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MALE, Maldives (CNN) -- The new president of the Maldives wants to relocate -- his entire country. Much of Male, capital of the Maldives, was flooded following the 2004 tsunami. Mohamed "Anni" Nasheed, a former political prisoner, was sworn in Tuesday after he unseated Asia's longest-serving leader in the country's first multi-party elections two weeks ago. He inherits an island nation with several problems. Foremost among them: the very likely possibility that the Maldives will sink under water if the current pace of climate change keeps raising sea levels. The Maldives is an archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands located south-southwest of India. Most of the islands lie just 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) above sea level. The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has forecast a rise in sea levels of at least 7.1 inches (18 cm) by the end of the century. The island was badly hit by the December 2004 tsunami, which killed an estimated 273,800 people and left thousands missing across Asia and Africa. In the Maldives itself, at least 82 people were killed and 26 unaccounted for from a population just over 270,000, according to the Maldives Disaster Management Center. Sixty-nine islands were completely flooded and a further 30 islands half flooded. The capital of Male was also flooded, although sea walls protected it from further devastation. The government has calculated that creating a similar barrier around the rest of the country would cost too much. Watch Maldives president vow to save the nation. » . And so the tourist nation, which has white sandy beaches that lure well-heeled Westerners, wants to set aside some of the $1 billion a year it receives from tourism and spend that money on buying a new homeland. "We will invest in land," Nasheed said. "We do not want to end up in refugee tents if the worst happens." Nasheed's government has said that it has broached the idea with several countries and found them to be "receptive." Lands owned by Sri Lanka and India are possibilities because the countries have similar cultures, cuisine and climate as the Maldives. Australia is also being considered because of the vast unoccupied land it owns. Climate change is not the only challenge the new president will have to tackle, though. Other thorny issues include rising unemployment, corruption and a staggering drug epidemic. By some estimates, one of every three Maldivian youth uses drugs. Maldivians also worry that their tiny secular nation of 370,000 Muslims could fall prey to the reach of Islamic radicals. A bombing in Male, attributed to Islamic extremists, wounded 12 tourists in September 2007. "We have made many pledges," Nasheed said in his inaugural address. "The citizens gave their majority vote to us to implement these." Nasheed said he will work to bring affordable housing and medical care for everyone. Twenty-one percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Nasheed, a 41-year-old one-time journalist, was among the fiercest critics of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who came to power in 1978 and ruled the Maldives for 30 years. He won the six previous elections as the only candidate on the ballot. Nasheed contended that Gayoom ruled with an iron fist, crushing dissent, amassing wealth and stacking his administration with friends and relatives. Gayoom's critics say his government enforced a system of 'apartheid' tourism that banned most Maldivians from nearly 90 luxury resorts. Shortly before election day, an auditors' report said that millions of dollars were improperly accounted for by Gayoom's government. He disputed the findings. Nasheed was arrested several times in the last 15 years and held as a political prisoner. Five candidates challenged Gayoom for the presidency in elections held on October 9. Gayoom said he needed a seventh five-year term to see through the reforms he put in place. But critics said Gayoom instituted democratic reforms -- and legalized political parties -- only after violent protests in 2004 and 2005. Nasheed and Gayoom ended up in a runoff -- with Nasheed winning 54 percent of the votes to Gayoom's 46 percent in the October 28 race. "No other citizens in the world in modern times have changed a 30-year-old regime so peacefully," Nasheed said in address. As the clock struck 12 a.m. Tuesday, Gayoom quietly exited the presidential office. "I deeply regret any actions on my part ... (that) led to unfair treatment, difficulty or injustice for any Maldivian," he said in a farewell speech. "From anyone who had had to face any such unfair treatment, difficulty or injustice, I sincerely seek forgiveness." Maldivians took to the streets in a celebration that carried into the wee hours of the morning. Residents danced to the beats of local bands and feasted on rice and mutton. They decked the cobbled roads of Male with the red-and-green flag of the Maldives and the yellow banner of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party. "We cannot believe that this is happening. I have spent more than half my life in exile in Sri Lanka," said Nasheed's close confidant Mohammed Naseem. Journalist Sumon K. Chakrabarti in Male and CNN's Saeed Ahmed in Atlanta contributed to this report. | Newly sworn-in Maldives president vows to buy land to relocate entire nation .
Climate change-threatened Indian Ocean islands could sink under rising sea levels .
Maldives is considering land in Sri Lanka, India and Australia .
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(CNN) -- The European Union has launched a fact-finding mission to determine the causes of the August war between Georgia and Russia, an EU spokeswoman said Tuesday. Heidi Tagliavini, a Swiss dipomat, will head the investigation into what started the Georgian conflict. The eight-month inquiry will examine the facts of the conflict in regard to international law, humanitarian issues and human rights, said the spokeswoman, who did not give her name because she was not allowed to speak publicly. Investigators will also assess the basis for all accusations made regarding the conflict, the spokeswoman said. Heidi Tagliavini, a Swiss diplomat and former United Nations special representative for Georgia, will head the mission, the spokeswoman said. The mission began its work Monday and was due to finish July 31, 2009, ending with a report to the EU, the U.N. and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the spokeswoman said. Georgia launched a campaign against South Ossetia, a Russian-backed separatist territory, on August 7. The following day, Russian tanks, troops and armored vehicles poured into South Ossetia and another breakaway Georgian territory, Abkhazia, advancing into Georgian cities outside the rebel regions. The two sides blamed each other for starting the conflict and have made accusations of ethnic cleansing. Moscow has since recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent regions. | European Union launches mission to determine causes of Georgian conflict .
Heidi Tagliavini, former U.N. special representative for Georgia, heads probe .
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(The Frisky) -- Election tension is boiling over; it seems like everyone from the office blowhard to the person in front of you at the post office is spouting off opinions that make your blood boil. But what happens when the one disagreeing with you shares your bedroom? Here are ten tips to help you make it to November 4 without resorting to the taser gun: . 1. Assess the situation: While one of you might not care that much, the other might be eating, drinking, and sneezing the party line. Acknowledge who feels most strongly, who's just having fun, and whether or not thoughtful discourse is as likely as pigs (with or without lipstick!) flying. 2. Find common ground: Establish that you each are trying to do what you think is best to move this country forward. Maybe you can even agree on an issue or two, and join forces in talking about your mutual passion. (Note: this becomes less effective if you see eye-to-eye only about oatmeal tariffs.) 3. Establish boundaries: Maybe it's no political talk at the table or no ranting email forwards from Aunt Phyllis. You might even agree that you'll freeze discussion if one of you cries for mercy (a "safe" word is good for this: who knew that political arguments were so much like S & M?) Either way, ground rules are essential to keep things from getting ugly. 4. R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Now's the time to channel your inner Miss Manners. Offensive taunts, passive-aggressive digs and -- most certainly-- flying fondue pots are all out of the question. 5. Don't overpersonalize: Your beloved is still, for the most part, who he always was. And the vast majority of those qualities have nothing to do with who gets his hanging chad in the voting booth. 6. Drive to distraction: Now is the time to take up cooking together, not to spend all night with Wolf Blitzer. Choose a classic movie over debate analysis and your 80s playlist over talk radio. And don't even think of bringing your guy to that fundraiser! 7. Find your outlet: If it helps you to hang out in partisan chat rooms all day, have at it. Just make sure you know the difference between blowing off steam and getting yourself worked up, or you're liable to be worse off than you started. 8. Keep it out of the bedroom: Say good night without politics-- unless, of course, the conflict adds some spice! But ixnay on the bouffant wig and red glasses.... as well as the Joe Biden undies. 9. Make an election night plan: Whether you'll be at viewing parties in opposite cities or side-by-side with earpieces and laptops, agree in advance whether you'll spend the evening, and morning, together. Avoid the potential pitfall of letting the night unfold spontaneously -- after all, one of you will be stewing while the other is squealing. 10. Do a reality check: For every couple engaged in a playful red-versus-blue showdown, there's another that must acknowledge red flags about opposing world views. Don't minimize what might be a larger problem of philosophical incompatibility-- or it could be a very long four years to come. TM & © 2008 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved . | If you're in a mixed political party marriage, this could be a tense time .
Find common ground or avoid political battles over dinner table .
Don't hurl taunts or forward political e-mail rants from Aunt Phyllis .
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A suspected missile strike from a U.S. Predator drone killed at least four people in a house in Pakistan's North Waziristan region early Saturday. Marchers protest recent U.S. missile strikes on the Pakistani tribal areas. The attack, which occurred in the Mir Ali subdivision in the village of Ali Khel, was one of several to hit the country Saturday. Six people were injured in Saturday's attack, the fourth suspected U.S. strike on Pakistani soil in November. The names of the victims have not been released. It is also not known why the house was targeted. Elsewhere, three people were killed and 11 were injured in an explosion inside a mosque in northwest Pakistan's tribal region, a government official said. The explosion happened just after 4 p.m. (6 a.m. ET), leaving the Hangu district mosque inside Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province in ruins, said Omer Faraz Khan, deputy superintendent of Hangu. He said rescuers were trying to save people trapped under the debris. It was not immediately clear how many people were inside the mosque at the time of the blast. Police were investigating the explosion, which was detonated using a homemade timer, Khan said. Hours later, three bombs exploded about 10 p.m. (noon ET) outside a stadium in Lahore where a music festival was being held, police Inspector Muntzir Kazmi said. A 13-year-old was injured, but it was unknown whether the victim was a boy or girl. This week, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson to lodge a formal protest against another suspected U.S. missile strike on its territory, an act Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani called a violation of his nation's sovereignty. Watch Gilani say his country has had enough of U.S. attacks » . Wednesday's strike in the Bannu region of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province left five dead and seven wounded. That attack was farther inside Pakistani territory than previous attacks. The attack targeted a home outside the tribal areas that U.S. intelligence says have become a haven for Taliban and al Qaeda fighters battling U.S. and NATO troops in neighboring Afghanistan. The U.S. government has not acknowledged hitting targets within Pakistan, an ally in the war on al Qaeda launched after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. However, Pakistan's government has repeatedly complained about the strikes. Gilani took to the floor of the parliament and renewed his condemnation of the attacks Thursday but added that he thinks they will be controlled when President-elect Barack Obama takes office. In October, the foreign ministry summoned Patterson to lodge a "strong" protest on continuing missile attacks and said they should be stopped immediately. At the time, a missile strike from a suspected U.S. drone on a compound in South Waziristan killed 20 people. Pakistan's government said the attacks cost lives and undermine public support for its counterterrorism efforts. The U.S.-led coalition and NATO, based in Afghanistan, have been seeking a way to effectively battle militants who are launching attacks from Pakistan's swath of tribal areas along the border. They have become frustrated with Islamabad over the years, saying it is not being active enough against militants, a claim Pakistan denies. The United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from drones, which are controlled remotely. | NEW: Teen killed when three bombs explode outside music festival .
Four killed after suspected U.S. missile strike fired from drone, official says .
Attack believed to be fourth in Pakistan since early November .
Mosque bombing leaves at least three people dead in northwest . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "af8e17f35f3274492a4da83fc1f5c99ecd5cda5e"} | 796 | 59 | 0.52444 | 1.371728 | 0.799865 | 1.294118 | 12.470588 | 0.784314 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Army intentionally denied benefits to soldiers suffering from a widespread stress disorder after they returned from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, a veterans advocacy group charges in a suit filed Wednesday. A soldier is welcomed home from Iraq by his son at Fort Stewart, Georgia, earlier this month. The lawsuit, filed by the National Veterans Legal Services Program, accuses the Army of illegally cutting off benefits to thousands of veterans and their families by refusing to assign a proper disability rating to those veterans after they had been discharged with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result, the veterans have been denied benefits, including, among other things, lifetime monthly disability payments and free medical care for themselves and their families. "I experience firsthand the horrors of war" said Juan Perez, an Iraq veteran and one of five plaintiffs in the lawsuit. "My expectation was that the military would be there for me, and my country would be there for me. Instead, the way I was treated felt more like a slap to the face." All disabled veterans are assigned a disability rating from zero to 100 percent. According to the Legal Services Program, a rating of at least 30 percent is required to qualify for benefits such as monthly disability payments and free health care. Soldiers receiving less than a 30 percent rating are entitled only to a one-time lump sum severance payment after being discharged. On October 14, the Defense Department ordered the Army to assign at least a 50 percent rating to all soldiers discharged with PTSD in the future. The lawsuit seeks to provide full benefits to all veterans discharged with PTSD in the past six years. A Rand Corp. study released in April indicated that nearly 20 percent of all military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have reported symptoms of PTSD or major depression. | Soldiers: Army denied them disability rating, so they were denied benefits .
Lawsuit filed by veterans advocacy group on behalf of vets with PTSD .
In October, Army ordered all future PTSD sufferers to be eligible for benefits .
Soldiers want eligibility to go back six years . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "8f25d842ee670060b0c08137dbbcd0cc0f412b6d"} | 397 | 63 | 0.589014 | 1.462488 | 0.602245 | 1.12963 | 6.666667 | 0.722222 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A bomb attached to a car carrying an Iraqi army general exploded Saturday afternoon, killing the driver and wounding the general and a bystander, an Interior Ministry official said. U.S. soldiers patrol the streets of Baghdad's central district on Saturday. The official said Gen. Abdul Karim Jabbar was seriously wounded when the bomb went off between al-Firdous Square and al-Andalus Square. The U.S. military refers to bombs attached to civilian vehicles without the driver's knowledge as "sticky bombs." Separately, a civilian was killed and five were wounded in afternoon clashes between gunmen and Iraqi National Police in the al-Shaab neighborhood of northeastern Baghdad, the ministry official said. In the same neighborhood, a roadside bomb exploded at an Iraqi army checkpoint Baghdad, killing a child, the Interior Ministry official said. The blast also wounded four Iraqi soldiers. Also Saturday, two Iraqi soldiers were killed and another was wounded when a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol on Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad. | Bomb attached to vehicle explodes in Baghdad, killing one and injuring two .
Civilian killed in clash between gunmen and Iraqi National Police in Baghdad .
Child killed by roadside bomb at Iraqi army checkpoint . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "545a6e2afd63930acd466d4023300ee0f99aff87"} | 258 | 55 | 0.65771 | 1.312253 | 0.730938 | 2.435897 | 5.025641 | 0.794872 |
(CNN) -- President Bush had a "relaxed" and "friendly" meeting with President-elect Barack Obama after he and first lady Laura Bush welcomed their successors to their future home Monday, a White House spokesman said. President Bush and Laura Bush welcome Barack and Michelle Obama to the White House on Monday. "The president and the president-elect had a long meeting, described by the president as good, constructive, relaxed and friendly," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. "The president enjoyed his visit with the president-elect, and he again pledged a smooth transition to the next administration." Perino said the two discussed national and international issues but did not provide specifics of the conversation. Bush also gave Obama a tour of the White House's living quarters, including the Lincoln bedroom. Bush and Obama held a private meeting in the Oval Office, while the first lady gave incoming first lady Michelle Obama a tour of the residence. The president and president-elect walked together along the Colonnade by the Rose Garden before entering the Oval Office together. They briefly waved to reporters along the way. Obama and Bush were not expected to speak on camera after their meeting. The two met in the Oval Office for just over an hour. When President George H.W. Bush hosted President-elect Bill Clinton after the 1992 election, the two talked for nearly two hours. Monday's meeting was a historic formality, but it was also a time for serious talks. It marked the first time Obama has visited the Oval Office. Watch Bush welcome Obama to the White House » . Bush and Obama "had a broad discussion about the importance of working together throughout the transition of government in light of the nation's many critical economic and security challenges," said Stephanie Cutter, spokeswoman for Obama's transition team. "President-elect Obama thanked President Bush for his commitment to a smooth transition, and for his and first lady Laura Bush's gracious hospitality in welcoming the Obamas to the White House," Cutter said. A day earlier, a leader of Obama's transition team said the president and president-elect were expected to discuss "a broad range of issues," focusing on the economy. "It's clear that we need to stabilize the economy, to deal with the financial meltdown that's now spreading across the rest of the economy. The auto industry is really, really back on its heels," transition team leader John Podesta told CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday. Podesta said Obama will push Congress to enact "at least part" of an economic package before he takes office in January, but said the problems Americans face need short- and long-term approaches. The president and president-elect also were expected to talk about national security and the war in Iraq. Go inside the Oval Office . Despite the negative tone of the campaign season -- in which Obama frequently campaigned against what he called Bush's "failed policies" -- Bush has pledged to do everything he can to make sure they have a smooth transition. iReport.com: What's your message for Obama? "When I called President-elect Obama to congratulate him on his historic victory, I told him that he can count on my complete cooperation as he makes his transition to the White House. Ensuring that this transition is seamless is a top priority for the rest of my time in office," Bush said in his radio address this weekend. Podesta said cooperation with Bush administration officials has been "excellent" since Tuesday's election. Watch more on the transition to power » . Obama said he was "gratified by the invitation" to meet with the president and his wife. "I'm sure that, in addition to taking a tour of the White House, there's going to be a substantive conversation between myself and the president," he said at a news conference Friday. "I'm going to go in there with a spirit of bipartisanship and a sense that both the president and various leaders in Congress all recognize the severity of the situation right now and want to get stuff done," he said. Given their drastically different views on foreign policy, Mark Preston, CNN's deputy political editor, predicted an "uncomfortable meeting at best." Watch CNN's Mark Preston talk about the meeting » . "Let's not forget that Barack Obama ran against President Bush every day when he was taking on John McCain. While they will be cordial, I bet you it will be uncomfortable," Preston said. As the president and president-elect met in the Oval Office, Perino gave Robert Gibbs a tour of the White House press office. Gibbs was the communications director for Obama's presidential campaign. He has not officially been named the incoming press secretary, but he is widely considered the top contender for the position. Cutter said that after Laura Bush gave Michelle Obama a tour of the residence, the first lady and her successor discussed raising daughters in the White House. "Mrs. Obama was honored to finally meet the first lady, who was a gracious hostess," Cutter said. | NEW: President Bush calls meeting with President-elect Obama "constructive"
Laura Bush gave Michelle Obama a tour while president, Obama met .
Bush and president-elect were expected to discuss "broad range of issues"
Obama campaigned against what he called Bush's "failed policies" | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "1630ca6217ca6123668a4f9738ca323a1c6f620a"} | 1,135 | 67 | 0.584671 | 1.396791 | 0.675994 | 5.263158 | 17.368421 | 0.912281 |
(CNN) -- Almost 33,000 acres of the Everglades National Park were burning Sunday, fire officials said, the latest in a series of wildfires that have scorched parts of Florida in May. Smoke obscures the flames Sunday in the Everglades National Park. The smoke cast a haze over parts of South Florida, including Miami, prompting a dense smoke advisory from the National Weather Service. The fire, which threatened private property as well as an endangered bird, started Friday, the Southern Area InterAgency Management Blue Team said. By Sunday morning it was 20 percent contained, and fire crews were working to restrict it to the park while protecting the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, a federally protected species whose only habitat is in the Everglades. Watch the Everglades fire spread » . Windy conditions Sunday morning pushed the fire into the corner of the park closest to Miami, fire officials said. About 200 personnel battled the blaze in southern Florida Saturday night, but more crews were expected to join them Sunday. It is the latest wildfire to scorch Florida. More than 12,000 acres burned in the "Brevard Complex" fire near Palm Bay, on Florida's Atlantic Coast just south of Daytona Beach. That series of fires is about 75 percent contained and is expected to be fully contained on Tuesday, the National Interagency Fire Center said Sunday. Learn how wildfires spread » . Last week, Florida authorities charged a suspect, Brian Crowder, with arson in connection with some of the fires in Palm Bay. Watch the suspect's 'perp walk' » . The Brevard County fires have destroyed about 22 homes and structures, and damaged another 160 homes. Damage totals more than $9 million, officials said. A 19,000-acre fire near Clewiston, Florida, on the south end of Lake Okeechobee, is about 50 percent contained, the fire center said Sunday. And a 1,300-acre fire north of Apalachicola in the Florida Panhandle was 80 percent contained by Sunday, it said. Last week, U.S. Navy officials said a Navy jet sparked a 257-acre forest fire in the Ocala National Forest in the north-central part of the state. The jet had missed a target on a practice bombing run, the officials said. | Fire threatens the Cape Sable seaside sparrow, which only lives in Everglades .
Dense smoke advisory from the National Weather Service issued for South Florida .
Brian Crowder, 31, accused of setting several wildfires . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "c1532cd462862a6df9e3470fa0bf678fda43308c"} | 518 | 52 | 0.563357 | 1.417037 | 0.42873 | 3.15 | 10.7 | 0.75 |
Editor's note: David Craig is a film, television and Web producer, an adjunct professor at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California, and a gay rights activist. David Craig says there's growing support for recognition of gay unions and gay marriage. LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- My battle for marriage equality began in 1990, after my partner, Brian Binder, and I had a commitment ceremony. The ceremony was held at the end of a conference for Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays and was attended by more than 300 friends and members of both our families. We were featured in a couple of books on gay marriage because the concept was so new at the time. We also registered as domestic partners and entered into every possible form of legal recognition available at the time. A few years later, Brian was visiting his parents in Nevada to inform them that he was giving up his battle with AIDS. Something went horribly wrong, and he was rushed to the hospital. I flew there immediately. As his caretaker, I knew his medical condition and had been involved in every medical decision. We had shared the joy of making a commitment to one another and the pain and suffering of a horrible disease. But when I arrived, I was told I could not see him because I was not "family" and because my legal documents were valid only in California. Even as I heard him calling out my name, they refused to let me see him because we were not married. Brian died in 1992. In 1995, I helped organize the first Freedom to Marry March in Los Angeles. Ten years later, the idea for A Day Without Gays was conceived. iReport.com: Are you taking part in "A Day Without Gays?" I was discussing same-sex marriage with Delia Fine, my colleague at the A&E Network. I proposed a gay version of Lysistrata, an ancient Greek satire about Athenian women who withheld sex from their husbands until they agreed to stop going to war. She replied, "what if gays went on strike instead?" and the idea was born. We convinced A&E to produce a movie based on the idea, which became a romantic comedy called "Wedding Wars" that aired on the network in 2006. Critics compared the film to "A Day Without a Mexican," which led to the one-day protest by the Latino community called A Day Without Immigrants. In the wake of the passage of Proposition 8 in California, which banned same-sex marriage, I posted the event on Facebook. My fellow organizer, Steve Holzer, inspired by the Latino protests, suggested we call it A Day Without Gays. We soon discovered that other organizers had conceived of the same idea simultaneously, and we all agreed to schedule the protest for December 10, which is International Human Rights Day. A week later, Join The Impact, the group that organized City Hall rallies nationwide November 14, joined forces with us. Our goal is to raise awareness that marriage is a "basic human right" as declared by the U.S. Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia, the case that ended race-based restrictions on marriage. We believe that to deny gays and lesbians that right, and the 1,400 state and federal legal and economic benefits of marriage, is discrimination and in violation of the 14th Amendment. We are asking people who support us to "call in gay" to their workplace by taking the day off or to shut down their businesses. Our goal is to raise awareness that we are gay and lesbian Americans who work, own businesses, pay our taxes and support the economy to the tune of $712 billion a year, according to an analysis by Witeck-Combs Communications, a public relations agency that specializes in the gay and lesbian consumer market. This is a declaration that we take our rights seriously and demand full equality. Our Facebook site has had a million visitors, and more than 225,000 people indicate that they will or might participate. There are also more than 17,000 postings from participants who have taken the time to debate, support and/or deride these issues. There is still much to do. Thirty states have passed bans on same-sex marriage. Thirty states allow employers to fire someone based on sexual orientation, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Some states have instituted or are considering bans that directly or indirectly prevent gays and lesbians from adopting or fostering children. In addition, the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act by Congress in 1996 denies civil unions what Barack Obama's campaign described as the more than 1,100 benefits of marriage including immigration, taxation, Social Security and veteran's benefits. A recent Newsweek poll reflects that, for the first time, a majority of Americans now believe that gay and lesbian couples deserve recognition, with 55 percent supporting legally sanctioned unions. It found increased backing for inheritance and other rights and found that 39 percent favor gay marriage. The tide is clearly turning in our favor, and I believe that love, equality and support for all families will triumph. In the words of Tony Kushner, "We will be citizens. The time has come." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Craig. | David Craig: I've been battling for marriage equality for gays since 1990 .
He says civil unions don't provide same level of rights and benefits as marriage .
Craig is part of a group organizing "day without gays" protest for December 10 .
Craig: Poll shows growing support for gay unions and for gay marriage . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "6071da750a92d9770884be1f82333f4320f2653d"} | 1,142 | 75 | 0.413019 | 1.271979 | 1.030017 | 1.661538 | 15.492308 | 0.830769 |
(CNN) -- A biker who posted videos of himself on YouTube performing stunts and speeding at up to 210 kph (130 mph) has been jailed after inadvertently confessing his misdemeanors to police. Sandor Ferenci posted video of himself online performing high-speed stunts. Sandor Ferenci, 28, was approached by police after a motorist saw him speeding on his powerful motorcycle and noted his registration number. When they called at his house in Oxfordshire, England, he unwittingly asked if they had seen his YouTube video -- prompting officers to search the Internet, where they found uploaded video of his hazardous riding. Ferenci was Monday sentenced to 12 weeks' jail after admitted two counts of dangerous driving at Oxford Crown Court. Judge Terence Maher told Ferenci that he had carried out "lunatic and grossly irresponsible maneuvers at considerable speed," according to CNN affiliate ITN. Ferenci's video footage, filmed by a friend from various angles including a footbridge, was shown to the court. In it the biker is seen performing wheelies, tire-smoking wheelspins and skids on his Yamaha R6 road bike as well as high speed undertaking maneuvers. Prosecutor Brian Payne said it was impossible to gauge Ferenci's exact speed in the video, but police estimated he was driving up to 210 kph, ITN reported. | Biker jailed for 12 weeks after posting YouTube stunts video .
Police estimates put his speed at up to 210 kph (130 mph)
Ferenci admitted two counts of dangerous driving . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "1e2e597f0b417b2bc1c5dac6aec33ba4059962e3"} | 336 | 48 | 0.708364 | 1.883787 | 1.067219 | 3.8 | 6.971429 | 0.828571 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- FBI agents temporarily deployed to Iraq received an average of about $45,000 in excessive overtime because they billed the government for 16 hours a day throughout their 90-day assignments, according to a Justice Department audit. Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine released the audit on Thursday. The audit, released Thursday by Inspector General Glenn Fine, found the agents routinely submitted the overtime with the blessing of their managers from 2003 through 2007. The report says the excessive overtime totaled $7.8 million. "The FBI inappropriately permitted employees to regularly claim overtime for activities that are not compensable as work, such as time spent eating meals, exercising more than 3 hours per week, and socializing," the report said. The socializing included going to movies and cocktail parties. The FBI promptly responded to the report, acknowledging the overtime policy was designed to encourage FBI employees to volunteer for Iraq duty, but should not have been used and has now been corrected. The 88-page report documenting the overtime issues found the FBI had initially approved the policy of paying for 16-hour days because conditions were harsh, there were few recreational opportunities and employees were always "on call." But the audit said that violates federal pay guidelines. The FBI admitted that "a flawed system was allowed to develop and remain in place too long," but it also sought to explain how the practice started. "Early in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq FBI managers traveled to those war zones and saw first hand the challenges of a 24/7 threat environment. FBI employees lived with sniper attacks, mortar fire, and roadside bombs as part of their daily work environment. They attempted to adapt a long established domestic pay system for domestic law enforcement to unprecedented wartime assignments for FBI personnel." FBI agents in Iraq perform a variety of duties, according to the bureau's Web site. Agents interview suspected terrorists captured by the military; gather intelligence; collect evidence from crime scenes like car bombs or mass graves; and investigate crimes committed by Americans against Iraqis, as well as those that Iraqis commit against their fellow citizens. The inspector general's report said overtime pay was less excessive for FBI personnel in Afghanistan. The report also found that somewhat less excessive overtime was paid to agents from other Justice Department agencies who were sent to Iraq, including deputy marshals, and ATF and DEA agents. | FBI agents in Iraq each received an average of $45,000 in excessive overtime .
Audit finds agents submitted overtime with managers' blessing .
FBI acknowledges error but says policy was to encourage voluntary sign-ups . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "0f92fbb574360f8c01cf81450af9f93af1429f02"} | 494 | 45 | 0.639539 | 1.80192 | 0.748744 | 1.97561 | 11.097561 | 0.756098 |
(CNN) -- CNN.com asked its users what they would do if they had all the money they needed. What would they do in retirement? Or would they retire? Several CNN.com users said they would buy a motorhome and travel around the United States to NASCAR events. We received more than 1,400 replies. Some people wanted to volunteer in other countries, some wanted to find new hobbies, some just wanted to relax for a change. Here are some of the edited responses that users around the world sent in. Reza Rohani of Tehran, Iran I would develop an NGO for popularization of science in Iran and some Central Asian countries. I would establish a publication house solely for the mentioned purpose and travel around the world to become more acquainted with different cultures and produce information packages and audio-visual documentaries to bring about a better understanding to people in different countries. E. Noonan of Natick, Massachusetts Oh, if I didn't have to work, I would spend my time on my dream of acting. Slogging around New York trying to get auditions, get into stage plays, get an agent -- all that sounds wonderful, as long as there is enough money to live on. Voice-over work and straight plays ... I would be in heaven. Frank Morganti of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida I'd continue my work as a general contractor as my new hobby and wouldn't worry about money. Eric Scheffer of Bangkok, Thailand Retirees and financially independant people can still be of great use to society and communities. There is, for example, still a lot of poverty in Asia and Africa. Living costs are low, and retirees can live comfortably in Asia or Africa while participating in community work. One can, for example, teach simple things in the villages: hygiene, healthy cooking, etc. They can also give aid and simple loving care to small children. I would like to encourage retirees and financially independant people to become actively involved in such countries, and make a difference. There is no need for us or any healthy retiree to sit around and wait for death. The world needs us. Mandy Sickler of Marion, Indiana I'd finish my last year in college as a social work major and I would pay off all my college loans. Then I wish I had the means to load up a huge plane full of food, water and clothing/shoes to take to underprivileged countries and teach the people how to use the food I brought them. I would bring over educators to teach the people in these places about how to maintain their health. If I could, I would provide every child with the correct physical checkups and immunization shots. But this would be way out of reach for me to do; so if I didn't have to work, I would join the Peace Corps and work my butt off to help in any way I could. Roger Belanger of Tiverton, Rhode Island I'd be involved somehow in the theatre arts. My mid-life crisis hit about 10 years ago at 40 and I became involved in amateur theatre. If I were able to "walk away from it all," I would dedicate my life to the performing arts in some fashion. Robert Madden of Parsons, Kansas . Buy a motor home and become a NASCAR fan on the road at a different track every weekend. Cicely Jette of Boston, Massachusetts I would develop the other side of my brain! I'm a research scientist and spend most of my time on data analysis, organization and logic. If I didn't have to work, I would learn to sing opera, how to speak French and Italian fluently, how to act, and I would spend all my free time in museums. That is ... until I overloaded my right brain and was driven back to the lab. Mark Albert of Salmon River, Nova Scotia I would do the same as now: stay home with my kids. I have already decided to leave my job to be able to spend time with my kids in the most valuable time of their lives and mine. My wife works and makes enough for me to be able to do so and I am very grateful! Not enough parents stay home to raise their own kids. It rocks! Valerie Cathell of Dumfries, Virginia If I didn't have to work is tough to contemplate; however, I have fantasized about helping kids who are not able to read or are trapped in war-torn areas with no exposure to education. I am an educator currently, and I work in a small private school where funds are scarce. I understand limitations when there is not enough money. I would love to be able to touch the lives of kids who have no idea what an X-Box is or an iPod. Even in our environment, we have parents paying private tuition, who have the means to provide these "often taken for granted" things. But that is what they are: things. I worked with my fifth grade class to create a book for children in Uganda last year. After receiving the book, the liaison/facilitator of the program, sent our school a DVD of the children in Uganda. We shared this with our students and they were in awe of the way those kids actually lived. It was a life-changing experience and one that inspired me to seek ways to help others more often. Donald LaMarr Sr. of Antioch, California If I didn't have to work I would spend a significant portion of my time on the streets of Oakland, Berkley, and San Francisco, California, approaching and mentoring potential gang members in a different more positive direction. We have more than 1 million young African-American males who are either unemployed or underemployed who need some direction and someone to show them that there is a different way, a better culture than the gang culture. I would help guide them back to our educational institutions. I would help to create hybrid educational institutions for the most incorrigible amongst them. These would not be the gladiator training camps that our youth prisons have become. These would be places where education and cultural development become mandatory and punishment for failing or resisting assimilation would be severe. That's what I would spend most of my time doing if I were retired. Jeffrey Young of McKinney, Texas For every person that needed help, I would stop and offer assistance. From one to the next, like a connect-the-dots on the map of the world just to see how I could band-aid my way across the globe in search of myself while making a difference from the smallest to the greatest challenges thrown at me. I would be a constant part of the solution. If I had nothing to worry about financially well, 90 percent of my problems would go away and then I would have the rest of my life to focus on the things that matter. I would go about developing relationships, experiencing the lives of others all while uplifting spirits of the world one soul at a time. I would breathe life from the Himalayas. Ride the currents in the waters of Costa Rica. Listen to jazz in New Orleans. Dip in the hot springs by Vancouver, British Columbia. Really. There is not enough time for me to talk about everything I would do. Instead, trust in that I would never waste a moment learning life all over again. Debra Ross of Rex, Georgia If I were the recipient of a sudden, legal windfall, I'd immediately quit my job and purchase an RV and travel to every state in America driving at a consistent, aggravating 40 mph. Isn't that what the people do when they travel in those things anyway? Far be it from me to break the rules. E-mail to a friend . | CNN.com asked users what they would do in life if money were no object .
Most people said they would do volunteer work .
Some respondents felt a need to experience new hobbies, interests .
