text
stringlengths 102
11.9k
| query
stringlengths 2
806
| summary
stringlengths 22
3.99k
|
|---|---|---|
(cnn) a car bomb exploded outside a foreign ministry building in the libyan city of benghazi wednesday, state media said, on the anniversary of an assault on the us consulate there that killed four americans, including ambassador christopher stevens the blast did not cause any casualties but blew away large parts of the building's facade, said col abdullah al zaydi, spokesman for the joint security task force in benghazi, according to libya's state news agency, lana al zaydi said the explosion was very powerful and destroyed the vehicle used for the bombing, which contained a large quantity of explosives, the news agency said the blast also damaged a branch of the central bank of libya and slightly injured one of its security guards, the bank said the branch director, abdel qader mohammed, said the explosion caused 'material damage' to the building, but its computer systems were not affected fast facts: the benghazi consulate attack benghazi resident sami berriwen told cnn he heard the blast in the eastern city at about 7 am berriwen, a university student, said that if the explosion had happened just an hour later, the street would have been full of people he said most benghazi residents walk the street to get to school and to work, but because it was early, no one was out yet berriwen said he saw a fire truck but no casualties or ambulances at the scene diplomatic missions and security officials have repeatedly been the targets of attacks in benghazi, leading most westerners to leave in january, gunmen targeted the car of the italian consul general in benghazi, but no one was injured bomb attacks also occurred last year on a un convoy, as well as on a convoy carrying the british ambassador in november, unknown gunmen assassinated the city's temporary security director other towns and cities, including the capital, tripoli, have also seen frequent attacks in recent days, scores of us marines were moved closer to libya to help beef up security before of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the united states and the first anniversary of the attack on the benghazi consulate two us officials told cnn on monday that 250 combat ready marines had moved from their base in moron, spain, to the us naval installation at sigonella, italy that would enable them to reach tripoli in three to four hours in the event of a crisis other us forces are helping boost security at various embassies in the region, since the period around september 11 is seen as a time of greater threat to us interests the attack at the benghazi compound has been a political flashpoint in a long running battle between the administration and republicans, who accuse it of not bolstering security before the attack, of botching the response to it and of misleading the public for political gain before the november 2012 election a report by the un secretary general on the un support mission in libya, released this month, highlights the continuing security concerns and political polarization in libya following the overthrow of strongman leader moammar gadhafi in 2011 the status of the revolutionary fighters who helped to oust gadhafi remains unclear, the process of transitional justice is almost stalled, the country's borders are leaky and there are many unsecured weapons, adding to the instability, it said 'the continuing volatile security situation in libya in general, and in the eastern and southern parts of the country in particular, is a source of grave concern,' it said 'targeted political assassinations, criminal activity and attacks and threats against the diplomatic community continue to plague the country, including tripoli the protection of the civilian population and the enforcement of law need to be reaffirmed as a national priority' cnn's barbara starr contributed to this report | benghazi the us consulate foreign ministry the central bank of libya | official says the powerful explosion was caused by a car bomb state media . the blast hit central benghazi on the anniversary of the attack on the us consulate . the explosion damaged a foreign ministry building and a bank branch, a witness says . the central bank of libya says one of its security guards was slightly injured |
sao paulo, brazil (cnn) seven years after politicians were accused in a vote buying scheme, brazil's supreme court on thursday started the trial of 38 people suspected of involvement in the scandal eleven supreme court justices started the hearings in the capital city of brasilia the defendants are accused of using public funds to pay lawmakers monthly bribes for their support during the first government of president luis inacio lula da silva in 2005 lula's former chief of staff, jose dirceu, is among the defendants, along with other top members of his worker's party, bankers and businessmen the main accusation in what is known as the mensalao scandal, which means 'big monthly allowance,' is that the worker's party diverted funds from advertising budgets not for personal enrichment, but to ensure lawmakers passed lula's initiatives through congress defendants have been charged with money laundering, corruption and accepting bribes they deny the allegations brazilian media is calling it 'the trial of the century' the trial is expected to last a month and could tarnish the workers party and lula's legacy ahead of municipal elections but current president dilma rousseff, also of the workers party, has never been connected to the scandal in fact, rousseff enjoys a strong approval rating of 77% many brazilians' view is that she has taken a tough stand on corruption, tossing out six ministers who were suspected of misdeeds brazilians have seen their share of scandals they impeached president fernando collor in 1992 for corruption, but he is now an active senator brazil to shed light on 'dirty war' abuse | matres starchwort nebraskans | no related information |
pittsburgh, pennsylvania (cnn) former president bill clinton denied tuesday he had accused sen barack obama's campaign of 'playing the race card' during an interview monday bill clinton is facing tough questions tuesday over an interview with a delaware radio station a recording of the former president making the comment is posted on the whyy web site it says he made the comment in a telephone interview with the philadelphia public radio station monday night clinton was asked whether his remarks comparing obama's strong showing in south carolina to that of jesse jackson in 1988 had been a mistake given their impact on his wife sen hillary clinton's campaign 'no, i think that they played the race card on me,' said clinton, 'and we now know from memos from the campaign and everything that they planned to do it all along' listen to the full interview 'we were talking about south carolina political history and this was used out of context and twisted for political purposes by the obama campaign to try to breed resentment elsewhere and you know, do i regret saying it? no do i regret that it was used that way? i certainly do but you really got to go some to try to portray me as a racist' after the phone interview, a stray comment of his on the issue was also recorded before he hung up: 'i don't think i should take any s*** from anybody on that, do you?' watch bill clinton respond to controversy » but outside a pittsburgh campaign event tuesday, a reporter asked clinton what he had meant 'when you said the obama campaign was playing the race card on you?' clinton responded: 'when did i say that and to whom did i say that?' watch more of the clintons on the trail in pennsylvania » 'you have mischaracterized it to get another cheap story to divert the american people from the real urgent issues before us, and i choose not to play your games today,' clinton added 'i said what i said you can go back and look at the interview, and if you will be real honest you will also report what the question was and what the answer was but i'm not helping you' clinton did not respond when asked what he meant when he charged that the obama campaign had a memo in which they said they had planned to play the race card meanwhile, at a pittsburgh press availability on tuesday, obama was asked about clinton's charge that his campaign had drawn up plans to use 'the race card' 'hold on a second,'' he said 'so former president clinton dismissed my victory in south carolina as being similar to jesse jackson and he is suggesting that somehow i had something to do with it?' watch obama's full comments » 'you better ask him what he meant by that i have no idea what he meant these were words that came out of his mouth not words that came out of mine'' clinton commented just before the south carolina primary that 'jesse jackson won south carolina in '84 and '88 jackson ran a good campaign and obama ran a good campaign here' e mail to a friend cnn associate political editor rebecca sinderbrand, cnn political producers alexander marquardt, ed hornick and chris welch contributed to this report | subentitled kang arbusterin | no related information |
kampala, uganda (cnn) a fight between ugandan and libyan presidential guards sparked chaos during a ceremony attended by the heads of state from 11 african nations on wednesday libyan leader moammar gadhafi and ugandan president yoweri museveni attend the opening of the mosque several of the guards to the visiting heads of state from kenya, tanzania, burundi, rwanda, mali, somalia, sudan and djibouti sustained serious injuries in the fight, which included punches, kicks and the drawing of guns no leaders were hurt in the melee, though several were knocked over several journalists also were caught up in the fracas and suffered injuries or lost their grips on cameras and recorders the incident occurred at the opening of a massive gadhafi national mosque in kampala, a structure begun by the late ugandan dictator idi amin in 1972 and completed with financing from libya, according to african media reports minutes after libyan leader moammar gadhafi and his host, ugandan president yoweri museveni, jointly unveiled a plaque to mark the event, the libyan guards pushed away the guards of other delegations at the mosque's entrance the ugandan guards who had traded hostilities with the predominantly arab libyan guards at every joint event since gadhafi's arrival in the country sunday reacted with fury and fought back museveni briefly lost his balance when a hefty libyan guard pushed him to a wall another libyan guard pushed rwandan president paul kagame, who also lost his balance but was caught by his own guards the vice president of tanzania was knocked over by fighting guards as he was taking his shoes off to enter the mosque guards to the rest of the visiting presidents and prime ministers kept their respective leaders out of the fray, with some drawing their guns as the dignitaries looked on in disbelief some leaders notably those from somalia, burundi and djibouti were visibly uneasy as guns were drawn on all sides by the time the fight was over more than six minutes later, about a dozen presidential guards were left bleeding from compound fractures and the libyan and ugandan protocol officials traded bitter accusations of disrespect and racism 'what are your people up to? do you want to kill our leader?' a libyan protocol official said to his ugandan counterpart the ugandan official, who declined to be named, shouted back, 'why do think you're superior? what makes you think uganda has any ill intention against gadhafi?' the ugandan official said museveni's guards were simply doing their job as security for the host country and had a right to respond when the libyan guards pushed them back it has taken 36 years to complete the giant mosque on a hill in the heart of kampala it used to be a colonial fort named after british capt frederick lugard the mosque can accommodate as many as 17,000 people at one time, according to the engineers, who call it the largest mosque in sub saharan africa many muslims interviewed said the mosque's opening evoked sweet memories of amin, the deceased dictator 'it is a great day and thanks be to allah for the completion,' said salim abdul noor, 39 'this should remind us that while amin is demonized as africa's worst dictator, there are many things he did for this country that successive governments largely depend on, and much of the completed installations and structures like this beautiful mosque was amin's dream, may allah rest him in peace' the swedish vice president of the european islamic conference, adly abu hajar, 57, said the mosque heals rifts in a religion introduced to uganda in 1844 by arab slave traders 'i find this complex has brought unity among muslims in uganda there have been so many factions, but this attraction has brought them together, identifying themselves with a common home' the fight prompted a crisis meeting by ugandan security authorities, after which invited diplomats from mainly the european missions in uganda expressed dismay 'it's disgrace it shows there is something wrong yet unknown between the two parties,' said the head of one european mission in kampala, who declined to be named the police chief, maj gen kale kayihura, and the head of the army, gen aronda nyakairima, declined to comment on the fight but capt edison kwesiga, the spokesman of the ugandan presidential guard brigade, confirmed their hostile relationship with the libyans 'it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of any visiting head of state we have to do our job using any means but our libyan brothers always want us to fail true, it's not the first time they come and act as you see,' kwesiga said e mail to a friend | ugandan libyan kampala uganda | ugandan officer reports tensions with libyan leader's guards during visit . leaders gathered for opening of massive mosque in kampala, uganda . about a dozen presidential guards seen bleeding from compound fractures |
(cnn) iran has hanged a man convicted of spying for israel and also executed another man who was a member of a government opposition group, state run media reported tuesday the executions took place at tehran's evin prison at dawn tuesday ali akbar siadat was sentenced to death for working as a spy for israeli intelligence the islamic republic news agency said siadat admitted to transferring information to israel over several years in exchange for $60,000 he was arrested in 2008 while trying to leave iran along with his wife, the news agency said a second man, ali saremi, was hanged for 'fighting against the sacred islamic republic of iran system and launching antagonist propagations,' the agency reported he was a member of people's mujahedeen of iran, also known as the mojahedin e khalq organization, which has opposed the iranian government for decades tehran considers the group to be a terrorist outfit, as does the united states the european union does not members of a european parliament group, friends of a free iran intergroup, condemned saremi's execution tuesday, calling it 'another crime for which the mullahs will be held to account when freedom is finally restored to that beleaguered nation' the group also demanded that iranian leaders 'be tried in the international court of justice for crimes against humanity' cnn's mitra mobasherat contributed to this report | plumbagin nodders uninfiniteness | no related information |
(healthcom) the number of infants and toddlers under age 2 who landed in emergency rooms after ingesting too much over the counter cold medicine dropped by more than half following the discontinuation of medicines targeted to that age group, a new study has found in 2007, drug manufacturers voluntarily pulled infant cough and cold medicines from store shelves amid concerns about the products' effectiveness and side effects, including a risk of rapid heart rate, convulsions, loss of consciousness, and even death at the time, experts worried that parents would start dosing their toddlers with other, stronger medications, which would potentially cause even worse problems healthcom: 9 ways to stay sniffle free 'there was some controversy,' says daniel budnitz, md, a medical officer in the medication safety program at the centers for disease control and prevention, in atlanta, georgia 'some folks suggested that it would be a bad thing because parents would use adult strength formulas for infants and not know how to dose them' but that doesn't seem to have happened the new study, which was co authored by budnitz and appears in the journal pediatrics, found that cold medicine related er visits by children under the age of 2 dropped by 55 percent in the 14 month period after the product withdrawal, compared with the 14 months immediately before using data collected from a representative sample of 63 hospitals across the us, the researchers estimated that there were about 2,800 er visits before the product withdrawal and about 1,250 after healthcom: how to sick proof your winter and there did not appear to be any uptick in problems related to other medications, such as antibiotics, that parents might have been giving their children instead of cough and cold medicine both before and after the product withdrawal, the vast majority of er visits resulted from overdoses more than half of the children under age 2 who landed in the er had found and ingested the medicines on their own the remaining visits were caused by caregiver errors such as a parent mixing up two siblings' medicines or confusing the abbreviations for teaspoon and tablespoon, for instance (many of the discontinued products were liquids) although budnitz and his co authors can't say with absolute certainty that the sharp drop in er visits was caused by the product withdrawal, it does seem likely the overall number of er visits among kids under 12 remained the same in the pre and post withdrawal periods, which suggests that the decline was limited to infants and toddlers healthcom: 5 most common myths about the common cold even after the 2007 withdrawal, doctors and public health officials have continued to question the use of cough and cold medicines in young children aside from the safety risk, research has consistently shown that pediatric products are largely ineffective at relieving symptoms in response to the safety concerns, medicine manufacturers have taken steps to standardize their dosing devices and in 2008, after conferring with the food and drug administration (fda), they voluntarily changed their product labels to say the medicines should not be used in children under age 4 the study findings support that change, says budnitz neil herendeen, md, a pediatrician at the university of rochester medical center, in new york, says the study provides a compelling reason to withdraw all pediatric cough and cold medicines for kids under 12 from the market, a policy he supports 'this shows that if you take it off the market, it will reduce the adverse events,' herendeen says healthcom: top 7 natural cold remedies: do they work? difficult as it is for parents to stand by and do nothing while their infants suffer with runny noses and hacking coughs, there really isn't any way to make a cold go away, only to ease some of the symptoms, experts say 'you're left with doing all the things your grandmother used to tell you: lots of fluids; vaporizers, but don't put any menthol medications in it, just plain water; blow your nose; and salt water drops,' dr herendeen says jeff sleeth, md, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the university of wisconsin school of medicine and public health in madison, says that it's important to keep a sick infant's environment as well humidified as possible that 'allows the mucous and secretions that are in the nose and back of the throat to stay nice and thin so, [so] when the child does cough, it's easier to clear the secretions out,' sleeth says copyright health magazine 2010 | 2007 under 2 er | in 2007, drug manufacturers voluntarily pulled infant cough and cold medicines from stores . many of the children under 2 who came to the er had ingested the meds on their own . medicine manufacturers have taken steps to standardize their dosing devices |
