has stripped them of other legal and political recourse, writes Stephanie Brigden of Free Tibet.

updated 7:46 PM EST, Mon December 10, 2012

Radio pranks are here to stay, but DJs can soften the humiliation. The principle of "Do No Harm" should guide them, Bruce Wienstein writes.

updated 5:54 PM EST, Mon December 10, 2012

CNN's Arwa Damon has an exclusive look at one man repurposing unexploded rockets for the rebels using everyday supplies.

updated 6:48 AM EST, Mon December 10, 2012

Homs has borne the brunt of the Syrian military's wrath since violence broke out nearly two years ago. There, marriage is an act of revolution.

updated 1:18 PM EST, Mon December 10, 2012

CNN's Diana Magnay profiles one of Greece's best and brightest who will leave her country rather than struggle to get by.

updated 7:44 AM EST, Tue December 11, 2012

She grew up in one of the poorest spots on earth. She couldn't read, but still became the first titled female Ugandan chess player star.

updated 1:31 AM EST, Wed December 12, 2012

HSBC is to pay out a record $1.92 billion fine to U.S. authorities, but will need just 41 days to earn the cash back. Is this the new normal?

updated 2:07 AM EST, Tue December 11, 2012

The U.S. National Intelligence Council predicts China's ascent as the world's top. That is, unless several "Black Swan" events skew their predictions.

updated 6:07 AM EST, Tue December 11, 2012

Fancy yourself as a bit of a news nerd: Do you know who parachuted from a helicopter into the Olympic stadium? Test yourself!

updated 7:33 PM EST, Tue December 11, 2012

As 2012 marches toward a close, we look back at the icons we've lost this year. Look through the photos to remind yourself of the legends.

For many people, Christmas is the most exciting time of the year. We want to see your best, most spectacular images of Christmas where you live.

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Motive unclear in Oregon mall shooting that left three dead

PORTLAND, Ore. A masked gunman wearing camouflage opened fire Tuesday in a busy Portland mall, leaving the gunman and two others dead and one person injured, and forcing the mall's Santa Claus and hundreds of Christmas shoppers and employees to flee or hide among store displays.

Austin Patty, 20, who works at Macy's, said he saw a man in a white mask carrying a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest. He heard the gunman say, "I am the shooter," as if announcing himself. A series of rapid-fire shots in short succession followed as Christmas music played. Patty said he ducked to the ground and then ran.

His Macy's co-worker, Pam Moore, told The Associated Press the gunman was short, with dark hair. Witnesses said he started firing just outside Macy's in the food court of Clackamas Town Center.

Play Video

Cell phone video: Ore. mall evacuated after shooting

Brance Wilson, the mall Santa, said he heard gunshots and dove for the floor. By the time he looked up, seconds later, everyone around him had cleared out. Merchandise was scattered in some stores as he made his way to the door.

"Santa will be back," Wilson said. "It's not going to keep Santa away from the mall."

Workers and shoppers rushed out of the mall and into stores'backrooms for safety as teams of police officers came inside to find the shooter. Authorities went store-to-store to confirm that there was only one shooter and to escort hiding shoppers outside.

Police said they have tentatively identified the gunman but would not release his name or give any information on a possible motive. They said he apparently killed himself, adding that they did not fire any shots.

Officials said a female teenager was also shot and was in serious condition at a Portland hospital.

"We have a young lady in the hospital fighting for her life right now," Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts at a news conference late Tuesday.

Earlier, Roberts told reporters, "There was about 10,000 people at the mall, so there were a huge amount of people running in different directions, and it was chaos for a lot of citizens."

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots, anywhere from 15 to 20, or even more.

"At first no one really knew what was going down," Mario, a kiosk worker inside the mall, told CBS affiliate KOIN in Portland. "We heard six shots at first, and then people scattered like crazy, everybody left."

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Adam Phillips said the victims were shot in an "open area" of the mall.

Clackamas Town Center is one of the Portland area's biggest and busiest malls, with 185 stores and a 20-screen movie theater. It would remain closed at least through Wednesday, Roberts said.

Shaun Wik, 20, from Fairview, said he was Christmas shopping with his girlfriend and opened a fortune cookie at the food court. Inside was written: "Live for today. Remember yesterday. Think of tomorrow."

As he read it, he heard three shots. He heard a man he believes was the gunman shout, "Get down!" but Wik and his girlfriend ran. He heard seven or eight more shots. He didn't turn around.

"If I had looked back, I might not be standing here," Wik said. "I might have been one of the ones who got hit."

Holli Bautista, 28, said she was shopping at Macy's for a Christmas dress for her daughter when she heard pops that sounded like firecrackers.

"I heard people running and screaming and saying `Get out, there's somebody shooting,"' she told the AP.

She said hundreds of shoppers and mall employees started running, and she and dozens of other people were trying to escape through a department store exit.

Tiffany Turgetto and her husband were leaving Macy's through the first floor when they heard gunshots coming from the second floor of the mall. They were able to quickly leave through a Barnes & Noble bookstore before the police arrived and locked down the mall.