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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (CNN) -- As his fishing boat, Murphy's Law, was tossed about Wednesday in the path of Hurricane Dolly, Steven Murphy hoped to dodge the adage his vessel is named for: "If anything can go wrong, it will." Captain Murphy's Fishing Charters boats sit moored Wednesday at South Padre Island, Texas. Murphy, owner of Captain Murphy's Fishing Charters, was riding out the storm in the 65-foot double-decker boat tethered to a pier at South Padre Island, Texas, just north of Brownsville. "I don't know if you can hear that wind, but it's really blowing. It's like a tornado," he said. "It's starting to tear it up real good." Dolly strengthened into a Category 2 storm Wednesday with 100-mph winds as it lashed the south Texas-Mexico border, sending residents and military personnel scurrying for safety and forcing people on South Padre Island to hunker down to wait it out. Watch Dolly pound South Padre » . The hurricane was reclassified to a Category 1 at midafternoon, not long after its eye came ashore at South Padre Island. Forecasters said its winds had decreased to about 95 mph. "It's probably not the best decision to ride it out," said Murphy, 41, but he said he felt that he didn't have a lot of choice.iReport.com: Murphy's Law striking Murphy's Law? Only one shipyard in the area can pull a boat such as his out of the water, he said, and there are more boats than there are spaces, "so you pretty much have to man it." See the projected path of the storm » . The charter company is a family business, and Murphy has been working on boats since he was 9. He said his brother was in a boat anchored next to Murphy's Law. He was alone because his deckhands left. View photos from the storm zone » . Murphy was accompanied by his girlfriend, Lisa Graves, and the captain of the company's third boat, which had been hauled out of the water. "When they told us about the hurricane, they said 80 mph max," Murphy said. A Category 1 storm has winds of 74 mph to 95 mph; a Category 2 storm has winds between 96 mph to 110 mph. Learn about hurricane mechanics » . "It's absolutely outrageous here. The winds are high. ... I can't describe it," Graves said. "In all my life, I've never seen anything like this. iReport.com: See another iReporter's footage from Brownsville, Texas . "We've had a sailboat that broke off the docks across the way and got caught up on our bows. We had to run out and cut the anchor line." Before the storm's eye hit South Padre Island, Murphy said things hadn't been too bad. iReport.com: Tree knocked down by storm . "If this is it, this isn't all that bad, [but] it probably wasn't the wisest thing," he said. | Fishing boat operator endures Hurricane Dolly aboard 65-foot vessel .
Boat moored at South Padre Island, Texas, pier as storm hits .
"It's probably not the best decision," Captain Steven Murphy admits .
One of his company's three charter boats was pulled safely from water . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "ec9c63fdace0d6accc446634c5bc5e66a0beb2ed"} | 745 | 71 | 0.597361 | 1.664951 | 0.948506 | 2.810345 | 10.396552 | 0.810345 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A court Thursday rejected an appeal filed by a former administrative law judge who sued a dry cleaners for $54 million over a missing pair of pants. An unidentified man talks on a cell phone in front of the Chung family's shop, Custom Cleaners. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals "ruled resoundingly in favor of the Chung family and denied Mr. Roy Pearson's appeal of the case completely," said Christopher Manning, an attorney for the Chung family, who own Custom Cleaners. "The D.C. Court of Appeals held that the trial court correctly ruled that Mr. Pearson's claims had no merit whatsoever," he added. The Chungs have "some level of relief," Manning told CNN, "but they won't count Mr. Pearson out for at least trying to torment them further" with future appeals. "We are very happy with the result and thank everyone for supporting us," Jin Chung said in a statement issued by Manning. "The past three years have been very difficult, but we hope this nightmare is finally over." Pearson initially sought $67 million from the Chungs, calculating the amount by estimating years of legal violations, adding nearly $2 million in common law claims for fraud. The saga began in May 2005, when Pearson took several pairs of pants to Custom Cleaners for alteration as he prepared to start his new job as an administrative law judge. He alleged that among them was a pair of pants from a blue and maroon suit. When he came to collect his clothing, he said, the Chungs tried to give him a pair of charcoal gray pants that were not his. During a two-day trial, Pearson, who represented himself, said that when he took the pants to the cleaners, his financial situation was precarious: He had just been ordered to pay $12,000 in attorney's fees to his ex-wife, and his credit cards were at their limit. He claimed millions of dollars in attorney fees and millions more in punitive damages for what he called fraudulent advertising under the law. He also claimed that a sign in the store's window promising "satisfaction guaranteed" was an unconditional warranty that required the defendants to honor any claim by any customer without limitation. The Chungs' attorney argued that no reasonable person would interpret the signs to mean an unconditional promise of satisfaction. District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff agreed, ruling that Custom Cleaners did not violate the city's Consumer Protection Act. Manning, whose law firm handled the appeal on a pro bono basis for the Chungs, said the Chungs hope the "vague and often unfair" act will be changed "so that others do not suffer like they did." In August 2007, the Chungs dropped their bid to recover legal costs in the hopes that Pearson would drop his appeal. Pearson may request that the appeal be heard again by the entire panel of D.C. Court of Appeals judges, Manning said. He also could petition to the U.S. Supreme Court for an appeal. "It is the Chungs' hope that Mr. Pearson will not attempt to appeal any further and will end his frivolous and baseless attacks on the Chung family," Manning wrote in the statement. "The 3½ years this case has been pending and appealed have been very difficult for the Chungs," he said. "They lost two of their dry cleaning stores and their realization of the American dream." He said the family wants to "quietly return to their one remaining small dry-cleaning store ... to rebuild their lives." Pearson was taken off the bench in May 2007 while the lawsuit was pending and was not reappointed as an administrative law judge when his term expired. He filed a federal lawsuit in May 2008 to get his government job back, accusing city government and others of an "unlawful demotion and subsequent termination." That suit remains pending. CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this story. | Appeals court rejects appeal of failed $54 million lawsuit over missing pants .
Dry cleaners say they aren't counting plaintiff out .
Ex-administrative judge who filed case could take it to Supreme Court . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "0449a49683cf7e85fd8754c758dca89dfdbfb855"} | 886 | 48 | 0.473955 | 1.273221 | 0.732334 | 1.25 | 18.925 | 0.8 |
ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) -- The meter reader who led authorities last week to remains believed to be those of Caylee Anthony called police four months ago, directing them three times to same site, authorities said Thursday. Caylee Anthony, 2, has been missing since June in a case that has received national attention. At a news conference, Capt. Angelo Nieves, an Orange County Sheriff's Department commander, said investigators are looking into whether the tips, called in August 11, 12 and 13, were properly followed up. In one of those phone calls, the meter reader reported seeing a gray bag on the side of the road, Nieves said. On August 13, a deputy responded to the site and did a "cursory search" but found nothing, Nieves said. Casey Anthony, 22, faces charges including first-degree murder in the June disappearance of her daughter, Caylee, who was 2 at the time. Remains described as being those of a small child were found last week a half-mile from Casey Anthony's parents' home, in the area where the meter reader first directed police. Nieves said police were getting more information from the tipster and the deputy who responded to the tips. He said the department was investigating the "thoroughness" of the deputy's response but would not identify the deputy. The meter reader "is not a suspect," Nieves said. "He is a credible witness." Nieves' latest announcement is raising questions about whether police missed several chances to find remains believed to be Caylee's. The meter reader is not the only one, or the first, to have pointed police toward the site containing the remains. KioMarie Cruz, Casey Anthony's childhood friend, also told police to investigate the same wooded area near Hidden Oaks Elementary School a month before the meter reader, according to CNN affiliate WFTV. In an interview with detectives, according to WFTV, Cruz said that she and Anthony "pretty much used to hang out there most of our time," would "snack on food for hours" and went there to "get away from our parents." The sheriff's office followed up on that tip, but the wooded area was covered in floodwaters, preventing a search. Nieves said the water may have been present at the time of the meter reader's tips as well. Nieves also said Thursday that searchers combing the site after the skull's discovery had found "significant skeletal remains" consistent with those of a small child on the outer perimeter of the search area. The area will be enlarged, and processing and searching of the site will continue, probably into the weekend, he said. Some of the remains have been sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, in an effort to identify them. Authorities have said the remains are believed to be Caylee's, but an identification is pending. Sheriff's spokesman Carlos Padilla said last week that authorities believe the remains are Caylee's for three reasons: No other children have been reported missing in the area; the remains are consistent with those of a child of Caylee's age; and the remains were found near the home of the grandparents, where the 2-year-old and her mother were living just before Caylee disappeared. FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Monday that he did not know when tests would be complete, but an attorney for Anthony's parents said the FBI is likely to have results "within the next week." Casey Anthony could face a sentence of life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors said this month that they would not seek the death penalty. | Officials say worker who found child's remains called in three tips in August .
Authorities looking into whether earlier tips were mishandled .
Casey Anthony's friend told police to check the area five months ago, WFTV reports .
Sheriff's Department says new skeletal remains found in search area . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "b076547af993a2329612d5e4ef06ecf1db4f9b8b"} | 822 | 68 | 0.506182 | 1.447577 | 0.677773 | 1.553571 | 12.392857 | 0.767857 |
(CNN) -- Former first lady Barbara Bush was moved out of the intensive care unit of a Houston, Texas, hospital into a regular room Thursday after surgery to repair and seal a perforated ulcer, a hospital spokeswoman said. Ex-first lady Barbara Bush has been moved out of ICU and into a regular room. Bush, 83, was in good spirits and was joking with hospital staffers, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman said. She was being fed intravenously. Her doctor said earlier she will be allowed no food by mouth for about a week, to avoid possibly stretching her abdominal area. The former first lady showed up at Methodist's emergency room Tuesday night complaining of severe abdominal pain, Dr. Patrick Reardon, who performed the surgery, told reporters Wednesday. Doctors determined Bush had a perforated ulcer in her duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine after the stomach, he said. In the operating room, doctors thoroughly cleaned her abdominal cavity of any contaminants that had leaked through the hole, described by the hospital as being one centimeter in diameter. Then, doctors repaired the ulcer and sewed a piece of the fat tissue in the abdomen, on top of it to seal it, Reardon said. Bush's husband, former President George H.W. Bush, was with her Thursday morning, but was leaving to attend Thanksgiving dinner with his son Neil, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman told CNN. The ulcer was biopsied and is benign, Reardon said Wednesday. He suggested it might have been caused by anti-inflammatory medications. CNN's Sean Callebs contributed to this report. | Barbara Bush had surgery to repair and seal a perforated ulcer .
Bush, 83, is in good spirits and was joking with hospital staffers .
Former first lady being fed intravenously to avoid stretching abdomen .
The ulcer has been biopsied and is benign . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a8dc0380db5fd4613bfee0e59690649cb29b6c90"} | 360 | 64 | 0.67499 | 1.724425 | 1.55862 | 4.38 | 6.02 | 0.94 |
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Investigators will interview crew members and review data and voice recorders to help determine what caused a passenger plane to veer off a Denver International Airport runway and catch fire, an official said Sunday. Injured passengers are taken to a hospital after Saturday's accident at Denver International Airport. All 115 people aboard the Continental Airlines jet escaped Saturday evening, and of the dozens who were taken to hospitals, five were still hospitalized Sunday afternoon, said Robert Sumwalt, a National Transportation Safety Board member leading the investigation team. No deaths were reported. Sumwalt said the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered and appeared to be in good condition, though they were covered in soot from the fire. Both recorders were sent to Washington to be reviewed as early as Sunday night. "We are here for one reason and one reason only, to find out what happened so we can keep it from happening again," Sumwalt said. The flight was bound for Houston, Texas, and was taking off about 6:18 p.m. Saturday when it skidded into a ravine and caught fire. Thirty-eight people were taken to hospitals after the accident, airport officials said Sunday. Officials said one of the five people still hospitalized was in serious condition; no one was reported to be in critical condition. Bone fractures and bruises were the most common complaint, and there appeared to be no burn victims, fire officials said. Investigators will interview crew members, review crew training and evaluate several factors, including the weather at the time of the crash and structure of the plane, Sumwalt said. While officials were on the scene Sunday, evidence collection, documentation and measurements will start Monday. "We are just now beginning our investigation," Sumwalt said, adding that short, cold days will be a challenge for the investigators. At a news conference late Saturday, Patrick Hynes, chief of the airport division of the Denver Fire Department, said crews responding to the scene "had a difficult time narrowing down exactly where the airplane ended up," but found it north of a firehouse. When they arrived, firefighters found the Boeing 737 on fire in a ravine about 200 yards from the runway, with its wheels sheared off and fuel tanks leaking, Hynes said. "They [firefighters] described a surreal scene when they pulled up, heavy fire on the right side of the aircraft, all chutes deployed from both sides of the aircraft, people evacuating and walking up the hillside towards them," he said. Hynes said the entire right side of the jet was in flames and "a heck of a firefight" followed. Watch airport official describe scene of accident » . "There was significant extension of fire into the cabin portion," he said. "There's significant fire damage inside with the luggage compartment described as melting and dropping down into the seats." Hynes said fuel from the aircraft leaked for several hours after the accident. Continental issued a statement saying it was collecting information about the accident. The 115 people on board included five crew members. The airport originally said 112 people were on board, but raised that to 115 on Sunday, saying officials had not counted some children who were not ticketed. Planes resumed takeoffs and landings at the airport after the incident, although Day said a section of the airport will remain closed into Sunday. She suggested passengers call ahead for Sunday departure times, because many flights may be delayed. Passenger Gabriel Trejos described a scene of panic as the plane skidded off the runway while trying to take off. "Some people were trying to get luggage from the top, [and] the engine was on fire, so I was worried about getting out of there," Trejos said Sunday. "And then we had another guy yelling, 'Oh, the plane's going to blow up! The plane's going to explode!' " CNN's Susan Roesgen contributed to this report. | Flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder recovered .
Five passengers still hospitalized after jet incident .
Continental jet veers off runway while attempting to take off from Denver airport .
Jet caught fire, skidded into ravine 200 yards from runway . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "87daa82e22bc80f7461edb4f8914aac6fdea1788"} | 872 | 57 | 0.469511 | 1.336949 | 0.790979 | 1.630435 | 16.5 | 0.891304 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Iraq's smaller religious groups have been facing "ongoing severe abuses," and the situation requires a response from the United States, a religious freedom watchdog said Tuesday. In late November, members of a Christian Iraqi family sit in a home in Lebanon after fleeing violence in Mosul. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report citing "threats and intimidation" against Chaldo-Assyrians and other Christians, Sabean-Mandaeans and Yazidis. The commission wants the U.S. State Department to designate Iraq as a "country of particular concern" -- a status that would allow policy responses, including public condemnations, the denial of state visits, and even sanctions. Spokeswoman Judith Ingram said such a designation would draw attention to the abuses and "encourage a robust policy response." There has been "reconciliation" between Iraq's dominant Shiite and Sunni religious groups, but tensions continue to reverberate and that's a concern, the commission said. But the smaller groups don't have "militia or tribal structures to protect them" and they "do not receive adequate official protection." "Iraq's non-Muslim religious minorities -- particularly Christians, Mandaeans and Yazidis -- have suffered religiously-based attacks and other abuses, and have fled the country, at rates far disproportionate to their numbers, seriously threatening these communities' continued existence in Iraq," the report said. "Lacking militias, and in the case of the Mandaeans unable to defend themselves for religious reasons, they are easy prey for extremists and criminals, and they do not receive adequate protection from the authorities. As in earlier years, they also are caught in the middle of a Kurdish-Arab struggle for control of disputed northern areas where the minorities are concentrated and have been targeted because of this." Examples include Christian protest over provincial election legislation and anti-Christian violence in Mosul this autumn and election intimidation of non-Muslims in Nineveh province in 2005. The Iraqi Constitution also "gives Islam a preferred status, providing a potential justification for abuses and discrimination against non-Muslims." The commission is recommending that the incoming Obama administration ensure "safe and fair provincial elections" and "security and safety for all Iraqis." It calls for making prevention of religious abuse a "high priority" and urging the Kurdish region to support "minority rights." It also urges addressing the displaced persons' and refugee problem. CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report. | Religious freedom watchdog group urges protection of Iraq's minority religions .
Situation severe enough to merit response from United States, group says .
Smaller groups don't have militias or tribal structures to protect them .
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(CNN) -- Snowstorms and icy conditions on Sunday delayed flights across the northern United States, caused havoc on roads and left thousands without electricity. A worker shovels snow as the storm hits Chicago, Illinois. At least one death has been attributed to storms that hit all over the country in the past week. A 44-year-old Massachusetts man died Friday when a tree limb weighed down by snow fell on him, authorities said. Forecasters say there's more cold weather to come. Authorities urged motorists in north-central and northeast Iowa to stay off roads because of poor visibility caused by blowing snow. Authorities prohibited tow trucks from operating on U.S. Highway 20, near the border with Minnesota, because of concerns the tow trucks would get stuck. Forecasters said wind chills of 20 below and 30 below zero were possible in much of the rest of the Midwest, prompting wind chill advisories and warnings for the region into Monday morning. Blizzard warnings also were expected to be in effect into Monday for parts of Maine and western parts of Michigan's lower peninsula. In much of Maine, between 10 and 18 inches of snow was expected to fall Sunday and Monday, the weather service said. Whiteout conditions were expected at night, with wind gusts of up to 45 mph, the weather service said. The Minnesota Department of Transportation ordered snowplow drivers off the road until Sunday morning in 13 southwest counties, because of poor visibility, blowing snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph, an agency spokeswoman said Saturday. The western U.S. has also been hit with the cold blast. Parts of Washington saw 2 to 3 feet of snow last week. On Friday, two buses carrying 80 people collided on a road in Seattle and crashed through a metal railing, where they hung over a freeway for several hours before two trucks rescued them. Many roads in Walla Walla, Washington, had yet to be plowed by Saturday, and the only practical way to drive on them was to have chains on tires, iReporter Aaron Cloward said. Watch how driving has been difficult in Walla Walla » . Cloward, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, said he had "never seen roads this bad or snow this bad." He also said he's been unable to free his car. "Everything is sold out -- snow shovels, ice melt, salt, chains ... so I don't know how to get out," he said. The storm system is expected to move eastward, where people are already dealing with air traffic delays and power outages brought on by snowfall earlier this week. "This is essentially the reincarnation of the same storm that brought the heavy snow to parts of California, southern Nevada and northern Arizona," Steve Corfidi, lead forecaster with the weather service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, told CNNRadio. | Authorities urge motorists in north-central and northeast Iowa stay off roads .
National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for parts of Maine, Michigan .
At least one death has been attributed to storms, authorities say . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "bbbb7008e9db2882064e6e3639f7f33f7918cd19"} | 637 | 53 | 0.528993 | 1.280733 | 0.764198 | 4.272727 | 12.386364 | 0.863636 |
BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombia will freeze prices for gasoline and other petrofuels through March, the government has announced. Hernan Martinez Torres, in a photo from September, says gas prices will be frozen in Colombia through March. The freeze takes effect Thursday and sets prices at December levels, the minister of mines and energy said Monday. The measure will be funded through a $170 million Fund for the Stabilization of Prices for Combustibles, which goes into effect January 1, a release on the Colombian president's Web site says. "All this is being done to give consumers a clear signal of stability," Minister of Mines and Energy Hernan Martinez Torres is quoted as saying in El Pais newspaper. Gas prices also will not decrease, although there has been a significant drop in crude oil prices in the past few months, Martinez said. The price freeze pertains to gasoline, biogasoline (oxygenated gasoline), a product called ACPM (combustible oil for motors), and the mix of ACPM and biodiesel. For the time being, El Pais said, only propane will see a decrease in price, with the price going down 25 percent. It's the second price drop for propane, which decreased 10 percent in November. | Price freeze on gas, other fuels takes effect Thursday, runs through March .
Freeze is to give consumers "a signal of stability," energy minister tells newspaper .
Gas prices can't rise or fall under the freeze, Hernan Martinez Torres says .
Price freeze doesn't affect propane; its price is set to drop 25 percent, paper reports . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "37bd4ac49bd82023f7ba7ffd9a544d51753b52e7"} | 284 | 80 | 0.695795 | 1.648868 | 1.052184 | 1.542857 | 3.385714 | 0.714286 |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A meeting between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan was canceled Friday when bad weather prevented Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari from traveling to the Afghan capital, Kabul. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (pictured) has met Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai before. An official in Pakistan's Foreign Office said the meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and top government officials will be rescheduled for the near future. The visit was to have taken place amid ongoing warfare and tension along the Afghan-Pakistan border and was to have focused on the nations cooperating in the fight against terror. Some of the Taliban militants conducting attacks in Afghanistan have been based in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and nearby tribal regions. The group's resurgence has prompted U.S. commanders and the incoming Barack Obama administration to put more of a focus on confronting militants along the volatile border. In the past, Afghan and Pakistani leaders have blamed the other for the security problems in the region. Zardari was to have been accompanied on the trip by the governor of North West Frontier Province, as well as his foreign minister and adviser on internal affairs. The two presidents also planned to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations and trade. Both men have met before, when Karzai visited Pakistan in September to attend Zardari's swearing-in ceremony. | Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari due to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai .
Visit to have taken place amid ongoing tension along Afghan-Pakistan border .
Taliban militants attacking Afghanistan from Pakistan's North West Province .
Both countries have previously blamed each other for the security problems . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "e0804ec646e04713fb222b2e533a3a730d989642"} | 307 | 67 | 0.683109 | 1.400829 | 1.025294 | 2.90566 | 4.735849 | 0.830189 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- -- Federal officials have fined Exxon Mobil more than $6 million after it violated a three-year-old agreement to decrease air pollution at four of its refineries. Exxon Mobil's refinery in Baytown, Texas, is one of four that the EPA said had high sulfur emissions. The Justice Department announced Wednesday that the oil giant agreed to pay $6.1 million after Environmental Protection Agency officials determined the company had not sufficiently reduced sulfur emissions in its refineries in Baytown and Beaumont, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Torrance, California. Exxon Mobil had paid a $7.7 million fine in its original 2005 agreement with the government and promised to install new emissions controls at the refineries. The petroleum company said after the latest settlement its refineries now meet the required EPA standards on sulfur emissions. The company's role in environmental pollution has been in the spotlight ever since the 1989 Exxon Valdez accident in Alaska, the worst oil spill in U.S. history. This past summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the company to pay $507 million in punitive damages from the incident, down from an original $2.5 billion judgment. | EPA says company had not sufficiently reduced sulfur emissions at four refineries .
The facilities in question are in Texas, Louisiana and California .
Exxon Mobil says refineries now meet EPA standards on sulfur emissions . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a59fd993cb54210aa9448d2bb688a5e04d5acf02"} | 262 | 48 | 0.709082 | 1.469768 | 0.620508 | 3.076923 | 5.615385 | 0.820513 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pentagon officials have begun preparing for the first transfer of power during war since Vietnam. They insist that the complicated transfer from the Bush administration to the Obama administration will go smoothly. The coming transfer of power during wartime will be the first since 1968. President Bush met Thursday with members of his Cabinet, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and urged them to cooperate. "We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us, and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people," Bush said. "For the next 75 days, all of us must ensure that the next president and his team can hit the ground running." Teams in Gates' office and that of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, have been working on the transition for months, according to Pentagon officials. See who Obama may be considering for his Cabinet » . With ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it will mark the first time a transfer of power has taken place during wartime since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson handed over power to Richard Nixon while the Vietnam War raged. "We are preparing to make this as smooth a transition as we can," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said this week. Although officials say the transition is in good hands, little is being said about what discussions will occur between the Pentagon teams and President-elect Barack Obama's transition teams when they begin showing up within days or weeks. "There is a recognition that given that we are a nation at war, that energy and effort [should] be sufficiently placed to ensure that we don't drop any balls, because national security and supporting our fielded forces that are engaged in combat is of paramount importance to this country," Whitman said. Robert Rangel, special assistant to Gates and the deputy secretary of defense, is in charge of the transition process in the Pentagon, while Marine Brig. Gen. Frank McKenzie, who reports to Rangel, is leading the effort for the Joint Chiefs. Last month, Gates issued guidelines for the transition, stressing that the department must maintain continuity of operations and ensure efficient and effective transition between the outgoing political leaders and the incoming administration, according to Whitman. The Pentagon has opened offices for Obama's transition staff. The nondescript offices are just down the hall from the secretary of defense's office and have been readied with computers, phones and filing cabinets. The offices remain empty until staff members are designated by Obama's team and cleared through the White House. "The initial contact point for the Obama transition team will be through the White House, and there will be a discussion on the way forward on the transition, and what will happen out of that will be a memorandum of understanding that says, 'these people will be working with the Defense Department,' so we know who has been sanctioned and designated by the president-elect," Whitman said. In his comments Thursday, Bush said, "ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible is a priority for the rest of my presidency." | Transition of power will be the first during wartime since Vietnam .
Pentagon officials say they began transfer preparations weeks ago .
President Bush says terrorists could use this transfer period "to attack us"
Smooth transition of power is a "priority for the rest of my presidency," Bush says . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "bcb890f08ba1cab10277fd9b3e7733906d930b18"} | 664 | 64 | 0.529949 | 1.453957 | 0.769385 | 2.293103 | 10.396552 | 0.844828 |
(CNN) -- A Swedish truck and bus maker that assembled trucks in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era has signed "an agreement in principle" with the government to open an assembly plant next year. Swedish truck and bus maker Scania is to reopen a former plant in Iraq. The company, Scania, issued a statement on its Web site confirming the deal to produce 500 trucks ordered by Iraq, with work starting during the third quarter of 2009. The work will be performed in the same Iskandariya factory south of Baghdad where the company's previous operation was housed. The operation comes under the auspices of Iraq's State Company for Automotive Industry. The deal reflects the Iraqi government's efforts to rehabilitate an economy decimated by warfare. "Scania has the necessary qualifications to satisfy the Iraqi government's desire to begin local production quickly. Assembly of the 500 trucks initially ordered is expected to employ about 500 people. The facility will be designed for the production of 3,000 vehicles per year," says Klas Dahlberg, vice president in charge of Scania's sales in the Middle East. The company said Iraq had been one of its largest markets during the 1980s. The Iskandariya factory assembled 3,900 trucks in 1981, Scania said, and many of the trucks assembled there during that era remain in service. The company said a memorandum of understanding signed by both sides specifies that Scania will work with an Iraqi distributor and "will assume responsibility for installation of production equipment as well as employee training." "In collaboration with our Iraqi distributor, we will also invest in the establishment of a service network in the country. Even today, there is a great need for workshops to take care of vehicles that operate in international traffic to Iraq," Dahlberg said. | Swedish truck and bus maker Scania is set to return to Iraq .
Company assembled trucks there during Saddam Hussein era .
500 trucks to be made in same factory it had previously used . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "dcb3fa19687c4e71c3870a4b6b8f1ee5645e7a9d"} | 393 | 44 | 0.670952 | 1.602305 | -0.051868 | 2.297297 | 9.027027 | 0.783784 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The conviction of a terrorist doctor in the UK exposes how any section of society can become radicalized, a top police officer said Tuesday. Bilal Abdulla is shown being arrested after the attack at Glasgow Airport. Bilal Abdulla was well-educated and working as a doctor when he carried out his plot to plant car bombs in London -- rather than unemployed or with feelings of being outside or abandoned by society as has been seen before in the UK. Born in southern England, his family moved to Iraq when he was a child. He grew up in the capital during Saddam Hussein's rule and went to the University of Baghdad before returning to Britain to attend Cambridge University. The Cambridge-educated graduate became a doctor working in the National Health Service where the maxim is to treat anyone regardless of the ability to pay. Deputy Assistant Commissioner John McDowall, who heads the Counter Terrorism Command, said Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed -- who died from burn injuries after he crashed a jeep into Glasgow International Airport, Scotland -- reveal a new type of terrorist. He told the UK's Press Association: "These individuals were not on our radar and that in itself is very interesting. When you look at the profile of these individuals they are very different from the terrorists we have dealt with in this country before - being professional people. McDowell added they were probably inspired by al Qaeda in Iraq but developed their plan in Britain without help from abroad. "I think this was a group that was largely self-motivated, came up with the ideas themselves, tutored themselves through the Internet. I don't think they received significant training elsewhere, which is unusual from what we have had in the past," he told PA. Abdulla's motive, prosecutors said, was revenge for the bloodshed in Iraq. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw said: 'There is no longer a conventional approach to terrorism. There are no rules to be broken any more, nothing can be taken for granted." Abdulla was found guilty Tuesday of conspiracy to murder and conspiring to cause explosions. He will be sentenced to Woolwich Crown Court, London, on Wednesday. The jury rejected his defense that he had planned only to set fire to cars in central London as a way of highlighting the plight of Iraqis. | Dr. Bilal Abdulla's professional life is different to radicals seen before in UK .
Anti terror officer tells PA Abdulla was a self-taught, self-starter .
Abdulla planned car bomb attacks in June 2007 on targets in Glasgow and London .
He was found guilty of conspiracy to murder in June 2007 . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2e0ac732d40ed9f68bc72fd310f084f4eff77cf9"} | 521 | 74 | 0.47553 | 1.549668 | 0.811975 | 1.229508 | 7.229508 | 0.704918 |
(CNN) -- Growing up in a small Sri Lankan fishing town, cricket changed Sanath Jayasuriya's life. But his association with the game and humanitarian work has also helped transform the lives of many others. Jayasuriya's stature and shot-making led to comparisons with India's Sachin Tendulkar. "Without cricket I would have a small job in my home town. My mother is happy to say my name," he told CNN in Hong Kong. His mother's pride in his success has an extra poignancy as Jayasuriya's fame in some part helped his mother survive the south Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004. She was swept away by the first wave and only by calling out to get attention, saying she was Jayasuriya's mother, did a rescuer manage to spot her among the debris and destruction and pull her to safety. Thousands of others, including many of Jayasuriya's friends and neighbors, were not so fortunate, and the impact that the disaster had on Jayasuriya's hometown of Matara and many other parts of Sri Lanka is still felt today. "Even now when many people hear the word (tsunami), they are still scared. When my mother hears it, she still can't run," he said. After nearly 20 years of international cricket, the 39-year-old is now just as happy to put bowling attacks to the sword as well as working as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. "Coming from Sri Lanka you need to do a lot of charity work and help in anyway you can. People love cricket and they look to cricketers, so as a team Sri Lanka also does a lot for charity. It's a personal commitment," he told CNN. On the pitch he has always been just as committed to helping his team. Making his international Test match debut in 1991, he captained the Sri Lankan team for four years until 2003 and hit memorable centuries against every other Test side, bar the West Indies and New Zealand. He retired from the five-day version of the game in 2007. However it was in the one day game that the all-rounder has really made his mark. As part of the Sri Lankan team that won the World Cup in 1996, he played an explosive innings of aggressive shot-making that has been credited with revolutionizing the way in which batsman play the game. In 2005 he became only the fourth batsman to reach 10,000 runs in one-day matches and his current stats stand at 12785 runs from 421 one-day internationals. Having made his name in the 50-over version of the game he's still involved in cricket's latest revolution; the even shorter Twenty20 game that is being touted as the future of popularizing the sport. "Cricket has changed all over the world. For the public to watch this game we need for it to change. You can now enjoy all that in around 3 hours (with Twenty20). The Indian Premier League (IPL) is good for cricket and good for cricketers. The one-day game will be phased down." Throughout his career he's shown his own resilience adapting to changing circumstances on the cricket pitch as well as off it. Before the 2003 World Cup he took the decision not to sign a contract with the Sri Lankan cricket board, citing the loss of potential earnings it would mean for him and fellow players. Despite not being a confrontational personality, the tension between himself and the Sri Lankan cricket board led to his resignation from the captaincy in 2003. With no Test cricket to play this year, Jayasuriya found himself omitted from the Sri Lanka squad for 2008 series one-day series against the West Indies. However his fine form while playing in the IPL -- he ended its inaugural season as the third highest run scorer with 514 runs and hitting 31 sixes -- convinced the selectors to pick him for the upcoming one-day series between Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. "Looking back I could never have thought I would have come this far. Buddhism helped me a lot. It says that you should take the middle path and you will never go wrong," he said. "But I've done a lot of hard work and everyone, my family and coaches, have given me support. Without that I wouldn't have got here." When he does finally retire you can expect Jayasuriya to keep giving all he can to the game and causes he loves so much. | Sri Lankan cricketer recognized as changing the way one-day cricket is played .
The first cricketer to be a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador .
Sri Lanka's highest run scorer in Test matches and one-day internationals . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "807172e7f1e30a9b2d31cb8fe6fd0d8d24a079ad"} | 1,002 | 55 | 0.403034 | 1.120855 | 0.828962 | 2 | 20.380952 | 0.857143 |
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- "Che" the movie met Che the myth in Cuba this weekend, and the lengthy biopic of the Argentinean revolutionary won acclaim from among those who know his story best. Actor Benicio Del Toro stars in "Che," which details Che Guevara's role in the 1950s Cuban revolution. The movie was screened Saturday in the Yara movie theater in central Havana as part of the 30th International Festival of the New Latin American Cinema. "Che" also played Sunday at Havana's Karl Marx Theater. "Che" stars Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in the title role, for which he won a best actor award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. But it's one thing to make a movie about Ernesto "Che" Guevara and the Cuban revolution and show it in France, quite another to screen it in Cuba. Speaking to CNN outside the Karl Marx Theater, the bilingual Puerto Rican actor admitted some anxiety. "This is Cuban history, so there's an audience in there that probably, that could be the biggest critics and the most knowledgeable critics of the historical accuracy of the film," Del Toro said. Watch Del Toro talk about the movie in Cuba » . It appears he needn't have worried. Audiences gave the movie hearty ovations. And Granma, the official mouthpiece of the Cuban government, gave Del Toro a glowing review. "Del Toro personifies Che in a spectacular manner, not only his physical appearance but also his masterly interpretation," the state newspaper said. After the showing, Del Toro characterized the public reaction as "sensational, a shot of adrenaline," Granma said. "The dream was to make this movie and to bring it here, where it all began." The movie has two parts: "El argentino," which portrays Guevara's role in the 1950s Cuban revolution, and "Guerrilla," which shows Guevara's efforts in Africa and Bolivia, where he was killed in 1967. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh, who also directed Del Toro in the 2000 film "Traffic," for which Del Toro won an Oscar. At 4 hours and 17 minutes, "Che" can test viewers' stamina. But that wasn't a problem in Havana. It's a story Cubans know by heart. But this time, it's told by outsiders. Catalina, a history professor who would give only her first name, was a tough critic. "The movie is well-done. It has good intentions," she said. "But in my opinion, in the first part, the scenes in the jungle seemed a bit like a caricature." Though some debated the details of this story they know so well, most -- like a young Guevara lookalike who identified himself only as Daniel -- were pleased. "It has captured history to perfection," he said. "It has been well thought out and well-created." Others, like student Susel Paraza, were torn about seeing their history told by others. "What hurt me a little," she said, "is that it wasn't us, the Cubans, who thought to make a movie like this but instead a foreign director with foreign actors who have recreated this story very well." Other foreign actors have played Guevara, most notably Egyptian-born Omar Sharif in a 1969 U.S. production titled "Che!" Soderbergh's "Che" has been shown at six film festivals worldwide and will have a limited opening in the United States on December 12. It is scheduled for widespread U.S. distribution starting January 24. Although many may not know Guevara's history, his image is recognized worldwide from a photograph taken by Alberto Korda at a Havana memorial service in March 1960. Titled "Guerrillero Heroico" (Heroic Guerrilla), the image of a somber, long-haired and bearded Guevara wearing a beret with a lone star became what the Maryland Institute College of Art called "the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century." The image has been emblazoned on everything from T-shirts to posters and even tattoos. "There is no other image like it. What other image has been sustained in this way?" Trisha Ziff, the curator of an exhibition on the iconography of Guevara, asked in a 2007 interview with the BBC. "Che Guevara has become a brand. And the brand's logo is the image, which represents change. It has becomes the icon of the outside thinker, at whatever level -- whether it is anti-war, pro-green or anti-globalization." Guevara was 31 years old when the photo was taken. He has been dead for 41 years, longer than he was alive. Jonathan Green, former longtime director of the UCR/California Museum of Photography, has been quoted as saying, "Korda's image has worked its way into languages around the world. It has become an alpha-numeric symbol, a hieroglyph, an instant symbol. It mysteriously reappears whenever there's a conflict. There isn't anything else in history that serves in this way." CNN's Arthur Brice contributed to this report. | "Che" stars Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro in the title role .