steubenville, ohio (cnn) one of the teens who recorded himself mocking the girl at the center of an ohio rape case 'did a really dumb thing and regrets it' but did not commit any crime, his lawyer said monday the attorney, dennis mcnamara, said there was 'no excuse or justification' for the jokes michael nodianos made, 'and with some sober reflection, he is ashamed and embarrassed to hear them himself' 'he sincerely regrets his behavior and his comments and the effect that it's had on the parties involved, including his own family,' mcnamara told reporters in steubenville, the small ohio town that has become the focus of national attention because of the case 'he was not raised to act in this manner' two 16 year old members of the town's powerhouse high school football team are charged with sexually assaulting a girl after a series of parties in august they are set for trial in a juvenile court in february mcnamara said nodianos, 18, has been interviewed by detectives 'at some length' and is not the subject of an investigation 'michael is a really good kid from a really good family who did a really dumb thing and regrets it,' he said 'beyond that, he has no involvement in the criminal case or in any of the underlying activity that led to the filing of the criminal charges' defense battles social media blizzard in ohio rape case the case gained national attention after the new york times published a lengthy piece on it in december the activist hacker group anonymous and other critics have accused community leaders of trying to paper over rampant misconduct by football players and suggested that other students took part in the assaults or failed to do enough stop them anonymous helped organize a weekend protest in steubenville that drew a crowd of hundreds to the town, a community of about 18,000 on the ohio river across the river from west virginia then last week, anonymous posted the 12 minute video that featured nodianos, a video the attorney said had been taken offline in the days following the incident in it, he makes joke after joke about the girl's condition, saying she must have died because she didn't move during one assault opinion: teach young men to treat women with respect mcnamara said the video had been recorded in the pre dawn hours following the parties nodianos was drunk, 'but that's not a justification or excuse,' his lawyer said mcnamara said nodianos wasn't at the house where the alleged rape took place, nor did he witness anything himself: the details he recounted 'came from the reports of a couple of other young people that had been present or had seen these things, or at least claimed to' mcnamara said his client graduated from steubenville high in 2012 he had perfect attendance, played on the school's baseball team and won an academic scholarship to ohio state university online outrage prompts city website nodianos was enrolled at osu in the fall but has left college for the time being, mcnamara said meanwhile, he said, hackers have gotten into nodianos's e mail, his parents e mail accounts and reactivated his closed down twitter account they are posting new tweets, 'but he has nothing to do with that,' mcnamara said the defendants in the rape case, trent mays and ma'lik richmond, are both 16 their attorneys have said both teens are not guilty, and say they will seek to get the trial moved because of the excessive publicity the case has received both are charged with rape, while mays faces an additional charge of illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material at an october hearing, witnesses say they saw the girl stumbling, vomiting and eventually unconscious, having to be carried by the hands and feet one of the witnesses said she didn't respond when richmond performed a sexual act on her in the basement of another student's home cnn is not identifying the girl, a juvenile, in accordance with its policy not to release the names of alleged rape victims although the suspects also are juveniles, cnn is identifying them because they have been publicly named by a juvenile court judge, by defense attorneys and in media accounts lawyers to seek new venue for teen rape trial cnn's gary tuchman in steubenville and marlena baldacci in atlanta contributed to this report | hyakume caphtor pitchpole | no related information |
(cnn) as a society, we do too much short term thinking in washington, that has meant passing bills that paper over fiscal problems in the short term while ignoring long term consequences for future generations the result is a fiscal gap that places unknown financial burdens on today's young people we may have different prescriptions for how to address our budget challenges, but from a personal standpoint, we both worry about how a lack of information about long term budget realities will affect our children's generations and those that follow we want congress to do more long term planning, like families and businesses across this country do every day instead of kicking the can down the road, congress and the administration need to understand how policy decisions made today in washington will affect future generations of americans on wednesday, we are introducing a bill to bring more transparency to the budget process and ensure that members of congress and the administration are honest with themselves and the american people about current and future budget realities right now, congress only looks at the effect of legislation over the next 10 years rarely is information presented that reflects the longer term impact our bill the intergenerational financial obligations reform act, or inform would ensure that congress, the administration and the american people have the information necessary to understand the effect that taxes, spending policies and future economic advancements will have on the fiscal health of the country and on individual americans 20, 50 or even 75 years down the road the inform act would require the president to provide a detailed accounting of how the administration's budget and policy recommendations, and its predictions of economic health, would affect young people down the line it would also require the government accountability office to provide an annual analysis of the impact of future budget realities on generations to come and account for any fiscal gaps (the difference between spending and tax revenue) this approach known as a generational accounting and fiscal gap analysis would examine the full scope of the government's obligations, present and future, and then look at the effect those obligations will have on current and future generations presidents bill clinton and george hw bush each used this tool in submitting executive budgets young americans in their 20s and 30s deserve to know what the decisions of today's lawmakers mean for their future and lawmakers should use every tool at our disposal to make better decisions we believe this approach will help us improve the fiscal health of the country washington has spent enough time kicking the can down the road it's time to start being honest about the long term challenges facing future generations the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writers | john thune tim kaine washinton congress | john thune, tim kaine: washinton's fiscal thinking doesn't account for long term . they say congress, administration must analyze budget moves for future effect . they say their new bill inform would require this and account for fiscal gaps . writers: lawmakers must be honest about long term challenges for future |
new york (cnn) after turning a traditional senegalese drink into a hit american product, magatte wade is now trying re brand africa itself senegalese entrepreneur magatte wade is the creator of multi million dollar us company adina world beat beverages, which makes drinks based on traditional recipes from around the world she came up with the idea in 2004, after she returned home to senegal and found soda drinks were replacing the country's traditional hibiscus drink, known as bissap she arrived back in the united states determined to share healthy traditional recipes with the rest of the world adina's products now include organic coffees and exotic fruit drinks and are sold all over the united states 'my biggest pride was to know that it was possible, that the vision i had was possible and my vision was that the world is hungry for well executed african brands,' wade said 'we saw it at the investor level and we saw it at the buyer's level and we saw it at the consumer's level everyone wanted to be part of that adventure and it was just amazing' scramble for 'dot africa' internet domain name now magatte wade is now building a new company, tiossano, in new york it's a high end skin care line based on traditional senegalese recipes, using natural ingredients indigenous to africa 'what we are doing now is a concept phase where we make sure a product is right, the packaging is right, the branding is right, the marketing is right,' she said 'we are in the process of making sure that people will buy into it in our first three weeks of existence we landed a pretty cool account already, so we're getting there' her goal is to inspire others, so that in the next 10 years there is an african company among the top 100 global brands wade says that when it comes to marketing an african product it's not just about selling units, it's about selling a different image of africa to consumers she argues that most people see africa in terms clichã©s, such as safaris, tribal designs or people needing charity her goal is to change the perception that both africans and non africans have of her home continent 'i think a lot of africans, unfortunately, the overwhelming majority, does still not yet feel comfortable about themselves there is this complex of inferiority that is pervasive in the culture 'a lot of it has to do with history yes we have obama in office today but it doesn't change a lot and i'm not even talking about racism, that's not what i'm talking about what i am talking about is just groups of people not feeling good enough about themselves; if you don't have the right type of self esteem you go nowhere in this world 'but self esteem will also come if enough of us today that are in the age of working, if enough of us can really get together and try and build a different brand for africa, a brand that all of a sudden means 'contributors to the world,' rather than a subset of a population that's always sucking energy out of others' africa can teach the world to innovate while her products are currently made in the united states, the plan is to move production to senegal once tiossano has generated enough profit wade says the company plans to donate 10% of profits to a foundation supporting the next generation of senegalese leaders 'if i have to share with people my deepest dream, that's the level at which i want to play not just do well for myself and even for my employees but i really want to make sure that the next generation is well prepared,' she said 'or at least we have a cluster of people that are going to go and really accomplish things that we can all be proud of' | senegalese magatte wade us adina africans | senegalese entrepreneur magatte wade is co creator of us drink company adina . her new venture is a high end skin care line based on traditional senegalese recipes . negative perceptions create an inferiority complex among many africans, she says . she wants to brand africans as 'contirbutors to the world,' she adds |
london (cnn) a painting dismissed for years as the work of an unknown artist has been identified as a piece by vincent van gogh, after x rays revealed an image of two wrestlers fighting underneath the floral still life 'still life with meadow flowers and roses' has hung in the kroeller mueller museum in the town of otterlo, in the eastern netherlands, since 1974, but doubts over its authorship have dogged the painting for decades experts argued that the large format, the location of the signature, and the huge number of flowers in the composition all suggested the painting was the creation of an unidentified artist, rather than the famed dutch painter, and the work was officially 'dismissed' from his catalogue in 2003 'there were so many questions around this painting,' explained teio meedendorp, researcher at the van gogh museum in amsterdam 'there were a lot of things about it that were strange it couldn't quite be trusted [as a piece by van gogh]' but the latest high tech x ray imaging has allowed scholars to re examine an underpainting, featuring two wrestlers fighting, first glimpsed in the 1990s, and confirm that the picture is indeed by van gogh saving van gogh's home from dereliction van gogh (1853 1890) created some of the world's best known and most loved paintings, including 'sunflowers,' 'irises' and 'the starrry night,' and a number of self portraits he was virtually unknown as an artist during his lifetime, but his reputation soared in the years after his suicide at the age of 37 following years of mental illness, and his works now hang in major museums and galleries around the globe during the art market boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s, three of van gogh's works succeeded each other as the most expensive paintings ever sold: 'sunflowers' for $399 million, 'irises' for $539 million, and 'portrait of dr gachet' for $825 million 'the painting was x rayed before, so we knew there was something underneath, but the image was not very clear,' he told cnn 'this new technique gave us a much clearer image, and lots of details about the pigments and the paint layers 'we know vincent painted wrestlers, we know much more than we did 10 years ago about the pigments he used, and we know that at the time, when re using a canvas, he simply painted over the top of the previous image, without an intermediate layer 'this painting was a complete match with all the research that has been done over the past 10 years' van gogh, kahlo speak from beyond grave van gogh wrote about the wrestlers picture which he painted as an assignment during his studies at the art academy in antwerp in a letter in january 1886: 'this week i painted a large thing with two nude torsos two wrestlers,' adding that he was delighted with the result research suggests that the still life was painted on the same canvas fewer than six months later, while in paris 'the top layer was applied not long afterwards,' said meedendorp 'we can tell this because he used a lot of zinc white in the wrestlers picture, and it dries very, very slowly 'the x rays show that it had not hardened completely when the still life was added, causing some cracks in the paint of the flower picture, which suggests it was painted less than half a year later' meedendorp said there was always the possibility of discovering other 'unknown' van gogh works in future 'there are other paintings that haven't been x rayed,' he told cnn 'there are always other opportunities' | van gogh | 'still life with meadow flowers and roses' dismissed as work of unknown artist . large format, subject, and signature all pointed to painting being by someone other than van gogh . new high tech x ray imaging revealed underpainting of wrestlers, details of pigments used . experts say they are now confident that the piece is definitely by 'sunflowers' artist van gogh |
(cnn) buckle up! the political conventions in tampa and charlotte over the next two weeks will throw the 2012 election campaigns into high gear, and send it careering down a mean, rocky road toward one of the most important choices americans have made in half a century only twice before in the lives of most voters have we seen an election offering such radically different visions about the role of government in national life the first was 1964, when lyndon baines johnson was holding up the democratic standard, calling for government to create a great society with a cornucopia of new federal programs on the other side, barry goldwater had seized the republican banner from previously dominant moderates and crusaded on the most conservative agenda in six decades, seeking to push back not only the great society, but much of the new deal 'extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!' goldwater declared to thunderous applause at the gop convention it was a bare knuckles fight, but lbj was campaigning in john f kennedy's cloak and goldwater's proposals were seen as scary and radical lbj swept to a crushing victory score one for bigger government the second 'choice' election came in 1980, when, after a decade of failed leadership, a man came galloping out of the west who seemed the most improbable of figures to get the country going again and he was carrying with him many of goldwater's ideas but ronald regan turned out to be a strong leader with a million dollar smile; jimmy carter, a man better suited to be a saint than a politician, went down decisively score one for smaller government this year's election is shaping up to be a rubber match with major implications for the country's future gov mitt romney's choice of paul ryan as his running mate has dialed up the ideological contrast between the two tickets, while both sides have been throwing sharp elbows at each other (even by the low standards of american politics) the harshening words and diverging visions speak to an election that breaks somewhat with tradition time was, as chris cillizza at the washington post and others have pointed out, the playbook was simple: run to the base in the primary and pivot back to the middle in the general election, winning over as many of the voters in the middle as you can (in economics, this effect is called hotelling's game and is otherwise normally used to explain why gas stations all seem to be on the same corner) but this election features a small number of genuinely undecided voters and high negatives for both party candidates, as karl rove notes in thursday's wall street journal so, (although rove would disagree) the dominant strategy has become playing to the base that explains romney's picking paul ryan, but it also explains why partisans of both sides rejoiced when ryan was picked: his strong conservative beliefs fire up the democratic base as well as the republican one if anything, this year's choice is starker than in 1980: reagan had a pragmatic streak, so he was willing to compromise to get a deal done and keep moving forward (tip o'neill used to say that the gipper would win more than half a loaf and come back for the rest later) romney and ryan, however, reinforced by the tea party, show no inclination to compromise on the democratic side, aides to president obama are spreading the word that, if he wins, he has had enough of trying to accommodate the republicans and will also be more confrontational whether the two sides will seize upon their conventions to set forth more complete, detailed plans for the next four years remains to be seen so far, they have refused to go beyond vagaries and harsh, trivial attacks on each other most voters are yearning for more courage and less bile but there should be no doubt that the two tickets stand behind radically different visions of the role of government and individuals under president obama, federal spending is now 24% of gdp, far higher than in recent decades while obama talks of trimming, his most thoughtful advisers think the government is likely to grow in coming years no matter who wins (see larry summers's provocative column in the financial times this week) in contrast, romney has vowed to get federal spending down to 20% that difference may not sound like much, but it roughly equates to over half a trillion dollars each year at a time when 10,000 baby boomers are becoming eligible for medicare and social security each day, going from 24% to 20% of gdp would mean massive cuts presented with a stark choice between bigger government and smaller government, where are voters likely to come down? that is a question that has interested scholars for a long time some years ago, political scientists lloyd free and hadley cantril observed that americans were 'philosophical conservatives' but 'operational liberals,' that is, they would tell pollsters they wanted to keep government small, taxes down and socialism out but when asked if they wanted the government to spend more on programs and benefits, they were all for it in the coming election, we may have finally reached a point of reckoning between these two conflicting impulses and so, while conventions are generally the place for sweeping statements, the winning ticket will need to be able to speak operationally as well as philosophically all this makes for a dramatic series of addresses, not just from mitt romney and president obama, but from their parties' top messengers: people like new jersey gov chris christie and san antonio mayor julian castro these conventions will offer them a chance to make a firm case to the american people on which kind of government, both operationally and philosophically, they should choose looming over that choice is the question of whether, at the end of this campaign, the winner can actually govern certainly, the raucous, often vicious nature of the combat so far has not been encouraging one of us (david) has been attending conventions for some 40 years and has witnessed a distinct change in tone; listening to the hot rhetoric in both conventions in 2004, it suddenly became comprehensible how the country could have wound up in civil war back in 1861 after another election full of ramifications for the nation's future and the chasms between the two parties continue to widen before us a deeply illuminating study, released a few days ago by the washington post and the kaiser family foundation, has shown that over the past 14 years, the percentages of democrats and republicans who consider themselves 'strong partisans' has shot up by about 20 points in each case so, in pushing voters to make a choice between sharply different visions, it is also imperative that the candidates look beyond november to the next four years, figuring out how they will bring the country together again when the brawl is over the acceptance speeches are not just a moment to rally the base, they are also a place to begin laying the foundations of a successful presidency the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david gergen and michael zuckerman | david gergen michael zuckerman gop | david gergen, michael zuckerman: gop convention jump starts general election . they say it's a 'choice' election, presenting radically different visions about government's role . writers: election breaks tradition, not pivoting to center for general, but staying with base . writers: vote may force voters reckoning with stark question: big government or small? |