"I had left my phone at home. I was telling people to call 911. Surprisingly, people are around me, no one was calling 911. I think people were in shock."

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Gunman 'Tentatively' Identified in Oregon Shooting

A masked gunman who opened fire in the crowded Clackamas Town Center mall in suburban Portland, Ore., killing two individuals before killing himself, has been "tentatively" identified by police, though they have not yet released his name.

The shooter, wearing a white hockey mask, black clothing, and a bullet proof vest, tore through the mall around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, entering through a Macy's store and proceeding to the food court and public areas spraying bullets, according to witness reports.

Police have not released the names of the deceased. Clackamas County Sheriff's Department Lt. James Rhodes said authorities are in the process of notifying victims' families.

The injured victim has been transported to a local hospital, according to Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts.

PHOTOS: Oregon Mall Shooting

Nadia Telguz, who said she was a friend of the injured victim, told ABC News affiliate KATU-TV in Portland that the woman was expected to recover.

"My friend's sister got shot," Teleguz told KATU. "She's on her way to (Oregon Health and Science University hospital). They're saying she got shot in her side and so it's not life-threatening, so she'll be OK."

Witnesses from the shooting rampage said that a young man who appeared to be a teenager ran through the upper level of Macy's to the mall food court, firing multiple shots, one right after the other, with what is believed to be a black, semi-automatic rifle.

Christopher Onstott/Pamplen Media Group/Portland Tribune

911 Calls From New Jersey Supermarket Shooting Watch Video

More than 10,000 shoppers were at the mall during the day, police said. Roberts said that officers responded to the scene of the shooting within minutes, and four SWAT teams swept the 1.4 million-square-foot building searching for the shooter. He was eventually found dead, an apparent suicide.

"I can confirm the shooter is dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," Rhodes said. "By all accounts there were no rounds fired by law enforcement today in the mall."

Roberts said more than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the shooting, and at least four local agencies were working on the investigation, including the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which is working to trace the shooter's weapon.

READ: Guns in America: A Statistical Look

"For all of us, the mall is supposed to be a place where we can take our families, especially during the holiday season," Roberts said. "Things like this are not supposed to happen."

Roberts also said that shoppers, including two emergency room nurses and one physician who happened to be at the mall, provided medical assistance to victims who had been shot. Other shoppers helped escort individuals out of the mall and out of harm's way, he said.

"There were a huge amount of people running in different directions, and it was chaos for a lot of citizens, but true heroes were stepping up in this time of high stress," Roberts said. "E.R. nurses on the scene were providing medical care to those injured, a physician on the scene was helping provide care to the wounded."

Mall shopper Daniel Martinez told KATU that he had just sat down at a Jamba Juice inside the mall when he heard rapid gunfire. He turned and saw the masked gunman, dressed in all black, about 10 feet away from him.

"I just saw him (the gunman) and thought, 'I need to go somewhere,'" Martinez said. "It was so fast, and at that time, everyone was moving around."

Martinez said he ran to the nearest clothing store. As he ran, he motioned for another woman to follow; several others ran to the store as well, hiding in a fitting room. They stayed there for an hour and a half until SWAT teams told them it was safe to leave the mall.

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Mandela has lung infection, says government

 

JOHANNESBURG: Ailing Nelson Mandela has a lung infection but is responding to treatment, South Africa's government said Tuesday, as the revered anti-apartheid icon spent his fourth day in hospital.

"Doctors have concluded the tests, and these have revealed a recurrence of a previous lung infection, for which Madiba is receiving appropriate treatment and he is responding to the treatment," said a statement from President Jacob Zuma's office.

- AFP

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Mourned, but inspiring

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

Singer Jenni Rivera

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sen. Marco Rubio calls Rivera "a real American success story"


• Not only for her music but for her strong, resilient attitude when faced with adversity


• Jenni Rivera was also a woman of many firsts and a businesswoman


• Made breaking into the male-dominated music genre look easy with her perseverance

(CNN) -- Jenni Rivera is being mourned as the Diva of Banda, after the musical superstar died Sunday in a plane crash in Mexico.

She built a recording and performing career, several businesses and a devoted following -- and her life was as full of the ups and the downs as any of the characters she sang about.

She was born 43 years ago in Long Beach, California, to Mexican parents Rosa and Pedro Rivera who named her Jenny Dolores Rivera Saavedra.

In an interview with CNN en Español in 2010, Rivera spoke about how she once sold cans for scrap metal and hawked music records at her family's stand at a Los Angeles flea market.

When she was just 15 and a high school student she became a mother herself, giving birth to her first child, Janney "Chiquis" Marin Rivera in 1985. She then had two more children -- Jacqueline Marín Rivera and Michael Marín Rivera -- with her then-husband, José Trinidad Marín.

Rivera spoke about how Marín physically abused her because while she wanted to attend college, he wanted her to quit school and be at home "cooking and cleaning." She said she grew up with four brothers so she knew how to fight back.

They divorced in 1992 when Rivera found out Marín molested their daughter, Janney, and Rivera's younger sister, Rosie. Marín was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Divorced and on welfare with three children, Rivera worked in real estate and took a second job at her father's record label, Cintas Acuario, which led to her passion and career in Regional/Banda/Norteño music.