The official mouthpiece of the Cuban government gives Del Toro a glowing review .
The movie played Sunday at Havana's Karl Marx Theater .
"Che" will have a limited opening in the United States on Friday . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "6b24f125bd26c8a8826c210f5c1748c9a78aa202"} | 1,242 | 72 | 0.612469 | 1.568566 | 0.690541 | 7.894737 | 17.508772 | 0.912281 |
(CNN) -- Two giant pandas arrived in Taiwan Tuesday after leaving China's Sichuan province for their new home, in a sign of improving ties between the cross-strait neighbors. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan rest at a giant panda research center in Sichuan province on Monday. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, both four years old, had been living in Ya'an since the May 12 earthquake that damaged their former home in Wolong in Sichuan, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. The pandas ate a meal of steamed corn buns and carrots before they were placed in a truck and taken to the Sichuan capital of Chengdu. From there, they were flown to Taiwan. "They had a good breakfast to sustain them on the long journey," said a Taiwan keeper traveling with the animals to the island, according to Xinhua. The panda goodwill was the latest sign of warming relations between Beijing and Taipei. Watch more about the pandas » . Regularly scheduled commercial flights, shipping and mail between Taiwan and China resumed last week for the first time since the 1949 revolution that brought the Communist Party to power on the Chinese mainland. On Monday, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said China would provide 130 billion yuan ($19 billion) in financing over the next two to three years to Taiwan-based companies doing business in the mainland. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has been cultivating ties with Beijing since winning office in March. Ma, a Nationalist, opposes reunification with China but ran on a platform touting the economic benefits of better relations with the mainland. In June -- in the first formal talks between the two sides in almost a decade --Chinese and Taiwanese officials agreed to set up permanent offices in each other's territories. Taiwan separated from China after the communists' victory in the Chinese civil war in 1949. About 2 million Chinese Nationalists fled to Taiwan and set up a government there. Beijing has always considered the island a part of China and has threatened to go to war should Taiwan declare formal independence. China said in May 2005 it would give the island two giant pandas, but their departure was delayed for more than three years. Improved ties between the two sides made the delivery of the pandas possible, Xinhua reported. The pair, whose names Tuan and Yuan together mean "reunion," will live in a four-story building at the Taipei city zoo, and their lodgings will include an outdoor playground, the agency said. After a one-month quarantine, the pandas are expected to make their debut in Taiwan during the Chinese lunar new year. There are about 1,590 pandas living in China's wild, mostly in Sichuan and the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. There were 239 captive-bred giant pandas in China in 2007, Xinhua reported. One panda died in the May quake, while another is still missing, according to an official at the China Panda Protection Studies Center in Wolong. | Pandas will live at Taipei zoo, expected to debut during the Chinese lunar new year .
Panda goodwill the latest sign of warming relations between Beijing and Taipei .
Regular flights began between the two sides for the first time since 1949 .
About 1,590 pandas live in China's wild, and there were 239 captive bred in 2007 . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a6e61cdd3dd061992295e78ab39591e3cb05ba2d"} | 705 | 82 | 0.510078 | 1.296044 | 0.667514 | 4.430769 | 8.707692 | 0.923077 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- It's no secret that the music industry has not made an ideal transition into the digital era. Is the iPod, iTunes and independent Web promotion the future of music? Or can record labels fight back? Album sales are falling, P2P file sharing is rife, and a plethora of new artists are using the Internet as a platform for gaining international exposure. With the introduction of MySpace Music, three major record labels -- Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group -- are hoping to launch a counter-strike to the technological developments and online activities that have rocked their industry. But, how far can the record labels go towards getting back those good old days where they were uncontested as they reaped the lion's share of profits from the music industry? Experts CNN spoke to for a Just Imagine article had contrasting views on what the coming years hold for the industry. Long-time music industry figure Bob Lefsetz was critical of the new venture. "Radio on demand, in one's home, in front of the computer, which is what MySpace actually is, is not a sexy alternative to owning what you want and taking it to the beach, to the party, to your workout," he said, comparing it with Apple's iTunes and iPod. Lefsetz feels the record labels have to face serious decline, unless they can come up with a new business model. Well-known music artists' rights advocate, educator and industry commentator, Moses Avalon, was more positive about MySpace Music's hopes and the future of the record label industry. Music industry lecturer Andrew Dubber, meanwhile, believed the future would be characterized by change, and that there is no set model for the future of the recording industry. Now, we want to know what you think. Give us your views on the future of the music industry. Do you have a business model you think the record labels should adopt to build a strong future? Or, do you think the industry has no future at all? Do you think Web sites like tunecore.com, rawrip.com and sellaband.com hold the power now? Post your comments in the Sound Off box below. We'll publish the best. | We take a look at the future of the music industry as record sales decline .
Will MySpace music venture between major labels save the industry?
What do you think? Post your views and we'll publish the best. | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "cd1600b047715ef0829bacfc7ed3b4cebb616f98"} | 499 | 47 | 0.537249 | 1.474022 | 1.442094 | 2.311111 | 9.488889 | 0.844444 |
(CNN) -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom cited several examples in a recent report of abuse toward Christians in Iraq. Iraqis rush to a car bomb explosion at a Christian church in Kirkuk in January. | U.S. panel reports examples of intimidation, violence against Christians in Iraq .
Report: Christians urged to convert to Islam, attacked if they don't obey Islamic laws .
Christian priests, missionaries have been kidnapped and killed, report says . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "578d4784656d2b462895cfc89b3481a231ebfb51"} | 52 | 61 | 0.738206 | 1.380443 | 0.409529 | 0.586957 | 0.891304 | 0.326087 |
DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNN) -- Bob Konrardy carried the guilt with him for more than 40 years. A platoon commander in Vietnam, Konrardy was wounded when shrapnel tore through his body. Four comrades carried him to safety in a poncho for more than an hour while the firefight raged. Bob Konrardy says the fallen soldier monument outside his home honors soldiers killed in Iraq like Dave Behrle. "These four guys went back to help the platoon because they were still fighting, and all four of those guys got killed," Konrardy says. "I felt guilty for 40-something years." Two years ago, Konrardy got to thinking: He'd be a Santa of sorts for soldiers in Iraq as a way to help him deal with his conscience. He would collect autographed college and pro footballs, letters from local kids and other mementoes from home to help inspire the troops in Iraq. Then, he would have the goods delivered to his old platoon serving in Iraq, the First Cavalry Division. He initially thought he'd have the material shipped. But his plan changed when the military signed off for Konrardy to deliver the goods in person and work as an embedded journalist for a local paper. The 65-year-old grandpa was about to head to one of the world's most dangerous places. Watch "I could have been killed" » . "I wanted to maybe bury some Vietnam demons and just make a difference with this platoon and maybe make up for what I didn't do with my old platoon," he says. "I thought it was going to go one way. It went the other. It made me worse." He adds, "I couldn't sleep before, but now it's worse. I hate to see it get dark. I get extremely nervous. I get uptight. I just don't like to see it get dark. And once it is dark, I'm on edge until it gets dawn." Konrardy's story is one of patriotism, heroism and torment -- a war veteran unable to escape what happened in 1965, when he was just 23. "Here's a guy who is a true American hero in his own right. He was wounded in action in the Iadrang Valley, and he comes into a combat zone 40 years later," says Maj. Chris Rogers, the operations officer of the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, when Konrardy embedded with them. "In my opinion, he's a guy who has done it all -- bled for his own country -- and he's more interested in telling the story of today's generation of young heroes than trumpeting his own horn." Konrardy was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder shortly after he retired from John Deere in 2002, when he says his disorder really kicked in. He once sleep-drove to a Wal-Mart about 20 minutes from his home at 3 a.m. He doesn't recall how he got there or how he got home. He only remembers a guy mopping the floor asking if he could be helped. Other times, he'd patrol the neighborhood in the wee hours of the night with his loaded 9-mm pistol on his hip. His counselor with the Department of Veterans Affairs once asked what he would do if the police ever stopped him. "I said, 'I'll just shoot out his windows and escape and evade back to the house. I think it'd be fun.' She didn't like that answer," he says with a laugh. "So I'm lucky because that's probably what I would've tried to do." Konrardy checked himself into a VA facility in Des Moines, Iowa, to get help for his PTSD. He chuckles more when he recounts trying to escape from the place and police approached him. "I rolled down a hill and started running so they couldn't catch me. They said that was the wrong thing to do." Learn about PTSD and how to get help » . He says he was then put in an isolation ward for 11 days and nights, and eventually released. It was August 2005. Fast forward to the fall of 2006. That's when Konrardy spoke to his grandson's eighth-grade class about his war experience. They thanked him for serving his country. "Nobody had ever done that before, for serving in Vietnam," he says. He started e-mailing members of the Army's First Cavalry Division as part of his grandson's "adopt a platoon" project. He got autographed footballs from the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts, as well as from the University of Tennessee and University of Georgia. Even the players at local St. Ambrose University chipped in with a football of their own: the game ball from their championship game. "I just wanted to do something and make up for what I didn't do for my guys," Konrardy says. His family gathered for Christmas that year and he told of his plans to travel to Iraq. "Everybody cried," he says. "I said, 'Hey, this is a chance of a lifetime. I have to go.' " Quizzed about why a man who was held in a VA facility a couple years earlier was cleared to travel to Iraq, Konrardy laughs. He says CNN is the first to ask that question. But he adds the original plan was for him to not go into combat. "On the way over, I didn't think I'd be going out." By March 2007, the old warrior's boots were on the ground in Baghdad. His plan was to hand out the 95 pounds of goods and kick back with the soldiers at base camp, collecting their stories and gathering video to give to their families back home. Konrardy handed the St. Ambrose football to a soldier named David W. Behrle, a 20-year-old from Tipton, Iowa. He scooped it up and cherished it. Konrardy was officially in Iraq as an embedded journalist to file blog posts for "The Quad-City Times." He had not intended to go into combat, but that quickly changed. He says the commander said if he wanted to get to know the troops "you've gotta be proactive." Konrardy says he hopped into a Humvee and began patrolling the tight streets of Baghdad with the unit. He was assigned the back right seat for four days. His Humvee once struck a dud of a roadside bomb that blew the tire out underneath where he was sitting. Gunfire erupted. "Looking back, I'm thinking, 'Wow, I could have been killed,' " he says. He's still haunted by another time in Iraq -- not because of what happened, but because of what he didn't do. "I'm going to the bathroom and I hear somebody crying. My first instinct was to be a grandpa: I'm going to go in and I'm going to hold this young kid whoever it is and just say, 'I know where you're coming from. I've been there. Let's just talk.' " He adds, "But I chickened out. I didn't do that. Now, I wish I would have." A few weeks after he left Iraq, soldiers he befriended were riding in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle on patrol around Baghdad. He says the soldiers had recently saved a young Iraqi girl who had been shot in the head from insurgent crossfire. But on this day, May 19, 2007, a roadside bomb went off, killing all six soldiers inside. One of those killed was Spc. David Behrle, the soldier who loved the football hand-delivered by Konrardy. "I took that hard. It still bothers me," Konrardy says. Outside his Iowa home, a flagpole stands on Konrardy's lawn. A fallen soldier monument sits at its base with a pair of boots, rifle facing down and helmet with the name "Behrle" on it. Behrle's family was so moved by Konrardy they had it built for him. Kneeling next to the monument, Konrardy says, "It reminds me of Dave. But it also reminds me of the Behrle family and how close we've gotten with them and how great they've been in my grieving for Dave and helping me ... try to readjust to the things I went through in Iraq." "They say I helped them; I say they helped me." The lifelong Republican recently did something he thought he'd never do: He says he voted for a Democrat for the president of the United States. Thousands of American troops will soon be returning home in need of help just like him. Konrardy, who is still getting PTSD treatment, wishes the rest of the nation could better understand what that's like. "I just want them to realize the life of a soldier is not what you think," he says. "It changes you for the rest of your life." | Army veteran went to Iraq hoping to expunge "Vietnam demons"
Bob Konrardy spent four days on patrol in March 2007 as an embedded journalist .
"I couldn't sleep before, but now it's worse. I hate to see it get dark," he says .
Konrardy says nation must be ready for when troubled soldiers return from Iraq . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a7f578ca546ea016f5695fe3dd09f1b16e083575"} | 2,103 | 87 | 0.557524 | 1.953316 | 0.872241 | 7.057971 | 25.202899 | 0.855072 |
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Concerns were growing Wednesday for a polar bear born last month at a German zoo after its twin died and was possibly eaten by its mother. One year ago Vera gave birth to Flocke, pictured here playing in her enclosure in April. The young polar bear died Monday, less than two weeks after it was born, Nuremberg Zoo said. The surviving twin was doing well, the zoo said, but added that it was concerned the mother may not be able to care for it properly. Zookeepers watching a video feed from the bears' enclosure said they had noticed the baby bear looking thinner and weaker. They saw the bears' mother, Vera, nudging the dead bear with her nose and observing it -- and as of Wednesday, they said, the dead bear was nowhere to be seen. "It is very, very sad," said zoo director Dag Encke. "it is unfortunately frequently the case that with twins, one of the animals doesn't survive." Zookeepers had kept their distance from Vera and her babies, watching them only on camera so as not to make the mother feel threatened. Polar bears are known to eat their young if they sense any danger or interference. "We have to worry more about the surviving young animal and take care that the polar bear with her baby is not disturbed," Encke said. "So far, Vera is caring for the surviving baby in an exemplary way." One year ago Vera gave birth to Flocke, who became an instant celebrity across Germany. Flocke's first birthday is Thursday. | German zookeepers concerned for baby polar bear after its twin died .
Young polar bear died Monday, less than two weeks after it was born .
Baby nowhere to be found in enclosure; mothers often eat young if sense danger . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "4e91d616a08a8dfb97b65898ef146845cf5468b3"} | 361 | 56 | 0.677546 | 1.594623 | 0.941255 | 5.4 | 6.822222 | 0.866667 |
(CNN) -- What could be more powerful than the tears of a Native American Indian? Wax on, wax off: Does it make you want to save the rainforests? Iron Eyes Cody was the face of the Keep American Beautiful campaign of 1971 whose tears marked the plight of the environment, but more importantly kept the problems of pollution in the minds of millions. From teary Native Americans to witty skits or doom-ladened eco-horror scenarios, the environmental campaign video then has long been a powerful tool for environmental groups to spread their message and raise pubic attention. The rise of YouTube and other video sharing web sites has now meant that individuals can broadcast their own eco-awareness messages and form their own social action networks. But what makes a good video and how much impact do they have? Is it better to be funny or shocking? When you see Harrison Ford getting his chest waxed, do you immediately think about saving the rainforests? Or does the sight of celebrity pontificating about the plight of the environment make you want to watch their next film rather calculate your carbon footprint. We've featured three different videos that we like and want to know which ones you think are the best. Watch the featured videos » . Let us know which eco videos have got you going by using the Sound Off box below. Or, e-mail us at [email protected]. We also want to feature your own environmental videos here on CNN's Eco Solutions. Use the iReport form to send in your film and you could find your environmental efforts make even more impact than Harrison Ford's chest. | Nominate your favorite environmental campaign video .
Rate our featured videos, including Harrison Ford getting his chest waxed .
Send in your own videos using our iReport page . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "6e8382e61be49c936e00a8eea24377a687622967"} | 357 | 41 | 0.552078 | 1.510249 | 1.039395 | 2.09375 | 9.59375 | 0.71875 |
Editor's note: Fareed Zakaria is a foreign affairs analyst who hosts "Fareed Zakaria: GPS" on CNN at 1 p.m. ET Sundays. Fareed Zakaria says he doesn't think the crisis between Russia and Georgia is likely to be resolved soon. NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to benefit one of its presidential candidates. In an exclusive interview Thursday with CNN's Matthew Chance in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Russia, Putin said the U.S. had encouraged Georgia to attack the autonomous region of South Ossetia. Putin said his defense officials had told him it was done to benefit a presidential candidate, but he presented no evidence to back it up. "U.S. citizens were indeed in the area in conflict," Putin said. "They were acting in implementing those orders doing as they were ordered, and the only one who can give such orders is their leader." White House spokeswoman Dana Perino blasted Putin's statements, saying they were "patently false." Russia is trying to counterbalance mounting pressure from the West over its military action in Georgia and its recognition of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But Russia's hopes of winning international support were dashed Thursday when China and other Asian nations expressed concern about tension in the region. The joint declaration from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes China, Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, said the countries hoped that any further conflict could be resolved peacefully. CNN spoke to world affairs expert and author Fareed Zakaria about the Russia-Georgia situation. CNN: Is the crisis between Russia and Georgia likely to get resolved soon? Zakaria: No, positions are actually hardening. The Russians have formally recognized the two regions of Georgia -- Abkhazia and South Ossetia -- and on our program, the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has demanded the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers, to be replaced by European Union peacekeepers. So the two sides are actually further apart than they were 10 days ago. CNN: Who will prevail? Zakaria: It's difficult to see the circumstances under which Russia will withdraw completely. On the other hand, its recognition of the two provinces is a joke. Almost no country in the world has followed them in this recognition. So they might be willing to reverse themselves on this issue. But I can't see them getting out completely. CNN: So Russia wins? Zakaria: Well, even if it wins in the narrow sense, it will lose in a broader sense. Russia's actions have scared all their neighbors, aroused anti-Russian nationalism, driven the Poles, the Ukrainians and so many other countries closer to the West and away from Moscow. Countries around the world have been startled by the Soviet-era tactics. And what have they gained for all this? South Ossetia. I think this will go down in history as a major strategic blunder. The Russians have massively overplayed their hand. CNN: Why did they do it? Zakaria: They would argue that the West pushed and punished them after the collapse of the Soviet Union and that by expanding NATO to their borders, it signaled that it still saw Russia as a rival and relations as competitive. Perhaps there is some truth to their perception, but there were also much broader developments in Russia over the last decade. The rise of Russian nationalism, an anti-Western and anti-democratic movement, the rise of an elected dictatorship, and above all, the rise in oil wealth, which always produces corruption, dysfunction and arrogance. Russia has moved in anti-modern directions, and much of it has nothing to do with what the West did or didn't do. CNN: What should the United States do? Zakaria: Assist Georgia in rebuilding and securing itself. Assure countries like Poland that may be insecure. But also, don't overreact. Russia's blunder is producing a reaction in the region and across the world. Let that play itself out. We should be firm in insisting that they cannot re-impose their rule in Georgia, but there is little to be gained in a total cutoff with Moscow. We have to deal with Russia on many issues, from Iran to North Korea. Nobody benefits from a new Cold War, not the Russians and not the U.S. | Fareed Zakaria says Russia's actions will be viewed as "a major strategic blunder"
Zakaria calls Russia's recognition of Georgia's two breakaway provinces "a joke"
Analyst: Russia has moved in "anti-modern" directions in recent years .
Zakaria says U.S. shouldn't overreact, let world reaction play itself out . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "401f477dfd8792c71b416f6b031ac643cd400ec3"} | 1,014 | 86 | 0.540161 | 1.507576 | 0.763888 | 1.890625 | 13.046875 | 0.890625 |
(CNN) -- The Republican National Convention is kicking off in full force Tuesday in the Twin Cities -- the first time the GOP has held a presidential convention there since 1892. Laura Bush and Cindy McCain speak at a shortened first day of the Republican National Convention Monday. The convention, delayed briefly when Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast, is also being held later in the year than any nominating convention in history. Check out these tidbits of convention history and political trivia. Location . The Republican National Convention is being held in the Xcel Energy Center, the home of the National Hockey League team the Minnesota Wild. To prepare the Xcel center for the GOP convention, workers removed 3,000 seats and installed more than 25 miles of cable . Sen. Barack Obama gave his first speech as the Democrats' presumptive 2008 presidential nominee at the Xcel Center on June 3. The Twin Cities and Denver have each received $50 million each in federal funds for convention security. No Republican since Richard Nixon has carried Minnesota in a presidential general election -- the longest Democratic streak of any state in the nation. The Delegates . About 2,300 delegates and 2,200 alternates delegates are expected to journey to the twin cities for the event, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul economy is expected to benefit to the tune of $150 to $160 million. The Candidates, past and present . John McCain turned 72 last week; if elected, he'll be the oldest president sworn in to a first term. Two GOP presidential nominees were older than McCain; Ronald Reagan was 73 in 1984 when he was running for his second term and Bob Dole was 73 in 1996. Dole lost that election to Bill Clinton. John McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam from 1967 to 1973; his service awards include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and a Purple Heart. McCain's father and grandfather were both U.S. Navy admirals; they were the first father and son to achieve that rank. McCain represented Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987; he has served in the U.S. Senate since 1987. McCain was the presidential nominating speaker in 1996 for Sen. Robert Dole. McCain clinched the Republican presidential nomination on March 4 after winning 26 primary season contests. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the second woman to serve on a major party ticket -- in 1984 Democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman to serve on a major party ticket. Palin is the first woman to serve as Alaska governor; she was elected in 2006, winning the election to the governorship as a maverick reformer willing to distance herself from the Republican Party. McCain first met Palin at the National Governors Association meeting in Washington in February of 2008. Conventions . National political conventions were covered on radio for the first time in 1924, and covered on television for the first time since 1948. 2008 marks the fourth time the parties have held back-to-back conventions; it also happened in 1912, 1916 and 1956. The longest convention in history was the 1924 Democratic convention in New York -- It lasted 17 days. The shortest convention in history was the 1872 Democratic convention in Baltimore -- it only lasted six hours. | McCain was the presidential nominating speaker in 1996 for Sen. Robert Dole .
2008 marks the fourth time the parties have held back-to-back conventions .
No Republican since Nixon has carried Minnesota in a presidential general election .
If McCain is elected he'll be the oldest president sworn in to a first term . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "371f206bd72e1f8f7b57bafd260b3c1d930a9d78"} | 709 | 75 | 0.595625 | 1.697117 | 1.237131 | 10.629032 | 9.887097 | 0.951613 |
(CNN) -- Israel said Wednesday it may expel Venezuela's top diplomat from the country in a tit-for-tat gesture after the South American nation ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the Israeli army "cowards." The decision on whether to expel Venezuela's charge d'affaires will be taken later Wednesday, said Yigal Palmor, the spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry. On Tuesday, Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador to Caracas and accused Israel of attempting to carry out "genocide" against the Palestinian people. "In this tragic and indignant hour, the people of Venezuela manifest their unconditional solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people, share in the sadness that overcomes thousands of families through the loss of their loved ones, and extends to them a hand by affirming that the government of Venezuela will not rest until it sees those responsible for these criminal atrocities severely punished," the Venezuelan foreign minister said in a statement read by an anchor on state television. The statement added that the government "condemns strongly the flagrant violations of international law" by Israel and "denounces their planned utilization of state terrorism." "For the above-mentioned reasons, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and some of the personnel of the Israeli Embassy in Venezuela," it added. In a news conference broadcast by state-run Venezuelan television, President Hugo Chavez blasted the Israeli military. "They are cowards," he said. "It's as though a boxing professional were to come here and challenge you to box. Well, how courageous! How courageous is the Israeli army!" It said that Chavez "makes a fraternal call to the Jewish people throughout the world to oppose these criminal policies of the state of Israel that recall the worst pages of the history of the 20th century. "With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the state of Israel will never be able to offer its people the perspective of a peace that is both necessary and long-lasting." Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was unswayed. "I haven't heard the details yet, but you know the regime in Venezuela has been one of the few countries in the world that gives automatic support to the Iranian extremists, and it doesn't surprise me that they have affinity with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah," he told CNN. He predicted that other countries would not follow suit, even in the Middle East. "I think, even in the Muslim and Arab countries, there is a fair amount of understanding for what Israel has had to do here," he said. | NEW: Top Venezuelan diplomat may be expelled in tit-for-tat gesture .
Venezuela ordered Israeli ambassador to leave over the ground war in Gaza .
Venezuelan government statement condemned "flagrant violations" by Israel .
President Hugo Chavez calls Israeli army "cowards"
Israeli spokesman says Venezuela has given "automatic support" to extremists . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "4e8a351d30e125464d9adeebd10e376adcb80d79"} | 609 | 84 | 0.538594 | 1.472165 | 1.000457 | 2.515152 | 7.80303 | 0.848485 |
Motozintla, MEXICO (CNN) -- "My life was sad before because I had to crawl on the ground," recalls Caesar Morales, a 24-year-old father in Mexico who, until recently, had only one limb and couldn't walk. David Puckett's nonprofit has provided free artificial limbs, orthopedic braces and care to more than 420 people. But today, thanks to David Puckett and his U.S.-based nonprofit, Morales has new prosthetic legs. Now, he's not only able to walk, but his newfound independence has made it possible for him to move to another town where he could find work. "He lifted me up to where I am today," Morales says. Morales isn't the only person in southeastern Mexico who credits Puckett with changing his life. Since November 2000, the certified, licensed prosthetist/orthotist from Savannah, Georgia, has been providing artificial limbs, orthopedic braces and ongoing care to hundreds in need in the communities of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas -- free of charge. "When someone loses a limb they immediately know what they've lost," says Puckett. "The goal is to restore the healthy self image again so that that person can see themselves whole." Puckett first connected with the Yucatan people while volunteering on a mission there as a teenager. Struck by the overwhelming poverty and the physical challenges he saw people facing in the rural communities, Puckett vowed to return and make a difference there. "When I finally got into the field of orthotics and prosthetics, I said, 'Ah-ha. Now, I know what I can do.' " His nonprofit, PIPO Missions: Limbs and Braces to Mexico, collects donated, used orthopedic braces and artificial limbs in the United States and crafts new ones from their recycled components. On average, Puckett makes a six-day trip every two months to distribute the custom prosthetics and braces, while also providing ongoing care. "To deliver an artificial limb or brace without follow-up doesn't help that person in the long run," says Puckett. "We need to make sure that they have what they need to continue living successfully for years to come." Over the course of his 41 trips to the region, Puckett has helped more than 420 individuals. He's found that word of his work spreads fast through the villages and people will drive hours to attend his clinics. Puckett's trips are routinely extended to accommodate house calls to immobile residents of distant towns. Watch how Puckett brings prosthetic and orthotic care to people in Mexico » . "Someone might say, 'I wanna bring 10 people with me next time you come.' The mixed blessing is they'll bring 50 or 100 people that have physical needs," says Puckett. "The difficulty for me is, how do I say no?" For Puckett, each trip demonstrates the immeasurable impact he is making on people's lives. Stories of previously unimagined independence, confidence and employment greet him from clinical waiting areas, often along with offerings of food, livestock and friendship. When his group helps one person, Puckett explains, it has an effect on an entire community. Watch Puckett describe how one patient in Mexico crafted himself a homemade foot » . "It opens a whole other door for many of these folks to experience the world in a way in which they've never even dreamt of," says Puckett. "And the world has an opportunity to greet them, accept them and welcome them back into society. So, it's a double blessing." Watch Puckett describe how he helped a woman now known as "the miracle girl" » . In between trips, Puckett also spends time soliciting the aid of surgeons, as he frequently encounters physical conditions that require surgery before prosthetic help can be successfully administered. "If we had a surgeon here, we could see eight to 10 patients in a weekend and change their lives forever," he says. "It's tough for people to make the choice to give up time with their families and a portion of their income to extend themselves in this way. But, take it from me, the more we give, the more we get." | David Puckett's nonprofit provides free artificial limbs, braces and care .
Since November 2000 the organization has helped hundreds in southeastern Mexico .
Puckett's organization crafts the braces and artificial limbs from recycled ones . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "887def04d491d6bf532e1a01684d23f436ce308f"} | 969 | 56 | 0.606735 | 1.835417 | 1.189528 | 2.275 | 20.4 | 0.875 |
(CNN) -- Bayern Munich have agreed a deal to sign Croatian international striker Ivica Olic from Bundesliga rivals Hamburg, the German champions have revealed on their official Web site fcbayern.de. Olic will join Bayern Munich at the end of the season after proving a success in his time at Hamburg. "We've struck an agreement to sign Olic at the end of the season. All we need now are the signatures under the contract," said Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness following the team's arrival at a winter training camp in Dubai. Olic will complete his move on a free transfer on July 1 and will sign a three-year contract binding him to the club until 2012. "I'll do everything I can to mark my departure from Hamburg with a trophy," the 29-year-old Olic vowed on Friday, as he and his team-mates prepared for a winter training camp almost exactly parallel to Bayern's in Dubai. The two teams will meet on January 30 in Hamburg in a match marking the official start of the second half of the Bundesliga season. Olic joined Hamburg from CSKA Moscow in January 2007 having won three league titles and the UEFA Cup in Russia. He has already scored 12 goals this season and has netted 11 times in 61 internationals for Croatia. "We're certain Ivica will be a perfect compliment to our strikers Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose. One pleasing aspect is that he is out of contract at the end of the season," said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge last month. | Bayern Munich agree a deal to sign Croatian international striker Ivica Olic .
Olic will join from Bundesliga rivals Hamburg at the end of the current season .
The 29-year-old agrees a three-year contract and will not cost Bayern any fee . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "6e3657fabf186e1c31969e851e8934d41ae336fa"} | 356 | 62 | 0.64698 | 1.414559 | 0.924803 | 4.14 | 5.88 | 0.82 |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The man who police say dressed as Santa Claus and killed nine people at a Christmas Eve party may have also had plans to kill his mother and his former wife's divorce attorney, police said Monday night. Bruce Jeffrey Pardo went on a shooting rampage in a Los Angeles suburb on Wednesday, police say. Prime suspect Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, who police said committed suicide hours after he went on a shooting rampage and started a raging house fire in the Los Angeles suburb of Covina, left a rental car with a gasoline canister outside the home of attorney Scott Nord, said Pat Buchanan of the Covina Police Department. Police previously said that Pardo targeted his rampage at his former wife, Sylvia Ortega Pardo, and her family at the family's Christmas Eve party. A divorce between the two was finalized in court on December 18 in a "somewhat contentious proceeding," Covina Police Chief Kim Raney said last week. Police believe Pardo planned to carry out a similar attack at Nord's house as he did at the shooting and house fire that claimed nine lives. Another rented car that Pardo used to flee the scene was found booby-trapped after the shooting, police said. That car burned as the Covina bomb squad was trying to disconnect an explosive device in it, police said. On Saturday, Covina police released the names of the nine people unaccounted for since the shooting and fire. Nine bodies were recovered from the rubble of the house, but authorities said that they are having to work with dental records to establish identities. "The bodies were so badly burned they cannot be identified any other way," said Covina police Lt. Pat Buchanan. The nine unaccounted for include Sylvia Pardo, her parents, her sister, her two brothers, both brothers' wives, and a nephew. Ages of the nine range from 17 to 80, police said. On Monday night, police said Pardo's mother had also planned to attend the Christmas party, but didn't go because she was sick. Pardo had a contentious relationship with his mother, according to Buchanan, because she attended the couple's divorce hearing and had sided with Pardo's ex-wife. The shooting and fire left 10 children orphaned and three others lost one parent. An "Ortega Family Fund" has been set up at Nord's law offices. | Police say Bruce Jeffrey Pardo had hit list after divorce proceedings were final .
Original target was Pardo's ex-wife, police say, but attorney, mom also targets .
Shooting and fire left 10 children orphaned and three others lost one parent . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "3becc221d2b5e9a2c3a20ccd587e9ee15a9b8023"} | 548 | 60 | 0.578544 | 1.734033 | 0.344541 | 5.285714 | 9.265306 | 0.795918 |
(CNN) -- President Bush spoke live via satellite to the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. Here is the text of the speech: . President Bush says John McCain is "ready to lead" the United States. Bush: Good evening. As you know, my duties have me here in Washington tonight to oversee the federal government's efforts to help citizens recover from Hurricane Gustav. We are thankful that the damage in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast was less than many had feared. I commend the governors of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas for their sure-handed response and seamless coordination with the federal government. I thank all of the wonderful volunteers who stepped forward to help their brothers and sisters in need. We know that there is still risk even after the storm has passed. So I ask citizens across the region to listen closely to local officials and follow their instructions before returning to their homes. All of us are keeping the people of the Gulf Coast in our thoughts and prayers. As you gather tonight in Saint Paul, I want to share some thoughts about our nominee -- a great American, and the next president of the United States, John McCain. Watch Bush's speech » . Before I do so, I want to say hello to two people in the hall with you tonight. I could have no finer examples of character, decency, and integrity than my mom and dad. I know what it takes to be president. In these past eight years, I've sat at the Resolute Desk and reviewed the daily intelligence briefings, the threat assessments and the reports from our commanders on the front lines. I've stood in the ruins of buildings knocked down by killers, and promised the survivors I would never let them down. I know the hard choices that fall solely to a president. John McCain's life has prepared him to make those choices. He is ready to lead this nation. From the day of his commissioning, John McCain was a respected Naval officer who made decisions on which the lives of others depended. As an elected public servant, he earned the respect of colleagues in both parties as a man to follow when there is a tough call to make. John McCain's life is a story of service above self. Forty years ago in an enemy prison camp, Lt. Cmdr. McCain was offered release ahead of others who had been held longer. His wounds were so severe that anyone would have understood if he had accepted. John refused. For that selfless decision, he suffered nearly five more years of beatings and isolation. When he was finally released, his arms had been broken, but not his honor. Fellow citizens: If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain's resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure the angry left never will. As the father of seven sons and daughters, John has the heart of a protector. He and his wonderful wife, Cindy, are adoptive parents. John is a leader who knows that human life is fragile ... that human life is precious ... that human life must be defended. We have seen John McCain's commitment to principle in our nation's capital. John is a steadfast opponent of wasteful spending. As president, he will stand up to the high-tax crowd in Congress and make the tax relief permanent. He will invest in the energy technologies of tomorrow and lift the ban on drilling for America's offshore oil today. John is an independent man who thinks for himself. He's not afraid to tell you when he disagrees. ... No matter what the issue, this man is honest and speaks straight from the heart. Last year, John McCain's independence and character helped change history. The Democrats had taken control of Congress and were threatening to cut off funds for our troops. In the face of calls for retreat, I ordered a surge of forces into Iraq. Many in Congress said it had no chance of working. Yet one senator above all had faith in our troops and the importance of their mission, and that was John McCain. Some told him that his early and consistent call for more troops would put his presidential campaign at risk. He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war. That is the kind of courage and vision we need in our next commander in chief. My fellow citizens, we live in a dangerous world. And we need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain. When he takes office next January, John will have an outstanding leader at his side. America will have a strong and principled vice president in the governor of the great state of Alaska, Sarah Palin. In the time the Oval Office has been in my trust, I have kept near my desk reminders of America's character -- including a painting of a West Texas mountain lit by the morning sun. It reminds me that Americans have always lived on the sunrise side of the mountain. We are a nation that looks to the new day with confidence and optimism. I am optimistic about our future, because I believe in the goodness and wisdom of the American people. I am optimistic because I have faith in freedom's power to lift up all of God's children and lead this world to a future of peace. And I am optimistic about something else: When the debates have ended, and all the ads have run, and it is time to vote, Americans will look closely at the judgment, the experience, and the policies of the candidates, and they will cast their ballots for the McCain-Palin ticket. While I am not with you in the Twin Cities on this wonderful night for our party, with Laura Bush speaking, you have clearly traded up. I am so proud the American people have come to know her gracious presence, her determined spirit, and her loving heart. Laura has been a fantastic first lady. Thank you, Laura, and thanks to all of you in the hall tonight. God bless you, and God bless America. | Bush: The man we need is John McCain .