hong kong (cnn) president xi jinping promised citizens his government will pursue the 'chinese dream,' in a keynote speech as the national people's congress came to a close on sunday 'we must make persistent efforts, press ahead with indomitable will, continue to push forward the great cause of socialism with chinese characteristics, and strive to achieve the chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the chinese nation,' xi said, according to state news agency xinhua xi spoke in crisp, clear mandarin, in relatively plain language, in keeping with his desire to drop the jargon traditionally sprinkled through official speeches and text in his speech, xi paid tribute to his predecessor, hu jintao, 70, who is retiring, commending his 'outstanding contributions' over the years xi paused to allow a long applause from the 3,000 delegates in the great hall of the people as hu stood up and took a bow xi's speech was followed by the first news conference by premier li keqiang who, like xi, was confirmed as one of the nation's new leaders during the meeting they are replacing hu and wen jiabao, who led the country for 10 years during the question and answer session broadcast to millions nationwide, li addressed china's relationship with the united states and recent friction over allegations that chinese hackers had targeted us networks common interests between the us and china far outweigh the differences, he said, and stressed the need to maintain friendly ties on the issue of hacking, li took exception to a reporter's question, saying it presumed guilt 'this is a worldwide problem and in fact china itself a main target we are opposed to such activities,' he said 'i think we should not make groundless accusations against each other and spend more time doing practical things that contribute to cyber security' in front of hundreds of local and foreign journalists in beijing's great hall of the people, li said the new government was seeking to curb its own power 'this is demanded by the government and wanted by the people we are determined to make that sacrifice we will keep our promise' li acknowledged that shaking up the system would be difficult 'sometimes stirring vested interests may be more difficult than stirring the soul' but that the government had no choice but to act he said the aim was to create a fairer country 'whatever kind of wealth creator you are as long as you compete on a level playing field and conduct your business in a clear and honest way then you will be able to taste success,' he said during visits to communities, he said, locals complained that they had to seek approval from several departments to get something done about 1,700 items still require the approval of state council departments, he said, and his government plans to cut that by a third echoing recent comments from the president, li said the government would lead by example, reducing spending on government offices, buildings, travel and hospitality instead, money would be redirected toward social spending 'we need to win the trust of the people by promoting frugality,' li said he said the government would strive to be 'the guardian of social fairness,' and work to narrow what he called the 'two biggest gaps' between the people; urban and rural dwellers, and people from different regions 'we need to raise the level at which social security funds are managed and in the area of medical and old age insurance, we need to make sure that people can reimburse their expenses and transfer their accounts to where they currently reside' achieving economic stability remained the government's priority, the premier said, while repeating economic targets this year of 75% annual growth 'our trade will continue to grow and even at a high speed in the years ahead,' li said ' that will create enormous opportunities for the world' however, economic growth will not come at the cost of the environment, he said, adding that complaints about pollution and tainted food supplies had been heard cnn's jaime florcruz contributed to this report | mortacious behowl mythic | no related information |
(cnn) this is what party modernization looks like last friday, sen rob portman of ohio announced he is now a supporter of the freedom to marry what changed his thinking after voting against gay rights in the past? finding out that his son a yale sophomore was gay, and realizing that sexual orientation is not a choice but an innate quality 'i have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married,' he said portman's change of heart is significant because he is the highest ranking elected republican in america, who is currently in office, to endorse same sex marriage but he joins a growing number of republicans who have already done just that indeed, portman is just the latest addition to an increasingly common occurrence in republican politics at the county, city and state level to date 208 elected republican state legislators have voted to legalize same sex marriage in 13 states: connecticut, illinois, maine, massachusetts, minnesota, maryland, new hampshire, new york, new jersey, rhode island, vermont, washington and wyoming only nine states and the district of columbia allow same sex marriage, but gop elected officials have voted for marriage when it came up for vote in their legislative chambers in illinois, wyoming and rhode island, though the law hasn't yet passed in those states sutter: gay people live in 50 americas the conservative argument for marriage includes a recognition of the traditional value of marriage as a stabilizing force in society another, economic argument holds that married individuals tend to accumulate more wealth than single individuals (putting them at lesser risk of state dependency), not to mention that marriage produces more government revenue through taxation california's ban on same sex marriage cost san francisco $372 million per year in receipts, according to ted egan, chief economist in the san francisco controller's office the elected officials who support same sex marriage are surfing a rapidly rising tide among republican rank and file a new abc/washington post poll shows that 52% of republicans younger than 50 support same sex marriage there are good reasons for this conservative faith traditions argue rightly for strict religious protections in the law so that churches, synagogues and mosques aren't forced to perform ceremonies inconsistent with their religious teachings but americans' diverse religious backgrounds have the golden rule in common, and conservatives in favor of civil marriage argue that it is consistent with faith traditions for republican policies to treat others, including gays and lesbians, with the same level of respect and fairness under the law that we wish for ourselves constitutional conservatives point to the role of the courts in protecting fundamental rights they argue that marriage is such a right, enshrined in the constitution, and one that cannot be subject to the whims or tyranny of a majority of voters, even if they were to wish to limit the freedoms of gay and lesbians more and more republicans are recognizing and respecting the essential dignity of individuals who are gay and deserve the full rights of citizenship, just like their straight brothers and sisters opinion: gay marriage, then group marriage? these are the messages that last november brought republicans and independents to the voting booth in maryland, maine and washington, where same sex marriage was approved for the first time by voters, not courts or legislatures minnesotans, who rejected a constitutional ban on same sex marriage in november, are now poised to legalize marriage this legislative season, with the historic distinction of bipartisan support: republican state sen branden petersen is a co sponsor of the bill the timing of portman's announcement is no accident in less than a week, theodore olson, george w bush's solicitor general and a charter member of the conservative federalist society, will argue before the united states supreme court that same sex couples have a constitutional right to marry accompanying him is an amicus brief, signed by 135 prominent republicans, (i was also a co signer) making the conservative case for same sex marriage, an effort organized by former republican national committee chair ken mehlman it's hard to imagine that the justices aren't taking notes on our country's rapid transformation on this issue the final safe haven within the conservative movement for anti gay bigotry the american conservative union's cpac convention, held last week in maryland received more than a few hearty smackdowns the editors of national review, the conservative movement's founding publication, chided cpac's exclusion of gay conservatives, which was followed by a convention panel hosted by the competitive enterprise institute entitled, 'a rainbow on the right: growing the coalition, bringing tolerance out of the closet' (full disclosure: i spoke on that panel) listen: voices from the southern closet finally, the conservative intellectual pillar charles murray took the cpac stage to argue that the conservative movement must accept same sex marriage if it wishes to win elections in the future the data are inescapable: 62% of all republicans believe in either same sex marriage or another form of legal recognition of same sex relationships and 73% of republicans support employment nondiscrimination protections for gays and lesbians at this point, the support for same sex marriage from former vice president cheney, former first lady laura bush and former secretary of state colin powell is icing on the cake in the words of portman, this is less a partisan issue than a generational issue portman embodies the formula for gop modernization: a conservatism that unapologetically applies the principle of individual freedom consistently to both fiscal and social policy the senator has breathed new life into a national party grasping for traction with young americans to regain relevance, the beltway's republican establishment organizations owe a debt of gratitude to leaders like portman, peterson and new york rep richard hanna for representing their family's and friends' right to equal freedom and opportunity they, and others like them, are making the case for a relevant modern conservative movement pro marriage freedom republicans are on the right side of history and in time their courage and contributions will help erase the stain of bigotry that holds the conservative movement back and stops us from connecting to a rising generation of americans the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of margaret hoover | margaret hoover rob portman gop hoover | margaret hoover: sen rob portman most recent gop'er to support same sex marriage . she says conservative values, golden rule allow more in gop to accept change . she says more in gop see marriage as stabilizing force, good for economy . hoover: to regain relevance with voters, the gop must reject bigotry that holds it back |
(cnn) homeland security secretary janet napolitano arrived in afghanistan on friday and planned to spend new year's eve with us troops in the region she reviewed security operations at a key point along the pakistani border, part of an ongoing us effort to strengthen afghanistan's border police 'building and maintaining a strong border crossing system is critical to the stability and security of afghanistan,' napolitano said in a written statement 'over the past year, the department of homeland security has worked closely with the afghan government to help establish a border security and customs system to counter terrorism while facilitating legitimate travel and trade' after her border visit, napolitano had lunch with a group of us and allied troops napolitano is scheduled to meet with a number of senior us and afghan officials during her visit, part of a week long trip that also includes stops in qatar, israel and belgium six us border security and customs officers are traveling with napolitano, an earlier statement said recent us led training efforts in afghanistan have focused on stopping bulk cash smuggling and shipments of ammonium nitrate, according to a november statement released by the state department | napolitano afghanistan pakistan us afghan week long qatar israel belgium | new: napolitano visits a key crossing point on the afghanistan pakistan border . the trip comes as us officials are working to help strengthen afghanistan's border police . napolitano is scheduled to meet with senior us and afghan officials . the visit is part of a week long trip that also includes stops in qatar, israel and belgium |
(cnn) schadenfreude joy at the misfortune of others is a bad thing so i've been trying to resist temptation these past months as i watch attorney general eric holder deal with public and congressional reaction to the 'fast and furious' scheme, the failed attempt by the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives to seed and then track us firearms to mexican drug cartels fast and furious was a secretive, high risk operation seemingly intended to deal with an intractable problem abroad on those grounds, some may be tempted to equate it to a cia covert action but even if some attributes are similar tough problem, edgy solution, inherent complexity, great secrecy, high operational and political risk it was definitely not a covert action since those are clearly defined in an executive order as the province of the central intelligence agency beyond that, if it had been a true covert action, the attorney general would have had to give his opinion as to its lawfulness beforehand; the implementing agency would have had to exhaustively articulate risk; the national security council would have had to judge it favorably; president barack obama would have had to authorize it; and the congress would have had to be briefed before its implementation and all concerned would have had the opportunity to reject a bad idea, whatever its rationale these routine safeguards not only protect agencies, their leaders and their officers from legal and political jeopardy, they also protect the government from serious missteps now holder, without such safeguards in place, must defend himself against some very tough accusations, including one by some skeptics that the operation was intended principally to discredit, and thereby justify further regulation of, firearms dealers this is where the schadenfreude comes in after the congressional elections of 2006, the cia was forced to defend edgy (often controversial and sometimes unsuccessful) actions in a tough political environment president george w bush was politically weakened, the senate and the house were under democratic control and a presidential election was in the offing on the hill, the questions were aggressive, often partisan and, in my view, sometimes even deeply mean spirited and unfair to the many intelligence professionals who were putting their lives and careers on the line in a very successful effort to protect america from further attack the agency dealt with the committees as best a nonpolitical organization could, fully recognizing that, although congressional oversight was a necessary instrument, it could sometimes be a difficult one but any personal instinct toward some common 'executive branch' empathy for holder is muted not only by the dubious character of fast and furious, but by some of the attorney general's other actions, as well while out of office, for example, he famously called for a 'reckoning' for cia officers and other officials who authorized and conducted operations that were edgy and risky and intended to deal with difficult circumstances once in office, he launched a 'reckoning' of cia renditions, detentions and interrogations of terrorists by directing the justice department to reopen investigations closed years before by career prosecutors this decision was opposed by then cia director leon panetta and seven of his predecessors, and holder reportedly made the decision without reading detailed memos prepared by those career prosecutors declining to pursue further proceedings the cia officers affected by this may be forgiven some feelings of irony when they now hear the attorney general repudiating some of the charges made against his officers by stating: 'those who serve in the ranks of law enforcement are our nation's heroes and deserve our nation's thanks, not the disrespect that is being heaped on them by those who see political advantage' of course, it was also holder who decided in 2009 to release what had been secret doj memos outlining the details and providing the legal justification for the bush administration's interrogation program the release was defended by the administration as part of a broad commitment to 'transparency' holder may have had even more in mind though as, according to a contemporary newsweek account of the decision, the leadership of the department of justice calculated that 'if the public knew the details, there would be a groundswell of support for an independent probe,' and that when the decision to release those memos had been made, the attorney general and his leadership team 'celebrated quietly, and waited for the national outrage to begin' later that summer, holder also released a previously classified cia inspector general report on the interrogation program as the administration seemed to be actively shaping this story to put its predecessor's actions in the worst possible light as i said, schadenfreude is a bad thing but it is sometimes hard to avoid, especially when life seems to come full circle attorney general eric holder has made it clear that he thinks he has been subjected to a heavily politicized process over fast and furious if he has and that's still an if i suspect that some folks at cia know exactly how he feels follow cnn opinion on twitter join the conversation on facebook the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael v hayden | cia fast and furious ag eric holder hayden holder | former cia director says 'fast and furious' operation causing problems for ag eric holder . he says the scrutiny is similar to the attention paid to cia covert operations . hayden says holder was among those who failed to understand the need for risky operations . he says holder now defends law enforcement 'heroes' who 'deserve our nation's thanks' |