Singer Jenni Rivera dies in plane crash

HIDE CAPTION

Since the release of her groundbreaking debut album "La Chacalosa" in 1995, Rivera has released more than 12 hit albums, all reaching Platinum and Gold status in the U.S. and Mexico. Her heart-wrenching ballads often center on infidelity, social issues and relationships. One of her independent albums was "Farewell to Selena," a tribute album to slain singer Selena that helped expand her following.

Rivera married Juan López in 1997 and had two children with him: Jenicka and Johnny López Rivera. They divorced in 2003, and he then died in 2009. Then in 2010, Rivera married baseball player Esteban Loaiza but they filed for divorce earlier this year.

Perhaps it was her personal struggles that made Rivera known not only for her music but for her strong, resilient attitude when faced with adversity.

"In Mexico, she represented a lot of ladies that can't talk about their feelings," Jose "Pepe" Garza, Rivera's godfather and friend of the family, told CNN en Espanol. "The public feels represented by Jenni Rivera, and by the lyrics of her songs."

Garza is very well-known within the banda and norteña music genres and has worked with other big artists in the regional Latin music. He also gave Rivera her big break.

Rivera was also a woman of many firsts. She became the first artist to sell-out two back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, in 2010. And she was the first female Banda artist to sell-out a concert at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California.

The business mogul also started companies including: Divina Realty, Divina Cosmetics, Jenni Rivera Fragrance, Jenni Jeans, Divine Music and The Jenni Rivera Love Foundation. Rivera made her film debut at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival with the indie family drama Filly Brown, set to be in theaters in January 2013.

Her fan base was only expected to grow with a show in development with ABC, confirmed a source with knowledge of the deal to CNN Entertainment.

A multi-camera family comedy, according to Deadline, was expected to star Rivera as a strong, middle-class, single Latina woman working to raise a family, struggling to run a family business and manage her extended family -- all while fighting the cultural perception that she needed a man to do it all.

"It is very flattering when they tell me I'm a great artist and performer," said Rivera in a 2010 interview with CNN en Espanol. "But I am a businesswoman, I'm primarily business-minded."

Breaking into a male-dominated music genre was not easy, but Rivera made it look that way with her endless perseverance.

"I think she just did it with her pantelones, and you need a big personality to do it. She's been through so much," said Damarys Ocana, executive editor of Latina magazine, in an interview with CNN, "She's been a victim, but never thought of herself as a victim."

CORRECTION
An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the singer commemorated by Jenni Rivera's 2003 album "Farewell to Selena." The album was a tribute to Tejano star Selena Quintanilla.

The drama that surrounded Rivera's life received just as much attention as her successful, career but that never stopped her from being a "mama bear to her five kids," said Ocana. Family always came first for Rivera.

Flashback: Jenni Rivera reflects on her success

In May 2011, Latina magazine put both Jenni and Janney Rivera on their cover, the first time the magazine put two people on the cover.

"We put both of them on the cover because they were the stars of 'I Love Jenni' and the show was doing incredibly well on Mun2," said Ocana.

Rivera also spent part of her life volunteering at the Love Foundation, an organization that promotes programs to support immigrants, children with cancer, women victims of violence, reports CNN Mexico.

In 2010, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence named Rivera as their spokesperson.

Photos: Singer Jenni Rivera

Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor Monday afternoon, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida described Rivera as "a real American success story."

"She was a singer in a genre of music that's largely dominated by males, and she brought a powerful voice to that genre where she sang frankly about her struggles to give her children a better life in this country," he said.

Universal Music Group also released a statement, saying: "The entire Universal Music Group family is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend Jenni Rivera. The world rarely sees someone who has had such a profound impact on so many. From her incredibly versatile talent to the way she embraced her fans around the world, Jenni was simply incomparable. Her talent will be missed; but her gift of music will be with us always."

Also believed aboard the plane were her publicist, Arturo Rivera, her lawyer, makeup artist, Jacob Yebale, and the flight crew.

"It's hard to accept. It's painful. I cry," said Rivera's brother Gustavo Rivera in an interview with CNN en Espanol, "But the support from the fans is consoling to us."

She told CNN in 2010 that she wouldn't let scandals or personal tragedy stop her.

"Staying defeated, crying and suffering was not an option," she said. "I had to get off my feet, dust myself off and press on. That's what I want to teach my daughters."

In an interview with the Immigrant Archive Project she said:

"If I had the opportunity to speak to a young immigrant girl that just arrived to the U.S. the advice I would have for her would be: ask, speak, search; because there are opportunities out there. And, know that you aren't the only immigrant or the last to come to this country. Many that have come before you have succeeded. It is possible."

Jenni Rivera is survived by her parents, Rosa and Pedro, three other siblings: Pedro Jr., Gustavo and Rosie; and her five children: Janney, Jacqueline, Michael, Jenicka and Johnny.

Journalist Jaqueline Hurtado, Catherine Shoichet and Rafael Romo contributed to this report.

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