Bush: We need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001 .
President praises McCain for support of troop surge in Iraq .
Bush: That is the kind of courage and vision we need . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a0c2d26c2ebecd53dcecc9ea04ae8c5aabd24e22"} | 1,306 | 57 | 0.444865 | 1.160897 | 0.105353 | 6.735849 | 22.811321 | 0.886792 |
(CNN) -- Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador to the country Tuesday and accused Israel of attempting to carry out "genocide" against the Palestinian people. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the Israeli army "cowards." "In this tragic and indignant hour, the people of Venezuela manifest their unconditional solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people, share in the sadness that overcomes thousands of families through the loss of their loved ones, and extends to them a hand by affirming that the government of Venezuela will not rest until it sees those responsible for these criminal atrocities severely punished," the Venezuelan foreign minister said in a statement read by an anchor on state television. The statement added that the government "condemns strongly the flagrant violations of international law" by Israel and "denounces their planned utilization of state terrorism." "For the above-mentioned reasons, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and some of the personnel of the Israeli Embassy in Venezuela," it added. In a news conference broadcast by state-run Venezuelan television, President Hugo Chavez blasted the Israeli military. "They are cowards," he said. "It's as though a boxing professional were to come here and challenge you to box. Well, how courageous! How courageous is the Israeli army!" It said that Chavez "makes a fraternal call to the Jewish people throughout the world to oppose these criminal policies of the state of Israel that recall the worst pages of the history of the 20th century. "With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the state of Israel will never be able to offer its people the perspective of a peace that is both necessary and long-lasting." Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was unswayed. "I haven't heard the details yet, but you know the regime in Venezuela has been one of the few countries in the world that gives automatic support to the Iranian extremists, and it doesn't surprise me that they have affinity with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah," he told CNN. He predicted that other countries would not follow suit, even in the Middle East. "I think, even in the Muslim and Arab countries, there is a fair amount of understanding for what Israel has had to do here," he said. | Expulsion is in protest of Israeli strike against Palestinians, minister says .
Venezuelan government statement condemned "flagrant violations" by Israel .
President Hugo Chavez calls Israeli army "cowards"
Israeli spokesman says Venezuela has given "automatic support" to extremists . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "4928ccf044e057744c301e4b4c1c278ac0109523"} | 521 | 64 | 0.535959 | 1.409321 | 1.19895 | 1.367347 | 9.081633 | 0.755102 |
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- An 850-pound emerald said to be worth as much as $370 million is in the hands of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department while a court decides who really owns it, a spokesman for the sheriff said. This enormous raw emerald was being kept in a Las Vegas, Nevada, warehouse. The "Bahia Emerald" -- one of the largest ever found -- was reported stolen in September from a secured vault in South El Monte in Los Angeles County. The report was made by someone who claimed to own the giant gemstone, Los Angeles Sheriff's Lt. Thomas Grubb said. Federal court papers showed the emerald has been at the center of a dispute between a California man who claimed ownership, a company he contracted with to sell it, and a potential buyer. Detective work traced the Brazilian stone to a Las Vegas, Nevada, warehouse, where the person in possession claimed to be the rightful owner, Grubb said. A federal judge ordered the sheriff to hold the 180,000-carat emerald until he can sort the case out, Grubb said. Investigators suspect someone used falsified papers to remove the stone from the secured vault in California, although no criminal charges have been filed, Grubb said. While Grubb said it was his understanding the stone had been appraised at $370 million, the value is unclear. The company hired by the owner to sell it said in court papers it had received a $19 million offer, which the company wanted to accept. It alleged the gemstone's owner then tried to go around the broker to sell the emerald to the same buyer for $75 million. At one point, the emerald was listed for sale on eBay for a "buy it now" price of $75 million. | L.A. sheriff takes custody of 180,000-carat gemstone pending resolution .
Seller, buyer, broker arguing over ownership, sale agreement .
Estimates of raw emerald's value range from $19 million to $370 million . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "726dafd6e5d3a0daac9a9bbc72028d882fc82d33"} | 412 | 59 | 0.619948 | 1.513995 | 0.712113 | 1.214286 | 8.166667 | 0.690476 |
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A NASA report on the last minutes of Space Shuttle Columbia cited problems with the crew's helmets, spacesuits and restraints, which resulted in "lethal trauma" to the seven astronauts aboard. Columbia crew members were killed when the shuttle broke apart upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere. But the report also acknowledged that "the breakup of the crew module ... was not survivable by any currently existing capability." The spacecraft broke up while re-entering Earth's atmosphere near the end of its mission on February 1, 2003. The NASA report found the astronauts knew for about 40 seconds that they did not have control of the shuttle before they likely were knocked unconscious as Columbia broke apart around them. Watch more details from the report » . The report also found that while crew members were wearing their pressurized suits, one astronaut did not have on a helmet, three were not wearing gloves and none lowered the visors before the module lost cabin pressure. One astronaut also was not seated. "In this accident, none of those actions would have ultimately made any difference," said former shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, now a deputy NASA administrator. The graphic, 400-page investigative report relied on video, recovered debris and medical findings, supplemented with computer modeling and analyses. It also includes many recommendations to make space travel safer for future astronauts. A shuttle-program source told CNN the families of the astronauts who died were brought in specifically to look at the report and even in some cases to help with its preparation. The report took more than five years to complete. "The members of this team have done an outstanding job under difficult and personal circumstances," said Johnson Space Center director Michael L. Coats. "Their work will ensure that the legacy of Columbia and her heroic crew continues to be the improved safety of future human spaceflights worldwide." Columbia broke apart some 200,000 feet over Texas -- just minutes before it was to have touched down in Florida. The shuttle's wing was damaged on takeoff when a large piece of heat-reflecting foam ripped off and gouged a hole in it. During re-entry, the hole allowed atmospheric gases to burn the wing and destroy the spacecraft. The oldest orbiter in the fleet, Columbia had just completed a 16-day science mission. Watch the view from the command deck as the shuttle enters the atmosphere » . Killed were commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, payload commander Michael Anderson and mission specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon, an Israeli Air Force colonel who was Israel's first astronaut. By request of the families of the Columbia astronauts, NASA released the report between Christmas and New Year's so that the astronauts' children would be at home where they could discuss the findings with their families in private, said former shuttle commander Pam Melroy, deputy project manager for the investigation team. "It was a way for us to work through our grief about the accident," said Melroy about compiling the report. "This was one of the hardest things I've ever done." The report stated that "after the crew lost consciousness due to the loss of cabin pressure, the seat inertial reel mechanisms on the crews' shoulder harnesses did not lock. "As a result, the unconscious or deceased crew was exposed to cyclical rotational motion while restrained only at the lower body. Crew helmets do not conform to the head. Consequently, lethal trauma occurred to the unconscious or deceased crew due to the lack of upper body support and restraint." Another section of the report focused on the pressure suits used by the space shuttle crew on launch and re-entry. It said the suits were not part of the initial design of the orbiter and that depressurization "occurred so rapidly that the crew members were incapacitated within seconds, before they could configure the suit for full protection from loss of cabin pressure." Melroy said investigators took some comfort in data that suggests the Columbia crew died abruptly and without suffering. "Of course, we were relieved," she told reporters during a NASA conference call Tuesday afternoon. "It is a very small blessing, but we'll take them where we can find them." The NASA team's report evaluated every aspect of the crew cabin infrastructure, including the design of the safety belts and helmets worn by the crew. The report also included recommendations to improve spacecraft design and crew safety. Those recommendations cover a broad range of subjects from crew training, procedures, restraints and individual safety equipment to spacecraft design methods and recommendations regarding future accident investigations. "By learning these lessons and ensuring that we continue the journey begun by the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia, we help to give meaning to their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families," the report stated. "It is for them, and for the future generations of explorers, that we strive to be better and go farther. The report will have little if no effect on the nine remaining space shuttle flights to come. NASA is mothballing the shuttle program in 2010 as it begins a new program, Constellation, designed to send astronauts back to the moon. There is expected to be about a five-year hiatus in manned U.S. space flight as NASA transitions to the new program, which it hopes will launch in 2015. CNN's Brandon Griggs and Rich Phillips contributed to this report. | NASA released a report Tuesday on the last minutes of Space Shuttle Columbia .
Seven astronauts died when the spacecraft broke up while returning to Earth in 2003 .
Report: Astronauts knew for about 40 seconds that they'd lost control of craft .
Report also cited problems with the crew's helmets, spacesuits and restraints . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "b0c97a4e917d1d78113ef144bdae41e99db2c328"} | 1,206 | 78 | 0.537628 | 1.389168 | 0.823784 | 4.854839 | 16.887097 | 0.887097 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new national poll suggests most Americans favor an economic stimulus package even if it comes with an $800 billion price tag, although that support doesn't indicate the public wants to see a new era of big government. Two-thirds of people polled think Present-elect Barack Obama's stimulus package will help the economy. Fifty-six percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday said they favor the stimulus package that President-elect Barack Obama is proposing; 42 percent were opposed. Obama is pushing Congress to pass the plan soon after he's inaugurated on January 20, to help jump-start an economy mired in a deep recession. The poll also indicates that two-thirds of the public thinks the stimulus package will do just that, with 17 percent saying it will help the economy a lot and another 50 percent feeling that it will help the economy somewhat. Twenty-one percent say the stimulus package won't help the economy very much and 10 percent say it won't help at all. But Americans seem to be split on whether they'd like more government regulation of business and industry, with 39 percent saying there's too much government regulation and an equal amount saying too little. Twenty percent said the amount of government involvement is just right. Watch why most Americans back the bailout » . "Attitudes toward government have not changed since 2006, when the economy was still in pretty good shape," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Most still say the government is doing too much that should be left to individuals and businesses, and trust in government is still low." On the other hand, he said, "with the economy in such poor shape, government action to stimulate the economy seems to get an exemption to the general concerns about big government." There also appears to be a divide between the parties when it comes to government involvement. "Six in 10 Democrats want to see the federal government do more," Holland said. "But three-quarters of Republicans would like to see a smaller government. The tiebreaker is independents. A majority of the independents polled say that government is doing too much that should be left to individuals and businesses." The poll also suggests that a declining number of Americans trust the government to do what's right. iReport.com: What should Obama do first? Twenty-two percent of those polled said they trust the government to do what's right most of the time. That's down 6 points from when the question was asked two years ago. Sixty-six percent said they trust the government some of the time, and 9 percent said they never trust Washington. On the opposite end of the spectrum, 3 percent said they can always trust the government to do the right thing. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted Friday through Sunday, with 1,013 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. | CNN/Opinion Research Corp. finds 56 percent of people favor stimulus plan .
Numbers are more evenly split about government regulation of business .
More Democrats want the government to help more with economic woes .
Two-thirds of those polled thought Obama stimulus package would help economy . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "f5ce809241c23bafca7733920543678815151a9b"} | 644 | 64 | 0.59487 | 1.53156 | 1.317329 | 1.925926 | 10.722222 | 0.814815 |
(CNN) -- Four years since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake spawned massive walls of water that swept across the Indian Ocean, leaving more than 230,000 dead according to a United Nations estimate, improvements can be seen in many of the devastated areas, humanitarian groups said. Laborers work on a construction site in a fishing village in Indonesia's Aceh on December 21. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless and jobless after the tsunami, and poor and isolated communities were left even worse off. Today, new schools have been constructed, and armies of workers -- many of them volunteers -- have cleared and rebuilt homes and towns, and helped get people back to work. "The tsunami, despite being a horrific event, also provided a lot of opportunities for those countries," said Jonathan Cauldwell, chief of UNICEF's Tsunami Transition Support. "It brought a peace dividend within Banda Aceh (Indonesia) where you still see peace in an area which had long term localized conflict in place. It allowed those areas to be built up as well, to have investments in the infrastructure in the social sectors ...," he added. Agencies such as UNICEF said that while the immediate emergency was over, they remain committed to improving the lives of millions of children across the region. "The lessons of the tsunami will never end. The funding will end, we can complete the construction, we can complete the project, but the intervention never ends ...," Cauldwell said. Oxfam International, which said it will close its response to the tsunami at the end of December, said it has provided housing to tsunami survivors in Aceh, helped restore the livelihoods of people in India and Sri Lanka, and funded the reconstruction of eight tsunami-affected secondary schools. "The money we received allowed us not only to help meet the immediate emergency needs of tsunami-affected populations, but also to try to address the factors that made them vulnerable: not least poverty and a lack of influence over their own lives," Barbara Stocking, chair of the Oxfam International Tsunami Fund Board, said in a statement. "What has been achieved is astounding. Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in better conditions than they were in before the tsunami ...," she added. UNICEF said the basic needs of children affected by the tsunami have been met -- more children are going to school as a result of improved facilities, and better nutrition, post-natal care and other life-saving interventions are helping those countries worst hit transition to developing regular services and programs. But long-term improvement of water and sanitation is critical, the agency said, and so is building new schools that are better able to withstand earthquakes. According to UNICEF and Oxfam, the response to the tsunami and the lessons learned have changed the way they deal with such emergencies. It highlighted the need for better coordination among partners and other organizations, and contributed to reforms in the way humanitarian relief is delivered. | The devastation of the 2004 tsunami stretched across the Indian Ocean .
Hundreds of thousands left homeless, and poor and isolated communities worse off .
Humanitarian groups have helped rebuild schools, homes, and get people working .
Groups say long-term improvement of water and sanitation is critical . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2d6f5c53854701cd0e4db68352cf7b1acf676c72"} | 641 | 64 | 0.471961 | 1.255362 | 1.140346 | 3.589286 | 10.178571 | 0.839286 |
(CNN) -- Cyclist Chris Hoy has been knighted in the United Kingdom New Year Honors list, while every British gold medallist from the Beijing Olympic Games has also been rewarded. Hoy completes a remarkable year by being knighted in the United Kingdom New Years Honors list. In a move that breaks with tradition, triple-gold medallist Hoy will be knighted while still competing and will take part in London 2012 as Sir Chris. The 32-year-old told PA Sport: "To become a knight from riding your bike, it's mad. It is an amazing honor and is also great for the sport." Hoy, who was made an MBE after winning his first gold in Athens in 2004, was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year earlier this month. The Scotsman was one of 10 Olympic cyclists to be honored, while a number of Olympic coaches and officials were also recognised. Rebecca Adlington, the 19-year-old swimmer who won two Olympic golds -- the first British woman to win an Olympic swimming gold for 48 years -- receives an OBE (Order of the British Empire) . Adlington said: "I'm absolutely delighted to receive and accept the OBE -- it is fantastic to be recognised in the New Year Honors List. There are so many amazing names on the list, it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life." Christine Ohuruogu, the only British athlete to win a track and field gold in Beijing when she claimed the 400m title, has been given an MBE (Member of the British Empire). "It is nice to be called the Olympic, world and Commonwealth champion and now to be made an MBE is extra special," said Ohuruogu. Away from the Olympics, Lewis Hamilton receives an MBE after becoming the youngest ever Formula One world champion. "It is a massive honor and incredible privilege. It is the most amazing culmination to what has been quite a year for me," said Hamilton. | Track cyclist Chris Hoy knighted in the United Kingdom New Year Honors list .
Hoy will compete in the 2012 Olympics as Sir Chris after three golds in Beijing .
Every British gold medallist from the Beijing Olympics has also been rewarded . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "d2e96584b92ac662f67b605cc2505456d93f446d"} | 444 | 55 | 0.568571 | 1.661895 | 1.232253 | 4.288889 | 8.511111 | 0.911111 |
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russian energy monopoly Gazprom said Thursday it has cut off supplies of natural gas to Ukraine after a payment deadline expired. A gas-compressor and gas-holder station in Mryn, Ukraine. Gazprom said it had cut supplies to Ukraine Thursday. Gazprom had been threatening the move, saying months of negotiations with Ukraine had failed to resolve the issue of outstanding payments. The company says Ukraine owes about $2 billion for past natural gas deliveries. Ukraine also disputes the new price set by Gazprom for 2009 deliveries, which was initially more than double the price from 2008. Gazprom has reassured the rest of Europe that its natural gas supply, which runs through Ukraine, will not be affected by the dispute with Kiev. Thursday, a Gazprom spokesman said on Russian state television the company had actually increased the deliveries to the rest of the continent. "Gazprom will continue supplying gas for its consumers in Europe at full volume," the company's chief executive, Alexey Miller, said. "We have an effective transit contract." Without natural gas, some Ukrainians could be in for chilly days and nights. The temperature at midday Thursday in Kiev was 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius), with a forecast high of only 32 F (0 C) and snow predicted overnight. Watch a report on Gazprom's threats to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine » . Ukraine's state-controlled energy company, Naftogaz Ukrainy, said Thursday it is ensuring domestic natural gas needs are covered by taking gas from underground storage facilities. "All of Ukraine's consumers are fully secured," the company said in a statement. In Washington, the White House urged a resolution Thursday. "The United States would like to see a restoration of normal deliveries," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "The parties should be resolving their differences through good-faith negotiations, without supply cutoffs." The frigid weather is of particular concern, the White House said. "We urge both sides to keep in mind the humanitarian implications of any interruption of gas supply in the winter," Johndroe said. Naftogaz Ukrainy also disputed Gazprom's claim that it owes for past deliveries, saying Thursday it has paid its debt to Gazprom in full, though it declined to give a figure. Another part of the dispute centers on Gazprom's price hike for 2009 gas deliveries. Gazprom had wanted to more than double Ukraine's payments, but Wednesday it offered a lower price. Ukraine, which currently pays about $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, balked at the figure offered, saying it simply can't afford to pay the new price. It is the second time in three years Gazprom has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine. The company made good on its threat on January 1, 2006, but turned the supply back on a day later. Russia is the world's biggest producer of natural gas and supplies Europe with more than 40 percent of its imports -- mainly via the pipelines through Ukraine. Naftogaz said in its statement Thursday that it would ensure the uninterrupted flow of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine, but only under existing arrangements. It indicated some gas deliveries to Europe could be halted in Ukraine if Naftogaz fails to reach a new agreement with Gazprom. Although gas is still flowing to Europe, there are also concerns in Russia that the amount could be reduced if Ukraine siphons off some of the gas headed to the west. Naftogaz said it will continue negotiating with Gazprom to address the issues. | Russia's energy monopoly Gazprom cuts off gas supplies to Ukraine .
Company says Ukraine owes it about $2 billion for past natural gas deliveries .
Gazprom says supplies to other European customers won't be affected .
Gazprom cut supplies on January 1, 2006, but turned supply back on a day later . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "414d0a79ccb6ed2424621d1364b359096d989a72"} | 797 | 74 | 0.557804 | 1.367425 | 0.809394 | 4.9 | 11.25 | 0.866667 |
(CNN) -- An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said. The Dignity arrives in Tyre, Lebanon, after it was reportedly rammed by an Israeli military vessel Tuesday. CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed. It was flying the flag of Gibraltar. The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists from the Free Gaza Solidarity Movement -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory. Also on board was former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney. Penhaul said an Israeli patrol boat shined its spotlight on the Dignity, and then it and another patrol boat shadowed the Dignity for about a half hour before the collision. One patrol boat "very severely rammed" the Dignity, Penhaul said. The captain of the Dignity told Penhaul he received no warning. Only after the collision did the Israelis come on the radio to say they struck the boat because they believed it was involved in terrorist activities, the captain said. But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied that and said the patrol boat had warned the vessel not to proceed to Gaza because it is a closed military area. Palmor said there was no response to the radio message, and the vessel then tried to out-maneuver the Israeli patrol boat, leading to the collision. Watch Penhaul describe the boat damage » . The captain and crew said their vessel was struck intentionally, Penhaul said, but Palmor called those allegations "absurd." "There is no intention on the part of the Israeli navy to ram anybody," Palmor said. "I would call it ramming. Let's just call it as it is," McKinney said after the boat docked in Lebanon. "Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side. Watch Cynthia McKinney discuss the collision » . "Our mission was a peaceful mission to deliver medical supplies and our mission was thwarted by the Israelis -- the aggressiveness of the Israeli military," she said. The incident occurred in international waters about 90 miles off Gaza. Israel controls the waters off Gaza's coast and routinely blocks ships from coming into the Palestinian territory as part of an ongoing blockade that also applies to the Israel-Gaza border. Human rights groups have expressed concern about the blockade on Gaza, which has restricted the delivery of emergency aid and fuel supplies. Tuesday's collision was so severe, Penhaul said, that the passengers were ordered to put on their life vests and be ready to get in lifeboats. The Dignity began taking on water, but the crew managed to pump it out of the hull long enough for the boat to reach shore. "It could have ended with people drowning if they hit us more square on," Dignity's captain, Denis Healey, said. "It could have gone down in minutes." Palmor said the vessel refused assistance after the incident. The boat was carrying boxes of relief supplies, volunteers and journalists to Gaza, the Palestinian territory that has been subject to an intense Israeli bombing campaign since Saturday. Israel Tuesday lambasted McKinney -- the Green Party's 2008 candidate for the U.S. presidency and a former Democratic congresswoman from Georgia -- for taking part in the maritime mission. In a written statement, the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast, based in Atlanta, Georgia, said McKinney "has taken it upon herself to commit an act of provocation," endangering herself and the crew. "We regret that during this time of crisis, while Israel is battling with the terrorist organization of Hamas and defending its citizens, that we are forced to deal with Ms. McKinney's irresponsible behavior," the statement read. The trip was the Free Gaza Solidarity Movement's sixth in as many months. Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza on Saturday in what Defense Minister Ehud Barak called an "all-out war" against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007. The Israeli military says its goal is to stop a recent barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. Watch the chaos in Gaza and Israel » . The Palestinian death toll has topped 375, most of them Hamas militants, Palestinian medical sources said Tuesday. At least 60 civilians have been killed in Gaza, U.N. officials said. Hamas has continued to fire rockets at southern Israeli towns since the airstrikes began, Israel says. Six Israelis have been killed -- five of them civilians. Hamas has vowed to defend Gaza in the face of what it calls continued Israeli aggression. Each side blames the other for violating an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, which formally expired December 19, but had been weakening for months. | NEW: Israel scolds former congresswoman for being on Gaza-bound boat .
Israeli naval vessel, boat with medical volunteers collide in Mediterranean .
Boat's crew contends naval vessel rammed it intentionally .
Israel denies intentionally hitting boat carrying journalists, medical supplies . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "69edff3a8e78207d641d6ba3a7deaa684f867b7c"} | 1,161 | 63 | 0.450509 | 1.28227 | 1.092498 | 0.88 | 19.42 | 0.72 |
(CNN) -- German sailors foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, the German Defense Ministry said. Pirates like these threaten the Somalian coast. The German navy frigate Karlsruhe responded to an emergency call from the Wabi Al Arab Thursday morning, sending helicopters to the stricken vessel. When the helicopters arrived, the pirates broke off the attack, the ministry said. A crew member on the Wabi Al Arab was wounded when the pirates attempted to board the vessel. He was flown by helicopter for treatment aboard the Karlsruhe, the ministry said. The German sailors captured the pirates and disarmed them, destroying the weapons, the ministry said. The German government in Berlin later ordered the Somali pirates released because they were not caught while harassing German interests, according to BBC. The Karlsruhe joined the fight against the pirates on Tuesday from Djibouti, the defense ministry said. On Wednesday a top Japanese official said the country was considering sending vessels to join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia, a key shipping route that sees around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels each year. China said Tuesday that two destroyers and a supply ship from its navy would set sail for the region on Friday to protect Chinese merchant ships. Watch why China's dispatch of forces is significant » . The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last week aimed at combating piracy along the Horn of Africa by allowing military forces to chase pirate onto land in cases of "hot pursuit." The Security Council resolution, which passed unanimously, expands upon existing counter-piracy tools, including a stipulation that would allow for national and regional military forces to chase pirates onto land -- specifically into Somalia, where many of the pirates have their bases. Over 124 incidents -- attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful hijackings -- have been recorded to date this year, according to Kenyan Seafarers Association. | German government later ordered pirates released, according to BBC report .
Japan was considering sending vessels, a top official said Wednesday .
Waters off Somalia is a key shipping route that sees 20,000 vessels each year . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a5c1959a4d1ab2a5f26b2737bc943ebe19d5cd78"} | 436 | 50 | 0.641425 | 1.651691 | 0.785922 | 2.902439 | 9 | 0.902439 |
ZURICH, Switzerland (CNN) -- As I watched Cristiano Ronaldo receive the FIFA World Player of the Year award in Zurich, I couldn't help feeling a deep sense of satisfaction, as the 23 year-old Portuguese international once again proved all his doubters wrong. Cristiano Ronaldo shows emotion after being named the FIFA World Player of the Year for 2008. Especially the ones in England. In the days leading up to the awards ceremony, there were various rumors circulating that the Manchester United star was going to be pipped by Leo Messi on Tuesday night. I was asked several times in London whether I really thought Ronaldo was going to win. Whether he really deserved it. It was as if many in the British press didn't want him to take home another award. Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo is shown enough respect? Tell us in the Sound Off box below. The fierce attack on his lifestyle by the tabloids after he crashed his Ferrari last week just accentuated the fact that in the UK, he still has earned little respect. Never mind that he was about to become the first Premier League Player to win this prestigious award. Never mind he has been the competition's biggest ambassador and promoter overseas. Too many in the English media, he was still a diver on the field, and a petulant rock star off it. Now I am not going to sit here and say that my compatriot Cristiano is perfect. He isn't and he makes mistakes. But the same can be said about Wayne Rooney or any of the other English internationals. When Rooney charges down the referee and shouts obscenities in his face without even being booked, as was the case in last weekend's match against Chelsea, is he called arrogant or petulant? No. When he goes seven or eight matches without a goal, is he suddenly branded overrated? No. So all I am asking for here is a little respect. If Ronaldo was English, I am sure in the eyes of the British press he would be virtually untouchable, but although he's not, just give him a break. After all, he had an incredible 2007/2008 season which saw him score 42 goals in 49 matches and win virtually every major trophy on offer. And he's a great ambassador for the game. Pedro Pinto is a CNN sports correspondent based in London. | Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Player of the Year for 2008 in Zurich, Monday .
CNN's Pedro Pinto says he is not shown enough respect by media .
Pinto: "Ronaldo is a great ambassador for the game" | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "558f8a1e7cf49e418383e3e94157cb33364de270"} | 532 | 56 | 0.525908 | 1.278773 | 0.399495 | 2.681818 | 10.181818 | 0.818182 |
(CNN) -- Real Madrid have failed in ar bid to overturn UEFA's ruling denying them the right to register both Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra to play in the Champions League knockout stages. Real must decide whether to register Huntelaar, above, or Diarra for the Champions League KO stage. UEFA's appeals body made the decision on Tuesday after Madrid challenged the original ruling made by European football's governing body last week. Regulations specify that clubs can only register one player who has already played in Europe that season to represent them in the latter stages of the Champions League or UEFA Cup the same campaign. Both Diarra and Huntelaar had played in the UEFA Cup this season, for Premier League Portsmouth and Dutch club Ajax respectively, prior to joining Madrid earlier this month. Madrid claimed they had a "different interpretation" of the rule, but both the Spanish club's initial request and subsequent appeal have now been thrown out. A statement confirmed: "UEFA's Appeals Body today upheld the decision taken by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body on 8 January, in accordance with article 17.18 of the [UEFA Champions League] competition regulations. "They rejected an appeal by Real Madrid CF in relation to the Spanish club's request to be able to register two players who have already competed in UEFA competition this season, as part of their A-list squad for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League." Madrid must now decide whether to accept the finding or pursue the issue further at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. | Real Madrid fail in their bid to overturn UEFA ruling regarding player eligibility .
Real wanted to register newcomers Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra .
UEFA say only one player per club can appear for two sides in same season . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "fa2fbcacbe752c4e2ee349767a83e972ed1fb529"} | 360 | 62 | 0.640292 | 1.673453 | 0.581301 | 1.840909 | 6.727273 | 0.75 |
(CNN) -- Game show host and comedian Howie Mandel's irregular heartbeat scare is over, his publicist said Tuesday. Howie Mandel had an irregular heartbeat, but he did not have a heart attack, his publicist said. "Howie has been released from the hospital and will be back at work tomorrow," said Lewis Kay. "He appreciates everyone's concern." Mandel, 53, checked into a Toronto hospital Monday so doctors could monitor his condition, Kay said. He was in Toronto, filming segments for a new show "Howie Do It." The hour-long prank show debuted on NBC Friday. Mandel is the host of the American version of the game show "Deal or No Deal," which has brought huge ratings for NBC. | NEW: Howie Mandel released from Toronto hospital .
Host of "Deal or No Deal" had been admitted with irregular heartbeat .
Comedian was in Toronto, Canada, filming segments for a new show, "Howie Do It" | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "e1aa3cc0557bc36c8bdb78a78bc24e1770db05cc"} | 172 | 57 | 0.683067 | 1.603476 | 0.648661 | 2.911111 | 3.288889 | 0.866667 |
(CNN) -- Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has been ruled out for a minimum of three weeks after suffering a foot injury during the 3-0 Premier League win over title rivals Chelsea. France defender Patrice Evra will be out for a minimum of three weeks after hurting ankle ligaments. It was Evra's first game back after a four-match suspension imposed by the Football Association for his involvement in a post-match fracas involving groundstaff at Stamford Bridge last season. The French left-back was hurt after firing over a cross for Wayne Rooney's goal and now faces another spell on the sidelines as United chase trophies on four fronts. Evra suffered ligament damage and manager Alex Ferguson said: "He will be out for three weeks minimum and maybe four. It shouldn't be any more than that. "He just went over on his foot and has done the little ligament in his foot, so we need to get the swelling down and that will take about 7-10 days." Evra sits out Wednesday's Premier League clash with Wigan, the trip to Bolton three days later and next week's League Cup semifinal return at home to Derby when United will be expecting to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Central defender Rio Ferdinand remains on the sidelines for at least another week although a scan on his back problem confirmed there is no long-term damage. Ferdinand, out for a month, needs more rest and Jonny Evans will continue in central defense with Wes Brown still two weeks away from a comeback after ankle surgery. Ferguson hopes Ferdinand will be back for the televised FA Cup fourth round home clash against Tottenham on Saturday January 24. | Manchester Utd defender Patrice Evra sidelined for minimum of three weeks .
Frenchman hurt ankle ligaments during 3-0 Premier League win over Chelsea .
England defender Rio Ferdinand is out for another week with a back problem . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "e6a8ba1f79db8f0ef71ce4e393afa28c1d1ba9a0"} | 369 | 54 | 0.595775 | 1.394972 | 0.830546 | 2.666667 | 7.571429 | 0.857143 |
(CNN) -- South Africa inflicted the first home series defeat on Australia in almost 16 years as they wrapped up a nine-wicket win over the world's number one ranked Test nation in Melbourne on Tuesday. South African captain Graeme Smith led from the front with 75 as his team wrapped up victory. Captain Graeme Smith hit a fluent 75 as his side successfully passed a modest victory target of 183 on the final day at the MCG to take an unassailable 2-0 lead. It was the South African's first-ever Test series triumph in Australia and victory in the third and final match in Sydney will see them leapfrog the home side at the top of the global rankings. Hashim Amla (30 not out) scored the winning runs shortly after lunch as South Africa became the first team to overcome Australia at home since the West Indies in 1992-93. South Africa were never under any pressure in their run chase and did not lose a wicket until just before lunch when the inspirational Smith was trapped leg before wicket by Nathan Hauritz. Smith had dominated a 121-run opening stand with Neil McKenzie, hitting 10 boundaries. McKenzie struggled to a half century and survived strong lbw shouts from Brett Lee, who was bowling despite an injured foot that will keep him out of the Sydney Test. South Africa's victory was set up by a brilliant maiden Test century from JP Duminy, who shared a stunning 180-run ninth wicket partnership with pace bowler Dale Steyn. It gave the tourists a priceless 65-run lead on first innings before man of the match Steyn worked his magic with the ball as Australia were bowled out on the fourth day for 247 in their second innings. The pugnacious Smith was virtually lost for words in his victory speech. "It has been such a special moment for all of us, it has been an incredible team effort," he said. "I have been smiling non-stop since we hit the winning runs. "To be 2-0 up after this game was something we only dreamt of." South Africa won the first Test in Perth from an unlikely position, chasing 414 for victory for the loss of only four wickets. | South Africa beat Australia by nine wickets in second Test in Melbourne .
Victory gives the South Africans an unassailable 2-0 lead in their series .
South Africa won first Test of the series in Perth by six wickets . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "d63b31cd3d197d40a6f2ee847a1c1a60123cb959"} | 493 | 55 | 0.480856 | 1.190362 | 0.772648 | 2.045455 | 9.568182 | 0.863636 |
(CNN) -- Anyone who doubts Roland Burris' qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery. Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery. There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments. Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the words "Trail Blazer," Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state's first African-American attorney general and the state's first African-American comptroller. The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959. There appears to be enough room to add "U.S. senator" to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington. A Senate Democratic aide told CNN on Wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent Burris from being seated in the Senate. After Blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint Obama's successor, Senate Democrats praised Burris but said they could not accept any appointment by Blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges earlier this month. Federal prosecutors say he conspired to "sell" Obama's Senate seat for campaign donations and other favors. | Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery .
Gov. Rod Blagojevich picked Burris to succeed President-elect Obama in the Senate .
Memorial lists firsts, including being the first black attorney general for Illinois . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2a3a35e8f66a570abaa94c5876140a93de17d52f"} | 344 | 65 | 0.708987 | 1.85627 | 0.453195 | 3.704545 | 5.977273 | 0.886364 |
(CNN) -- Argentine coach Diego Maradona has urged Carlos Tevez to quit Manchester United at the end of the season and head for Italy. Tevez has been advised by Argentine coach Maradona to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. Maradona watched United trounce Chelsea 3-0 last weekend at Old Trafford where striker Tevez remained on the bench despite a rousing reception when he went on a touchline warm-up during the game. "I saw the Manchester United match. They won, but did so without Tevez. This situation is not good for him. For sure, certain things are happening which mean his departure is nearing," Maradona told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. "Italy, and Inter (Milan) in particular, would be great for him. Among other things, the fact that his contract is soon to expire facilitates a change of shirt." Weekend reports claimed that United manager Alex Ferguson has already pinpointed Lyon's French international striker Karim Benzema as his chief summer target. Benzema, whose contract runs until 2013, made his mark against United in a Champions League tie last season when he scored in a first leg tie. He hit the target 20 times as Lyon secured a seventh straining French League title and he has netted five times in this season's Champions League. Lyon are said to be willing to cash in at the right price with Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid also monitoring the situation. Media reports said Lyon would want around £40 million (45 million euros) for Benzema while the asking price for Tevez -- he joined United on a two-year loan -- is likely to be around £32 million. Tevez, who hit the headlines during two seasons in Brazil with Corinthians, has struggled to retain a starting place at Old Trafford following his controversial stay at West Ham. He has indicated he would respond positively to any approach from Real Madrid, but is sure to take on board the advice of Maradona who twice led Napoli to the Serie A title after joining the Italian club from Barcelona. Meanwhile, West Ham face a fresh inquiry after the FA and Premier League launched an investigation relating to dealings with Tevez's representatives after the club had initially been fined £5.5m for breaching league rules over third-party agreements. It follows the findings of an arbitration tribunal in favour of Sheffield United and against West Ham last year which decided Tevez should not have been able to play for the Hammers at the end of the 2006-07 season. Premier League West Ham insist that they have nothing to hide. | Diego Maradona urges Carlos Tevez to quit Manchester Utd at end of season .