(cnn) ricky hatton has hung up his gloves after suffering a ninth round knockout in his comeback fight against vyacheslav senchenko the 34 year old, who was fighting for the first time since suffering a second round defeat by manny pacquiao in 2009, had hoped to relaunch his career after deciding to return to the ring 'the hit man' as he is affectionately known, had endured a troubled time since quitting the sport following the loss to pacquiao hatton had faced a battle with drink, drugs and depression before deciding to give boxing one last shot but the former two weight world champion was shown no mercy by his opponent and was left to rue a career ending defeat end game a badly bruised hatton told reporters: 'i found out tonight it isn't there no more i'm a straight shooter and i tell the truth i can look at myself in the mirror and tell myself i did my best, but there is always an excuse to find 'i got in the best shape i possibly could, but if i hadn't been hit with that body shot i would have just scraped over the line with a points win and i honestly think i would still be telling you all the same thing 'a fighter knows and i know it isn't there any more it's too many hard fights, i've burned the candle at both ends, i've put my body through the mire in and out of the ring but it doesn't matter how hard i train, i couldn't have done any better 'i'm a happy man tonight i don't feel like putting a knife to my wrists i have got the answers i needed 'i got the opportunity and i got the answers and no matter how upsetting it is, i have got to be a man and say it is the end of ricky hatton' career hatton became the british light welterweight champion in 2000 after going 21 fights unbeaten he followed that up the following year by winning the wbu light welterweight title it was in 2005 that he secured his legacy, defeating the then ibf light welterweight champion kostya tszyu he claimed a points victory over luis collazo in 2006 to seal the wba welterweight title defeat to floyd mayweather jr in december 2007 hit him hard, but hatton returned to the ring with victories over juan lazcano and paulie malignaggi in 2008 it was his brutal beating by pacquiao in may 2009 which looked to have ended his career before he announced his shock return to the sport last september | forenotion cardiopathic dashiki | no related information |
(cnn) a rising canadian folk singer was killed by coyotes this week in a national park in nova scotia, a park spokesman said thursday taylor mitchell, 19, was at the beginning of the skyline trail in cape breton highlands national park on tuesday afternoon when she was attacked, according to chip bird, the parks canada field unit superintendent for cape breton bird said hikers saw the coyotes attacking mitchell and called 911 she was airlifted to a hospital in halifax, where she died about 12 hours later, he said mitchell was recently nominated for young performer of the year honors by canadian folk music awards she was touring the maritime provinces and had a break between gigs to go hiking tuesday, her manager, lisa weitz, said in an e mail 'she loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity,' she wrote 'words can't begin to express the sadness and tragedy of losing such a sweet, compassionate, vibrant, and phenomenally talented young woman,' weitz said 'her warmth, loving nature, astounding artistry, and infectious enthusiasm will be so missed and forever remembered' read more about who taylor mitchell was mitchell, who was originally from the georgian bay area in ontario, lived in toronto, weitz said bird said the area where the attack occurred is popular and well traveled it remained closed, and park authorities had shot one coyote believed to be involved a pathologist will test the animal's body for diseases that might have triggered the attack, he said searches for other aggressive animals in the park continue, he said 'public safety is our primary concern,' he said he said no other coyote attacks had ever occurred in the park 'we've had coyotes approach people too closely,' he said, and about six years ago one nipped a person that animal was killed because of 'lack of fear,' he said but tuesday's attack is 'unprecedented and a totally isolated incident,' he said in a written statement, emily mitchell described her daughter as 'a seasoned naturalist and well versed in wilderness camping she loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity tragically it was her time to be taken from us so soon 'we take a calculated risk when spending time in nature's fold it's the wildlife's terrain,' emily mitchell's statement continued 'when the decision had been made to kill the pack of coyotes, i clearly heard taylor's voice say, 'please don't, this is their space' she wouldn't have wanted their demise, especially as a result of her own she was passionate about animals, was an environmentalist, and was also planning to volunteer at the toronto wildlife centre in the coming months' send your stories, photos of mitchell michael johnston, mitchell's producer for her debut album, 'for your consideration,' said the singer was a 'brilliant and beautiful light that people were naturally drawn to' 'she was so young and talented her big dreams were a perfect match with her big, kind heart' he said he and his family would soon be organizing a celebration of her life coyote attacks on humans are extremely rare, said michael o'brien, wildlife manager of furbearers and upland game for nova scotia it is 'not expected or normal behavior,' he said, although he said there had been aggressive incidents in nova scotia before, but no deaths illness, injury and familiarity with humans can affect an animal's behavior, he said | taylor mitchell the skyline trail cape breton highlands national park mitchell halifax young performer of the year canadian folk music awards | taylor mitchell was at the skyline trail in cape breton highlands national park . hikers saw coyotes attack mitchell and called 911; she later died at a halifax hospital . park where attack occurred remains closed; coyote believed to be involved has been shot . mitchell was nominated for young performer of the year by canadian folk music awards |
(cnn) a florida grand jury this week found that two deputies in pensacola should not be criminally charged in the wounding of an unarmed man, who was shot at 15 times while he was in his own driveway roy middleton, 60, was hit by two of those rounds in his legs a metal rod had to be placed inside his left leg, which was shattered he spoke to cnn exclusively in august 'how do i feel about what happened? how would anybody feel getting shot?' middleton asked middleton's attorney, lorenzo williams, told cnn on wednesday that his client was distraught over the grand jury decision 'this will not preclude mr middleton from moving forward with a civil action,' he said the officers were in fear for their own safety, the sheriff said in an interview after the incident the story began early july 27 when middleton was returning to his pensacola neighborhood searching for a cigarette while inside his white lincoln town car, he appeared to have been mistaken for a car thief by a concerned neighbor who called 911 escambia county sheriff's deputy jeremiah meeks and sgt matthew white responded to the call 'he came out of the car with more of a lunging motion coming out of the car, and the deputies were standing behind him and he had what appeared to be a metallic object in his hand,' said sheriff david morgan 'the tragedy of this is the noncompliance to the directions of law enforcement officers,' morgan said in august 'had that occurred, we wouldn't be having this discussion it's a tragedy all the way around he is both a suspect and a victim' according to the investigative report, middleton had his keys and a small flashlight in his hand meeks testified that he thought a gun was being pointed at him he fired 12 shots and white fired three times the case was turned over to the florida department of law enforcement (fdle) it provided a report to the escambia county state attorney, which took the case to the grand jury in the fdle report, middleton allegedly told investigators that he used crack cocaine and alcohol the day before, but only drank two beers earlier on the day of the shooting but, the investigative report also states, 'toxicology records reflected the presence of cocaine and amphetamines in a urine sample taken from middleton upon being admitted to the emergency room' middleton's attorney says the drugs allegedly in his client's system do not matter 'i don't think it had any effect whatsoever how did they make an observation that he was committing a crime? how could he present harm to a law enforcement officer? he was found by his car, with blood on the seat,' said williams middleton was among those testifying before the grand jury last month, district attorney bill eddins told cnn, 'this (case) is a little different than a typical case where a prosecutor seeks an indictment i am remaining neutral' 'in this community, in order for the general public to have confidence in the criminal justice system, it's more appropriate for a cross section of our community to review the case, ' eddins said 'it would be more appropriate for the grand jury to decide the grand jury recommended more intensive training for the first four years of an officer's career, and that this case be re created for training purposes morgan, in a statement released wednesday, said his office will begin an internal investigation to determine whether there were any policy violations in the shooting 'the outcome of this internal investigation will be based on facts and law, just as the process has been to this point the deputies involved are assigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the internal investigation,' he said in a press release but williams believes the grand jury's message to the sheriff bolsters his client's case 'they have to improve their training programs,' he told cnn 'it sends a strong signal to the sheriff's department that they are negligent in the training of their officers in the use of deadly force' florida police run over man, killing him | roy middleton escambia county middleton | roy middleton was shot by escambia county sheriff's officers . a grand jury declines to indict them in july incident . sheriff maintains that middleton did not respond to the deputies' commands |
(cnn) five days ago, justin bieber wasn't worried about a thing and it wasn't because he didn't have a reason to be the pop star has been under investigation for alleged involvement in a january 9 egg attack on a neighbor's home one that caused an estimated $20,000 in damages but you wouldn't know it from his tweets after police raided his calabasas, california, home and seized his security footage and iphone, bieber was on instagram sharing photos of a snowy vacation with friends his carefree attitude was emphasized in an instagram post he captioned, 'worried about nothing'' while the media has been running in circles over allegations ranging from drug abuse to public urination, bieber's social life at least as depicted on his social media accounts never faltered here's a breakdown of how bieber's been spending his free time in the days leading up to his arrest: getting new ink biebs has gotten so many tattoos that they can make up their own guide on january 12 he shared a photo of a freshly inked compass maybe he was feeling a little lost snowboarding for the past week, we've heard little from bieber that didn't include him hanging out with friends word has it that the star has been thoroughly enjoying his break from concerts and work commitments lounging (sometimes shirtless, because why not?) nothing says wealth like a near empty chest of drawers and a selfie taken in slippers at least, that's how we're interpreting this instagram post from five days ago or maybe he's trying to signal that his shorts were hanging a little low because of all the cash in his pockets? the prior shirtless snapshot is a little easier to figure out the kid is always thinking of his fans pranking friends no one knows whether it's bieber's butt that's mooning a snoozing lil za one of bieb's regular pals or someone else's, but he did feel comfortable sharing the bro prank with the world smoking cuban cigars and shooting hoops we know that bieber flew down to miami on a monday, and the reports of what he's being doing there aside from his recent arrest include spending $75,000 in a strip club bieber hasn't confirmed that bit of gossip, but we do know he's recently lit up at least one cuban cigar and been to lil wayne's miami area skate park tagging justin bieber's love for graffiti art has only increased in recent years and sometimes it gets him into trouble yet it wasn't tagging his initials that got him popped by the cops in miami cruising in a lamborghini we all know how this turned out but before the police arrived, bieber and his car companion who's been identified as model chantel jeffries were captured enjoying a night drive, an image shared on bieber's friend khalil's instagram account all of which leads up to the early hours of january 23, when bieber was arrested on charges of drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license obviously, given the circumstances, we can imagine that the star won't be sharing any twitter updates for a while | justin bieber miami florida january 23 the week and a half instagram first khalil | justin bieber was arrested in miami, florida, on january 23 . in the week and a half leading up to his arrest, he's been vacationing with friends . on instagram, he first shared photos of a snowy getaway . his friend khalil also posted photos of the two in miami |
(cnn) to robust applause from the gathered faithful, pope francis called sunday for a day of prayer and fasting over the violence in syria devoting the totality of his weekly remarks in st peter's square to the civil war in syria, francis invited 'all men of good will' to join with catholics on september 7 to take part in the prayer and fast he condemned in strong and personal terms the recent use of of chemical weapons 'i tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart,' francis said 'there is a judgment of god and of history upon our actions which is inescapable!' the pontiff urged a peaceful ending to the conflict 'never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake' the pope said, his voice rising 'war begets war, violence begets violence' in recent days the united states, britain and france have had high profile debates about the merits of military intervention in syria britain's parliament dealt a blow to prime minister david cameron's desire for military action in the united states, president barack obama announced his intention to get congressional approval for any military involvement the french government is expected to discuss the matter early next week while francis did not mention any of those efforts specifically, he called on the 'international community to make every effort to promote clear proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on dialogue and negotiation' on september 7, he said, people will gather at st peter's square from 7 pm to midnight, while other churches hold similar community events 'humanity needs to see these gestures of peace' he said | day syria | pope denounces chemical weapons use . he calls for day of prayer and fasting for syria . he invites 'all men of good will' to join . the pontiff appeals for peaceful efforts to end conflict |
karbala, iraq (cnn) a female suicide bomber apparently targeting shiite worshippers killed at least 40 people and wounded at least 65 in karbala on monday, according to an interior ministry official iraqi security forces gather around the site of a car bomb explosion in baghdad on monday the incident occurred one half mile from the imam hussein shrine of karbala karbala is a shiite holy city, and the imam hussein shrine is one of shiite islam's holiest locations the shrine marks the burial spot of hussein bin ali, the grandson of the prophet mohammed, who was killed in battle nearby in 680 no more information was immediately available about the blast southwest of the capital city, baghdad earlier monday, in baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded near an iraqi police patrol, killing one officer and wounding another, the interior ministry told cnn a short time later, another roadside bomb exploded near an iraqi police patrol on palestine street in eastern baghdad, wounding four bystanders, a ministry official said the first attack took place about 8:30 am in the upscale mansour neighborhood, where law enforcement officials have come under frequent attacks in recent weeks also monday, two american soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb north of baghdad, officials said the incident occurred about 12:20 pm as the soldiers were 'conducting a route clearance combat operation north of baghdad,' according to a news release the names of the soldiers were not immediately released meanwhile, us vice president dick cheney arrived in the iraqi capital monday on an unannounced visit cheney told reporters that the five years in iraq since the war's start has been 'well worth the effort' he said he met with top iraqi officials he appeared at a news conference with gen david petraeus, the top us commander in iraq, and ryan crocker, the us ambassador to the country cheney began a trip to the middle east on sunday with an official itinerary that listed stops in oman, saudi arabia, turkey, israel and the west bank, according to the white house e mail to a friend cnn's mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report | carryovers oisin premultiplier | no related information |
(cnn) he travels in private jets and is one of the world's highest paid athletes, but fernando alonso's humble beginnings are never far away from his thoughts he recalls with fondness those childhood days when he used to race go karts the precursor to his enormous success on the formula one circuit free of any pressure back then he didn't have to worry about points or standings his passion for motorsport stemmed from his father jose luis, himself a former go kart driver, and alonso is also quick to remember the sacrifices his parents made as they drove him around spain and europe during his rise through the ranks his mother ana maria would even make his racing outfits, adjusting the size of his overalls as her son grew up 'one of the most important things that i received from my parents was to have always this sense of family and to be united,' the ferrari star who has an older sister, lorena tells cnn's human to hero series 'you always have little fights with your family, with your sister when you're a kid, but at the end of the day you must know that family will always be there' alonso admits he wants to have children of his own one day, but for now he is focused on trying to win more titles with arguably the most famous formula one team in the world, the iconic 'rosso corsa' of ferrari talking to cnn at an exhibition of memorabilia in madrid documenting his illustrious career, the 32 year old reflects on his early days in oviedo a city in northwest spain, in the province of asturias 'my father was the one to introduce the adrenaline and the passion for racing into the family,' alonso says 'the go kart i had when i was three years old was going very, very slow basically my father was walking alongside me to control the steering wheel or if i was doing any funny things 'the weekends were probably a nightmare for (my parents) because they needed to take the car, they needed to drive maybe 10 hours with me asleep in the back and then have a race somewhere and then come home because they needed to work and i needed to go to school' alonso showed promise from a young age, but his mother and father made it clear that the priority wasn't landing trophies 'first it was to study,' he says 'if i do well, i keep racing in go karts 'i needed to do all the exams i missed a lot of lessons and i needed to recover i needed to recover in the back of the car reading books, so that was my school probably' with his family's support, alonso flourished becoming a megastar who last year was rated 19th in forbes' top earning athletes list on $30 million, and is considered f1's most marketable driver his first 'key' moment, he says, was winning the spanish national championships in 1994 'i felt that this was a good moment and i would keep this trophy all my life because you never think that you will continue,' says alonso, a cycling enthusiast, too, who hopes to have his own team 'i didn't know if i would race anymore in go karts or if my family would take me to the next weekend's race you never know 'you just enjoy the present and maybe that was the nice thing about that period of my career when i was a go kart driver 'you enjoy that sunday you don't think anymore because you don't know if there is something more coming' in alonso's case, plenty did come in 1998, he was runner up at the european karting championships and two years later finished fourth in formula 3000 alonso made his formula one debut with minardi in 2001 but wasn't thinking of winning that day in melbourne he was just happy he didn't crash 'we didn't have any preseason test because the car wasn't ready,' he recalls 'it was just ready for the first race they explained briefly what the steering wheel was, the buttons to press 'there was a panic moment because i did not know what the neutral button was, and i was trying to find it i had one second or i would crash somewhere' despite not tallying a single point in 2001, alonso caught the eye and soon moved to renault, where in 2005 at the age of 24 he became f1's youngest world champion a record since beaten by lewis hamilton and reigning titleholder sebastian vettel 'when you're world champion, there are many memories from the past, 20 years in different motorsports,' says alonso 'you arrive in formula one, you win the world championship that's it it's enough for your whole life, probably 'the satisfaction you have in a few minutes of your life when you become champion, it's enough to live forever' yet alonso didn't stop there he repeated as world champion to emulate the likes of ayrton senna his hero 'when i was 10 years old to 15 years old, in my room when i opened the door to get clothes, i had a photo of ayrton with a car he was at suzuka with mclaren and i remember that particular picture every time i open the door of the room' after leaving renault for the first time in 2007, he endured a difficult season with mclaren, clashing with hamilton and finishing third in the championship his problems with the british driver led to accusations that alonso was difficult to work with, but he insists that reports of tensions with his teammates over the years are 'exaggerated' 'it's true that you should beat your teammate to have a better reputation or to have a better result in that weekend,' he says 'but believe me, when we are in a meeting or a debrief after a race, there are zero problems there are only good things, helpful comments from the other driver 'all are working together, if we discover something in the setup, immediately the other driver tests to see that positive result and confirm that that will be our standard setup from that moment on 'so there's a huge communication and a huge teamwork, despite what you read or what you see from the outside' like everyone else on the circuit, he has lagged behind vettel since joining ferrari in 2010, with the red bull driver claiming four consecutive titles this season alonso is joined at the italian team's maranello headquarters by kimi raikkonen the last driver to win the championship for the scuderia back in 2007 felipe massa, the man raikkonen replaced, said last year he thought the two world champions would 'collide' but alonso has welcomed the finn 'i think he's very talented so that is a huge help and huge motivation for myself first and also for the team because the team knows it has to deliver a good car because kimi will deliver a good result,' alonso says 'myself i know i need to deliver my best' and there's nothing he'd like more than adding to his already impressive collection of racing souvenirs 'if you ask me this question in 10 years' time i will tell you that two championships are more than i could dream of i never thought i'd become a formula one driver, i never thought i'd win one grand prix i'm extremely proud and extremely happy with my career,' alonso says 'if you ask me right now i am hungry for victories, hungry for success i will tell you that two championships are not enough' | fernando alonso's spaniard alonso one day 32 year old | the foundation for fernando alonso's success stems from his family . the spaniard remembers with fondness his childhood days of go karting . alonso looks forward to starting his own family one day: 'it is a goal of life'. but for now the 32 year old says he wants to win more formula one titles |
(cnn) thai prosecutors were poised to issue an arrest warrant tuesday for the grandson of the creator of the red bull energy drink who failed to appear in court this week over a fatal hit and run case that sparked nationwide anger prosecutors allege vorayuth yoovidhaya, 28, was behind the wheel of his ferrari on september 3, 2012, when it collided with an on duty policeman on a motorbike in downtown bangkok he is charged with reckless driving causing death, speeding and failing to stop following an accident thai police told cnn that yoovidhaya's lawyer had informed prosecutors his client was in singapore receiving medical treatment for a bout of influenza he contracted while on a business trip and would not be in thailand for his scheduled court hearing thai prosecutor ruecha krairiksh said his no show meant that the speeding charges would lapse but the more serious charges of reckless driving and failing to stop would still apply the reckless driving charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail under thai law 'we can't indict him because the suspect is not present this means the statute of limitations for speeding will expire because the incident occurred on september 3, 2012,' mr ruesha told the nation newspaper he said he would ask the court to withhold bail because of his failure to present himself in court and for postponing meetings with prosecutors his case provoked outrage in thailand last year with online forums denouncing the thai justice system for its perceived leniency towards defendants with money and connections an alleged attempt to cover up the crime which involved police arresting a suspect who pretended to be driving his ferrari at the time of the incident led to the suspension of a police officer and sparked even more outrage yoovidhaya also allegedly paid the family of the victim thai baht 3 million ($97,000) in a bid to stall a civil lawsuit, police said the defendant is the grandson of the chaleo yoovidhya who formulated an energy drink called krathing daeng, or red bull, that first became popular with thai workmen he teamed up with austrian dietrich mateschitz in 1987 and together they built an international drinks brand according to forbes magazine, the yoovidhya empire is worth $78 billion, making them the fourth richest family in thailand chaleo died in march 2012, leaving his heirs a vast estate based on his 49% stake in the iconic drinks brand, as well as interests in hospitals, real estate and sports teams | thai vorayuth red bull yoovidhaya singapore last year | thai prosecutors poised to issue an arrest warrant for vorayuth yoovidhaya . red bull heir accused of reckless driving in hit and run accident involving a policeman . lawyers say yoovidhaya is currently in singapore receiving medical treatment . the case sparked outrage last year with online forums taking aim at the thai justice system |
(cnn) an investigation into the deaths of two people who spent up to two hours inside a 'sweat lodge' at an arizona retreat last week has been elevated from an accidental death investigation to a homicide inquiry, yavapai county sheriff steve waugh told reporters thursday self help author james arthur ray has hired investigators to investigate two deaths at an arizona sweat lodge authorities said james shore, 40, of milwaukee, wisconsin, and kirby brown, 38, of westtown, new york, died friday at the angel valley resort after spending up to two hours in the sauna like sweat lodge nineteen others were treated for injuries one person remained hospitalized thursday in critical condition, waugh said the dead and injured were attending a program by self help author james arthur ray, authorities said a search warrant was executed wednesday at the james ray international offices in carlsbad, california, the sheriff said authorities were attempting to determine whether documents exist on how to construct sweat lodges and on their proper use, as well as documents showing whether participants were advised of the risks of sweat lodges either before or during the program they also were searching for rosters from past events, waugh said police would not say what, if anything, was found in executing the search warrant watch what goes on inside the 'sweat lodge' » asked why the deaths have been classified as homicides and the investigation upgraded, waugh said, 'we believe there are indications that it was not accidental, and we feel that there should be some culpability on some individuals' those individuals could include ray and possibly others, he said a spokesman for ray said authorities should be focusing on the investigation rather than talking to reporters 'the sheriff's department is trying this case in the media,' said howard bragman, noting that thursday's news conference was the sheriff's second this week 'there were no additional facts presented today; there were implications i find words like 'homicide' when they don't have all the facts inflammatory and inappropriate at this time, and i think they're purposely inflammatory let's show as much zeal with the investigation and getting to the facts as they have in trying to tar my client,' bragman said the sweat lodge was meant to be a 'spiritual awakening' exercise for the participants in the 'spiritual warrior' program, waugh said a sweat lodge is a dome like structure covered with tarps and blankets hot rocks and water are used to create steam in the enclosed environment the owners of the resort built the sweat lodge, waugh said, under ray's direction a nurse on ray's staff was present during the event, police have said at least one of those who died was in the back of the structure, waugh said ray was positioned near its door there were no seats, he said; participants either sat or lay on the floor on tuesday, ray said he has hired his own investigators to determine what happened at his arizona retreat, located in a secluded valley 20 minutes from sedona 'i have no idea what happened we'll figure it out,' ray said 'i've lost people i love and really care about' ray is the author of the best selling book 'harmonic wealth: the secret of attracting the life you want' ray, described on his web site as a 'personal success strategist,' has appeared on cnn's 'larry king live' and the 'oprah winfrey show,' and is featured in the self empowerment film 'the secret' the use of sweat lodges for spiritual and physical cleansing is a part of several native american tribes' cultures a traditional native american sweat lodge is a small dome like structure made of willow branches carefully tied together and covered in canvas rocks are heated in a nearby fire pit and placed inside the lodge, and water is poured over them to create steam | arizona james arthur ray ray | 2 die, 19 injured in sweat lodge at arizona retreat . self help author james arthur ray sponsored the program . 'we believe there are indications that it was not accidental,' police say . ray says he's hired private investigators to determine what happened |
(cnn) president barack obama plans to nominate jeh johnson, the pentagon's former top lawyer, to be the next homeland security secretary, sources tell cnn the nomination is expected on friday he must be confirmed by the senate johnson would replace former secretary janet napolitano, who left the cabinet post earlier this year to head california's public university system, and would be the fourth secretary of the department that was created in response to the 9/11 attacks johnson was appointed the defense department's general counsel in 2009 after serving on obama's transition team with 10,000 military and civilian attorneys working for him, johnson was responsible for the prior legal review and approval of every military operation approved by the president and defense secretary he stepped down earlier this year and reentered private practice if confirmed, johnson would take over the top security job following obama's public recalibration of the 'war on terror,' saying may the united states should no longer see it as a 'self defeating' perpetual fight, but one that must at some point end, 'like all wars' the homeland security department is meant to coordinate the us domestic security apparatus, encompassing everything from the fbi to the border patrol it not only keeps an eye on al qaeda and other terror threats, but also covers border security, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity, transportation security and disaster assistance johnson's nomination comes three months after napolitano announced she would step down in july a series of names were floated as potential candidates for the job, including new york city police commissioner ray kelly and boston police commissioner ed davis bergen: jihadist terrorism in america since 9/11 cnn's jake tapper and brianna keilar contributed to this report | jeh johnson cabinet senate johnson | nomination of jeh johnson expected on friday . the cabinet post must be confirmed by the senate . johnson oversaw legal review of all military operations |
(cnn student news) september 5, 2013 from washington to london and paris to moscow, governments are debating a similar topic on thursday, cnn student news looks at what's being said about syria we also report on a legal question involving the us pledge of allegiance, and we discuss the jewish holiday of rosh hashanah plus, our career connections segment returns with a look at the work of park rangers on this page you will find today's show transcript, the daily curriculum, maps pertaining to today's show, and a place for you to leave feedback transcript click here to access the transcript of today's cnn student news program please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published daily curriculum click here for a printable version of the daily curriculum (pdf) media literacy question of the day: what might be some of the challenges of covering the same news story over several days? what are some ways in which reporters can find new perspectives on long running news stories? key concepts: identify or explain these subjects you heard about in today's show: 1 red line 2 pledge of allegiance 3 rosh hashanah fast facts: how well were you listening to today's program? 1 what country's lawmakers have voted against participating in a strike against syria? 2 how long has the rim fire been burning in california? 3 what are some of the duties and responsibilities of a federal park ranger? discussion questions: 1 how do you think that other countries' concerns regarding syria might differ from those of the us? how might they be similar? what questions do you still have about the situation in syria and the international community's debates regarding the middle eastern nation? 2 how do you interpret the pledge of allegiance? what has shaped your views? 3 what are your thoughts on the advice given by the park rangers in the report? would you want to be a park ranger? why or why not? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists and educators who consider the common core state standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show and curriculum we hope you use our free daily materials along with the program, and we welcome your feedback on them maps download pdf maps related to today's show: north america yosemite national park kennesaw mountain massachusetts europe sweden united kingdom france russia feedback we're looking for your feedback about cnn student news please use this page to leave us comments about today's program, including what you think about our stories and our resources also, feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom the educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well thank you for using cnn student news! click here to submit your roll call request | the daily curriculum key concepts | this page includes the show transcript, the daily curriculum, and maps . use the transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary . the daily curriculum offers the media literacy question of the day, key concepts, fast facts and discussion questions . at the bottom of the page, please share your feedback about our show and curriculum |
(cnn) missy franklin lives a double life a normal teenager preparing for college, she is also a four time olympic gold medalist who is rewriting swimming's record books when she's not dealing with the usual trials and tribulations of homework and school life, she's stepping out on the red carpet alongside hollywood a listers 'i describe my life as like hannah montana,' the pasadena born, colorado based star told cnn 'during the week i'm totally missy, going to school every day and going to practice and just totally being me 'but then at the weekend i'm flying out to the golden globes, going to these different events it's crazy it feels like i live a double life sometimes 'but the way i describe it also is that it's not like my whole life has changed, just a part of it has changed' while franklin has not yet reached the profile of hannah montana, the schoolgirl/popstar played in the kids' tv series and movies by miley cyrus, she is on her way on sunday, aged 18, franklin helped the us women's relay team to victory in the 4 x 100 meter medley at the world championships in barcelona, giving her a record sixth gold medal of the meeting an unprecedented total for a female swimmer only her legendary compatriot michael phelps has won more gold medals at one championships the 'baltimore bullet' took seven golds at the 2007 event in melbourne when phelps hung up his goggles at the end of london 2012, he charged franklin with matching his legacy and equaling his record haul of 22 olympic medals no pressure then, missy 'on the last night we were in london, he (phelps) had finished swimming, he was done,' recalls franklin 'he looked at me and said, 'i have 56 world records, you're going to try and beat it you gotta get after me' ' franklin was one of a vanguard of young female swimmers who ruled the waves at last year's games china's ye shiwen took two gold medals and stunned the world with her record smashing swim in the final of the women's 400m individual medley, while ruta meilutyte, an unassuming lithuanian, breezed to gold in the 100m breaststroke at the tender age of 15 but it was franklin who made the biggest splash, clinching four gold medals and a bronze to announce herself as swimming's coming force 'i shocked myself!' explains franklin 'i didn't have any of those expectations going in whatsoever, i was just happy to be there happy to be on an amazing olympic team and to be able to call myself an olympian was a huge achievement in itself 'after that i just wanted to get out there and make my country proud that was my only goal, whatever came with it came with it and that happened to be five medals i couldn't have planned it any better' with unexpected success comes new expectations and tough decisions notably she decided to postpone turning pro, temporarily spurning the possibility of earning millions of dollars in endorsements to become arguably the world's most marketable collegiate athlete she also swapped colorado for california, choosing to swim for the university of california's 'golden bears' she plans to join the professional ranks after the 2015 ncaa championships juggling swimming with academia is now her biggest concern 'it's very difficult, it's super hard,' says franklin 'i'm done with high school, which is super sad to think about because i'm going to miss it so much 'you hear about what the olympics can do for someone's career, but it's unbelievable how much it really does i've been able to meet the most incredible people and i think that's been the best part 'going to the golden globes and the vmas (mtv awards), seeing my favorite actors and actresses and singers, going to all of these events and meeting other incredible athletes it's been life changing 'all the work is very hard to keep up with, but all my teachers and my friends are awesome at helping me catch up with homework 'it's all about time management swimming has to happen and homework has to happen, so it's figuring out how to get those things to work together' another role franklin has taken on is to encourage others to take up water based sports she spoke to cnn from the set of 'the current,' a film she is making with fellow american swimmer mallory weggemann a paralympic gold medalist aimed at encouraging people with physical disabilities to take up scuba diving 'we're making an inspirational documentary about helping people with physical disabilities find a passion for scuba diving,' said franklin 'to help them realize that, even if you have a disability, it doesn't mean you can't do these things you might just have to do it a little bit differently 'you can be free, you can let go of everything that's one of my favorite things about swimming, no matter how hard my day was or how tired i am, i can just get into the pool and it doesn't matter 'we're all equal when we get into the water, it's just us and the water the water treats us all exactly the same' despite those sentiments, us swim fans will be hoping 'missy the missile' is without equal when she takes to the pool in future olympic games | missy franklin american us michael phelps olympics | missy franklin becomes first woman swimmer to win six world championship golds . the american teen is juggling school life with sporting success . us swimming legend michael phelps tips her to beat his records . now 18, she won four gold medals and one bronze at london 2012 olympics |