Argentine coach believes striker would be better off joining Italy's Inter Milan .
Tevez on bench when Maradona watched United beat Chelsea at the weekend . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "0c5bbc09d83a09bbb1d80d5e1628a50c753b7acd"} | 588 | 60 | 0.522318 | 1.277717 | 0.70768 | 1.697674 | 11.395349 | 0.813953 |
Editor's note: Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst and a fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington and at New York University's Center on Law and Security. His most recent book is "The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader." Peter Bergen says it's crucial to correctly frame the nature of a war before beginning it. WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama and his foreign policy advisers and speechwriters are wrestling with one of the most important speeches of his presidency, his inaugural address. One of their toughest conceptual challenges is how to describe and recast what the Bush administration has consistently termed the "war on terror." The dean of military strategists, Carl von Clausewitz, explains the importance of this decision-making in his treatise "On War": "The first, the supreme, the most decisive act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish...the kind of war on which they are embarking; neither mistaking it for, nor trying to turn it into something that is alien to its nature." Clausewitz's excellent advice about the absolute necessity of properly defining the war upon which a nation is about to embark was ignored by Bush administration officials who instead declared an open-ended and ambiguous "war on terror" after the United States was attacked on September 11, 2001. Bush took the nation to war against a tactic, rather than a war against a specific enemy, which was obviously al Qaeda and anyone allied to it. When the United States went to war against the Nazis and the Japanese during World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt and his congressional supporters did not declare war against U-boats and kamikaze pilots, but on the Nazi state and Imperial Japan. The war on terror, sometimes known as the "Global War on Terror" or by the clunky acronym GWOT, became the lens through which the Bush administration judged almost all of its foreign policy decisions. That proved to be dangerously counterproductive on several levels. The GWOT framework propelled the Bush administration into its disastrous entanglement in Iraq. It had nothing to do with 9/11 but was launched under the rubric of the war on terror and the erroneous claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The theory was that he might give such weapons to terrorists, including al Qaeda to whom he was supposedly allied, and that he therefore threatened American interests. None of this, of course, turned out to be true. The Bush administration's approach to the war on terror collided badly with another of its doctrines, spreading democracy in the Middle East as a panacea to reduce radicalism. It pushed for elections in the Palestinian territories in which, in early 2006, the more radical Hamas won a resounding victory, propelled to power on a wave of popular revulsion for the incompetence and corruption of the Fatah party that had dominated Palestinian politics since the 1960s. Imprisoned by its war on terror framework, the Bush administration supported Israel in a disastrous war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in the summer of 2006. Hezbollah is not only a terrorist group but is also part of the rickety Lebanese government and runs social welfare services across the country, yet for the Bush administration its involvement in terrorism was all that mattered. As is now widely understood in Israel, the war against Hezbollah was a moral and tactical defeat for the Israeli military and government. Events in the current Israeli incursion in Gaza will determine whether history repeats itself. Under the banner of the war on terror, the Bush administration also tied itself in conceptual knots conflating the threat from al Qaeda with Shiite groups like Hezbollah and the ayatollahs in Iran. In 2006, for instance, President Bush claimed that "the Sunni and Shiite extremist represent different faces of the same threat." In reality, Sunni and Shiite extremists have been killing each other in large numbers for years in countries from Pakistan to Iraq. The groups have differing attitudes toward the United States, which Sunni extremists attacked in 1993 and again on 9/11, while Shiite militants have never done so. So, how to reconceptualize the GWOT? Contrary to a common view among Europeans, who have lived through the bombing campaigns of various nationalist and leftist terror groups for decades, al Qaeda is not just another criminal/terrorist group that can be dealt with by police action and law enforcement alone. After all, a terrorist organization like the Irish Republican Army would call in warnings before its attacks and its single largest massacre killed 29 people. By contrast, al Qaeda has declared war on the United States repeatedly -- as it did for the first time to a Western audience during Osama bin Laden's 1997 interview with CNN. Following that declaration of war, the terror group attacked American embassies, a U.S. warship, the Pentagon and the financial heart of the United States, killing thousands of civilians without warning; acts of war by any standard. Al Qaeda is obviously at war with the United States and so to respond by simply recasting the GWOT as the GPAT, the Global Police Action Against Terrorists, would be foolish and dangerous. What kind of war then should the United States fight against al Qaeda? For that we should learn some lessons from the conceptual errors of the Bush administration. Nine days after 9/11, Bush addressed Congress in a speech watched live by tens of millions of Americans in which he said that al Qaeda followed in the footsteps "of the murderous ideologies of the 20th century...They follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism," implying that the fight against al Qaeda would be similar to World War II or the Cold War. For the Bush administration, painting the conflict in such existential terms had the benefit of casting the president as the heroic reincarnation of Winston Churchill and anyone who had the temerity to question him as the reincarnation of Hitler's arch-appeaser, Neville Chamberlain. But this portrayal of the war on terror was massively overwrought. The Nazis occupied and subjugated most of Europe and instigated a global conflict that killed tens of millions. And when the United States fought the Nazis, the country spent 40 percent of its gross domestic product to do so and fielded millions of soldiers. In his inaugural address, Obama should say that the United States is indeed at "war against al Qaeda and its allies," but that as Roosevelt said in his inaugural address in 1933, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. If Americans are not terrorized by terrorists, then the U.S. has won against them. Al Qaeda and its allies are threats to the United States and Americans living and working overseas, but they are far from all-powerful. Barring an exceptional event like September 11, 2001, in any given year Americans are more likely to die of snake bites or lightning strikes than a terrorist attack. Despite the hyperventilating rhetoric of Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda's amateur investigations into weapons of mass destruction do not compare to the very real possibility of nuclear conflagration that we faced during the Cold War. There are relatively few adherents of Binladen-ism in the West today, while there were tens of millions of devotees of communism and fascism. Obama should also make it clear that instead of the Bush formulation of "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," the Obama administration doctrine will be, "Anyone who is against the terrorists is with us." After all it is only al Qaeda and its several affiliates in countries like Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria and allied groups such as the Taliban that kill U.S. soldiers and civilians and attack American interests around the globe. Everyone else in the world is a potential or actual ally in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates, because those organizations threaten almost every category of institution, government and ethnic grouping. This is the first of two commentaries on the war on terror. Read the second piece, Peter Bergen's commentary on what principles Barack Obama should follow in waging war against al Qaeda and its allies, Friday, January 9 on CNN.com . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter Bergen. | Peter Bergen: Bush never correctly framed the "global war on terror"
He says the president went to war against the tactic of terrorism .
Instead, Bergen says, the U.S. should be leading a war vs. al Qaeda .
Bergen: al Qaeda is a formidable enemy, but not the equivalent of fascism . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "6eb4f450b2fca771bbb5e1988b1dcb98b346cf96"} | 1,889 | 82 | 0.49794 | 1.37167 | 0.549765 | 2.225806 | 25.112903 | 0.870968 |
(CNN) -- He had a 1966 Volkswagen bus, scraggly beard and a penchant for the arts. She had blonde hair and liked the Grateful Dead. That was all they needed. Craig Rutman poses poolside with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir before a 1997 show in Reno, Nevada. "I knew right away she was not like other girls, other girls," muses Mark Goldfarb of Woodstock, New York, quoting the Grateful Dead song, "Scarlet Begonias." On a fateful day 28 years ago, Goldfarb began a shaggy odyssey of love at a Grateful Dead concert when he literally bumped into his future wife, Diane. Over the years, he has been to more than 125 Grateful Dead concerts. The band literally changed his life. Goldfarb, who now makes moccasins for a living, is excited about the Grateful Dead's new tour. The surviving members of the band will be reuniting for 19 shows this year. He went to see them during their last organized tour five years ago. "What was special about the Dead is you had a group of highly talented musicians who were able to get a sense of the audience," Goldfarb said. "When the audience was off, the band would be off. There was a lot of back-and-forth energy." Back in the late '70s and well into the '80s, Goldfarb traveled the West Coast in a Volkswagen van playing music for a belly-dancing troupe at Renaissance festivals. Along the way, he went to Grateful Dead concerts whenever he could. He sent a photo of his now short-haired self to show the "then and now" contrast. Though he lives now in Woodstock, New York, he missed the two large music festivals in his town. A businessman now, Goldfarb says he feels he's grown up in a lot of ways. The old bus is gone, but he dreams of getting another. iReport.com: See the before-and-after contrast of this Deadhead . "I was a huge fan, I still love the music, but like I said times change. Interests change," he says. Readers across the board said the band has stood the test of time because of the personal connection they brought to the music they played. iReport.com: What does the Grateful Dead mean to you? Indeed, the revival has Craig Rutman of Apex, North Carolina, excited to revisit his past. His brother, a caterer, often provided food for the band and this gave Rutman access to members of the band. He has seen more than 200 shows and been backstage to meet the band. He and his young daughter Laura met bandmember Bob Weir poolside in Reno, Nevada, in 1997. Rutman said Weir is always cordial and friendly. "Whether it was backstage or poolside, whenever I saw him, Bobby always took the time with whoever came by to talk, share a joke or sign an autograph," Rutman said. After the pool-side meeting, the Rutmans attended what would be the toddler's first show. iReport.com: See photos poolside with Weir and at the concert later that day . "I sat way in the back of a general admission show to keep her from the crowd and the loud music, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless," Rutman said. Steve Maaske of Omaha, Nebraska, said one of his fondest memories is seeing the band in East Troy, Wisconsin, on the "Wave the flag" tour. He even plans to make the Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado, stops on the current schedule. It's a good year for a new Dead tour, he says. "We have a new 'just off the shelf' president in Barack Obama, some clear optimism for the future of this country, and hey, gas prices for that VW bus are lookin' pretty good about now." iReport.com: See a picture of a colorful Volkswagen bus at the show . Greg Sarafan, 19, of Suffern, New York, last saw the band at a summertime Obama rally at Pennsylvania State University. He's hoping to catch them on tour, and says he was amazed to see the diversity of people interested in the band. "I was sitting next to people that were my father's age and older. It was an interesting experience," he said. Sarafan likes to create works of art inspired by the band and has decorated his car with dancing multi-colored bears. He says the music is timeless, and he learned about it from his parents. iReport.com: See a picture of the tie-dyed fruit falling near the tree . Like his father many years before him, Sarafan as a young man snuck out of the house to see the Grateful Dead perform. Does Dad know? "He does now," responds Sarafan, who says he was in trouble at first, but things slowly changed between father and son. "When I reminded [my father] that he did sneak away to see the Grateful Dead, he kinda didn't care as much," he said. Geoff Feusahrens of Monterey, California, also represents the younger generation of Grateful Dead fans. He was born in 1979 and never got to see the band in its heyday, but likes classic rock and the Grateful Dead in particular. "I like how they are a jam band," says Feusahrens, who has seen the band perform about eight times. "You go to their concerts and you hang out. There's lots of people there and good music and history and I just fell in love with it." He got married October 11, 2008, and decided to have a cake decorated with a Grateful Dead motif. Though the wedding was mostly traditional, he had Deadhead cufflinks and rock-themed tables at the reception. One of the tables had a Dead theme and "Eyes of the World," one of the band's songs, was played. iReport.com: See Feusahrens all gussied up for the occasion . He plans to see the last show on the 2009 tour when it stops nearby in Mountain View and previously saw them perform during the 2004 series. The band figures importantly in his life. Feusahrens and Goldfarb, too, have in common precious love affairs joined together by the Grateful Dead. Perhaps the band's own lyrics from that same song, "Scarlet Begonias," say it best. iReport.com: See Goldfarb's expression of "grateful" feelings about his wife . "Well, I ain't always right but I've never been wrong. Seldom turns out the way it does in a song." | iReport.com: Grateful Dead tributes shared as band plans new tour in 2009 .
Mark Goldfarb met his wife at a Dead concert and drove a Volkswagen bus .
Craig Rutman has seen more than 200 shows and met the band members .
Steve Maaske says now is the perfect time for a tour after the historic election . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "56fbc56ec0e9af16634e1f86f4980981770578c0"} | 1,564 | 81 | 0.471078 | 1.441513 | 1.047627 | 1.951613 | 20.645161 | 0.854839 |
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Royal Dutch Shell said Tuesday that it may not be able to meet its oil supply obligations in Nigeria after an attack on its major pipeline. Heavily armed Nigerian rebels pose a constant threat to oil pipelines in the country. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a rebel group, said "detonation engineers backed by heavily armed fighters" sabotaged two of Shell's pipelines early Monday. After a helicopter flyover of the area, Shell confirmed that parts of its large Nembe Creek "trunk line" were damaged, company spokeswoman Caroline Wittgen said. The company shut down some production "to limit the amount of crude that will spill into the environment," she said. Hours later, it declared "force majeure," a legal term meaning it could not meet its supply obligations in the region because of the attack. "[Shell] is working hard to repair the line and restore production," Wittgen said. Nigeria is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States, and attacks by rebels have helped fuel the year-long spike in crude oil prices. It's one of many factors pushing up the price of gas in the U.S., where one in every 10 barrels of oil comes from Nigeria. MEND -- the largest rebel group -- has targeted foreign oil companies since 2006. It has bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers, typically releasing them unharmed, sometimes after receiving a ransom payment. MEND hopes to secure a greater share of oil wealth for people in the delta, where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Its attacks on oil facilities have taken a toll. "Anytime a pipeline is affected, anytime any production gets shut down, you see oil prices jump up one or two dollars a barrel just because there is no slack in the system," said Jim LeCamp, a senior vice president with RBC Wealth Management, which manages assets for wealthy clients worldwide. Exxon and Shell are two of several companies that have been extracting 2 million barrels of oil a day in Nigeria. Recent rebel attacks on oil pipelines in the Niger Delta have cut overall production by roughly 10 percent -- meaning 200,000 fewer barrels of oil on some days. That decrease in production comes at a time of increased demand from oil-hungry regions such as China, Russia and Latin America. "Anytime there's a disruption there, it really affects the system," LeCamp said in a recent interview with CNN. | Shell says it may not be able to meet supply contracts after Nigerian attack .
Two of Shell's oil pipelines sabotaged by rebel groups on Monday .
Company is working to repair the lines and get production running normally . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "bf34aefcb26fef8138941c9908fceb2376ed68d8"} | 579 | 53 | 0.510126 | 1.302596 | 0.763261 | 2.372093 | 11.325581 | 0.790698 |
(CNN) -- Russian energy monopoly Gazprom on Wednesday said it would stop natural gas deliveries to Ukraine over a dispute about payments. Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller accused Ukraine of using the issue as "a political bargaining chip." Gazprom chief Alexey Miller said talks with Ukraine have been "unproductive" and accused Ukraine of using the issue as "a political bargaining chip." "The talks with Ukraine haven't brought any concrete result ... Gazprom hasn't received any money from Ukraine as payment for the supplies of Russian gas," Miller said in a statement on the Gazprom Web site. The state-controlled Gazprom said supplies to its other European customers would not be affected by Ukraine's cut-off, which the company said would take place at 10 a.m. Thursday (2 a.m. ET). Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko also assured the European Union that there would be no disruptions in deliveries, the Kiev Post reported. Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko called "for every effort to be made for the earliest possible signature of an agreement with Russia," Yuschenko energy security commissioner, Bohdan Sokolovsky, told the Russian news agency Interfax on Wednesday evening. Watch a report on Gazprom's threats to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine » . It is the second time in three years Gazprom has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine. The company made good on its threat on January 1, 2006, but turned the spigots back on a day later. Russia, the world's biggest producer of natural gas, supplies Europe with more than 40 percent of its imports -- mainly via pipelines that cross the former Soviet republic of Ukraine. Ukraine owes Gazprom about $2 billion for past natural gas deliveries. Ukraine's state-controlled energy company, Naftogaz Ukrainy, initially denied it owed the payment to Gazprom, but later retreated from that claim. The Kiev Post reported Tuesday that Naftogaz said it had paid $1.5 billion toward the debt, but Gazprom said it had not received the payment. Also at issue is Gazprom's contract for 2009 deliveries. Gazprom had wanted to more than double Ukraine's payments, but on Wednesday offered a much lesser payment of $250 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. Ukraine, which currently pays about $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, balked at that figure. "We have heard a negative reply to the offers from the Russian side on the favorable terms of gas supply to Ukraine in 2009, and we are getting the impression that there are political forces in Ukraine which have a strong interest in the gas standoff between our two countries," Miller said. | Russian gas giant Gazprom says it will cut gas supply 10 a.m. Thursday (2 a.m. ET)
Company says Ukraine owes it about $2 billion for past natural gas deliveries .
Gazprom said supplies to other European customers won't be affected by action .
Gazprom cut supplies on January 1, 2006, but turned spigots back on a day later . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "f5ba7bfd3a297c525fb15e4f5caa15f355da81f1"} | 589 | 88 | 0.631744 | 1.598512 | 0.836848 | 4.897059 | 7.279412 | 0.867647 |
(CNN) -- A Louisiana teenager whose 2006 arrest in the racially charged "Jena 6" assault case drew thousands of protesters tried to commit suicide days after a separate arrest last week, a police report says. Mychal Bell was released in September 2007 and later agreed to a plea deal in the beating of a classmate. Mychal Bell, who was arrested last week after allegedly stealing clothes worth $370 from a department store, told investigators he shot himself Monday evening "because he was tired of all the media attention," the report says. The high school senior's mother and his grandmother also told an investigator that he'd indicated "he did not feel like he could live anymore" because of media coverage of the shoplifting allegations, according to the report. Earlier, Bell's attorney, Carol Powell-Lexing, told CNN that Bell's family told her he'd accidentally shot himself while cleaning a gun. According to the police report, however, an officer responded to a 911 call from his grandmother's Monroe, Louisiana, home, where Bell lives. The grandmother, Rosie Simmons, told the officer that she had hidden the gun after the shooting "for Mychal's safety so he did not try to shot [sic] himself again," according to the report. Bell, 18, suffered a wound to the upper right chest, the report says. Powell-Lexing told CNN that Bell had surgery Monday night, and Monroe police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten said the wound was not life-threatening. Bell was being treated Tuesday at a hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana. In December 2006, Bell was one of a half-dozen black teenagers who faced felony charges in the beating of a white classmate in the town of Jena, Louisiana, an incident that followed months of racial tensions in the community of about 3,000 people. The case of the "Jena 6" drew national attention from civil rights groups that said the charges were excessive, and an estimated 15,000-plus people turned out for a September 2007 rally in Jena on the youths' behalf. Bell eventually pleaded guilty to battery in a juvenile court and later moved to Monroe, about 70 miles north of Jena. On Christmas Eve, Bell was arrested at the Pecanland Mall in Monroe and charged with shoplifting, simple battery and resisting arrest, Monroe Police Lt. Jeff Davis said Tuesday. Bell was released on $1,300 bond, and the case was assigned to city court. Watch CNN's Sean Callebs report on the case » . On Monday, Simmons and Bell's mother, Melissa Bell, told investigators they heard a gunshot from the teenager's room and found him on the bed, according to the police report. "Rosie and M. Bell stated Mychal had made comments over the past two days that because of the current media attention he had because of a shoplifting arrest he did not feel like he could live anymore," the police report says. Monroe police Lt. Jeff Harris said investigators do not know whose gun Bell used. Bell's Christmas Eve arrest came after security guards at the shopping center were told Bell and a male friend were seen stuffing clothing into a bag in a menswear section of Dillard's, according to the investigative report. Once spotted, the men split up, police said. Bell, chased by security guards, ran from the store to a parking lot, where he tried to hide under a car, Davis said. As a store security officer tried to pull Bell out, "Bell swung his arms wildly" and hit the guard with his elbow, the report says. Davis said the guard was hit in the face. Bell admitted to the thefts, which police said included four shirts and a pair of jeans, Davis said. The merchandise was photographed by store security and returned to stock, he added. Bell was taken to jail and booked. Davis said the second man escaped. Powell-Lexing told CNN her client went to the mall with someone to return a shirt, for which he had a receipt. The person with Bell did the shoplifting, and Bell was caught in the middle, the attorney said. Powell-Lexing said Bell has been trying to stay out of trouble since the Jena arrest, and that he has been on the verge of getting a college football scholarship. Bell attends a Monroe high school, but has not been allowed to play high school football since his arrest in Jena, where he was a running back. In April, after his move to Monroe, Bell told CNN that he wanted to keep his life on the straight and narrow in part because of the support he received during the Jena case. "I feel like [after] all the people came down and supported me [and] gave money to the defense fund, I feel like ... if I would do something now, I would let the whole country down," he said. CNN's Sean Callebs and CNN Radio's Amanda Moyer contributed to this report. | Police report: Mychal Bell shot himself because he's tired of media attention .
Bell was arrested last week on suspicion of shoplifting .
He is accused of stealing clothes worth $370 from a department store .
Bell was a defendant in the racially charged case in Louisiana . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "890deccbe5bef58962617b66983fe74c8b65986c"} | 1,129 | 67 | 0.544297 | 1.478782 | 0.005791 | 2.851852 | 17.777778 | 0.851852 |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday. A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died. The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said. "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time." Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said. | British soldier killed on New Year's Day by blast in Afghanistan .
Soldier served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province .
He was on patrol in Garmsir district when he was killed . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "511617fdbeed7da899b878c9eb2100aa353b9329"} | 232 | 53 | 0.638918 | 1.304882 | 0.260164 | 3.897436 | 4.974359 | 0.923077 |
(CNN) -- The Kellogg Co. announced Wednesday it is recommending that consumers not eat its peanut butter crackers because they may be tainted with salmonella. Salmonella bacteria are transmitted to humans by eating contaminated foods. The products affected are Austin- and Keebler-branded: . -- Toasted peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers. -- Cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers. -- Peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers. The Michigan-based maker of cereals and snacks posted the recommendation in a statement on its Web site. Peanut butter produced by Peanut Corporation of America, one of several peanut butter suppliers to the company, has been linked to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has affected at least 434 people in 43 states, federal health officials said Wednesday. "Kellogg Company's investigation has not indicated any concerns, nor has the company received any consumer illness complaints about these products," the Kellogg statement said. "Nonetheless, Kellogg Company is taking precautionary measures including putting a hold on any inventory in its control, removing product from retail store shelves, and encouraging customers and consumers to hold and not eat these products until regulatory officials complete their investigation of PCA and Kellogg provides further information as to the resolution of this issue." All of the company's peanut-butter crackers are made at its bakery in Cary, North Carolina, said spokeswoman Kris Charles. Though consumers are urged "to hold the product until we have more information," Charles recommended anyone seeking a refund call 888.314.2060 for details about how to get one. | Some types of Austin- and Keebler-branded sandwich crackers affected .
One of its peanut butter suppliers has been linked to outbreak of salmonella .
Kellogg says warning is strictly precautionary; no incidents of illness reported .
Outbreak of salmonella poisoning has affected at least 434 people in 43 states . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2e6711bdaf4ce48233dd8285ab7e532b3abff686"} | 353 | 71 | 0.673417 | 1.716671 | 1.110424 | 3.142857 | 5.267857 | 0.785714 |
OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- A former police officer for the Bay Area transit system pleaded not guilty Thursday in the New Year's Day shooting of a passenger at an Oakland rail station. Former transit officer Johannes Mehserle is charged with homicide in the death of Oscar Grant III. Johannes Mehserle, 27, appeared in a packed Alameda County courtroom, with his supporters separated by a courtroom aisle from relatives of shooting victim Oscar Grant III and other spectators. Mehserle is charged with shooting Grant, 22, in an incident that spurred violent protests in Oakland after being captured on video. Mehserle resigned his job as a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer days after the shooting, and he was arrested in Nevada earlier this week. Thursday's proceedings took less than five minutes, with Mehserle appearing behind heavy windows in an enclosure out of view of all but a handful of spectators. Superior Court Judge Robert McGuinness ordered the ex-officer held until his next hearing, scheduled for January 26. BART police had been called to Oakland's Fruitvale station January 1 after passengers complained about fights on a train. Officers pulled several men, including Grant, off the train when it arrived at Fruitvale, and video taken by witnesses showed Mehserle shooting Grant in the back as another officer kneeled on the man. Investigators have not said whether Grant was involved in the fight. The shooting spawned public outrage and a string of protests that led to more than 100 riot-related arrests. Watch some of the recent rioting in Oakland, California » . Thursday's proceedings drew an overflow crowd to the courthouse, with some would-be spectators grumbling that they could not get into the hearing. Vicki Behringer contributed to this report for CNN. | Ex-cop Johannes Mehserle appears in packed Alameda County courtroom .
Supporters separated by aisle from relatives of shooting victim Oscar Grant III .
Mehserle was arrested in Nevada earlier this week .
Grant's death spawned public outrage and a string of protests . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "37ecf9547d2ac78f54458f6aa43be23802068c59"} | 413 | 71 | 0.647745 | 1.668213 | 1.276247 | 5.102041 | 6.714286 | 0.897959 |
(CNN) -- A 75th minute strike by striker Graziano Pelle gave AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 home win over NEC Nijmegen on Sunday to leave his side top of the Dutch standings. Italian star Pelle scored the winner to keep AZ on top heading into the Dutch break. The Italian's decisive goal means Louis van Gaal's men will head into 2009 with a three-point lead over Ajax Amsterdam after 17 rounds. The Eredivisie is set to resume on January 16 after a three-week break. Earlier, Dario Cvitanich scored a hat-trick as Ajax beat ADO Den Haag 3-0 to temporarily draw level on points with the leaders. But AZ, who are unbeaten in 15 games, then saw off Nijmegen, who had also been on a fine 14-game unbeaten run. AZ have 41 points, with Ajax on 38. Steve McClaren's FC Twente are in third place, seven points adrift of AZ, after holding defending champions PSV Eindhoven to a goalless draw on Saturday. PSV are fourth with 30 points and looking set to relinquish their league title. On Friday, Feyenoord snapped a run of three successive losses by beating NAC Breda 3-1, but the struggling Rotterdam giants are in 12th spot. | AZ Alkmaar beat NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in Dutch league game on Sunday .
Alkmaar on top by three points from Ajax heading into midwinter break .
Former Lecce striker Graziano Pelle scores crucial winner for AZ . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "edfc4d8f64e4aa164d7d01915264e0e9c0c4729b"} | 321 | 64 | 0.610384 | 1.363343 | 0.665753 | 1.365854 | 5.780488 | 0.780488 |
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Pirates holding a Saudi-owned oil supertanker off the coast of Somalia have set the vessel free after receiving a ransom payment, a piracy monitor in neighboring Kenya and the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet said Saturday. A small aircraft drops a ransom payment during a flight over the Sirius Star on Friday. "The supertanker VLCC Sirius Star is currently under way to safe waters," Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association said in an e-mail. Mwangura said all 23 crew members of the Sirius Star, the largest ship ever hijacked by pirates, are safe and in good health. They are citizens of Croatia, Great Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia. "Anytime a ship is released, it is positive news," said Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet. "But too many people see it as a ship and its cargo being released. When merchant mariners are released, it is always good news." The ship is a VLCC, or "very large crude carrier." According to the Fifth Fleet, the tanker is more than three times the size of a U.S. navy aircraft carrier. Pirates seized the supertanker November 15. The tanker was carrying two million barrels of crude oil worth about $100 million. The Liberian-flagged tanker is owned by Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian-based Saudi Aramco. Saleh K'aki, president and CEO of Vela International, said in a statement, "We are very relieved to know that all crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and high spirits. This has been a very trying time for them and certainly for their families. We are very happy to report to their families that they will be on their way home soon." Mwangura said it would have been a "disaster" if the pirates had fired guns aboard the ship, harming the cargo or igniting a fire. "The capture of the Sirius Star raised the specter of an environmental disaster should the hijackers decide to turn the ship into a weapon or foreign navies attempt to release it by force," he said. The pirates had been expected to release the supertanker after receiving the ransom payment Friday, but four pirates drowned after their skiff capsized in rough seas while they were leaving the Sirius Star, according to a journalist who spoke to one of the pirates on board. Watch ransom being parachuted to ship » . There were five pirates in the skiff and one survived, the journalist said. The bodies of the other four were recovered, he said. The pirates told another journalist they received $3 million in ransom money but lost part of it when the skiff capsized. "Initially, the gunmen were demanding $25 million for its release but the latest reports indicate that the demand had been lowered to below $3.5 million," Mwangura said. Meanwhile, pirates also have released the MV Delight, an Iranian chartered ship carrying wheat from Germany, Mwangura said. It was captured in November. Details were not immediately available. Hijackings off East Africa are a cause of growing international concern, spurring a number of international navies to patrol the pirate-wracked Gulf of Aden. Dozens of ships have been attacked in the gulf by pirates based in a largely lawless Somalia in recent months. See how pirate attacks are on the rise » . Campbell said the number of attacks may have gone up in recent months, but the number of successful hijackings has gone down. She attributed that to measures taken by merchant ships, such as vigilant keeping of watch and evasive ship maneuvers, and the increased naval presence in the at-risk areas. Campbell stressed, however, that they are only preventive measures. "Piracy is a problem that starts on the shore," she said. "The international community needs to address the situation on the ground in Somalia." CNN's David McKenzie contributed to this report. | NEW: Second hijacked ship also released .
Pirates release Saudi-owned oil supertanker after receiving ransom .
All crew members on Sirius Star are safe, according to piracy monitor .
Four pirates drowned, some ransom lost after skiff capsized in rough seas . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "d9e01cafd25855ba5c194a9eeeea006464e6f432"} | 932 | 71 | 0.513147 | 1.470151 | 1.010223 | 2.22 | 15.3 | 0.86 |
Editor's note: For 85 years, Yankee Stadium has hosted some of the greatest moments in sports. On Sunday, the Yankees will play their last game before the stadium is torn down. Former Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton played on the 1963 American League All-Star team and in two World Series. He wrote the classic baseball book, "Ball Four," named as one of the "Books of the Century" by the New York Public Library, and has been a sportscaster and actor. For Bouton's web site, click here . Jim Bouton was photographed as a rookie in 1962 at Yankee Stadium, before the renovation of the ballpark. EGREMONT, Massachusetts (CNN) -- I'll never forget my first day in The House that Ruth Built: April 9, 1962, the day before opening day. I made the team that spring as a non-roster player, having pitched in the Texas League (AA) the year before. And I had just turned 23. The Yankees had scheduled an afternoon workout, but I was so excited that I couldn't sleep and I drove in from my parents' house in New Jersey at 7 in the morning. After introducing myself to a skeptical guard, he led me down two flights of stairs and through a hallway, where I was greeted by the clubhouse man Pete Sheehy (who died in 1985 and for whom the room is now named). The Yankee clubhouse in 1962 was like a large subterranean living room. A wall-to-wall grayish green carpet muffled all sound, and the overhead lighting was subdued. Three walls of walk-in wood lockers faced a wall of large frosted windows that cast shafts of light from the street above. Everything was painted a muted gray green to match the carpet, including the exposed ductwork in the ceiling above. A cleat-dented wooden stool sat in front of each locker. And hanging in the lockers, with military precision, were the classic Yankee uniforms. "Your locker is right here by the door," said Pete. I couldn't help smiling when I saw Whitey Ford's nameplate just one locker away. I asked Pete if this was the same room that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and all those guys used. He pointed to a locker across the room where he used to bring "a bi-carb and coffee" each day to the Babe. Pete returned to his duties and I touched my uniform reverently. With no one around, I decided to try it on. Perfect fit. I adjusted my hat in a mirror. That looked good, too. iReport.com: Share your memories of Yankee Stadium . Then I grabbed my glove and went out to the field -- you know, just to get oriented. After sitting in the dugout a few minutes, I trotted out to the mound. Looking up at the three tiers of stands was like being in the Roman Coliseum. Of course, I had to toe the rubber and look in for the sign. Fortunately, at that hour of the morning, it was just me and the pigeons. What would it be like to pitch there when the stands were filled with people? My big chance came on May 7, 1962, in the second game of a double-header against the Washington Senators, in front of a real crowd that included my Mom and Dad, my brothers and a whole bunch of neighbors from New Jersey. I was thrilled and scared at the same time -- maybe a little more on the scared side. I walked the bases loaded with nobody out. Then I fell behind 3 and 1 on the fourth hitter. My next pitch was a little bit high and manager Ralph Houk stepped out of the dugout - either to calm me down or remove me from the premises. But the umpire, bless him, called it a strike and Houk stepped back into the dugout. The inning seemed to last forever, but I finally got out of it and ended up pitching a complete game shutout. Maybe the worst shutout in history - 7 walks and 7 hits. After the game Houk said to me, "any more shutouts like that and we're going to need a new bullpen." The best part was when I walked into the clubhouse after the game. I arrived a few minutes late because I'd done a TV interview in the dugout. And when I opened the door, there was a path of white towels leading to my locker -- and Mickey Mantle was laying down the last towel. This is my favorite memory of Yankee Stadium. Unless it was Mantle's 9th inning walk-off home run in '64 World Series that beat the Cardinals 2-1, which also happened to be my first World Series win. After that it was all down hill. In 1968 a sore arm got me traded to the Seattle Pilots for a bag of batting practice balls. That's the year I kept a diary that became Ball Four -- a book that also mentioned Mantle hitting a home run with a hangover -- which got me banned from Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium for 28 years. My eventual return to Yankee Stadium came after my son Michael wrote a letter to the New York Times, saying the Yankees should let bygones be bygones and invite me back. It was such a beautiful letter the Yankees were embarrassed into inviting me. After 28 years, Yankee Stadium was a different place -- a strange and garish place. A makeover in 1973-75, under the new owner George Steinbrenner, added cantilevered stands that destroyed the elegant upper façade, and exterior elevators which spoiled the view of the of the lower facade. Inside, the grayish green carpet was now bright blue and featured a giant Yankee logo. The honest ceiling with its exposed pipes was now a dropped ceiling with stark white tiles. Everything was painted blue and white -- the Yankee colors, get it? Now, instead of restoring the stadium, they're going to tear it down. Raze the clubhouse where Pete Sheehy made coffee for Ruth. Destroy the dugout where Stengel slept. Bulldoze the field where Mantle roamed and level the mound where Larsen pitched the only perfect World Series game. And they're going to build an underground parking garage on the site! This will no doubt be "The Garage that Ruth Built" -- which could produce a reverse "Curse of the Bambino." If you check the current standings, you'll see this may already be happening. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer. | Former Yankee Jim Bouton recalls his debut at Yankee Stadium in the 1960s .