los angeles, california (cnn) amarynth sichel grills cheese sandwiches and sells them to columbia university students five nights a week but sichel's not just a cook; she's also a college student and social entrepreneur in training sichel is the president of one of 23 'feelgood world' chapters on us college campuses, where students donate time and cooking skills to raise money for charity social entrepreneurship has surged on american campuses in the past few years, according to melanie edwards, who lectures on the subject at stanford university 'i believe the rise in 'social e' publicity, coupled with the heightened social problems in our us economy and the world, speaks to the millenials,' edwards said a growing number of college applicants ask about stanford's social entrepreneurship program before applying, and freshman enrollment in 'social e' classes has increased, she said 'i was a devout grilled cheese maker in high school, so for me, joining feelgood was a must,' said sichel 'i have always been committed to groups that are dedicated to uplifting the world when you know you're working for your global family, that's a powerful motivator' sandwich sales help sustainable village programs, including choice humanitarian and the hunger project the social entrepreneurship trend has many schools rethinking curriculum and recruiting strategies harvard recently introduced courses in social entrepreneurship and rewards students' social startups in its annual innovation challenge columbia joined the 'college challenge' a competition among 17 colleges to determine which academic institution has the greatest commitment to civic engagements at babson college, all freshmen take a two semester course that includes 20 hours of community service students are required to create an idea and launch a venture funded by the college they pay back their seed funding with money from sales at the end of the course babson now offers 17 courses in social entrepreneurship, up from five classes in 2005 stanford's alternative spring break has students visiting social enterprises ranging from education to criminal rehabilitation students can also apply for grants to help build their own social enterprises sophomore nishant jacob said he chose stanford because of its 'social e' opportunities 'coming to stanford was an amazing way to get immersed in the world of 'social e',' said jacob, who ran a small startup in bangalore before being admitted to stanford new york university sponsors an annual competition that provides $1,000 seed grants and a prize of $20,000 for teams that develop organizations with a positive, sustainable and measurable impact on their communities the level of enthusiasm and participation has increased among students worldwide, according to gabriel brodbar, director of nyu's reynolds program in social entrepreneurship 'there is a greater recognition today among young people that regardless of sector or profession, they have an active responsibility to meaningfully address some of the intractable social challenges that we are facing,' said brodbar, who is developing a university wide 'social e' concentration as for sichel, she's addressing those social challenges by making one grilled cheese at a time | microzymian coenzymatically erratas | no related information |
(cnn) heavy snowfall in germany has caused part of the roof to collapse at the veltins arena, which hosts bundesliga soccer team schalke 04 the stadium, in gelsenkirchen, stages all schalke's home games and was also due to hold the annual biathlon world team challenge later this week but the event has been cancelled after a deluge of snow over christmas created a hole measuring 1,000 square meters in the roof three fibre glass strips that hold the roof in place were destroyed 'the holes are not going to be closed in time,'' schalke's chairman peter peters said of the biathlon on the club's official website 'the safety of the spectators is the utmost priority'' football's heroes and villains of 2010 the bundesliga is currently on its winter break, with schalke not scheduled to play at the veltins arena until the january 15 clash with hamburg but that match is not thought to be in danger, as it can be played with the roof open 'i am optimistic that we will be able to start the second half of the season according to schedule,' peters said staff had cleared an earlier downfall prior to christmas but were unable to get onto the roof after that due to harsh weather conditions the stadium was opened in 2001 and can hold 61,482 spectators it played host to the 2004 uefa champions league final and staged five games in the 2006 world cup | schalke's veltins arena the world team challenge schalke hamburg | heavy snow causes part of the roof at schalke's veltins arena to collapse . a yearly biathlon, the world team challenge, scheduled for this week has been cancelled . schalke's next home game with hamburg on january 15 not thought to be in danger |
(cnn) a three goal blitz in nine minutes sent arsenal second in the english premier league as they finally ended their hoodoo against champions chelsea by winning 3 1 at emirates stadium on monday night goals from alex song, cesc fabregas and theo walcott put arsene wenger's side two points behind leaders manchester united, and ended a run of five successive defeats to chelsea branislav ivanovic pulled a goal back for the visitors, but it wasn't enough to end their miserable run of form as they continue to search for their first win since early november the gunners were handed a boost before kickoff as spain midfielder fabregas was restored to the starting lineup, as well as dutch striker robin van persie, but chelsea's french forward nicolas anelka was absent with a knee injury football's heroes and villains of 2010 the first half was a scrappy affair as chelsea sat back and invited their opponents to attack them, with neither side creating much in the way of goalscoring opportunities but that all changed five minutes before the break as samir nasri forced chelsea keeper petr cech into a fine save with an effort that was curling towards the top corner and just four minutes later arsenal were ahead song exchanged passes with wilshere, before picking up a loose ball in the area and driving it into the corner of the net the home side came roaring out of the traps in the second half, as walcott latched onto a loose pass from michael essien and drew cech before squaring to fabregas, who stroked the ball into an empty net on 51 minutes little more than a minute later the roles were reversed as fabregas clipped a ball through to walcott, who fired low past cech from the edge of the area chelsea gave themselves a glimmer of hope on 57 minutes as ivanovic glanced didier drogba's curling freekick into the net, but despite committing plenty of men forward the champions couldn't fashion a way back into the match nasri and abou diaby had chances to compound chelsea's misery, but both squandered late opportunities chelsea's defeat is bound to heap more pressure on their italian manager carlo ancelotti, who has presided over a wretched run of just one win in eight games 'we have to wake up because we are asleep,' he told sky sports after the game 'we did not play well but arsenal did and they deserved to win we must stay focused and continue to work hard' arsenal boss wenger said: 'we were disciplined, played for each other and were less nervous and perhaps less adventurous at some stages 'let's hope the game has strengthened our belief and that we can challenge for the championship' | arsenal chelsea alex song cesc fabregas theo walcott branislav ivanovic manchester united | arsenal beat chelsea 3 1 in the english premier league on monday . goals from alex song, cesc fabregas and theo walcott see off reigning champions . chelsea managed a consolation through branislav ivanovic but their poor run continues . arsenal move into second place, two points behind leaders manchester united |
(cnn) for two weeks in 1976, nadia comaneci was probably the most recognizable person on the planet comaneci scored seven perfect 10s in montreal in 1976 just 14 years old and standing less than five feet tall, the elfin romanian was the undisputed star of that year's games in montreal after becoming the first gymnast in history to score a perfect 10 comaneci finished up with three gold medals and just to prove that her initial effort had been no fluke seven perfect scores her initial performance on the uneven parallel bars was greeted with uproar as the three digit scoreboard, struggling to cope with what had been considered an unachievable feat, flashed up 100 comaneci finished with four perfect 10s and the gold medal on the bars, but it was on the balance beam, one of gymnastics' most dangerous disciplines, that comaneci truly dazzled seemingly fearless, comaneci pirouetted and back flipped her way to two more perfect 10s and her second gold her final perfect score came in the floor routine as she also collected first place in the overall competition comaneci's transformation into an international celebrity she appeared on the front covers of time, newsweek and sports illustrated in the same week had been as unexpected as it was sudden yet comaneci had been working towards the olympics ever since she had been picked out as a gymnast of rare talents as a six year old growing up in the industrial town of onesti the reality of life as an olympic champion at home in nicolae ceausescu's romania however, was not easy constant surveillance comaneci was honored as a hero of socialist labor on her return home, yet the regime terrified that comaneci would defect after enjoying her taste of western celebrity kept its greatest star under constant surveillance four years later, a very different comaneci returned to olympic competition in moscow as an 18 year old, she was four inches taller, 20 pounds heavier and suffering from sciatica a teenage starlet already starting to fade still, comaneci was able to retain her gold medal on the balance beam, and collected another one in the floor exercises but she was also involved in one of the bitterest incidents of the games when she was controversially beaten in the all round competition by the soviet gymnast yelena davydova it took the judges 28 minutes to decide the result and, ultimately, it was a lower score from the soviet judge perhaps reflecting the worsening relations between the soviet union and its formerly loyal satellite that denied comaneci her second straight gold in the event comaneci retired in 1984, traveling to los angeles that year as a team coach, yet she found it difficult to adjust to a life out of the spotlight in 1989, a few weeks before the collapse of the ceausescu regime, she defected to the united states, finally settling in norman, oklahoma to run a gymnastics school after marrying us gymnastics star bart conner in 1996 in 2000 comaneci was named as one of the athletes of the century by the laureus world sports academy e mail to a friend | anthracemia viscounty blastocarpous | no related information |
(cnn) the most compelling action during michigan's primary tuesday will be on the republican side the democratic party has stripped the state of its delegates for moving up its primary date so early, and top tier democratic candidates have taken their names off the ballot, except for sen hillary clinton the struggling auto industry has been a drag on michigan's economy in many ways, the republican battle for michigan will be similar to last week's new hampshire contest the primary is open, and any registered voter including independents and democrats can participate sen john mccain won new hampshire with the help of independent voters, and he is campaigning hard to re create that success in michigan in 2000, mccain defeated then texas gov george w bush in the michigan primary in that vote, more than half 52 percent were either independents or democrats among republican voters, mccain lost to bush 29 percent to 66 percent in that contest, almost three out of every 10 voters identified themselves as members of the religious right overall, michigan is a swing state, producing narrow margins of victory for presidential candidates and statewide officeholders however, voting trends favor the democrats michigan's governor, jennifer granholm, is a democrat, as are the state's two us senators carl levin and debbie stabenow the democratic presidential nominee has carried michigan in the last four elections sen john kerry, the democrats' 2004 standard bearer, won michigan 51 percent to 48 percent over president bush the state's economy is powered by the automotive industry, which has experienced its fair share of struggles michigan's unemployment rate, 74 percent, is higher than the national average of 5 percent region by region wayne county, in the southeastern corner of the state, contains the economically depressed detroit, michigan's largest city detroit is predominantly black and solidly democratic north of wayne county are the more affluent suburban counties of oakland and macomb, which have grown in population in the last two decades these two counties have been the state's central political battleground in recent elections west of wayne is the 'university belt,' home to the university of michigan in ann arbor and michigan state university in east lansing the area also includes the industrial cities of saginaw and flint, where unions remain strong, as well as jackson and bay city the state's capital, lansing, and the sparsely populated upper peninsula are also part of this region the southwest part of the state is dominated by grand rapids, michigan's second largest city grand rapids is traditionally dutch american and has many christian conservatives and generally votes republican the area also contains smaller industrial cities and farming communities the economy of the sparsely populated north and northwest is based on agriculture, tourism and timber it traditionally votes republican endorsements the detroit free press has endorsed mccain 'while the free press differs with mccain on a number of issues, the arizona senator is a smarter, more tested and pragmatic leader who has shown since 2000 that he knows how to build bipartisan alliances around issues,' the newspaper said in an editorial the detroit news also endorsed mccain, citing his fiscal conservatism and command of military and foreign affairs, over michigan native mitt romney 'other gop contenders, most notably former massachusetts gov mitt romney, are capable figures with impressive resumes and a solid grasp of the issues but mccain's longtime presidential ambitions are at last aligned with the needs of the nation,' the newspaper said e mail to a friend | independents democrats michigan republican democratic | independents, democrats can vote in michigan's open republican primary . no democratic delegates at stake, and most top tier candidates aren't on ballot . economic woes top concern for michigan primary voters |
hong kong (cnn) madeleine pulver's ordeal started last august when a man burst into her room and tied a fake bomb around her neck, and ended on tuesday when he was sentenced to at least 10 years in jail the australian teenager was studying for her final year exams when 52 year old paul douglas peters broke into her suburban sydney home and carried out what the prosecution called an act of 'urban terrorism' 'the terror instilled can only be described as unimaginable,' judge peter zahra told the district court in sydney during sentencing tuesday pulver was in the courtroom, as were her parents, and the man who, on a wednesday afternoon, pushed open their unlocked front door and found the 18 year old student alone in her bedroom armed with a baseball bat and wearing a multi colored balaclava, he told the frightened teenager to sit on the bed while he fixed a bicycle lock attached to a black box around her neck according to court documents, as peters walked away, pulver asked him where we was going 'count to two hundred i'll be back if you move i can see you, i'll be right here,' he replied she waited around her neck was also two page typed note and a usb stick in a plastic sleeve after a few minutes pulver yelled out there was no response she texted her parents: call the police then she read the note 'powerful new technology plastic explosives are located inside the small black combination case delivered to you the case is booby trapped it can only be opened safely, if you follow the instructions and comply with its terms and conditions' with one look at the word 'explosives' she knew what was around her neck she phoned her father call the police, she begged the note went on: 'if you disclose these instructions, future instructions, any correspondence, remittance instructions enclosures, direction or any other relevant fact outlined here or elsewhere, to any federal or state agency, the police or fbi, or to any non family member, it will trigger an immediate brian douglas wells event' pulver phoned her father back don't call the police it was too late sitting alone in her bedroom, pulver was presumably waiting for what would come first, the police or the blast when officers arrived they 'found the victim in a hysterical state and crying uncontrollably,' court documents state read more: new details emerge in australian collar bomb case it's not clear whether the name brian douglas wells meant anything to the australian schoolgirl, but peters had borrowed the name of an american pizza delivery man who was killed after a collar bomb fixed to his neck exploded in 2003 he was forced to wear the device by co conspirators in a bank heist it exploded as he sat in a parking lot soon after being stopped by police peters was only in the house for a matter of minutes, but it would take police nine hours to determine that the box contained no explosives, and 10 hours to remove it the entire time pulver supported the box with her hands for fear it may explode outside the court tuesday, pulver expressed relief at the sentencing 'i am pleased with today's outcome and that i can now look to a future without paul peters' name being linked to mine,' she told the assembled media behind the events of that day is the tragic unraveling of a once successful man's life, from an international career in finance to divorce and a heavy drinking problem, where the lines between fact and fiction became increasingly blurred according to court documents, peters was an above average student who left university with a double degree in law and economics he had a successful career in hong kong, where he grew up, before moving to the us with his second wife and young family to take a high level position with a us firm promoted to be managing director of the same firm, he 'achieved substantial financial rewards and maintained a high lifestyle' however, around six years ago, his marriage broke down his wife filed for divorce and told him that he wouldn't see his children again according to court documents, peters told one of three psychiatrists asked to examine him that 'that is where the story really starts' disillusioned with the banking industry, peters moved back to asia and started writing a book initially it was a historical novel set in hong kong, but morphed into a tale of revenge featuring a character called 'john chan' peters told the examining psychiatrist that he as became more involved in his book he took on chan's persona according to court documents, 'he said the suburb of mosman was like the hong kong peak and he wanted to create in his own mind what the nemesis in his book could have been doing' during sentencing, the judge debunked suggestions that peters was motivated by a confused reality and said the motive, beyond reasonable doubt, was extortion 'the offender intended to place the very young victim in fear that she was going to be killed in order to ensure compliance with the directions in the demand the offender did so in order to extort money from the victim,' judge zahra said the plan ultimately failed, the judge said, because police were called, the media was alerted, and peters decided to abandon his efforts to extort money five days after entering the house, peters flew from sydney to los angeles before boarding a connecting flight to louisville, kentucky he was arrested there on august 15 and later extradited to australia it remains unclear why peters targeted an 18 year old girl and it would be 'unproductive to speculate,' said judge zahra outside the court, bill pulver said of his daughter: 'maddie pulver is a very, very special young lady who has handled herself with incredible poise and dignity we're unbelievably proud of her' peters was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison, with a non parole period of 10 years | archontia hypochnose goetae | no related information |