Bouton played alongside stars Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford .
Bouton: Now the legendary sports venue is going to be torn down . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "15050103702a56981c082c69c415f8667f1f2115"} | 1,479 | 55 | 0.418772 | 1.259399 | 0.870684 | 1.425 | 31.475 | 0.775 |
(CNN) -- Fred Berretta was aboard US Airways Flight 1549 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, when he heard a loud bang and the plane shook. The New York Fire Department rescued passengers from the downed plane in the Hudson River. "We were still on ascent, and the engine blew out," he said. "The pilot turned around and made a line for the river." Passenger Alberto Panero said that immediately, he smelled smoke. "All of a sudden, the captain came on and said brace for a landing, and that's when we knew we were going down," he said. The Airbus A320, carrying Panero and more than 150 other passengers and crew, crash-landed in the Hudson River on Thursday after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York. Watch Jeff Kolodjay describe the crash » . A New Jersey State Police source told CNN the pilot radioed to air traffic controllers that he had experienced a bird strike and declared an emergency. "We knew there wasn't a lot of time because we were quite close to the ground, and it felt as though the descent was somewhat rapid," said Berretta, who said he was sitting in seat 16A. Watch Berretta describe the landing » . As the plane headed down toward the river, the cabin was mostly silent, he said. "After he told us prepare for impact, it was pretty evident we were not going to make the runway." At first, it felt like the plane was gliding, Berretta said, as if no engines were working. "People started praying, and there was a lot of silence, and the realization that we were going in was really hard to take in at that moment," he said. As the plane started to go down, some passengers shouted to those in exit rows to be prepared to quickly open the doors. Berretta spent that time contemplating the chances of surviving a water crash. "I think that [it] certainly went through my mind that this probably very much could be it," he said. Then the plane hit the water. Panero said the impact felt like a car crash. Some said that as the plane hit, there were extremely loud noises. "The plane was jockeying about, spinning a bit," Berretta said. "Then all of a sudden, it was 'Get out, get out now,' " Panero said. Jeff Kolodjay was sitting in seat 22A right next to the engine believed to have caused the plane to go down. "The plane started filling with water pretty quick," he said. "It was scary. There was a lady with her baby on my left-hand shoulder, and she was crawling over the seats." Upon impact, passengers left behind their coats and luggage. They grabbed life vests and seat cushions and headed toward the exits. "It seemed like it lasted an eternity," Berretta said. When the plane began to sink, some passengers began to panic, Panero said. Watch Panero describe what he saw and heard » . "But there was a couple of people who kind of took charge and just started yelling to calm down, just to get everybody out," he said. "Once people realized that we were going to be OK, everybody kind of calmed down and just tried to get out of the plane to safety." Passengers began to group themselves on the wings to stay out of the frigid water. When they were safely out of the plane, Berretta said, there was one more moment of fear. "Our raft was tethered to the plane, and we worried we might go down with the plane," he said. "But we were able to get a knife off a rescue boat and cut the tether." More than anything, passengers wanted to thank the crew. As Berretta exited the plane, he said that besides a few passengers remaining, the crew and pilot stayed behind to make sure everyone was out. "I think the pilot, he did a great job," Berretta said. "I think it was as good of a landing as you can make in a river." | NEW: People were praying, telling exit row passengers to get ready to open doors .
Plane passengers say pilot told them to "brace for a landing"
Jeff Kolodjay: "The plane started filling with water pretty quick"
Woman with baby tried to climb over seats to get out . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "0ebb4d502da4fe25afb8f8f18d063b377567b092"} | 945 | 66 | 0.508815 | 1.423254 | 0.502296 | 2.517241 | 13.965517 | 0.793103 |
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Royal Dutch Shell said Tuesday that it may not be able to meet its oil supply obligations in Nigeria after an attack on its major pipeline. Heavily armed Nigerian rebels pose a constant threat to oil pipelines in the country. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a rebel group, said "detonation engineers backed by heavily armed fighters" sabotaged two of Shell's pipelines early Monday. After a helicopter flyover of the area, Shell confirmed that parts of its large Nembe Creek "trunk line" were damaged, company spokeswoman Caroline Wittgen said. The company shut down some production "to limit the amount of crude that will spill into the environment," she said. Hours later, it declared "force majeure," a legal term meaning it could not meet its supply obligations in the region because of the attack. "[Shell] is working hard to repair the line and restore production," Wittgen said. Nigeria is the fourth-largest supplier of oil to the United States, and attacks by rebels have helped fuel the year-long spike in crude oil prices. It's one of many factors pushing up the price of gas in the U.S., where one in every 10 barrels of oil comes from Nigeria. MEND -- the largest rebel group -- has targeted foreign oil companies since 2006. It has bombed pipelines and kidnapped hundreds of foreign oil workers, typically releasing them unharmed, sometimes after receiving a ransom payment. MEND hopes to secure a greater share of oil wealth for people in the delta, where more than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. Its attacks on oil facilities have taken a toll. "Anytime a pipeline is affected, anytime any production gets shut down, you see oil prices jump up one or two dollars a barrel just because there is no slack in the system," said Jim LeCamp, a senior vice president with RBC Wealth Management, which manages assets for wealthy clients worldwide. Exxon and Shell are two of several companies that have been extracting 2 million barrels of oil a day in Nigeria. Recent rebel attacks on oil pipelines in the Niger Delta have cut overall production by roughly 10 percent -- meaning 200,000 fewer barrels of oil on some days. That decrease in production comes at a time of increased demand from oil-hungry regions such as China, Russia and Latin America. "Anytime there's a disruption there, it really affects the system," LeCamp said in a recent interview with CNN. | Shell says it may not be able to meet supply contracts after Nigerian attack .
Two of Shell's oil pipelines sabotaged by rebel groups on Monday .
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(CNN) -- In style and substance, Barack Obama is looking like he could be a different president than the candidate voters got to know during the campaign. Barack Obama has taken on a more somber tone as he prepares to take office. His message of changing the country has been replaced by one of repairing the country as he inherits crises that demand immediate action. "I want to be realistic here," Obama said in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "Not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace that we had hoped." During the campaign, Obama stressed fixing the economy as one of his top priorities, but his recent language has taken on an urgent tone. Obama painted a dire picture of the economy last week, warning that if Congress does not take "dramatic action" on his economic aid package as soon as possible, the nation would face devastating long-term consequences. "For every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs. More families will lose their savings. More dreams will be deferred and denied. And our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse," he said. It's a far cry from what voters heard from Obama the Democratic candidate, who inspired roaring crowds of thousands by telling them, "This is our moment. This is our time." But with the economy in a recession and people afraid for their financial future, Obama's soaring campaign rhetoric has given way to grim reality. And as if the economic crisis weren't enough, Obama has an international crisis awaiting him as well. The president-elect said Sunday that the suffering on both sides of Gaza's borders has led him to ramp up his commitment to working for a peace deal in the Middle East. These urgent items on Obama's agenda are forcing his team to reconsider some campaign pledges. Just as soon as he went from presidential hopeful to president-elect, Obama warned the nation of tough times ahead and lowered expectations that he would be the one to solve it all. Watch more on the expectations for Obama » . "We know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century," he said on the night of his election victory. "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there," he said. He told voters that change couldn't happen without them, "without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice." He reiterated that same message this weekend, explaining what it's going to take to reform the government. "Everybody is going to have to give. Everybody is going to have to have some skin in the game," Obama told ABC. iReport.com: What should Obama do first? Some of the pledges Obama might have to rethink include his proposal to give some homeowners a 10 percent tax credit, an idea that has little support in Congress. During the campaign, Obama also told voters, "I don't believe in running up debt for the next generation." But just last week, he acknowledged that the cost of the economic recovery plan he is pushing would be "considerable" and would "certainly add to the budget deficit in the short term." Obama has not put a price tag on his stimulus package, but observers have estimated it would cost in the neighborhood of $800 billion. Obama also has proposed repealing the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy, but now it's more likely that the president-elect will delay any tax increases on the wealthy until 2011, when the tax cuts expire. Some of the maneuvering is aimed at attracting Republican support for the incoming president's recovery plan, but that could set up an early battle in the now heavily Democratic Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for example, is adamant about seeing those tax cuts repealed. iReport.com: What does Obama's presidency mean to you? Obama says everyone will have to sacrifice, and that includes Congress, too. Some political observers say the economic crisis that Obama is inheriting is raising the stakes to get a move on his recovery plan -- even if Congress isn't 100 percent behind it. "This strengthens Barack Obama's hand with the Congress and with the public. It's so urgent, that it's going to be very, very hard, I think, for people who don't like parts of this package to vote against it," said David Gergen, CNN's senior political analyst. And while the public is well aware of the economic battle ahead, Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins said Obama has little time to wait. "You've got to have results," Rollins said, "He doesn't have four years to get it done. He has two years. If there's not improvements dramatically in two years, you have a midterm election, and certainly by the second part of this first term, this economy better be moving." CNN's Jim Acosta, Kristi Keck and Christine Romans contributed to this report . | Obama says not all of his campaign promises will happen at pace he wanted .
President-elect's tone has become more somber as he prepares to take office .
Obama says, "Everybody is going to have to give" to get things back on track .
President-elect's priority is getting his economic recovery package passed . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "67d3beb0dd9ca7e0553bff4f37171e8c9d394285"} | 1,163 | 78 | 0.485102 | 1.304462 | 0.66867 | 2.484848 | 15.909091 | 0.818182 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There was no shortage of superstars in Washington this week, including the middle school students of Atlanta, Georgia's Ron Clark Academy. Ron Clark Academy students singing their newest song, "Dear Obama," in Washington this week. "There are those Obama kids!" "Those are the kids from TV!" "Sing for us!" The middle schoolers' ode to the political process, "You Can Vote However You Like," set to the tune of rapper T.I.'s "Whatever You Like," has garnered exhilarating fame nationwide. Invited to perform at inauguration events, the boys and girls were stopped along every block in the capital by people who asked them to sing and pose for a picture. "I have a sleepy energy," sixth-grader Kennedy Guest Pritchett said. "I feed off of the crowd and their cheers." The students' new song, "Dear Obama," which they have performed this week, offers advice to the president on energy, taxes, financial regulation and al Qaeda and urges him to "control Ahmadinejad." "Dear Obama hear us sing/We're ready for the change that you will bring/Gonna shine the light for the world to see/to spread peace hope and democracy. ... Fight for health care for the young so that coverage is available to everyone/It's time to find a renewable way to fuel our needs so we don't end up depending on Chavez and the Middle East." Watch the students sing "Dear Obama" » . The kids will perform Tuesday at the Africa and International Friends Inaugural Ball, sharing a stage with Usher and Patti LaBelle, one of many events in their packed schedule highlighted by a luncheon gala Monday to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "I want to do good every song we perform. When the crowd cheers, I feel like we did a good job," said Willie Thornton, a seventh-grader. "I feel a lot of adrenaline afterwards." The students have met the Kenyan Boys Choir, who told their American counterparts what kind of animals they might see when the Ron Clark students travel to Kenya on a school trip in June. At another luncheon, the sixth- and seventh-graders were thrilled to catch a glimpse of actor Ed Norton, the man who played the Incredible Hulk. But he didn't compare to singer Beyonce, who closed Sunday's star-studded Lincoln Memorial concert and drew giggles and shouts. The kids gained notoriety just before the election when they appeared on CNN, singing "You Can Vote However You Like." They became media favorites overnight, appearing on several networks and shows. Dressed neatly in their school uniform of khaki pants, light blue shirts and navy blue blazers, they discussed the Iraq war, the economy and taxes with the composure of adults. Their teacher, Ron Clark, known for his innovation, has used pop music to teach his students. He once changed the words of Rihanna's infectious hit "Umbrella" to teach geography. "You have to give students something they can identify with, something that catches their enthusiasm and spirit," he said. "I'm so proud of them all. They've taught me a lot." Before founding his school in the rough neighborhood of South Atlanta, Clark taught in Harlem, where he penned "The Essential 55," a rule-book for educators that caught Oprah Winfrey's eye. She talked about it on her show, and it soon became a New York Times bestseller. This past Christmas, Clark received another gift from the talk show host: $365,000. Winfrey donated $1,000 for each day of the year. Clark has said that the money will help provide scholarships for a year. The teacher said he plans to incorporate Barack Obama's inauguration into lessons throughout the rest of the school year. "Our school is about politics and world issues and helping the kids understand that they have an important role in all of that," he said. CNN's John Murgatroyd and Ashley Fantz contributed to this report. | Singing Atlanta schoolkids perform at inauguration festivities .
"I have a sleepy energy," one 6th-grader says of the group's packed schedule .
Ron Clark Academy singers gained fame for their "Vote However You Like" song .
They have written another song, "Dear Obama," which offers advice to the president . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "e96f6af54a156f2c21b11c626a9ea60e8a4d760f"} | 924 | 81 | 0.539273 | 1.801527 | 0.960265 | 3.369231 | 12.153846 | 0.846154 |
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday. A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died. The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said. "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time." Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said. | British soldier killed on New Year's Day by blast in Afghanistan .
Soldier served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province .
He was on patrol in Garmsir district when he was killed . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2a52370fd79b092f62fb38077f99aa48df47accc"} | 232 | 53 | 0.638918 | 1.304882 | 0.260164 | 3.897436 | 4.974359 | 0.923077 |
(CNN) -- Authorities investigating the case of a boy who disappeared in Kansas almost a decade ago plan to search an undisclosed residence Wednesday, the Butler County sheriff said. An age-progression photo shows what Adam Herrman would like today, as a 21-year-old man. Sheriff Craig Murphy would not disclose details about the residence or why authorities want to search it. He said his department will also search on an area of the Whitewater River, in southern Kansas, on Saturday near where Adam Herrman was last seen. Adam was 11 when he went missing in 1999. He was living in a mobile home park in Towanda, a town about 25 miles northeast of Wichita, with his adoptive parents, Doug and Valerie Herrman, authorities said. Wichita attorney Warner Eisenbise, who is representing Adam's adoptive parents, said the couple believed Adam had run away and didn't report him missing. They "really rue the fact that they didn't" report him missing, he said Monday. A few weeks ago, an undisclosed person contacted the Wichita-Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit, expressing concern about Adam, the sheriff said. The Herrmans told Eisenbise that Adam ran away frequently, the attorney said, and they believed he was either with his biological parents or homeless. Although the Herrmans did not report him missing, "they were very worried about him," Eisenbise said. In an interview published Tuesday in The Wichita Eagle, Valerie Herrman said Adam ran away in May 1999 after she spanked him with a belt. She said she was upset but doesn't remember why, The Eagle reported. The couple never reported Adam missing, Valerie Herrman told the paper, because they feared authorities would take Adam and his siblings away because of the spanking. The couple adopted his two younger siblings as well, according to The Eagle. "We love him, and we made a terrible mistake" by not reporting him missing, Doug Herrman told The Eagle. The couple said they searched the mobile home park and other areas for two days after Adam left. "Then we came to the conclusion that the police probably have him, and they're coming to us, probably to get us in trouble," Doug Herrman told the newspaper, but the "police never came." Authorities have searched an empty lot in the Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park where the family lived. There, police found an "answer" to one of their questions, Murphy said Monday without elaborating. Eisenbise said that on December 15, authorities also searched the Herrmans' homes in Derby, outside of Wichita, and took the couple's computer, he said. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has released an age-progression picture that depicts Adam as he might appear now: a young man with blue eyes and light-colored hair. Adam had been placed in the Herrmans' care when he was about 2, Murphy said Monday. He had been named Irvin Groeninger III when he was born June 8, 1987, Murphy said, and it was not clear when his name was changed. His biological parents relinquished their rights as parents about two decades ago, and Adam and his siblings were put in foster homes, CNN affiliate KWCH reported. "I thought what I was doing for them was in the best interest of the children, and evidently it wasn't," Irvin Groeninger, Adam's biological father, told KWCH. "If he was still in my custody, this would have never happened." Adam's sister, Tiffany Broadfoot, 22, said she had last seen her brother about 14 years ago at a birthday party. "He had the cutest little round face, little-bitty freckles right up here on the tip of his cheek," she told the station. CNN's Taylor Gandossy contributed to this report. | Sheriff says his officers will search area near Whitewater River on Saturday .
Attorney says parents "rue the fact" they didn't report him missing .
Adam Herrman reportedly ran away when he was 11, after being spanked .
Parents tell paper they thought spanking would lead police to take other kids away . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "058b01b7db785d249496e9d4e38a91723bada57c"} | 864 | 70 | 0.529005 | 1.620585 | 0.87383 | 1.683333 | 12.333333 | 0.816667 |
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China has become the world's third-largest economy, surpassing Germany and closing rapidly on Japan, according to government and World Bank figures. Commuters drive along a road in downtown Beijing, China, on Thursday. The Chinese government revised its growth figures for 2007 from 11.9 percent to 13 percent this week, bringing its estimated gross domestic product to $3.4 trillion -- about 3 percent larger than Germany's $3.3 trillion for the same year, based on World Bank estimates. Beijing is expected to release its 2008 GDP figures next week. Although the world's top economies, the United States and Japan, are in recession, the most pessimistic estimates for China's growth in upcoming years runs about 5 percent. That could allow China's GDP to overtake Japan's, currently $4.3 trillion, within a few years. The U.S. economy, the world's largest, was about $13.8 trillion in 2007. The World Bank's estimate of China's economic growth is about 7.5 percent. But China has seen a sharp decline in exports in November and December as other major economies struggle, and the bank's analysts say rates below 6 percent could worsen the rest of the world's slump. Watch how China was able to overtake Germany » . And Michael Santoro, author of the 2008 book "China 2020," said China will have other problems to overcome if it is to maintain its rapid expansion. "It's no longer sufficient for China to become a manufacturer of sneakers or toys and the like," Santoro said. "Now they're looking to become players in the area of pharmaceuticals and foods and other high value-added products, where safety and quality are important characteristics for improving in the global economy." China recently announced a $600 billion economic stimulus package, and its State Council on Wednesday laid out a new plan to boost its steel and auto industries -- including about $1.5 billion to develop alternative-fuel vehicles. CNN's John Vause and Judy Kwon contributed to this report. | China's GDP could overtake Japan's within a few years .
World Bank's estimate of China's economic growth is about 7.5 percent .
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GONAIVES, Haiti (CNN) -- Four major storms have raked the desperately poor country of Haiti in the past month, leaving at least 341 people dead. A man carries drinking water through the flooded streets of Gonaives, Haiti, on Monday. Nine of the deaths were attributed to Fay, 79 to Gustav, 183 to Hanna and 70 to Ike, said Abel Nazaire, deputy head of Haiti's Civil Protection Service. The country's fragile infrastructure was overloaded after the storms and officials were concerned that the floodwaters could spread disease, Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, said Tuesday. Gonaives, on the west coast, is one of the hardest-hit cities. This week, Gonaives was knee-deep in filthy water and reachable only by water or air, with many of Haiti's bridges destroyed and roads flooded. "My home is destroyed. I have no place to live with my kids. Everything I had just washed away," Roselene Josef told CNN. Watch desperate survivors in Gonaives » . Another survivor said, "The flood washed away everything. I couldn't save anything. They should just move this city. Floods always destroy it." Aid workers warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis as attempts to deliver aid were frustrated by logistical problems. The U.S. Navy's USS Kearsarge arrived in the waters off Haiti on Monday to support the U.S. Agency for International Development's efforts to assist after the devastation. The vessel will help move cargo and equipment between affected cities and will deliver relief supplies, said the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command. But Monday, the Kearsarge wasn't able to deliver anything to Gonaives, because the ship's scout helicopters couldn't find a suitable place for supplies to be unloaded, according to The Associated Press. A U.S. Coast Guard ship carrying 35 tons of relief supplies arrived Saturday in Gonaives. The U.S. cutter was preceded by a ship carrying U.N. relief supplies, including 19 tons of high-energy biscuits, 50,000 bottles of water and water purification tablets, which arrived Friday in Gonaives, said Myrta Kaulard of the United Nations' World Food Program. CNN's Karl Penhaul watched as U.N. troops handed out scant supplies of food and water to a long line of Haitians. The line became chaotic, with people fighting over supplies. Watch the devastation Penhaul found in Haiti » . Hundreds of people had taken shelter in a school. They told Penhaul they had not received relief aid in a week. An official in Gonaives told the AP on Monday that nine people had died in shelters, including two children. It was not clear if they had died of starvation or some other cause, Daniel Dupiton of the region's civil protection department told the AP. When floodwaters were at their highest, some residents camped out on their roofs, their clothing and blankets hung over the sides of buildings. Some people "have lost really everything. ... These are not rich people, these are people who were really struggling [already] against high food prices," Kaulard said. U.S. Navy Capt. Frank Ponds said he had flown over part of southern and northern Haiti. "I saw towns that were completely flooded," Ponds said. "I saw infrastructure, such as bridge[s] and roads, totally wiped out." The eye of Hurricane Ike never touched Haiti earlier this week, but the storm system did bring heavy rains and winds to Gonaives and other towns. Jean Pierre Guiteau, executive director for the Red Cross in Haiti, said 52 people were killed when a river burst its banks in the mountain town of Cabaret near the capital, Port-au-Prince. Another 21 bodies were pulled from sea at Fort-Liberté, Haiti, close to the border with the Dominican Republic. "It's a very grim picture," Guiteau said Sunday. "Things certainly are getting no better." CNN's Karl Penhaul contributed to this report. Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. | Gonaives, Haiti, cut off from rest of country by flooded roads, washed-out bridges .
Some flood survivors say they haven't received aid in a week .
Logistical problems prompt aid workers to warn of deepening humanitarian crisis .
At least 341 people have died in four storms in Haiti . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "7f1440bef80d598e7bd670652192b8d54b72a848"} | 995 | 77 | 0.535571 | 1.418147 | 0.774762 | 1.881356 | 13.355932 | 0.864407 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On his final full day in office, President Bush issued commutations for two former U.S. Border Patrol agents convicted in 2006 of shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant -- suspected of drug smuggling at the time -- and then covering it up. An artist's sketch shows Ignacio Ramos, left, and Jose Compean. The prison sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean will now end March 20. Ramos had received an 11-year prison sentence; Compean had received a 12-year term. They began serving their sentences in January 2007. The Office of the Pardon Attorney was still reviewing the clemency request when Bush made his decision, Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said. "The president has reviewed the circumstances of this case as a whole and the conditions of confinement and believes the sentences they received are too harsh and that they, and their families, have suffered enough for their crimes," a senior administration official said. "Commuting their sentences does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes. Ramos and Compean are convicted felons who violated their oaths to uphold the law and have been severely punished," the official stated. "This commutation gives them an opportunity to return to their families and communities, but both men will have to carry the burden of being convicted felons and the shame of violating their oaths for the rest of their lives." The official noted that both Democratic and Republican members of Congress have supported a commutation, including President-elect Barack Obama's incoming White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and Texas GOP Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. The head of the labor union representing Border Patrol agents told CNN Radio he was "grateful" that Bush commuted the sentences but questioned why the prison terms won't end until March 20. "I would be quite curious to learn why they have to wait another two months for an unjust sentence," said Rich Pierce, president of the National Border Patrol Council. He said the union's ultimate goal would be for the men to get their Border Patrol jobs back. The shooting happened February 17, 2005, on the border southeast of El Paso, Texas. During their trial, Ramos and Compean said the illegal immigrant, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, had brandished a gun while actively resisting arrest. Aldrete-Davila, however, said he was unarmed and was attempting to surrender when Compean attempted to beat him with a shotgun. Aldrete-Davila was shot while fleeing toward the Rio Grande. Ramos and Compean were ultimately convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon, lying about the incident and violating Aldrete-Davila's Fourth Amendment right against illegal search and seizure. After receiving immunity to testify in the case against the two agents, Aldrete-Davila was arrested in 2007 on charges of bringing more than 750 pounds of marijuana into the United States. The case quickly became a political flash point, with advocates of tighter border controls defending the agents and civil liberties groups saying that the agents had used illegal and excessive force against Aldrete-Davila. Bush has granted 189 pardons and 11 commutations over his eight years in office, far fewer than Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan in their two-term administrations. During the final months of the Bush administration, speculation has swirled around the question of whether former vice presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby would be granted the presidential favor. Libby was convicted in March of 2007 of four counts of lying and impeding a federal investigation into the leak of information that revealed that Valerie Plame was a covert CIA operative. Among the more notable people who have applied for -- but not received -- some form of clemency are: former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham, R-California, who was convicted of receiving bribes; publishing executive Conrad Black, who was found guilty of fraud; former junk bold salesman Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty to securities fraud; and former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers, convicted of accounting fraud. The parents of John Walker Lindh, who was given a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to supporting terrorists in Afghanistan, held a news conference in December urging Bush to commute their son's sentence. There is a long tradition of presidents issuing pardons and commutations during their final days in office. Clinton pardoned fugitive financier Marc Rich during his last hours in office, setting off a firestorm of controversy. A commutation reduces a convict's prison term, but the conviction remains on the person's record. A pardon, however, wipes the slate clean by erasing the record of the conviction. A president has the sole authority to grant clemency to whomever he chooses, although a Justice Department office usually reviews applications and makes recommendations after considering such standards as a person's degree of remorse and ability to lead a responsible and productive life after release. Those applying for a pardon through the Justice Department are required to wait at least five years after their conviction or release from confinement. | Bush commutes sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean .
President believes "the sentences they received are too harsh," official says .
Ex-Border Patrol agents will be released March 20 .
Pair convicted of shooting undocumented immigrant allegedly running drugs . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "ad2af6c1362a3f84000edd71fd752ad60549fec8"} | 1,219 | 66 | 0.541277 | 1.579337 | 0.548672 | 2.591837 | 19.244898 | 0.755102 |
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- At least 59 people were killed in a fire that broke out early Thursday at one of Bangkok's most upscale nightclubs, where about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year, Thai police said. Rescue officials work at the scene of the fire in Thailand. Most of the dead were Thai, but foreigners have been identified, among them from Australia, the Netherlands, Nepal and Japan, police said. Another 100 people were believed injured. The fire, at a club called Santika, started at about 12:35 a.m. (1735 GMT), police told CNN. The blaze started near a stage where fireworks were being used as part of a performance, according to authorities. Watch the fire engulf the building » . Most of those who died in the building suffered smoke inhalation or were trampled in a rush to get out of the club, they said. British citizen Andrew Jones said he was celebrating in the area when he walked up on the fire. He said he saw victims being rushed out of the fire on stretchers and spoke to witnesses, including a fellow Briton who saw fireworks being lit onstage. "He immediately ran out of the building, but immediately when he'd done that the lights went out and he couldn't see," Jones said. The club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts. Its Web site features images of bands and DJs performing on both indoor and outdoor stages, and says that it "innovatively blends the comfort of nature with the excitement of the Bangkok nightlife." The site advertises the club's new year's party, which was named "Goodbye Santika." CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report. | Fireworks were used as part of a performance, authorities say .
Most of those who died suffered smoke inhalation or were trampled, authorities say .
Club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "85b3821389a8fd80d3a8c81370b0639c7fc1924a"} | 394 | 53 | 0.635021 | 1.825396 | 1.047863 | 6.414634 | 8.02439 | 0.902439 |
(CNN) -- Baseball's biggest stars are in New York for Tuesday's All-Star game, as the sport says goodbye to one of its most famous landmarks. Joseph Cornacchia, left, used to play with Babe Ruth when he was a kid, his son Jim says. It's the Yankees' final season at the "House that Ruth Built," and MLB.com reports that 40 Hall of Famers are expected to attend the historic event. We asked CNN.com readers to share their baseball memories and to tell us about meeting their favorite players. iReporter Jim Cornacchia of Rye, New York, says his grandmother taught Babe Ruth to "make a mean batch of chili." He said the legendary slugger would come to Greenwood Lake, New York, during the off season and would visit with his family. iReport.com: Ever met your favorite player? Cornacchia's father, Joseph, who just turned 76, would play wintertime games with "The Babe" as a child, and even built a snowman with him. Patrick Palmer, 43, has been a Yankees fan since he was a kid, even though he grew up in Iowa. "My father was a Yankees fan, and it was just handed down through the generations," he said. Palmer has a baseball signed by about 20 Yankees players and other memorabilia, but said his biggest thrill was meeting relief pitchers Sparky Lyle and Rich "Goose" Gossage. "It was also amazing to shake hands with one of the most feared pitchers of his day, Goose Gossage, and really see what a gentle person he could be," See what Palmer wrote on iReport.com. New Yorker Matthew Friedman said he met Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg last August after singing "God Bless America" before a Peoria Chiefs minor league game. Friedman was in town as part of the Broadway touring production of "Movin' Out." He said he would sing at the game only if he could meet Sandberg, who was managing the Chiefs. "He was such a nice guy," he said. Friedman is a Mets fan, but said the Cubs legend was "the kind of player I thought other players should be." He said it was a meeting he'll never forget, and one he'll tell his children about again, and again, and again. "I have a child on the way," he said. "I can't wait." Meeting a childhood hero was a test of courage for many young fans. iReporter thedeke almost didn't get to shake slugger Roger Maris' hand during a trip to Yankee Stadium as a 10-year-old. "He was only 3 kids from me when he turned and started for the field," he wrote. "Why I said what I did, I will never know, but I actually yelled at Roger saying, 'Roger Maris! Don't you dare walk away with out shaking my hand!' " Maris smiled, walked up to him and "grabbed my hand with both of his and without saying a word he gave me a wink and off he went," thedeke wrote. Phil Miller was a 17-year-old bat boy for the Tacoma Rainiers in 1995 when he got to meet star outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey was playing for the Seattle Mariners at the time and was in the minor leagues while he was recovering from a wrist injury. Chasing fly balls Griffey hit during batting practice is something Miller said he will never forget. "I wish I could freeze time and relive that 15 minutes over and over," he wrote. Miller was nervous about talking to Griffey in the locker room, but he said he broke the ice by asking him about his wife's pregnancy -- news that wasn't out yet. Griffey laughed when he found out his mother-in-law had shared the news with Miller's mom in a Tacoma hair salon, Miller said. Even baseball's most controversial figures provide fond memories. Kenny Lucas met Barry Bonds, the all-time leading home run hitter, in 2006 at a Colorado Rockies game. The former Giants star has been dogged by steroid allegations and has a reputation for being difficult, but Lucas said "he was a very cool guy." "I used to think of Barry as another arrogant athlete, but he treated me as an equal and invited me into his conversation," Lucas said. iReporter natsmom24 met Pete Rose at a golf course when he was 11 years old. In 1991, Rose and other members of the Cincinnati Reds were at a golf course near his house, so natsmom24 tried to get some autographs. Several players ignored him and walked past, but he said Rose approached him and asked to sign his ball. He talked to him and then took him to the clubhouse and bought him a Snickers and a Coke. "I was on top of the world! I was hanging out with Pete Rose! The Hit King! Charlie Hustle! No one was going to believe me when I told them this," he wrote. He said that not even his parents believed him until he showed them the autographed ball. | Baseball's current and former stars getting ready for All-Star game .
iReporters met Ruth, Bonds, Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle .
Got a baseball memory? Share it on iReport.com . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "51f9cd736be4ef3ed0d798ac66e157204c1f3d79"} | 1,227 | 57 | 0.434703 | 1.217162 | 0.885858 | 1.552632 | 26.184211 | 0.815789 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A dream come true, a part of history, an accomplishment for all of us. Margret Forsythe, left, and Evadey Minott came to Tuesday's inaugural events from Brooklyn, New York. Millions of people gathered on the Mall in Washington on Tuesday to celebrate the inauguration of the 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama. "This is America happening," said Evadey Minott of Brooklyn, New York. "It was prophesied by [the Rev. Martin Luther] King that we would have a day when everyone would come together. This is that day. I am excited. I am joyful. It brings tears to my eyes." L.J. Caldwell of Somerset, New Jersey, said Obama's inauguration capped five decades of struggle for African-Americans. "When you think back, Malcolm [X] fought. Then we come a little further, Rosa Parks sat. Then come up a little further and Martin [King Jr.] spoke. Then today, President Obama ran and we won." Watch Obama say Americans have "chosen hope over fear" » . Kim Akins, 43, of Chicago, Illinois, who lives just blocks from Obama's home, made the trek to Washington with her 8-year-old daughter, Chloe. Vanessa Reed, of Centerville, Virginia, took her daughters to spot on the inaugural parade route. "I was going to take my daughter here if it was the last thing I did," she said. "It's breathtaking. ... It's overwhelming." Vanessa Reed, of Centerville, Virginia, who brought her two young daughters to the inauguration, reflected on Obama's speech as she sat with her daughters across from the presidential reviewing stand at the end of the parade route. "It was beautiful. It spoke to the issues of the moment," said Reed, who worked for the Obama campaign. "I am proud this country saw what we saw in him." Not as impressed, her youngest daughter, Brooke. "It was so boring," the 4-year-old said. Patrick Bragg, 44, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, contemplated the day as he tried to stay warm standing over steam vents on H Street. Patrick Bragg says he rode a bike 18 miles to get to downtown Washington on Tuesday morning. "I've been sitting here thinking -- it's really beautiful," said Bragg, who said he rode a bike 18 miles from Bethesda, Maryland, to attend Tuesday's ceremonies. "This is what I would consider the true representation of all of America. Obama gives everyone space at the table." Some of those attending Tuesday recalled how they were part of the effort that culminated in the historic day. "You remember why you are doing it all, why you were working so hard on the campaign making phone calls, knocking on doors and getting slammed in the face sometimes," said iReport contributor Vanessa Palmer of the University of South Florida in Tampa. Howard University student Shakuwra Garrett, 18, said she felt like "a part of history." "I can carry this with me the rest of my life," Garrett said. "It's an accomplishment for all of us." The accomplishment crossed borders and oceans for some of those at Tuesday's inauguration. "The dream came true," said Fatima Cone, 39, who came to the U.S. from Ivory Coast, where her mother wears an Obama T-shirt. She conveyed the excitement her family feels in West Africa. "The fight is the same for all blacks. It's the same story. It's the same fight wherever you come from," Cone said. Canadians Peter and Susan Butler drove down from Toronto, Ontario, to see the event and "support the American people." iReport.com: Are you in Washington? Share your story . "This is a world event," Susan Butler said. "We can tell our grandchildren we were here." Brtion Simon Ginty called the Obama inauguration "an international moment." Simon Ginty of Manchester, England, said the world was celebrating Tuesday. "This is an international moment as well as an American moment. I'm excited to see how Obama changes things. I imagine things are gonna be on the up," Ginty said. Eli Bracken, an iReporter from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, drove into Washington early Tuesday to try to see the inauguration, but large crowds kept him away from the Mall. Instead, he watched on TV from a McDonald's restaurant on E Street near the Canadian Embassy. The eatery went silent during the inaugural prayer, he said. "It was just cool that everybody knew they were witnessing something awesome," Bracken said. "There were people gathered around every car they could just to hear it." Dartmouth College student Amarita Sankar, 18, watched Obama's speech on the grounds of the Washington Monument. "When ever I hear him speak, I want to be a better person. That's what you want in a leader, " Sankar said. Gerrard Coles waited with a throng outside St. John's Episcopal Church, where Obama and his wife, Michelle, went for a Tuesday morning prayer service. "Everyone's down here -- hopefully to catch a glimpse of Barack, just for a split second," he said. Watch as Obamas head to church » . Nearby was Bethesda, Maryland, 9-year-old Laura Bruggerman, waiting with her mother, Wendy, and father, Jeff. "I want to see Obama. I think that would be really cool. I could tell all of my friends that I got to see him," the girl said. The crowd tried to oblige, letting the children and shorter people move up front. Margaret Trowelle of Jersey City, New Jersey, gets strangers to autograph an inauguration hat Tuesday. Outside the church, Margaret Trowelle of Jersey City, New Jersey, showed off a hat she had signed by others she's met in the nation's capital. "Everyone is so friendly," she said. Benica Tripleti, from Eastern Kentucky University, was among a group of 54 people headed to the Mall. She said she had one goal -- "to see Obama's head." Kathie Easom and Christine Hannon of upstate New York were looking to plant themselves on the Mall and watch the proceedings on a screen. "It's a once in a lifetime event," Easom said. Eight rows behind the inauguration stand, Sylvia Schoen of Phoenix, Arizona, waited in the morning cold. "It's freezing. It's worth it. It's worth it," she said. Watch the atmosphere surrounding the inauguration » . "Obama's cause is all about the future. I think that's why everyone's so excited right now," Schoen said. "It's like we can do anything. Look what we just did -- the people. The people did this. Not the politicians -- we did it." Harvard University student Megan Starr, 21, was impressed with the crowd. "I've never seen people excited about politics before," she said. "Usually they are politically apathetic, but people are getting involved." Woodie Lee Durham of Buffalo, New York, says Tuesday marks a milestone for African-American influence. In a seating section for the disabled on the Mall, Woodie Lee Durham of Buffalo, New York, said Tuesday was a landmark for African-American influence on America. "It is no longer a question; this is the answer," Durham said. IReporter Barbara Talisman, 48, of Chicago, watched Tuesday from a spot on the Mall near the American Museum of Natural History. "The historical significance of today and importance of our work made it necessary for me to be here and not at home. I want to be a witness," Talisman said. Corey Waters of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, and his two sons, Thad and Matthew, set out on their inauguration journey at midnight. Waters said they hoped to get a spot near the Capitol and then find a second place later to see the inaugural parade. "We want to be close to the swearing-in," Waters said as the three walked with the crowd to the Mall. Watch an iReport of festivities on the Mall » . After the speech, Decatur, Alabama, pastor Regina May, sat on a bench near St. John's Church and looked ahead. "I think he is fresh," she said of Obama. "He's more than just an idea man. I think he can carry out his plans, and I'm going to do all I can to help." CNN's Adam Levine, Ed Hornick, Valerie Streit, Scott J. Anderson and Kristi Keck contributed to this report. | A McDonald's in Washington goes silent as patrons watch inaugural .