baghdad, iraq (cnn) four us soldiers died in a roadside bombing in iraq on sunday, military officials reported, bringing the american toll in the 5 year old war to the grim milestone of 4,000 deaths troops emerge from a bunker after receiving the 'all clear' sunday following a truck bombing in mosul the four were killed when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device while patrolling a neighborhood in southern baghdad, the us military headquarters in iraq reported sunday night a fifth soldier was wounded in the attack, which took place about 10 pm (3 pm et) the us milestone comes just days after americans marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the war 'no casualty is more or less significant than another; each soldier, marine, airman and sailor is equally precious and their loss equally tragic,' rear admiral gregory smith, the us military's chief spokesman in iraq, said 'every single loss of a soldier, sailor, airman or marine is keenly felt by military commanders, families and friends both in theatre and at home,' smith said of the 4,000 us military personnel killed in the war, 3,263 have been killed in attacks and fighting and 737 in non hostile incidents, such as traffic accidents and suicides eight of the 4,000 killed were civilians working for the pentagon many of those killed over the years, like the four soldiers slain on sunday in baghdad, have been targeted by improvised explosive devices the roadside bombs that have been described as the weapon of choice for insurgents and a weapon that has come to symbolize iraq's tenacious insurgency the existence of the pentagon's joint improvised explosive device defeat organization has been developed to counter the threat of ieds in iraq as well as afghanistan the group calls ieds the 'weapon of choice for adaptive and resilient networks of insurgents and terrorists' watch how ieds have become deadly staple in iraq war » meanwhile, estimates of the iraqi death toll range from about 80,000 to the hundreds of thousands, with another 2 million forced to leave the country and 25 million people displaced within iraq, according to the un high commissioner for refugees president bush ordered us troops into iraq on march 19, 2003, after months of warnings that then iraqi leader saddam hussein was concealing stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and efforts to build a nuclear bomb un weapons inspectors found no sign of banned weapons before the invasion, and the cia later concluded that iraq had dismantled its weapons programs in the 1990s hussein's government fell in early april 2003, and iraq's new government executed him in december 2006 the news of the 4,000 mark came on the same day that iraq's national security adviser urged americans to be patient with the progress of the war, contending that it is 'well worth fighting' because it has implications about 'global terror' 'this is global terrorism hitting everywhere, and they have chosen iraq to be a battlefield and we have to take them on,' mowaffak al rubaie said sunday on cnn's 'late edition with wolf blitzer' 'if we don't prevail, if we don't succeed in this war, then we are doomed forever,' he said 'i understand and sympathize with the mothers, with the widows, with the children who have lost their beloved ones in this country 'but honestly, it is well worth fighting and well worth investing the money and the treasure and the sweat and the tears in iraq' nearly 160,000 us troops remain in iraq, and the war has cost us taxpayers about $600 billion, according to the house budget committee the conflict is now widely unpopular among americans: a cnn opinion research corp poll out wednesday found only 32 percent of americans support the conflict and 61 percent said they want the next president to remove most us troops within a few months of taking office in the weekly democratic radio address saturday, sen bob menendez of new jersey said president bush 'took us to war on the wings of a lie' menendez said that the war has depleted the resources and morale of the us military; diverted national attention away from the war in afghanistan, where al qaeda is regrouping; and hurt the hunt for osama bin laden the iraq war has not made americans safer, menendez said, but has instead hurt the us economy the senator called for a 'responsible new direction' regarding iraq cnn learned last week, from several us military officials familiar with the recommendations but not authorized to speak on the record, that senior us military officials are preparing to recommend to bush a four to six week 'pause' in additional troop withdrawals from iraq after the last of the 'surge' brigades leaves in july 'if the conditions on the ground dictate that we have to have a pause, then we will have to have a pause,' al rubaie said the return of all five brigades added to the iraq contingent last year could reduce troop levels by up to 30,000, but still leave approximately 130,000 or more troops in iraq al rubaie emphasized sunday that any drawdown of us troops 'has to be based on the conditions on the ground' 'it depends on the development and the growth and the equipment and the capabilities of the iraqi security forces, and the preparedness of the iraqi security forces,' he said 'this should not be a purely political decision it should be also a technical, military and intelligence decision' but there has been too much 'foot dragging on key governance questions in iraq,' democratic sen ron wyden of oregon said on cnn on sunday 'it seems to me you put off those troop withdrawals, you send exactly the wrong message to the iraqis' on wednesday, bush will visit the pentagon to be briefed by the joint chiefs of staff, chaired by adm michael mullen the american troop level in iraq 'depends on the negotiations that we are engaged in now between the government of iraq and the united states government,' al rubaie said when conditions warrant the withdrawal of american troops, the iraqis will say ''thank you very much, indeed,' ' al rubaie said 'a big, big thank you for the united states of america for liberating iraq, for helping us in sustaining the security gains in iraq and we will give them a very, very good farewell party then' responding to recent remarks from us presidential candidates that iraqis are not taking responsibility for their own future, al rubaie said iraqis are making political and security gains 'literally by the day and by the week, we are gradually assuming more responsibility,' he said, noting that iraqis have taken responsibility for security in many provinces other developments: • us troops raided a suspected suicide bomber cell in diyala province on sunday, killing a dozen militants, half of whom had shaved their bodies which the us military says indicates they were in the final stage of preparation for a suicide attack diyala province stretches north and east of baghdad and has been a major front for us troops fighting militants • several mortars landed in baghdad's international zone on sunday, according to the interior ministry a us embassy spokeswoman said there were no major casualties watch smoke rise from the green zone » • a suicide car bomb exploded at a fuel station sunday in a predominantly shiite neighborhood in northwest baghdad, killing seven people and wounding 12 others, the interior ministry said • a suicide bomber detonated a truck full of explosives outside the main gate of an iraqi military base in mosul, killing at least 10 iraqi soldiers and wounding 35 people, including 20 soldiers, mosul police said the us military put the death toll higher, at 12 • a mortar round landed in a shiite neighborhood in eastern baghdad, killing seven people and injuring nine others, a ministry official said six more mortar rounds landed in other baghdad neighborhoods sunday night, killing three people, the interior ministry said • in southeastern baghdad, gunmen riding in at least two cars opened fire on a crowded outdoor market, killing at least three people and wounding 17 others, the interior ministry said • a suicide bomber detonated a small truck rigged with explosives outside a local awakening council leader's house just east of samarra on saturday, killing at least five people and wounding 13 others, a samarra police official said awakening councils are largely sunni security groups that have been recruited by the us military e mail to a friend cnn's mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report | iraq sixth year american us iraqis sunday | new: as iraq war enters sixth year, american death toll rises to 4,000 . new: four us soldiers killed when their vehicle was hit by an ied . at least 30 iraqis died sunday; 80,000 to 150,000 or more killed since war's start . iraq security adviser said sunday that iraq war is 'well worth fighting' |
(cnn) as the dust settled over gaza and israel on thursday amid relative calm, analysts were weighing who were the winners and losers from the conflict how do the main players in the region now stack up? israel: the conflict represents a qualified victory for the country and its prime minister benjamin netanyahu, according to cnn's paula newton 'just months before an election, netanyahu's government targeted and killed hamas' military leader, ahmed al jaabari hundreds of airstrikes on gaza followed, but, the real victory was possibly the combat debut of iron dome, the us funded defense shield that kept dozens of hamas rockets from hitting israeli civilians' the israeli military itself said the intensity of its airstrikes on gaza meant it made a significant dent in hamas' offensive capability over the eight day conflict, the israel defense forces (idf) looked to deplete some of the estimated 12,000 rockets it says hamas has in its arsenal and destroy tunnels that are said to be used to smuggle weapons but some analysts questioned whether the death of al jaabari really would benefit israel elizabeth o'bagy, from the washington based institute for the study of war, told cnn she believed it was in fact a mistake 'it will lead to the proliferation of extremist groups (in gaza), less control over rocket attacks and an increase in violence against israel' analysis: conflict shifts balance of power in the middle east al jaabari controlled the militias with an iron grip, as jon alterman, for the washington based center for strategic and international studies, pointed out 'there were people in hamas jails for firing rockets at the wrong time and al jaabari was one of the guys who put them in jail now when someone decides to take a pot shot, they can take a pot shot' the background of the conflict took place in a region greatly changed since the last significant violence of 2008 09 in the uk's daily telegraph, richard spencer wrote that the arab spring had changed the situation significantly for israel: 'once it could afford to retreat into a default position of using overwhelming force in its own defence after all, the arab dictators it faced were equally unflinching in their rhetoric, at least, even if their actions often failed to match 'now israel has a political base that is more divided and broad ranging than ever before, and allies that are profoundly uneasy about its policies and suddenly its neighbours are more pluralist hamas has new democratic allies abroad, in many cases allied to the us egypt, turkey and qatar prominent among them' israelis also have elections to think about even before the cease fire was brokered, cnn's nic robertson observed: 'where does this leave israel? simply put, while israel is stronger militarily, it is in a weaker political position than it was in 2009 'the long universal of the arab world is a dislike of the israeli state's treatment of palestinians in the past most arab leaders were dictators, able to take a path far different from the views of the arab street not any more the region's new post arab spring democratically elected leaders are only too aware of the radical hardliners waiting for an opportunity' hamas: despite the deaths and destruction in gaza, the islamist political movement that rules the territory has emerged emboldened from this conflict and its truce, according to some observers 'hamas has emerged stronger, it has consolidated its control over gaza and it has gained now more legitimacy,' said aaron david miller, a middle east scholar at the woodrow wilson center, told cnn in the eyes of many palestinian people, the militant leaders of gaza took on israel more boldly than ever before, firing rockets farther than ever before and they may yet manage to get an easing of the gaza economic blockade if a more comprehensive deal can be reached timeline: israel gaza conflict 'look what they accomplished; they, rather than (president mahmoud) abbas, has put the palestinian issue back on the international stage,' says miller but with al jaabari once a key figure in uniting rag tag hamas militias into organized brigades, counter intuitively his death could mean more unrest ahead 'he was an enforcer of peace as well as war,' said alterman, adding that his death may 'make it not only harder to reach a peace agreement, but it can make it harder to avoid war' fatah: palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas and his fatah faction that governs the west bank have lost much in this conflict, commented cnn's newton 'he was supposed to be the moderate peace broker who could finally forge a new deal with israel now he cannot even claim to speak for all palestinians and has shown that he has no leverage with hamas, his archrival' in an op ed for cnn, danielle pletka, vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at the american enterprise institute, said hamas was not trying to destroy the state of israel 'rather, it was to gain the upper hand in its endless and fruitless battle against fatah for the palestinian political mantle, ideally with the wind of the arab world's islamist revolutions at its back that won't happen either 'egypt's mohamed morsy and turkey's recep tayyip erdogan are willing to lend rhetorical support and a few visits to gaza, but they're never going to do anything substantial for palestinians because they neither care enough about actual palestinian people nor wish to queer their pitch with europe and the united states' egypt: president mohamed morsy, clearly underestimated, deftly navigated what is a minefield of competing interests, including those of his own country 'for a civilian president in egypt perceived as a weak leader, he has, much to everyone's surprise, delivered,' said miller morsy proved he had the leverage necessary to bring hamas to the table and get its leadership to agree to a cease fire brokering that deal has given him much needed political capital in both the arab world and the united states under former president hosni mubarak, the country's security forces had suppressed its own islamists in the muslim brotherhood, even jailing morsy at one point that gave morsy and his government influence with hamas that mubarak, a product of egypt's military establishment, never had, said fawaz gerges, a professor of international relations and middle east analyst at the london school of economics 'hamas listens to mohamed morsy,' gerges told cnn as the talks were still going on 'hamas looks up to egypt now, at this particular stage, and that is why egypt has emerged as the most important state vis a vis hamas and gaza' egypt's role in the talks was 'pivotal,' he said egypt and morsy proved 'pivotal' in gaza cease fire talks iran: the islamic republic's nuclear program was one of the unspoken aspects to the conflict, according to world affairs columnist frida ghitis 'iran and its nuclear program also play a powerful psychological role, as observers and participants ponder the parallels between the latest israel hamas conflict and a possible war in which iran would stand against the us or israel, and perhaps other nato allies 'little wonder then that israel has received strong support from us president barack obama who has repeatedly stated, 'we are fully supportive of israel's right to defend itself from missiles raining on people's homes' as well as from nations including the uk, germany, canada, australia, the netherlands and others 'when israelis see a rocket launched from gaza, the thought that one day that rocket could carry nuclear materials burns hot in their mind' but iran's hand was arguably weakened after this episode as israel's iron dome shot hundreds of its missiles out the sky, cnn's newton said while israel has always accused iran of smuggling weapons to hamas through the egyptian border, iran today implicitly confirmed it 'gaza is under siege, so we cannot help them the fajr 5 missiles have not been shipped from iran its technology has been transferred (there) and are being produced quickly,' mohamed ali jafari, the head of iran's revolutionary guard, is quoted as saying by the iranian news agency isna | mideast israel netanyahu paula newton hamas egypt morsy | analysts consider who are winners and losers from latest mideast conflict . conflict represents qualified victory for israel's pm netanyahu, says paula newton . hamas has emerged emboldened from conflict and its truce, observers say . egypt's morsy has proved he has leverage necessary to bring hamas to the table |
adelaide, australia world record breaking wicketkeeper adam gilchrist has announced he will retire from cricket at the end of the australian summer adam gilchrist takes a spectacular catch off mahendra singh dhoni in the third test against india the 36 year old chose australia day to make his decision public, coming at the end of the third day of the fourth and final test against india in adelaide gilchrist said he would retire from tests at the end of the current match, and then hang up his gloves in one day internationals after the upcoming tri series with sri lanka and india 'it is with great pride and happiness that i make the decision to retire from tests and one day internationals,' he said in a statement on saturday 'i've come to the decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me 'my family and i have been fortunate to have had an amazing journey full of rich experiences throughout my career and are sincerely grateful to all who have helped make this stage of our lives so fulfilling 'i am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life which will, of paramount importance, include much more time with my family' gilchrist broke the world record for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in tests with 414 on friday, overtaking south africa's mark boucher in his 96th outing in the five day game boucher, by comparison, played in 109 tests gilchrist took over the gloves from ian healy third on the list with 395 dismissals from 119 tests in november 1999, and went on to establish himself both as a wicketkeeper and as a batsman of brutal hitting capabilities he has scored 5,556 runs to date, at an average of 4789, with a highest score of 204 not out and having made 17 centuries he has been similarly prolific in 277 one dayers, scoring 9,297 runs at an average of 36 and reaching three figures 15 times gilchrist's revelation came as australia put themselves in a strong position to win the series against the touring indians, reaching 322 3 at stumps captain ricky ponting, whose team lead 2 1, was unbeaten on 79 after adding an unbroken 81 for the fourth wicket with michael clarke (37) resuming the day on 62 0 in reply to india's imposing first innings of 526, matthew hayden and phil jaques took their opening stand to 159 jaques was the first to fall, bowled by india captain anil kumble for a patient 60 off 159 deliveries hayden, on his return after missing the defeat in perth due to a hamstring injury, reached his 30th test century before being bowled by 19 year old seamer ishant sharma for 103 off 200 balls ponting, who came in at first drop, added another 55 with mike hussey before the left hander was also castled by fast bowler irfan pathan for 22 to leave the home side teetering a little at 241 3 but ponting, who has struggled for form so far in the series, ground out his 40th half century in tests and clarke provided able support to take australia through to the close of play with no further loss of wickets e mail to a friend | adam gilchrist australian summer friday australia one day india gilchrist | new: adam gilchrist to retire from cricket at end of this australian summer . the wicketkeeper set new world record of 414 test dismissals on friday . he has played 96 tests for australia and 277 one day internationals . australia reached 322 3 on third day of final test against india, gilchrist's last |