"This is America happening," says New York woman .
Canadian says, "This is a world event"
Barack Obama's election shows American people "can do anything," woman says . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a483adfdf3f345e702f6f8d67ee6e236f59e57ed"} | 1,984 | 56 | 0.396979 | 1.112599 | -0.103211 | 2.45283 | 32.358491 | 0.830189 |
LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Tensions between Chile and Peru remained high Monday after last week's revelation that Peru's top army general said at a party that Chileans in Peru would be sent back in coffins or body bags. General Edwin Donayre, right, meets with Peruvian President Alan Garcia in Lima, Peru, last year. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met Monday morning with her domestic advisers to discuss the matter after the Peruvian general appeared unrepentant over the weekend, the Chilean government reported on its Web site. Peruvian President Alan García had called Bachelet last week to say that the statements by Gen. Edwin Donayre are not the official policy of Peru. Bachelet said at the time she was satisfied with García's explanation and it was "up to the government of Peru to take measures." Donayre made the remarks in 2006 or 2007 at a party at a friend's house, said CNN affiliate station TVN in Santiago, Chile. The video was downloaded to YouTube in February and surfaced a week ago to wider attention. "We are not going to let Chileans pass by," Donayre says in the amateur-quality video as he offers a toast. "Chilean who enters will not leave. Or will leave in a coffin. And if there aren't sufficient coffins, there will be plastic bags." Tensions rose over the weekend when Donayre, who is scheduled to retire Friday, was widely quoted in Peru and Chile as saying that he will not be forced to resign early due to external pressure. "I was named commander general under a presidential mandate and I can only be relieved under such an order. Not by necessity nor under pressure from another government," Donayre said, acording to the Peruvian Andina news agency. Further heightening tensions, Donayre was quoted as saying that Peruvian citizens have a right to say whatever they want at private functions. "I want to express and specify that it was not a speech nor a public act," Andina quotes the general as saying. "The situation in which what happened at a private gathering was spread worries me." In the video, Donayre is surrounded by other uniformed army officials as well as people in civilian dress. It is not clear from the video in what context the general was making his comments. Nor was it clear in what forum Donayre made his comments over the weekend. After Bachelet's meeting with top aides Monday, government spokesman Francisco Vidal declined to say whether Chile's ambassador to Peru would be recalled in light of Donayre's weekend statements. "General Donayre's declarations in the past 24 to 48 hours only convince us that we are right and that our government's posture is reasonable," Vidal said on the Chilean government Web site. In Peru, meanwhile, a member of Congress, Gustavo Espinoza, is under investigation, suspected of sending Donayre's videotaped comment to Chilean press and politicians. A political opponent said Espinoza has an "unpatriotic attitude," the Andina news agency said. "I would not have expected this conduct from any Peruvian, much less a member of Congress," said Aurelio Pastor. Espinoza is already serving a 120-day suspension for leaking a private conversation with another member of Congress, Andina said. Peruvian Defense Minister Ántero Flores-Aráoz told reporters Saturday that relations between the two nations will be repaired, calling the Donayre incident "a bump in the road." Flores-Aráoz also said that Donayre's remarks about Chileans used "improper terms" that are not shared by the Peruvian people, Andina said. Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio García Belaunde made similar assertions last week. Peru has not taken any measures against the general. His retirement Friday is required by law at the end of his two-year appointment as the army's top chief. Donayre has been the subject of an investigation in recent weeks concerning the use of 80,000 gallons of fuel under his control as commander of the southern military region in 2006. Chile and Peru have a long history of animosity, having fought in the War of the Pacific from 1879 to 1883. Hard feelings linger to this day. More recently, the two nations nearly came to war in 1975 when left-wing Peruvian leader Juan Velasco, who was backed by Cuba, wanted to invade Chile, which was led by right-wing Gen. Augusto Pinochet. The invasion was called off and Velasco was deposed in a coup a short while later. Tensions rose again when Peru discovered a Chilean spy mission, but war was averted. This year, the World Court agreed to look at an issue concerning Peruvian claims to a disputed maritime area. | Video surfaced on YouTube last week of Peruvian general's anti-Chile remarks .
Gen. Edwin Donayre said Chileans in Peru would go home in coffins or body bags .
Donayre made the remarks in a toast at a party in 2006 or 2007, CNN affiliate reports .
Peru's president tells Chile the remarks do not reflect Peruvian policy . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "fcd31a94623303cfb9ee19976f9f3b1dc519efd5"} | 1,117 | 89 | 0.64735 | 1.701934 | 1.215975 | 2.333333 | 13.363636 | 0.848485 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- There was no shortage of superstars in Washington this week, including the middle school students of Atlanta, Georgia's Ron Clark Academy. Ron Clark Academy students singing their newest song, "Dear Obama," in Washington this week. "There are those Obama kids!" "Those are the kids from TV!" "Sing for us!" The middle schoolers' ode to the political process, "You Can Vote However You Like," set to the tune of rapper T.I.'s "Whatever You Like," has garnered exhilarating fame nationwide. Invited to perform at inauguration events, the boys and girls were stopped along every block in the capital by people who asked them to sing and pose for a picture. "I have a sleepy energy," sixth-grader Kennedy Guest Pritchett said. "I feed off of the crowd and their cheers." The students' new song, "Dear Obama," which they have performed this week, offers advice to the president on energy, taxes, financial regulation and al Qaeda and urges him to "control Ahmadinejad." "Dear Obama hear us sing/We're ready for the change that you will bring/Gonna shine the light for the world to see/to spread peace hope and democracy. ... Fight for health care for the young so that coverage is available to everyone/It's time to find a renewable way to fuel our needs so we don't end up depending on Chavez and the Middle East." Watch the students sing "Dear Obama" » . The kids will perform Tuesday at the Africa and International Friends Inaugural Ball, sharing a stage with Usher and Patti LaBelle, one of many events in their packed schedule highlighted by a luncheon gala Monday to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "I want to do good every song we perform. When the crowd cheers, I feel like we did a good job," said Willie Thornton, a seventh-grader. "I feel a lot of adrenaline afterwards." The students have met the Kenyan Boys Choir, who told their American counterparts what kind of animals they might see when the Ron Clark students travel to Kenya on a school trip in June. At another luncheon, the sixth- and seventh-graders were thrilled to catch a glimpse of actor Ed Norton, the man who played the Incredible Hulk. But he didn't compare to singer Beyonce, who closed Sunday's star-studded Lincoln Memorial concert and drew giggles and shouts. The kids gained notoriety just before the election when they appeared on CNN, singing "You Can Vote However You Like." They became media favorites overnight, appearing on several networks and shows. Dressed neatly in their school uniform of khaki pants, light blue shirts and navy blue blazers, they discussed the Iraq war, the economy and taxes with the composure of adults. Their teacher, Ron Clark, known for his innovation, has used pop music to teach his students. He once changed the words of Rihanna's infectious hit "Umbrella" to teach geography. "You have to give students something they can identify with, something that catches their enthusiasm and spirit," he said. "I'm so proud of them all. They've taught me a lot." Before founding his school in the rough neighborhood of South Atlanta, Clark taught in Harlem, where he penned "The Essential 55," a rule-book for educators that caught Oprah Winfrey's eye. She talked about it on her show, and it soon became a New York Times bestseller. This past Christmas, Clark received another gift from the talk show host: $365,000. Winfrey donated $1,000 for each day of the year. Clark has said that the money will help provide scholarships for a year. The teacher said he plans to incorporate Barack Obama's inauguration into lessons throughout the rest of the school year. "Our school is about politics and world issues and helping the kids understand that they have an important role in all of that," he said. CNN's John Murgatroyd and Ashley Fantz contributed to this report. | Singing Atlanta schoolkids perform at inauguration festivities .
"I have a sleepy energy," one 6th-grader says of the group's packed schedule .
Ron Clark Academy singers gained fame for their "Vote However You Like" song .
They have written another song, "Dear Obama," which offers advice to the president . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "bea9b42b57ca3e76bf645bba90c167298b4d54a0"} | 924 | 81 | 0.539273 | 1.801527 | 0.960265 | 3.369231 | 12.153846 | 0.846154 |
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CNN) -- The death toll from flooding in southern Brazil continued to climb Wednesday, with officials reporting at least 86 dead, the state news agency said. About 30 people are missing, the official news agency Agencia Brasil said, citing civil defense officials. Earlier reports had indicated as many as 100 people were dead. In addition, more than 54,000 residents have been left homeless, and another 1.5 million have been affected by the heavy rains, the state news agency reported. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced he will release nearly 700 million reais ($350 million) on Wednesday, Agencia Brasil said. About 50 federal police are being dispatched to Santa Catarina state, where most of the deaths and damage have occurred, Agencia Brasil said. The authorities will help look for victims and provide security for local businesses. Military police reported that four grocery stores were looted this week in the Santa Catarina city of Itajai, the news agency said. The rain-fueled flooding resulted in a declaration of public calamity in six municipalities -- Gaspar, Rio dos Cedros, Nova Trento, Camboriu, Benedito Novo and Pomerode, Agencia Brasil reported. Another seven municipalities have declared states of emergency -- Balneário de Piçarras, Canelinha, Indaial, Penha, Paulo Lopes, Presidente Getúlio and Rancho Queimado, the news agency reported. Eight communities are cut off from the rest of the nation and have no water and electricity, Civil Defense officials said. The flooding has blocked more than 20 roads, and emergency supplies of food, water and coats are being brought in by helicopter. Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao was scheduled to tour the affected areas Wednesday to meet with Santa Catarina Gov. Luiz Henrique da Silveira and announce emergency measures. The governor has called the situation the worst catastrophe in the state's history. Complicating matters, the flooding also ruptured a pipeline carrying gas between Brazil and Bolivia on Sunday night, interrupting the flow of gas in part of the country's southern region, Agencia Brasil said. Heavy rains have brought flooding to many parts of Central and South America. In Colombia, at least 34 people have died, and another eight are missing, officials said. About 50,000 people suffered damage to their property in northwestern Colombia after the Cauca River overflowed following heavy rains. The Cauca -- a tributary of the Magdalena River, the largest in Colombia -- broke through its levees Tuesday and flooded the town of Nechi, in the province of Antioquia, about 248 miles (400 kilometers) north of Bogota. In Panama, rains have caused damage in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui and Colon. The Panamanian Red Cross said in a release Tuesday it is offering aid to about 5,000 people. Journalist Fabiana Frayssinet in Brazil and Fernando Ramos in Colombia contributed to this report. | More than 54,000 have been left homeless, state news agency says .
At least 86 dead, 30 missing in southern Brazil, reports say .
Most of deaths and damage have been in Santa Catarina state .
Flooding also has caused damage in Colombia, Panama . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "b460a398ab996780e2f29a84dd32f3ca2bc5fed9"} | 707 | 60 | 0.586846 | 1.333398 | 0.819209 | 2.596154 | 10.288462 | 0.903846 |
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Ann Nixon Cooper sits back in her dining room chair, her eyes closed tight and her lips clenched, when asked if she will attend Barack Obama's inauguration in January. Ann Nixon Cooper was born in 1902, a time when women and black people were denied the right to vote. "I could go and maybe would go, but I'm not looking forward to it," says the 106-year-old former socialite. What if Obama came to her house and asked her in person to attend? Cooper perks up and a big smile spreads across her face. "Oh, yes, of course I'm ready to go!" It's been a whirlwind ever since Obama mentioned the African-American centenarian in his victory speech Tuesday night. Throngs of media -- from the BBC to a Japanese station to national news outlets -- have descended on her Atlanta house. Strangers have stopped by too. She's taking it all in stride. She stayed up later than usual, until about 3 a.m., after Obama's speech and the phone began ringing off the hook. She had been tipped off by the Obama campaign that he'd say something. "Somebody told him what to say and what to do and he followed through," she says. Watch "I'd be proud to meet him as anybody else" » . Cooper -- who was born during a time when women and black people couldn't vote -- fully understands the significance of Obama's victory. "Things are changing, changing, changing, and I look for more change now that it's the first black president in victory of faith over fear," she says. "Don't you know, that's quite something to be proud of." What would she tell Obama if she ever meets him? "I wouldn't have anything special to say about Obama. I enjoyed listening to him, but that's all," she says. "I would be proud to meet him as anyone else." She and her late husband, prominent dentist Dr. Albert Cooper, raised four children in her house. The home was a center of Atlanta's black society and the scene of many parties. She knew Martin Luther King Jr. when he was just a boy and was close with his mother. She sometimes refers to Obama as "that young man." In his victory speech, Obama praised Cooper's fight. The president-elect had learned of her story two weeks earlier after CNN profiled her when she went to the polls to vote early. Obama called her soon afterward. Watch Obama talk about Cooper in his victory speech » . "This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations," Obama told the tens of thousands of supporters who had gathered in Chicago on Tuesday night. "But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing -- Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. "She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. "And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can." Cooper watched Obama's speech from her home. "Yeah, I knew he was talking about me -- I had been told that he would be saying these things." See images of Cooper's early voting extravaganza » . She added that her late husband "would be elated" a black man will be president. "Yeah, he'd be so tickled to death," she said. "We looked forward to changes. Everybody looked forward to a better life." One of her grandsons, Albert B. Cooper, said the family has been overwhelmed with pride since Tuesday. "It was a bigger honor than you could ever imagine to be mentioned in Obama's speech. For her to be used as an example of the strength -- and all the changes that have gone on within the black community -- is stunning. We were touched and proud and I can't come up with the words," he says. "It's an amazing thing." Ann Cooper has called Atlanta home since the 1920s. She co-founded a Girls Club for African-American youth and taught community residents to read in a tutoring program at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached. Celebrities, including the late singer Nat King Cole, often dropped in to visit. One time many years ago, a young student from Morehouse College stopped to visit. He spoke of dreams to become a filmmaker. That man, it turns out, was Spike Lee. "It's been a house with a heap of living going on in it," Cooper said. Born in 1902 in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Cooper danced the electric slide up until the age of 103. She has recently slowed down after suffering several heart attacks and a fractured hip. On a typical day, Cooper spends hours watching television in her wood-paneled sitting room. Her favorite shows are "The Price is Right," "Oprah" and "Dancing with the Stars." Three of Cooper's four children have died; her surviving daughter is 83. She has 14 grandchildren living and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. When CNN first interviewed her in October, she said she only had one thing left to see in this world. "I ain't got time to die 'cause I've got to see a black president," she said, giggling with excitement. "I've got to see that." Now, she says, "I would be very proud if I could just meet and shake his hand." | At 106, Ann Nixon Cooper has witnessed pivotal moments unfold in U.S. history .
Atlanta, Georgia, resident sees "more change now that it's the first black president"
What would she say to Obama? She'd just like to shake his hand .
She co-founded a Girls Club for black youths, taught community residents to read . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2bbfdbd8ceadbc0eff00d188e2b6295d45632853"} | 1,355 | 80 | 0.549765 | 1.759186 | 0.397595 | 3.695652 | 17.347826 | 0.826087 |
(CNN) -- Newspaper front pages around the world were unanimous Wednesday in celebrating the momentousness of Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. President. Readers browse newspapers Wednesday in the Philippines. "Let's rebuild America," said the front page of France's Le Figaro, over a photograph of a smiling Obama swearing the oath of office. "The Promise," said Liberation, hailing the "United States of Obama." "Remaking America," said the Daily Telegraph in the UK -- a theme carried by many other newspapers worldwide -- while the Daily Mirror preferred: "Reborn in the USA." The Sun showed a picture of Obama's seven-year-old daughter Sasha giving her father the thumbs-up with the headline: "You're the Daddy." "At last it was the day, the hour, even the second that millions of Americans, "and not just Americans, have waited for impatiently ever since November, and in many cases for much longer than that. The crowds in Washington were extraordinary evidence of the momentous public potency of the moment," the Guardian gushed in its editorial. Many international newspapers focused on the powerful symbolism and unifying power of the arrival of an African-American U.S. president on the world stage. "We're a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and non-believers," said the headline on the front of the Times of India, taking a line from Obama's inaugural address. Japan's Asahi Shimbun said: "He is expected to play the leading role in changing the world in which racial and religious confrontations continue to rage in defiance of the ideal expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." "He is as much symbol as substance, an icon for the youth and a sign of deliverance for an older generation that never believed a man with his skin color would ascend those steps," said the International Herald Tribune. But many papers urged Obama to get to work immediately to address the urgent problems already piled up up in his intray. "This wasn't the occasion for his most soaring of speeches. It was instead an oration rooted in the immediate challenges. It was directed at two audiences: a hopeful but anxious one at home, and an uncertain but hopeful one overseas, the UK's Times said. Speaking of the economic problems on a scale not seen since the Great Depression, China's Xinhua said: "Like Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, Obama, the new president, will get a rare opportunity to leave a sweeping and long-lasting imprint on the U.S. economy." The Times of India called on Obama to continue the so-called "war on terror" by pursuing Pakistani-based militant groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba which New Delhi blames for last year's terror attacks in Mumbai. "For the sake of the world's security, Obama must press Islamabad to clamp down on these groups and close down their bases, something that the Bush administration failed to do for most of its run." Meanwhile, Germany's Der Spiegel sounded a note of caution about the weight of expectation now resting on Obama's shoulders: "The catchword of the election campaign was 'change.'The new message to his followers is: 'Be patient.'" And there was little lament for the passing of the presidency of Obama's controversial predecessor, President George W. Bush. "He entered the White House promising to heal division by being a 'uniter, not a divider.' He leaves it today as one of the most divisive and least popular presidents in US history," the South China Morning Post said. For Obama, according to the UK's Independent, the challenge in office will be to strike a balance between the "poetry" of his campaign for election and the tough "prose" of government. "Beautiful rhetoric alone cannot change the world. So perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the address was the new President's willingness to spell out the scale of the problems facing America and the "hard choices" that lie ahead for him and the country," the paper said. "An old American aphorism has it that politicians campaign in poetry, but govern in prose. We can be sure that the poetry will continue to flow from an orator as gifted as President Obama. But now begins the difficult task of getting the prose right too." | Newspapers around world celebrate U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration .
Many focus on symbolism of arrival on world stage of African-American president .
Papers urge Obama to get to work to tackle mounting problems in intray .
Obama "must change poetry of campaigning into prose of government" | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "3d44a33804a7c3afea8e317ee1dd6496932389f2"} | 984 | 69 | 0.442971 | 1.301968 | 0.875168 | 1.690909 | 15.472727 | 0.818182 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- He's the man who has just rejected offers of up to $700,000 a week in wages -- but who really is Kaka? And what has he done to deserve so much money? Wanted man: Kaka overcame a spine fracture before getting to the top of world football. Born in Brazil in 1982, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, or "Kaka" as he is more commonly known, is a footballer with Italian club AC Milan. His name, Kaka, is believed to come from a brother, who began calling him that due to his inability to say his proper name -- Ricardo. Said to be an amazing talent from a very young age, the attacking midfielder began his career with Sao Paulo at the tender age of eight, and had signed his first contract before his 16th birthday. Do you think Kaka should have stayed at AC Milan or taken the money at Manchester City? Tell us in the Sound Off box below. However, when all seemed set for a perfect career, Kaka suffered a serious, potentially paralyzing injury from a swimming pool accident in 2000. The then 18-year-old fractured a vertebra in his spine -- an injury that many thought could have ended his career and even prevented him from walking again. Kaka did recover though, and it's something that the deeply religious Brazilian has put down to the help of God, and ever since has given some of his income to his Church. Once recovered, he didn't waste time in getting his career restarted. By January 2001 he had made his debut in the Sao Paulo senior team and led the team to its first Torneio Rio-Sao Paulo championship. The following year he was a part of the Brazil team which won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and in 2003 his talents had attracted the interest of European clubs and he signed to AC Milan for euro 9 million ($12 million) per season, and remains under contract with them through 2013. Since then he's won the Serie A, UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup with AC Milan, while on a personal level he won the 2007 Ballon d'Or Award for the best player in Europe and the FIFA World Player of the Year 2007 -- among many other awards. His international performances have continued to be strong -- and he has now scored 23 goals for Brazil. Such is his influence inside and outside of football, that Kaka was named in the Time 100 most influential people in 2008. Outside of the game Kaka has continued to be a devout Christian. He married his long-time partner Caroline Celico in 2005, and they had their first child in June 2008. Oddly, the current season (in which he finds himself being offered the biggest football salary ever) hasn't been as profitable for Kaka. The 26-year-old has struggled with a groin injury and has not managed to combine as smoothly within the AC Milan team compared to previous seasons. Still, that did not seem to worry Manchester City -- or Real Madrid, and for now at least, the $150 million transfer effort remains the biggest in football's history. | Kaka is a Brazilian attacking midfielder who plays at AC Milan in Italy .
At the age of 18 Kaka broke a vertebra in a swimming pool accident .
He was named FIFA World Player of the Year for 2007 . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "45256ff2b93cf1e595bea999c3ee61088a86e585"} | 705 | 53 | 0.479734 | 1.273937 | 0.197733 | 2.372093 | 14.116279 | 0.883721 |
Editor's note: The n-word appears in this piece because CNN feels the context in which it is used is pertinent to the story of James "Little Man" Presley. James "Little Man" Presley has worked in the cotton fields of Sledge, Mississippi, since he was just 6 years old. SLEDGE, Mississippi (CNN) -- James Presley stands amid chopped cotton, the thick Mississippi mud caked on his well-worn boots. A smile spreads across his face when he talks about voting for Barack Obama and what that might mean for generations to come. His voice picks up a notch. He holds his head up a bit higher. "There's a heap of pride in voting for a black man," he says. At 78, Presley is a legend of the past living in the present and now hopeful for the future. A grandson of slaves, he's one of the few men left in America so closely tied to his slave past, still farming cotton on the same land as his ancestors. He's picked cotton since he was just 6 years old. He and his wife of 57 years, Eva May, raised 13 children and six grandchildren in a cypress-sided house in the middle of cotton fields in northwestern Mississippi. He was a sharecropper most his life, but rarely qualified for food stamps. Watch "Obama, he come up like" » . His father died in 1935 when he was 5, and he had to step up and be the "Little Man" of the house, a nickname that has stuck seven decades later. He's lived a raw-knuckled life where hope moved at a molasses-slow pace. The last time he had hope for a better future was four decades ago -- first with President John F. Kennedy and then with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Obama has changed everything to the poor in these parts. iReport.com: What does Obama's presidency mean to you? "I'm a church man," he says. "And I kind of figured this here is about like it was with Moses with the children of Israel. On that day, when he gets to be president, we're all going to be rejoicing." Does he have plans to celebrate on Inauguration Day? "Oh man, it's gonna be nice. I believe we're gonna have a good time," he says. "I never thought one would get there." See photos of the weather-beaten home where Little Man raised so many children » . As the nation prepares for Obama's inauguration on January 20, CNN.com traveled to Sledge, Mississippi, a forgotten town of about 500 people in the heart of the Mississippi Delta that some consider to be the birthplace of blues in America. Nearly 20 percent of residents over the age of 60 live below the poverty line, according to the 2000 census. That number nearly doubles, to 37.5 percent, for residents under the age of 19. About three-quarters of the population are black. Two-thirds of the people here make less than $35,000 a year. Presley says the fact the nation will have a black president will have a ripple effect in poor communities like his. For the first time ever, he says, black parents and grandparents can tell youngsters in rural America that through education, anything is possible -- that the White House isn't just for white folks. Three of his children graduated from college. Two have died -- one as a youth, one as an adult. It never gets easier, he says, no matter what age they die. Obama has already brought inspiration to future generations of his own family. "I might be dead and gone, but it's going to be a good thing to me, because I know that they ain't gotta go through what I went through. They'll have a better time, a more joyous time, than what I had when I come along. It is gonna be grand to them and to me, too." "He knows what it is to come up without a father and what it is to come up for what you work for," Presley says. "Me and the poor man coming up, we had to work for what bread I got." Presley shifts back and forth on his feet as he speaks. His flannel shirt and oil-stained jeans seem befitting of his life on the farm. He peers out from a camouflage hat, the fuzzy ear flaps pulled up over his head. He speaks in an accent as thick as the mud on his boots. His hands speak to decades of hard labor. His fingers appear swollen with overworked muscles. The skin seems about a quarter-inch thick. If his hands could speak, he says, "They'd be crying, instead of talking, for what they've been through." "You see how rusty and rough they are. They've been through something, ain't they?" At 6-foot, 2-inches and 214 pounds, Presley has what seems an odd nickname. "They call me Little Man," he says. He wears the nickname with pride. The youngest of three sisters and four brothers, he says that after his father died in 1935, he became the "Little Man" of the house. "I was tall, but I was small. So they called me Little Man," he says. He doesn't remember much about his father. He can't recall the day he died or the sound of his voice. He was too young. He never met his slave grandparents either. They died long before he was born. But the fact they were slaves still stings. "That doesn't make you feel too good, you know, to be sold like a cow. But back then, they couldn't help it. So I reckon I'm just glad that things come out better like it is now." A thick fog hangs over the fields on this day. Presley pauses. He scans the fields and says, "I think about the good times and the hard times." "When I started farming, we planted with hands ... and hauled it to the gin by wagon, a mule and a wagon. One bale at a time," he says. He worked the fields when he was 6, the age of a typical kindergartner these days. "I was making 50 cents a day, from sunup to sundown." "Back then, you know, I didn't get no schooling. I had to get out, come home and break the land, cut the stalks, plow the land and get it ready for the crop." Presley has a total of four years of education, classes that he took in between growing seasons. His mother taught him to read and write, but he admits even to this day he struggles with both. When it comes to life as a black man -- a sharecropper -- in Mississippi, he says it's tough to explain how difficult it was. He points to a nearby bluff and says that when he was just a boy, a black man was lynched from a tree. "I never saw him hanging up there," he says. "All I seen was the tree." Blacks were segregated from whites. They couldn't go to the same schools. They had separate water fountains. Blacks couldn't go in the front doors of businesses. And just about everywhere you went, he says, racism was rampant. "You go into a place, and they say, 'Nigger, get outta here.' You don't want nobody telling you that. You're a citizen around town. If you're a citizen, I'm a citizen like you," he says. "It makes you feel mighty bad." "When I was a young boy, they was bad about that, calling you that." He registered to vote for the first time in 1959 and cast his first presidential ballot for Kennedy. He says he's voted in every presidential election ever since. "We felt like we were moving on up when we voted for him," he says. When Kennedy was assassinated, "everybody was kind of sad on that day, because he looked like the first president that had come in and was trying to help the poor folks." King brought hope, too. "He was the only hope that we were looking for -- to bring us out," Presley says. But when King was killed on April 4, 1968, he says, it "put us right back where we was." "It was pitiful that day," he says. "Everybody around here was in mourning." He says Obama has brought inspiration to blacks in these parts, the likes of which hasn't been seen since 1968. "With Obama coming in, it's gonna be another Martin Luther King helping us," he says. "Maybe in the next 40 years, we'll be better off." He says Americans should never take their voting rights for granted. He was 30 years old before he first voted. "It means a lot to me, because I can put in for who I want to be president and who not to be president," he says. "So I just feel proud that I can vote." Before parting on this day, Presley gives a tour of the weather-beaten, four-bedroom house where he raised his 13 children and six grandkids. The wood-framed house was the first home he ever lived in with running water, a bathroom and electric stove. The now-abandoned house is dilapidated, many of its windows broken, its doors barely hanging on hinges. "I've had a good life, despite the hard times. I sure did," says Presley, who is retiring after 72 years of working the fields. What's his message to the world? "The important thing in life is to try to live and do the best you can," he says. "We done had it bad. Let us help give our children a better life, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren. Let's try to give them a better life than we had. But anyway, just keep the good work going, is all I say." | James "Little Man" Presley, 78, has worked cotton fields since he was 6 years old .
"There's a heap of pride in voting for a black man," says the grandson of slaves .
His dad died when he was 5; Obama "knows what it is to come up without a father"
His message: "The important thing in life is to try to live and do the best you can" | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "a8f6508736c136a450a79a10b42545e177a58c28"} | 2,307 | 98 | 0.521366 | 1.609458 | 0.694137 | 8.476744 | 23.488372 | 0.94186 |
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A child cries from hunger, but no tears come from her swollen eyes. A Zimbabwean family bury their relative, who died of cholera, 25km from Harare, Zimbabwe. Malnutrition has left this baby born in Zimbabwe fighting for her life. She is the face of an unfolding crisis in a country once known as Africa's bread basket. Today a loaf of bread costs $35 million worthless Zimbabwean dollars, and people are forced to sift through garbage piles for any morsel of food. Others huddle for warmth around a fire burning inside the shell of a broken-down van. All of these images were captured on video recently smuggled out of Zimbabwe by Solidarity Peace Trust, a South African human rights group. Watch the disturbing images » . Zimbabwe's government maintains that the situation is being exaggerated by the West in an effort to exert pressure on President Robert Mugabe to leave office. But the World Health Organization (WHO) says the desperate situation has triggered a widening cholera outbreak that has killed 775 people and infected more than 15,000. "You have to eat in the same place you sleep right next to the buckets, the same buckets that we used as toilets," one cholera patient says on the video. "There is no water to bathe." And little to eat. Women foraging for food in the bush find dry branches with only a few berries. "This packet of juice will be my supper tonight," one woman says. Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai -- who is still trying to form a unity government with Mugabe under a recent power-sharing deal -- said the situation can only be addressed once a "legitimate government" is in place. "Once there is a legitimate government, it is up to that government to deal with the problems the country is facing, which are quite wide-ranging," Tsvangirai told CNN on Wednesday. "But the immediate intervention of the health crisis has exacerbated the situation to the extent that it has now become an international crisis." The WHO says the current cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe has a high fatality rate because sufferers are either not able to reach health centers in time or that the health centers lack the capacity to treat the cases. "The epidemic is clearly on the increase," Dr. Eric Laroche, a WHO official in Harare, told CNN on Wednesday. "I think it's going to last for several months." In addition to the WHO, the Red Cross has responded to the outbreak and is sending staff and medical supplies into Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's main hospitals have all but shut down and the small clinics equipped by international aid organizations are overcrowded and unable to cope with the thousands of cholera patients. Health workers inside Zimbabwe believe scores are dying at home. Laroche said the WHO is receiving cooperation from the government, but the health care system is abysmal. "The quality of the care, the supplies that come inside Zimbabwe, also need to be restored," Laroche said. "So there's a lot of work to do, because the health system is collapsing for the time being." One Zimbabwean health care worker, who would not show his face on the video, said he fears the death toll will skyrocket. "People are dying even at the health institution," he said. "It's beyond control. We are going to witness so many deaths in the coming weeks." He expressed frustration that so many people are dying from cholera, a disease that "is both preventable and curable." "Nobody should die from cholera," he said. "We are quite unfortunate." Zimbabwe, already experiencing an economic crisis, was struck with the raging water-borne cholera in August. Health experts say the battle against the disease can only be won if Harare has adequate water-treating chemicals and disposes of refuse properly. Zimbabwe's information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said Tuesday that the country has enough chemicals to purify water and enough money to buy pipes to mend sanitation lines. He maintained that the outbreak is under control, blaming the West for causing the crisis as an excuse for military intervention. International leaders -- including U.S. President George W. Bush, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Kenyan premier Raila Odinga -- have recently called for Mugabe to step down for failing to contain the cholera outbreak. Frustration inside Zimbabwe is building. Last week, doctors and nurses protested over the lack of medical supplies and other resources at the country's hospitals. Labor unions have protested over the deteriorating economy. Even soldiers once shielded from economic hardships by the Mugabe regime went on a rampage last week when they were unable to access wages from the country's banks. Human rights activist Elinor Sisulu, who has lived and worked in Zimbabwe and now coordinates civil action outside the country, called on African leaders to demand Mugabe step down before Zimbabwe explodes. "In any population where you have high levels of desperation, anger and ... people arrive at the conclusion that we've tried a peaceful political process and this is not working, then anything can happen," she said. -- CNN's Nkepile Mabuse in Johannesburg, South Africa contributed to this report. | WHO: Nearly 775 people have died in Zimbabwe from cholera outbreak .
Zimbabwe maintains that the situation is being exaggerated by the West .
The number of overall cholera cases is also on the rise, hitting 15,141 .
Cholera outbreak is part of a larger humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "33fe4319881cf2ebc225ad0e0914429a6fdf3175"} | 1,196 | 71 | 0.459397 | 1.199314 | 0.940637 | 2.727273 | 18.163636 | 0.763636 |
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Troubled pop star Amy Winehouse spent the night in a London hospital after suffering a reaction to a medication she was taking at home Monday night, according to her spokeswoman. Amy Winehouse's husband was recently jailed for 27 months. Tracey Miller said she could not say what medication was involved. A statement from University College Hospital said Winehouse had been kept in overnight for observation. She had a comfortable night and was released Tuesday morning, the statement said. London Ambulance Service said it transported the singer after being notified of "an adult female taken unwell." Winehouse's spokesman in London, Chris Goodman, told the British Press Association that he had not been told what was wrong with the 24-year-old singer, who is well known for her song "Rehab," describing the singer's reluctance to enter a clinic. The pop singer was investigated this year after a London tabloid made public a leaked home video that showed her smoking something in a glass pipe minutes after she was heard saying she had just taken six tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Valium. Police declined to file charges. The singer has battled drug addiction and spent about two weeks in a rehabilitation clinic in January. Winehouse won five Grammy awards this year -- three for "Rehab" as well as Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Winehouse's Grammy winning album, "Back to Black," is still a big seller, recently charting at No. 12 in the UK more than 19 months after its release. Madame Toussaud's London wax museum recently unveiled a wax statue of Winehouse alongside Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and other musicians in the museum's "Music Zone" exhibit. On July 21, Winehouse's husband was jailed for 27 months. He admitted to brawling with a pub manager and then offering him $400,000 to not talk about the incident. | Amy Winehouse leaves hospital after spending the night under observation .
Spokesperson says singer had reaction to medication she was taking at home .
Ambulance took 24-year-old Winehouse from London home to emergency room .
Singer has struggled with drugs and alcohol . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "b4a18030df64c45d6cc6ee2eea097e2acb962755"} | 439 | 58 | 0.573435 | 1.32857 | 0.530765 | 1.96 | 7.38 | 0.72 |
(CNN) -- A bird struck an Arkansas hospital's helicopter Saturday, tearing a hole into the aircraft's nose and prompting the pilot to land early, according to officials and pictures taken after the landing. A medical helicopter landed near Forrest City, Arkansas, on Saturday after striking a bird. The chopper's pilot made a "safe landing" in that state after hitting a bird while returning to Baptist Health Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital spokesman Mark Lowman said. "I think the pilot just made a judgment call to set it down," Lowman said of the landing, which happened at 6:15 p.m. Saturday near Forrest City, Arkansas. Video footage taken by CNN affiliate WREG showed a bird hanging out of a hole torn into the paneling on the chopper's nose. Part of the helicopter's windshield also was broken. The pilot was slightly injured during the landing, and the other two crew members on board were uninjured, Lowman said. Federal aviation officials are investigating, and the helicopter is not expected to be grounded for long, he said. The helicopter was returning from a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where the crew had taken a patient. The incident came two days after a US Airways jetliner was forced to land in New York's Hudson River, apparently after striking a flock of birds. Shortly after the jet took off from New York's LaGuardia airport on Thursday, the crew reported seeing a flock of birds. Seconds later, the cockpit voice recorder captured the sounds of loud "thumps" and both of the plane's engines failed. The pilot, C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, landed the Airbus A320 in the Hudson, where all 155 people aboard were rescued. | Bird hits Arkansas hospital's helicopter, forcing pilot to land early .
Copter's pilot suffers minor injuries during landing .
Incident comes days after birds apparently forced jet to land in Hudson River . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "cd8bf79db505d36a6ba59eb37a075e14661c09a8"} | 400 | 45 | 0.560472 | 1.598864 | 0.985224 | 1.763158 | 8.605263 | 0.763158 |
(CNN) -- Phil Donahue has rarely shied away from controversy. On his long-running syndicated talk show, he debated issues including abortion and the death penalty, and his MSNBC show was canceled in 2003, he maintained, because of his antiwar stand. Phil Donahue, right, made "Body of War" about disabled veteran Tomas Young, seated. Now the former talk show host has co-directed and co-produced an independent film, "Body of War," about a disabled Iraq war veteran, Tomas Young, who questions the conflict's rationale. Young joined the military after the September 11 attacks and was sent to Iraq. After less than a week there, he was shot in the spine, paralyzing him from the waist down. "Body of War" is the story of his coming home and adjusting to his new reality. The film has earned excellent reviews and was named best documentary of 2007 by the National Board of Review. It airs on The Sundance Channel on Tuesday night. Watch Donahue talk about politics and war » . Donahue talked about "Body of War" and the recent presidential election on "American Morning" with CNN's Carol Costello. CNN: What did you hope to prove by [making "Body of War"]? Phil Donahue: Well, this work by ... Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue is our attempt to show the harm in harm's way. In the middle of the most sanitized war of my lifetime, nobody sees this pain. These people are all below the radar. What you see in our film is a drama taking place behind the closed doors of thousands of homes in this country. I'm telling you, less than 5 percent of us have sacrificed, and the American people are not seeing this. I think this is a shame. CNN: Well, let's see some of that. We're going to show a clip right now. (Begin video clip) Tomas Young: When I made the phone call on September 13, it was because I saw the pictures of [President Bush] standing on top of the pile, saying that we were going to smoke the evildoers out that did this to us. All that had to happen so I could fly 10,000 miles away to not shoot around, because all I saw were women and children running away from gunfire, before I took a bullet myself. (End video clip) CNN: Got a lot of wonderful reviews already. I just want to ask you what your hope is for when Barack Obama takes office for veterans of the Iraq war. Donahue: Well, he will stop the pretense. He will stop it immediately. Oh, the troops, the troops, we love the troops ... [but] the troops come home and the V[eterans] A[dministration] doesn't call them back. We have to stop all this. We think if we say it, it's true. So, I see Barack Obama as -- first of all, the smile alone is going to restore this nation to the world's family of nations. ... They're going to be fascinated with the guy, and he is going to exploit this special attention to the benefit of this nation. I am pumped. CNN: The bar is high for him. Donahue: Yes. CNN: He's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Phil Donahue, thank you for joining us. Donahue: Thank you, Carol. | Phil Donahue co-directed, co-produced "Body of War"
Film concerns Tomas Young, Iraq war veteran paralyzed by bullet to spine .
Donahue: "Nobody sees this pain. These people are all below the radar" | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "2b25dd4b1c826fb46b9c89c6921029cff4c1963d"} | 780 | 60 | 0.488376 | 1.560845 | 1.29194 | 4.826087 | 14.543478 | 0.913043 |
Editor's Note: Donna Brazile, a Democratic strategist, is chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute and founder of Brazile & Associates, a political consulting firm. She was the campaign manager for the Al Gore-Joe Lieberman ticket in 2000 and wrote "Cooking with Grease." Donna Brazile says Barack Obama's inauguration is a huge milestone in the fight for equal rights . WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Today Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. This is the day for which so many prayed, so many marched and so many more sacrificed. This is a day of jubilation and celebration. This is the day to rejoice and recommit ourselves to restoring the American dream for us all. Barack Obama's election offers our country the opportunity to open a new chapter that will allow us to turn the corner on past prejudices and racial politics. When Sen. Obama announced his candidacy for president in 2007, most people, black and white, thought it would be, at best, an interesting sideshow. After Obama's victories in the early primaries, there came the controversial videos of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, broadcasting a racial divisiveness that cast even greater doubt on an Obama candidacy. But the senator moved quickly to reassure people that Wright's jaundiced view of America did not reflect his own. Americans wanted to move beyond racial categorization and the politics of division. Obama understood that. And so did the voters. But African-Americans didn't believe it. Seventy-one percent of black voters had never thought a black candidate for president would get elected in their lifetime, according to a national poll released in November by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Yet 59 percent of white respondents said they had thought it was possible. Obama did not just win the caucuses in Iowa -- a state with a white population of more than 94 percent -- he resoundingly captured it. Other primary victories, once thought improbable, soon followed. These included Georgia, and Virginia, the former seat of the Confederacy. On Election Day, Obama won a higher percentage of the white vote than John Kerry did in 2004, though he did not get a majority of whites. Unlike other black presidential candidates before him, Obama did not run as "the black candidate." He ran as a Democratic candidate, a U.S. senator from Illinois, and a progressive. And America, by larger margins than in previous recent elections, voted for the progressive Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois who happened to be biracial. For too long, race has been the stain on the American fabric. As Secretary Condoleezza Rice reminded us, race has been our "nation's birth defect." At times during the long primary and general election, race became a subtle distraction -- but the American people rejected it and it was never the primary issue. Nor was it the primary issue for Americans who voted for Barack Obama. The vast majority of those who voted for and against Obama did so based on the content of his political prescriptions and platform -- not the color of his skin. A lot of lessons were taught November 4. Obama's election revealed the possibility of three new truths for African-Americans: White America may not be as racist as African-Americans thought they were; a solution to our country's lingering racial problem may eventually be found; and the Rev. Martin Luther King's dream that one day all people will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin is alive and within reach. Obama's election has inspired 6 in 10 blacks to forecast better race relations in the United States. "A majority of blacks now believe that a solution to the country's racial problems will eventually be found," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "In every previous poll on this topic dating back to 1993, black respondents had always said that racial problems were a permanent part of the American landscape. Even in the most recent polls taken last week, a majority of African-Americans said that a solution to the country's racial problems could be within reach; now blacks and whites agree that racial tensions may end." Yes, of course, racism still exists in America. But if a black man can become president of the United States of America, then aren't all Americans now free to believe they can achieve any goal they set for themselves? So on this day, let us all rejoice and be glad. Let us celebrate this moment in American history and let us resolve to find common ground. Let us resolve to join together as a nation to ensure that racial prejudice in America, as well as an ethic of non-achievement based on excuses and low expectations, dies the same death it did in the November ballot box. What our founders envisioned -- what President Lincoln and the Rev. King fought and died for, we are perhaps finally ready to achieve. This is a remarkable moment. Though not the apex we need to reach, it is still a mountaintop, alive with possibilities, a dream no longer deferred. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Donna Brazile. | Donna Brazile: Obama's inauguration is a time for rejoicing and rededication .
Brazile: Hardly anyone took Obama seriously as a candidate two years ago .
Brazile: He didn't run as an African-American candidate but as a Democrat .
Brazile: We are perhaps ready to achieve what Lincoln and the Rev. King fought for . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "8a19d95198207046dca6f93bb56932891f96096f"} | 1,187 | 87 | 0.477638 | 1.432339 | 0.2988 | 1.923077 | 15.246154 | 0.784615 |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While nearly all maritime activity on the Potomac River will be halted on Inauguration Day, a handful of Mall-goers will sail from Virginia to Washington on water taxis. Some people will cross the Potomac River via water taxi on Inauguration Day. Working closely with the United States Coast Guard, the Potomac Riverboat Company, based in Alexandria, Virginia, plans to ferry up to 3,200 passengers from across the frigid Potomac on seven climate-controlled boats. The service is partially a response to the closure of all bridges from Virginia to D.C. on Inauguration Day, a measure that prompted an uproar among Virginia residents. According to maritime authorities in charge of the region, PRC is the only company being allowed to taxi across the river on the 20th. "Because the taxi service provided us with a security plan that we examined and deemed adequate to provide good security, I granted them a waiver to operate at an increased security level," National Capitol Region Port Captain Brian Kelley says. "The taxis are going to operate on a strict schedule and a strict route." The Coast Guard established a temporary security zone on waterways in the National Capitol Region, stepping up restrictions day-by-day leading up to 11 p.m. on January 19. At that point, all vessels must be docked and only boats with an approved sail plan will be allowed to operate. John Lake, a ship captain and the general manager of the company, said the sail plan he submitted was approved only a week ago and details nearly every move taxis will make. "All the departures are scheduled times. And those departures are supposed to leave on-time," Lake said. "We have to call in on each departure to the Coast Guard, let them know we're preparing to get under way, and get the permission, basically, to get under way." The boats depart the Alexandria Marina for the 40-minute trip beginning around 6 a.m. and must be docked on the southwest D.C. shore by 10 a.m. From there, it's a cold, mile-long walk to the Mall, so Lake has some advice for passengers. "Show up early to get through the security check and dress warm," he said. "It's going to be nice and toasty on the boat, but not so much outside." Return trips, tentatively scheduled for around 6 p.m., are not allowed to depart D.C. until after the inaugural parade events have concluded and President Obama is secured. In keeping with the Coast Guard's security measures, Lake says all passengers must arrive at least an hour early for a full screening. Passengers that want to stay in D.C. after the early evening departures will have to find other transport back across the Potomac. PRC Vice President Charlotte Hall says tickets went on sale Monday and the initial response from customers has been enthusiastic. | Up to 3,200 passengers to be taken across Potomac on seven boats .
Service is partially a response to the closure of all bridges from Virginia to D.C.
Potomac Riverboat Company clears security to provide service .
All passengers must arrive at least an hour early for a full screening . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "fcf7e2eb076e6d457956ad41b03e81dfb1ac0ee1"} | 650 | 68 | 0.504842 | 1.462983 | 0.89769 | 8.722222 | 10.203704 | 0.907407 |
(CNN) -- Prince Harry paraded alongside his fellow British servicemen in Scotland Wednesday, as he attended a memorial to service members who have died in Afghanistan. Prince Harry takes part in a memorial parade and service for troops killed during his tour of Afghanistan. Harry, 23, serves in the British Army and spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan earlier this year. He was withdrawn unexpectedly in March after news leaked out about his low-key deployment. The prince appeared in uniform alongside around 200 other sailors, soldiers, marines and airmen at the parade, which took place on Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile. They made their way to St. Giles' Cathedral for a private memorial and thanksgiving service for the fallen service members. Also attending the service was British Defense Secretary Des Browne, families of the fallen troops, and recovering wounded military personnel. Harry holds the rank of cornet, equivalent to a second lieutenant. He was deployed to Afghanistan's Helmand province where he served as a forward air controller. His duties included calling in airstrikes and air support when necessary, guaranteeing the accuracy of bombing on the ground and guarding against incidents of friendly fire. The parade and memorial service took place on the same day Britain's Ministry of Defense announced the deaths of four British soldiers in Afghanistan, and two days after Browne announced Britain will increase its presence in Afghanistan from 7,800 troops to 8,030 by next spring. Watch Prince Harry at the memorial » . Prince Harry is the younger son of Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, and the late Princess Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997. Last year, the military ruled he could not be sent to Iraq because publicity about the deployment could put him and his unit at risk. Shortly after the news of the prince's deployment broke, several Islamist Web sites posted messages alerting their "brethren" in Afghanistan to be on the lookout for the royal soldier. Several members of the British royal family saw combat in the past century. Prince Harry's grandfather, Prince Phillip, served aboard warships in World War II; his great-grandfather -- the future King George VI -- took part in the World War I naval battle of Jutland; and Prince Andrew, Prince Harry's uncle, flew Royal Navy helicopters during Britain's 1982 war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands. Prince Harry's brother, Prince William, is also an army officer. But as second in line for the throne, he is specifically barred from combat. | Harry serves in British Army and spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan this year .
Decision was made to pull prince from Afghanistan amid fears for his safety .
Harry marched with 200 sailors, soldiers, marines, airmen at parade in Edinburgh .
Service took place on the same day four UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "747430a224df7b2c40bf373f801c1fb3d9864595"} | 547 | 66 | 0.594929 | 1.598802 | 0.750369 | 3.032787 | 7.819672 | 0.836066 |
H. W. Brands is the author of "TR: The Last Romantic" and the just-released "Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt." He teaches history at the University of Texas at Austin. Historian H.W. Brands says power as well as race was behind controversy over Booker T. Washington. AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- In his concession speech on Tuesday night, John McCain illustrated the historic significance of Barack Obama's election by noting that a little over a century ago the inclusion of another black man, Booker T. Washington, at a White House dinner provoked outrage in large parts of the country. McCain wasn't giving a history lecture, and he quickly moved on, but the tale is worth exploring, as it is both more complex and more instructive than McCain's brief remarks suggested. Washington was the one who initiated the acquaintance that led to his 1901 dinner with Theodore Roosevelt. Washington had built the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama into a political base that made him the most powerful black leader in the country. Invited to address the Cotton States Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1895, Washington offered white America a racial bargain: Blacks would cease agitating for immediate political and civil rights if whites would fund black educational and economic advancement. This "Atlanta Compromise" outraged black intellectuals like W. E. B. Du Bois, but it appealed to white leaders in the South and white philanthropists in the North -- and it marked Washington, the broker of Northern largesse and Southern cooperation, as one of the shrewdest politicians in the South. Washington spotted Roosevelt on the rise, and after Roosevelt became vice president, Washington invited him to Tuskegee, where he knew Roosevelt, the apostle of the strenuous life, would be entranced by the rigorous physical regimen the students pursued. Roosevelt was preparing to visit Tuskegee when the assassination of William McKinley elevated him to the presidency and threw his plans into turmoil. Roosevelt instead invited Washington to call at the White House whenever he was in town. Washington didn't have to be asked twice. Within weeks, he was in the capital and was invited to join the president for dinner on October 16. Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency made him that much more interesting to Washington. Yet no more interesting than Washington was to Roosevelt. The peculiar politics of the Republican Party gave Washington an importance among Republicans that belied the abnegations of the Atlanta Compromise. Discriminatory Jim Crow laws kept most blacks from voting in the South, but they didn't prevent the Southern states from sending delegations to the Republican national conventions every four years. These delegations could tip the balance in a tight contest, and Roosevelt -- who though president was profoundly unpopular among the Republican bosses -- expected the 1904 convention to be a tight contest. Roosevelt's invitation to Washington to dine at the White House had little to do with Washington's race per se, but everything to do with Washington's role as a political boss of Southern Republicans who happened to be black. Likewise, the outrage expressed by Southern editors and spokesmen over Roosevelt's alleged affront to the South, while couched in the language of race, was really about political power. "White men of the South, how do you like it?" fulminated the New Orleans Times-Democrat. "White women of the South, how do you like it?" The Richmond Times frothed over the implications of the honor Roosevelt had bestowed on Washington: "It means that the president is willing that Negroes shall mingle freely with whites in the social circle -- that white women may receive attentions from negro men; it means that there is no racial reason in his opinion why whites and blacks may not marry and intermarry, why the Anglo-Saxon may not mix negro blood with his blood." The vehemence of the Southern response gave the game away. Booker Washington had explicitly forsworn any claim to social equality, let alone the right for blacks to marry whites. What the Southern foamers, political conservatives to a man, feared was that Washington might help the dangerously progressive Roosevelt get elected in his own right. When he did precisely that -- Roosevelt fended off the conservatives at the 1904 convention and was returned to office overwhelmingly -- they foamed the more. The race question in America has often been about race, but it has equally often been about power. Not for 40 years, since the dismantling of the Jim Crow system, has the race of guests at the White House prompted anything other than idle curiosity. But until last Tuesday those African-Americans among the guests were precisely that: guests -- visitors who lacked the power that occupancy of the White House entails. Symbolism isn't unimportant, and the symbolism of a black man taking the oath of the president's office in January will certainly bring an outpouring of sentiment like that which greeted Obama's election. But behind the symbolism of race is the reality of power. Obama will wield power of an order Booker Washington appreciated in Roosevelt but never possessed for himself. A week or a month after the symbolism fades, the reality will remain. At that point, Obama's race won't matter nearly as much as his facility with power. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of H.W. Brands. | H.W. Brands: Roosevelt-Washington White House dinner was controversial .
He says the the opposition was about power as well as about race .
African-Americans have often been guests at the White House .
Brands: When Obama moves in, it will represent a leap in terms of power . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "51d4c63b315b80cf1601ca6c50be4eb14e3ff0f6"} | 1,247 | 69 | 0.44156 | 1.440835 | 0.58168 | 1.741379 | 17.344828 | 0.844828 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Presidency Council approved a resolution Sunday that will allow non-U.S. foreign troops to remain in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at year's end. British troops talk in Basra last week. Iraq on Sunday OK'd foreign troops to remain in the country after the new year. It was the last step for final adoption of the resolution, which won parliamentary approval Tuesday. Iraq's main political parties hammered out the resolution a week ago, after an impasse among parliamentary factions threatened to continue beyond the December 31 deadline. A separate, previously approved agreement authorizes U.S. troops to remain. Britain has about 4,100 troops in Iraq, the second-largest contingent after the United States, which has about 142,500. Other countries covered under the resolution -- El Salvador, Australia, Romania and Estonia -- have a total of several hundred troops in the country. The resolution authorizes Iraq to negotiate bilateral agreements with the countries, Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said. If it had not been approved by year's end, their troops would have been in Iraq illegally. In November, the United States concluded a separate agreement with the Iraqi government authorizing the continued presence of its troops. U.S. combat forces plan to pull back from population centers in Iraq by July and to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011. The British government says its forces will complete their mission of training Iraqi troops by May 31 and withdraw from the country by July 31. In other developments: . • Four people were killed and 20 wounded Sunday when a suicide bomber targeted a demonstration in Mosul against Israeli military operations in Gaza, a Mosul police official said. About 30 minutes into the rally, a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest detonated after riding his bicycle into a crowd of protesters, police said. • One of three al Qaeda in Iraq prisoners at large after a Friday jail break in Ramadi was killed in a gun battle with police Saturday, and the remaining two were arrested early Sunday, according to Ramadi police and an Iraqi Interior Ministry official. Amad Ahmed Farhan was among 40 al Qaeda in Iraq prisoners who escaped from jail at al-Fursan police station. An Iraqi police patrol drove by Farhan's sister's home and Farhan began shooting at officers, a police official said. He then fled, jumping from the roof of one house to another before a police sniper gunned him down. The remaining two prisoners, Abdul Aleem Abdulwahab and Lazem Mohammed Ali, were found hiding in water tanks Sunday at a home where they had threatened two women and several children with weapons, the Interior Ministry said. Of the 40 who escaped, 24 were taken into custody, six were killed in the clashes and seven others were wounded. Ten Iraqi police also were killed. • A car bomb killed at least two civilians and wounded four others Sunday near the western entrance to the city of Falluja, an Interior Ministry official said. Falluja is a Sunni town located about 35 miles (60 kilometers) west of Baghdad. • A U.S. soldier was killed by a bomb Sunday in northern Baghdad, the U.S. military said. The soldier was with Multi-National Division - Baghdad. No further details were given. The death brings the U.S. toll in the Iraq war to 4,217. CNN's Jill Dougherty and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | NEW: Suicide bomber kills 4 in Mosul at protest against Israel's Gaza airstrikes .
Resolution approved by Presidency Council replaces U.N. mandate set to expire .
After U.S.'s 142,500 troops, Britain has second-largest contingent: 4,100 .
Authorities capture two al Qaeda in Iraq escapees, kill another from Friday jailbreak . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "3d10c664f01a2e38b43a9bb73158223a333d9bc0"} | 787 | 90 | 0.534647 | 1.531161 | 0.724661 | 1.327869 | 10.442623 | 0.737705 |
(CNN) -- Bitter cold weather was sweeping across the nation Thursday, putting the Midwest in a deep freeze. A thermometer registers minus 20 degrees Thursday in Hudson, Wisconsin. It was brutal in Ames, Iowa, on Wednesday. "Last night, the temperature was still above zero (3 degrees Fahrenheit), but the wind chill (minus 14 degrees) was cold enough to make your skin burn," iReporter Kevin Cavallin said. "When it gets this cold, your hands are just in pain when doing something as simple as carrying bags of groceries from the car to the apartment." iReport.com: What's the weather like near you? Send photos, video . In Minneapolis, Minnesota, it felt like 40 below because of the wind chill, CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano said. It was 48 below in Fargo, North Dakota, where unprotected fingers could suffer frostbite in 60 seconds. Watch the freeze in Iowa » . The freezing temperatures are likely to remain in the East through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. There were low teens Thursday along much of the Interstate 95 corridor, which hugs the Atlantic from Maine to Florida. It was 17 in New York, which had a moderate snowfall Thursday that delayed flights a few hours on the ground at LaGuardia Airport. "If you live east of the Mississippi River, the temperature at mid-morning may be the best you'll get," Marciano added. Temperatures dipped to 19 degrees below zero in Michigan and 10 below in Chicago, Illlinois. Snow caused more traffic nightmares in the Midwest. Snow also was falling in Trenton, New Jersey; New Haven, Connecticut; and other Northeast cities. Meanwhile, an icy cold front was pushing into the Southeast, with a cold high-pressure center expected to remain over the area through Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Another cold front is to move in late Sunday. The sun came out in Georgia, but forecasters said the weather would deteriorate by evening. Much of Georgia, including Atlanta, will be under a wind chill advisory from 7 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday. Thursday's high in the state could reach 59, but the thermometer could reach as low as 14 at night, the weather service said. Forecasters said overnight temperatures will be accompanied by bitterly cold wind chills, possibly setting a record. | NEW: It felt like 40 below in Minneapolis, Minnesota, because of wind chill .
NEW: It was 10 below in Chicago -- without the wind chill .
Icy cold front is pushing into the Southeast and could last through Saturday .
iReport.com: Cold near you? Share your photos, video, stories . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "baf433510e7e603ca15499150a3335f7f98131a1"} | 528 | 71 | 0.536116 | 1.443257 | 0.983255 | 2.483871 | 7.306452 | 0.903226 |
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military formally handed authority over Baghdad's "Green Zone" to Iraqis on Thursday as new pacts governing the mission of international troops replaced a U.N. mandate. An Iraqi honor guard parades outside the former palace of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad on Thursday. Iraqi troops took over checkpoints around the heavily protected district, formally known as the International Zone, which houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy. Saddam Hussein's Republican Palace, which served as U.S. headquarters in Baghdad after the 2003 invasion that ousted Iraq's longtime strongman, was among the facilities handed over in Thursday's ceremony. "This day is a great day in the history of the Iraqi people," Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta said. Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a U.S. military spokesman, noted the significance of turning over the former Republican Palace. Watch what goes on in the "Green Zone" » . "The palace was handed back to the Iraqi people, significant as symbol of the head of the government and a sign for increased sovereignty," he said at a news conference with Atta. Thursday marked the first day of a U.S.-Iraqi pact that allows U.S. forces to remain in the country until 2011, under tighter restrictions. Similar agreements have been signed with other coalition countries that remain in Iraq. A U.N. mandate that authorized international forces in the country expired Wednesday. Perkins said American troops will continue to fight alongside Iraqis -- "but the Iraqis will be in the lead." "When you come up to a checkpoint, the Iraqis will check your identification. They will make the decision if you come in or go out," he said. "We will continue to be there to provide some technical capacity, to provide some mentoring, but you will see less and less American forces and more and more Iraqi forces -- and they will have the majority of the responsibility for making those key decisions which determine the security of the capital." Iraq's three-member Presidency Council ratified the new pact in December. Under the deal, U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraqi cities and towns by June 30, and all American troops will leave the country by the end of 2011, more than eight years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Hussein. The agreement authorizes the "temporary assistance" of U.S. forces but severely restricts their role. It requires Iraqi approval for all military operations and gives Iraqi courts the right to try U.S. troops and contractors for "grave premeditated felonies." | U.N. mandate authorizing foreign troop presence expired Wednesday .
New bilateral pact covers U.S. presence until 2011 .
U.S. troops to leave Iraqi cities by end of June . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "911f4fe0e60be00b6d114dd11d0e4d4fef34caca"} | 612 | 46 | 0.536449 | 1.33921 | 0.500922 | 1.225806 | 15.516129 | 0.709677 |
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Police Wednesday arrested the suspected head of an Italian mafia murder squad following a two-day manhunt after he eluded police by crawling through sewer pipes, according to Italian media reports. Italian police examine a sewer that may have offered an escape route for a suspected mafia boss. Giuseppe Setola, 38, was arrested near Caserta north of Naples, according to Italy's state-run ANSA news agency and reports in the La Repubblica and Corriere Della Sera newspapers. "This is a great moment for the (Italian) state," Naples anti-Mafia prosecutor Franco Roberti told ANSA after Setola's arrest. "We were certain (Setola) was in a situation of great difficulty. We promised all the citizens that he would be caught. We have kept that promise." Setola is believed to have slipped into a tunnel built under his hideout near Naples on Monday, as police closed in on him, according to the reports. That tunnel connects to the sewer system in Caserta. Corriere published photos of anti-mafia police searching through what was described as Setola's trash-strewn bunker and the tunnel. Anti-mafia police have been searching for Setola for months, and had already arrested his wife and two suspected members of his crew, according to the reports. Monday was the third time he avoided arrest. Setola is allegedly the head of a killing team run by the powerful Casalesi clan which belongs to the Neapolitan mafia known as Camorra. He got out of jail last spring after a doctor ruled that he was legally blind. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into that ruling. Corriere published a photo of Setola wearing sunglasses with his left eye bandaged. The Casalesi clan is featured in the best-selling book "Gomorrah" -- a play on the word "Camorra" -- written by Roberto Saviano who now lives under constant police protection. Saviano recently said he may have to leave Italy to escape constant death threats from the mafia and its supporters. Police began cracking down on Setola and his colleagues after the murder of six West African immigrants in the nearby town of Castel Volturno in September. After those killings, the Italian government activated the army to help bolster efforts against the Casalesi clan, which is believed to have killed more than 20 people since May. The two suspected members of his squad have given police information about his movements. In November, police arrested an Italian police officer suspected of informing Setola about police operations. | Italian mafia suspect arrested after escape through sewer pipes .
Setola is allegedly head of killing team run by the powerful Casalesi clan .
Tunnel found connecting to sewer system in the nearby town of Caserta . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "0cf74875b9fddf7e0c96fe743d9c4f0990be02ab"} | 612 | 52 | 0.579649 | 1.628223 | 0.577468 | 3.230769 | 12.102564 | 0.871795 |
(CNN) -- A new study that surveyed racial attitudes suggests that racial prejudices could tip the balance in the upcoming presidential election. A poll finds a small percentage of voters said they may turn away from Sen. Barack Obama because of his race. If there were no racial prejudice among voters, Sen. Barack Obama would receive about 6 percentage points more support, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll, designed in partnership with Stanford University. The results suggest that 40 percent of white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, including more than a third of white Democrats and independents. A small percentage of voters -- 2.5 percent of those surveyed -- said they may turn away from Obama because of his race. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey also indicates that race could play a big role in November. Asked if race would be a factor in their vote, 37 percent of respondents said yes. But of that group, many are Republicans who are not likely to vote for any Democrat, and some are Democrats who may vote for Obama because of his race. Of the 8 percent of Democrats who told CNN they plan to vote for Obama's GOP rival, Sen. John McCain, half said race was a factor. The survey, conducted August 29-31, questioned 1,031 people and has a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Experts point out that it's hard to quantify racial prejudice because many people who hold prejudices are not going to admit to it. Watch how race could affect the election » . "The hardest thing in the world for pollsters to poll for, with the exception of sexual behavior, is racial attitudes and how it affects behavior," said Walter Shapiro, Washington bureau chief for Salon.com. Shapiro said while people might say things differently off the record, racial issues cannot easily be quantified. The pollsters for the AP/Yahoo survey used techniques that they thought would be more likely to lead to honest results -- such as conducting the poll online and using subtle methods and formulas to calculate racial attitudes. That study also suggests that the number of people who may turn away from Obama because of his race could be larger than what the margin of victory was in the 2004 election. Jeff Johnson, host of BET's "The Truth With Jeff Johnson," said, "I think there is a concern clearly about the number of people who will vote based on race. "But I agree -- how you quantify that number, I think, is very difficult." According to CNN's average of recent national polls, Obama holds a lead of 5 percentage points over McCain. Johnson said one misconception is that racial prejudices are unique to conservatives or people in "Middle America." "There are liberals also in many cases that are racist. I don't think we know yet how it's going to play out," he said. In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Obama said while some people might not vote for him because he is black, others might vote for him just because he is. "Are there going to be some people who don't vote for me because I'm black? Of course. There are probably some African-Americans who are voting for me because I'm black or maybe others just inspired by the idea of breaking new ground, and so I think all that's a wash," he said. Democrats, however, typically get close to 90 percent of the African-American vote anyway. Salon.com's Shapiro said Democrats can work on increasing turnout among black voters but that it will be hard to make gains on the percentages they already see. Johnson said he thinks race will matter, and the best way for Obama to balance out any negative effect is to just stay on message. "I don't know if I believe it's going to be a wash. I think it's going to matter. This race is extremely close, and so every single demographic and every single point is going to count," he said. "I think he has to speak to the issues of people in Middle America, and by that, it can counterbalance some of these racial issues." The AP-Yahoo News poll surveyed 2,227 adults. It was conducted August 27-September 5, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. | Racial prejudices could cost Sen. Barack Obama 6 percentage points, poll suggests .
Poll: Forty percent of white Americans have at least a partly negative view of blacks .
Experts point out that it's hard to quantify racial attitudes .
Democrats typically get close to 90 percent of the African-American vote . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "c1bb8e9900e2da0a2dace45b697ec9f1c08c8614"} | 976 | 73 | 0.576616 | 1.489043 | 0.954015 | 5.616667 | 14.15 | 0.883333 |
(CNN) -- Seven people, including a toddler, died when fire roared through a three-story home in southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday night, fire officials said. Firefighters work to put out a fire at a town home Friday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Six of the victims -- three adults, a teen and two children -- were found in the townhome's basement, huddled together, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. A 2-year-old boy who was pulled from the burning house by firefighters was later pronounced dead at Children's Hospital, Ayers said. Eleven people, all of Liberian nationality, lived in the basement of the home, he said. Two were rescued by firefighters and two escaped on their own, Ayers said. Watch firefighters at work on the blaze » . There were no stairs from the basement to the upper level and there was only one door leading out, he said. Early clues suggest a kerosene heater may have started the blaze, but the fire marshal has not officially determined a cause, Ayers said. "We found serious issues in the house," he said. The home did not appear to be equipped with smoke detectors, the fire commissioner said. "We have not found any smoke alarms at all, which we are very saddened by," Ayers said. Wade Lee, who lived in the same building, said the landlord had helped tenants work out fire evacuation plans. Lee said the victims often brought his family fresh vegetables from their garden, and the children were a joy. "Our wishes are with them right now, more so than for ourselves," he said. "Just hearing the children laughing, and not being able to hear that no more is grievous to us all." | 2-year-old pulled from fire later pronounced dead at hospital .
Six victims found huddled together in basement .
Eleven people, all of Liberian nationality, lived in the home, fire official says .
Basement home had one exit, no smoke detectors, official says . | {"src": "cnn_dailymail-3.0.0_train", "id": "81c50426e3c15619f2e1d3fd1b85bf5711487a74"} | 395 | 65 | 0.619418 | 1.647798 | 0.977645 | 3.654545 | 6.236364 | 0.854545 |
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