(cnn) palestinian authority leaders renewed calls for unity with their hamas led rivals after the latest israel gaza conflict, but the fighting may have left hamas with the upper hand the west bank based palestinian authority announced thursday that the leadership of hamas and its allies in the islamic jihad movement had decided to support the palestinian authority's bid for recognition as an independent state at the united nations but that statement was quickly contradicted by leaders of both gaza based factions, which have long opposed the gambit that palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas launched last year the palestinian authority, led by abbas' fatah party, has accepted israel's right to exist, engaged in peace talks with the jewish state and plans to renew its quest for the un's recognition of a palestinian state this month but the results of the recent fighting leave abbas facing a 'cruel paradox,' middle east analyst aaron david miller told cnn with conflict stopped, israeli military touts successes 'it was hamas' rockets, not abbas' diplomacy, that has once again put the palestinian issue on center stage,' said miller, a longtime us state department adviser and a scholar at the woodrow wilson international center in washington abbas may want to reach a negotiated settlement with israel to end the decades old conflict, but he's unlikely to do that 'if he can't preside over a unified palestinian national movement' palestinian authority spokeswoman nour odeh disputed any suggestion that the conflict has left abbas with a diminished role abbas 'was in direct contact' with the leaders of the rival factions during the egyptian brokered talks that led to wednesday's cease fire, she said, 'and being consulted on the details of this agreement, which we have to remember affects 16 million palestinians that the president is still responsible for' 'the idea of competition right now is really not on the national agenda,' odeh said winners and losers in wake of conflict hamas, an islamist movement, does not recognize israel's right to exist and has been branded a terrorist organization by the united states, european union and israel it won legislative elections in 2006 and wrested control of gaza from fatah in 2007, effectively ruling the territory on its own 'the palestinian national movement looks like noah's ark right now there are two of everything two constitutions, two presidents, two security services, two mini states,' miller said but after the most recent battle with israel, 'it is hamas's stock that is rising,' he said israel and the united states refuse to deal with hamas but daniel ayalon, israel's deputy foreign minister, told cnn late wednesday that israel would be 'very happy to talk to hamas' as long as it renounces terrorism and recognizes israel's right to exist but rashid khalidi, a columbia university professor of middle eastern history and a one time adviser to the palestine liberation organization, said israel's continued expansion of settlements in the west bank 'has made the palestinian authority look weak, feeble, unable to advance the palestinian cause' 'most palestinians are sick to death of this split,' khalidi told cnn 'they understand that they are the weaker party, and that the split weakens them further' he said the palestinians need to unite to negotiate with israel, and both israel and the united states need to drop the 'fiction' that they won't negotiate with hamas 'the world is dealing with hamas,' he said 'the secretary of state is going to go to cairo, and she's going to talk to the egyptians and they will talk to hamas israel is dealing with hamas israel negotiated a deal for the release of gilad shalit,' the israeli soldier held captive in gaza for more than five years israel treated the plo the same way until the 1990s, when then prime minister yitzak rabin 'was able to overcome that taboo,' khalidi said 'it's time to overcome that taboo' arrest announced in tel aviv bus bombing | hamas israel palestinian authority un palestinian noah's ark | hamas gains credibility after conflict with israel, analysts say . palestinian authority calls for factions to unite behind un statehood bid . palestinian leadership looks like 'noah's ark there are two of everything,' analyst says |
(cnn) alabama's governor pledged to take quick action to clean up and rebuild his tornado ravaged state in a speech to lawmakers tuesday the state will pay local communities' debris removal costs for 30 days 'to make sure there is no delay in getting this recovery and rebuilding process moving quickly,' gov robert bentley announced, eliciting applause from legislators 'we have spent much of the last six days in a rescue stage,' bentley said 'and as much as we pray for additional survivors, we must now enter the recovery process' bentley spoke less than a week after an epic outbreak of violent weather killed hundreds as it ripped across the south the national weather service has confirmed that more than 20 large tornadoes touched down in alabama alone, leaving behind 'utter devastation in towns large and small,' bentley said officials there are still tallying the dead, clearing roads, trying to restore power and finding temporary homes for those displaced by the storms bentley said 38 counties in the state have been declared disaster areas by the federal government the state emergency management agency's latest death toll from the storms, released saturday, was 250 the agency reported 2,219 injuries the total number of people killed in five other states arkansas, mississippi, tennessee, georgia and virginia during wednesday's storms was at least 89 alabama officials have said they would not release further death toll and injury reports until all the missing can be accounted for and final totals of the dead and injured can be confirmed 'our state has never seen a natural disaster of this magnitude,' bentley said in hackleburg, where authorities said a tornado tore through at 200 mph, the 'entire town is leveled,' bentley said 'many lives were lost, and the community's largest employer is gone,' he said on the opposite side of the state, in the town of ider, alabama, the situation is 'much the same,' bentley said 'not only did families there lose their homes, they lost chicken houses now, what that means is, they don't have any way to provide for their families the story repeats itself in town after town,' he said alabama poultry producers claim to have lost more than 2 million birds because of the storms, according to emergency management officials meanwhile, about 150,000 customers in the state remained without power tuesday, emergency management officials said, and it could take another week to restore power in some areas more than 400 displaced people were in 18 shelters however, emergency responders say the actual number of people left homeless by the storms is much higher, because that total does not reflect the number of people taken in by family and friends 'the road to recovery will be long and it will be hard but i will share that road with you as it leads to a greater and a stronger alabama,' bentley said | robert bentley bentley alabama | new: 'we must now enter the recovery process,' gov robert bentley says . new: bentley says the state will pay local governments' debris removal costs for 30 days . about 150,000 alabama customers are without power . the state's poultry producers say they have lost 2 million birds |
(cnn) brad ludden is a world class whitewater kayaker throughout his professional career, the 31 year old has braved treacherous rapids in more than 40 countries and racked up over 100 first descents — successfully paddling a river's uncharted territory despite his success and the boyish good looks that landed him in cosmopolitan magazine as 'bachelor of the year' in 2008, the down to earth montana native has always had a greater purpose: to use his passion for the sport to help young adults with cancer in the prime of his career in 2001, ludden founded first descents, a nonprofit that provides free outdoor adventures for adults ages 18 to 39 battling the disease it all started when ludden's aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 12 years old 'that was the first time cancer had become very personal to our family seeing someone you love go through this disease really changes the way you view it,' he said 'seeing how few resources were available to her as a young adult made me realize that there was a tremendous need there' so he turned to what he loves most — kayaking in 2001 he took 10 people on a weeklong kayaking adventure to prove to them that they could be stronger than their cancer since then, the organization has expanded to 13 employees and now includes rock climbing, mountaineering and surfing it has grown from one program in colorado to 50 programs throughout north america, central america and south america 'cancer, especially as a young adult, can really send someone into isolation,' ludden said 'they come to these programs and often for the first time since their diagnosis they meet someone else their age with cancer they can have conversations about cancer that they couldn't have before they start to regain a lot of trust in themselves and a lot of confidence in their bodies' at a surfing event in nags head, north carolina, 15 young adults came together to tackle the waves all the participants got nicknames so they could assume a new identity for the week — one that separates them from their cancer joey reed, a mother of four nicknamed 'hot mama,' showed no fear on the water but two years ago, things were much different 'in 2010, i was diagnosed with breast cancer i had just had a baby, and i was diagnosed when he was 10 months old,' she said 'so there's a lot of fear that was there' now in remission, reed, 39, says the program has helped her gain a new perspective on life 'getting to be here was one of the dreams i've had,' she said 'i can conquer the waves i can go after dreams still i can be strong' beth pointer, nicknamed 'ripple,' was diagnosed last year with stage 4 molecular lymphoma she is still undergoing chemotherapy treatments and said it was a gift to have the camp to look forward to even though she has a strong support system at home, the 36 year old is grateful for the new friends she made 'you just laugh at all the crazy experiences that everybody who doesn't have cancer would think, 'oh how terrible' and give you this look and they feel sorry for you,' she said 'here there's no pity there's just laughter that's been really good for me' another camper, kai lam, named 'barbershop,' is undergoing treatment for stage 3 brain cancer the 34 year old was eager to meet other young adults facing similar challenges 'when i found out about first descents, it seemed like a great opportunity to meet other people in my position and just get outside and enjoy something it's been amazing,' he said on his first day on the water he set a goal to stand up on the surfboard three times 'the first and second, i was on my knees and the third time, i finally got up,' he said 'they all said i came back with a huge smile on my face it felt really good' ludden, who was also at the beach, said his biggest reward is getting to spend time with the people he wants to serve 'the participants every day inspire me every day i live differently because i've met them,' he said 'you only live once, and you don't live for long these guys remind you to get after it' | munjeet bedabbled reichsmarks | no related information |
(cnn) in november, dozens of armed men descended on a town in northern nigeria and killed more than 100 people in a coordinated series of bombings and gun attacks many of those targeted were christians, but police stations and mosques deemed 'insufficiently islamic' were also attacked the town was damataru, capital of the nigerian state of yobe, and the assailants belonged to the group boko haram, which translates from the local hausa as 'western education is outlawed' in two years, boko haram has morphed from a radical muslim sect into an insurgency responsible for dozens of attacks in nigeria and beyond western intelligence analysts believe it is also developing links with al qaeda affiliates in africa boko haram's targets include police outposts and churches, as well as places associated with 'western influence' its signature attack is a karachi style drive by shooting from a motorbike, but this year it has begun a campaign of suicide vehicle attacks in maiduguri, the epicenter of the insurgency, there is a heavy military presence, with security checkpoints, sandbagged military positions and the scars left by bomb attacks cnncom: nigerian officials condemn church attack house to house searches are common a senior military officer admitted last week that maiduguri was a dangerous place, with 'miscreants' slipping across the nearby borders with chad and niger the nigerian authorities seem unable to overcome boko haram and its growing footprint worries neighboring states and the us africa command many christians in northeastern nigeria have fled their homes as the violence has worsened this year a government offer of amnesty has had little effect; the deployment of 20,000 nigerian troops to deal with ethnic and religious violence has failed to subdue the group president goodluck jonathan has warned of 'swift and certain justice for criminal elements' but analysts say that the inefficiency of the nigerian state, rampant corruption and a heavy handed military response may play into boko haram's hands until 2009, boko haram was a fundamentalist sect that espoused a taliban like interpretation of islam it did not advocate violence but it was hostile to nigeria's muslim leadership for its compromises with the 'infidel' one day in july that year, police stopped some of its members on motorbikes and told them to wear helmets tempers flared when the bikers resisted, police opened fire killing nine members of the group, according to witness reports collected by shehu sani, the president of the civil rights congress the congress is an independent human rights group based in northern nigeria, and sani has had extensive contacts with figures in boko haram in the days after that confrontation, hundreds of boko haram members were killed in clashes with security services among them, the group's charismatic leader mohammed yusuf, who died while in the custody of police, according to sani a secondary school dropout, yusuf preached a strict application of sharia law in northern nigeria, arguing that the rich and connected had evaded sharia despite its formal adoption by several muslim majority states in nigeria his message resonated with thousands of marginalized muslims boko haram can also draw on the deepening inequalities and religious divide between north and south nigeria to help recruitment after the crackdown, security services accused the group of planning an armed jihad in nigeria by stockpiling weapons, including guns, explosives, and grenades, and purchasing land for paramilitary training a significant number of members fled to neighboring niger and chad but far from this being a victory for the security services, it brought boko haram members into contact with al qaeda in the islamic maghreb (aqim) according to us officials, the groups have since forged a partnership with aqim sharing its evolving expertise in suicide bombing 'we know that there are increasingly frequent contacts, and indeed, training of members of boko haram by al qaeda in the islamic maghreb, and that's of great concern,' ambassador anthony holmes, us africa command's civilian deputy said earlier this month algerian officials, long concerned at the growth of aqim, have voiced the same concerns and last week a senior nigerian military officer told reuters: 'boko haram is al qaeda' in a global poll conducted by the pew research center in 2009, a higher percentage of nigerian muslims (54%) stated they had confidence in osama bin laden than in any other muslim majority country boko haram's muscle was enhanced a year ago when the group freed at least a hundred of its members from a prison in bauchi in northeastern nigeria this year, boko haram has begun looking to new horizons, including the capital, abuja in june, the group carried out its first suicide bombing attacking the national police headquarters two months later in a dramatic escalation of its campaign it launched a suicide car bombing against the un headquarters in abuja, killing 23 boko haram released a video featuring a martyrdom recording by the suicide bomber in the attack a 27 year old from maiduguri who praised osama bin laden and referred to the un headquarters as a 'forum of all the global evil' the un attack, sani says, was likely an attempt by boko haram to embarrass the nigerian government he believes the group's shura council decided that attacking the un would create less of a backlash against the group than directly targeting american interests 'when they attacked the un headquarters, they had to pass the american embassy to nigeria just a few meters away, but they knew the implications of targeting american interests: that things would get worse for them,' sani said us officials believe some of those involved in that plot may have also trained with the al qaeda linked militant group al shabaab in somalia in september, us military officials warned that boko haram, aqim, and al shabaab might make common cause in targeting american interests in the region earlier this month, the us embassy in nigeria warned that boko haram may be plotting to target three luxury hotels in abuja al qaeda in west & central africa? according to shehu sani, the group's agenda is still primarily local 'the origin of their fight is with the government of nigeria and the security agencies,' sani said 'they want an end to the government's campaign against them and for them to pull troops out of northeastern nigeria' analysts believe some boko haram members might be tempted by payouts made by the government to militants in the niger delta in recent years in exchange for their laying down arms but one attempt at mediation has already ended in disaster in september, a leading figure in maiduguri connected to the group who sat down for talks with a former president of nigeria was assassinated within 48 hours sani helped set up the meeting; he says he has since received death threats himself security analysts are concerned the group may try to target nigeria's oil industry in the niger delta, destabilizing supplies from the world's eighth largest oil exporter over the past decade, pipelines and rigs in the area have been repeatedly targeted by the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta (mend) the area is predominantly christian and western intelligence sources say it would be difficult for boko haram to establish a presence there human rights activists say for now, the authorities' crackdown in northern nigeria may have the effect of radicalizing more muslims according to sani and others tracking the group, boko haram has drawn its membership mainly from disaffected youngsters and unemployed graduates but it has also gathered support among the professions human rights watch says it has documented serious abuses by nigerian police, including extrajudicial executions against suspected members of boko haram 'the security forces are punishing people who they believe provide shelter to boko haram, but if you reveal the identity of boko haram fighters, then they'll kill you you can see the dilemma,' sani said 'if nigerian government can't solve the problem, and the violence continues, then this virus will spread across the countries of west africa and central africa, emboldening the group and boosting its membership, making it a well established part of al qaeda,' he said today the nigerian media, like its politicians, are full of advice to the government on how to tackle boko haram from an even tougher military response to renewed attempts at dialogue, another amnesty and a more comprehensive effort to address the root causes of the violence neither carrot nor stick has worked so far | christians mosques islamic assailants boko haram | many of those targeted are christians . police stations and mosques deemed 'insufficiently islamic' are also attacked . assailants belong to the group boko haram, which translates to 'western education is outlawed' |
(cnn) former bolivian president jorge quiroga will appeal his prison sentence of nearly three years for defaming a bank, his attorney said sunday judge rene delgado sentenced quiroga on saturday after the former leader was found guilty of defaming the banco union in statements he made in february 2009, nearly seven years after leaving office the former president, who ruled from august 2001 to august 2002, said the banco union was 'a money launderer for resources obtained in a bad way, for venezuelan resources and for resources from corruption,' the state run agencia boliviana de informacion said quiroga's attorney, ivan aleman, said the sentencing was unexpected 'we were surprised yesterday by an aberrant ruling that my client would be denied his liberty for two years and eight months,' aleman said sunday at the time of quiroga's comments, the bolivian public ministry was investigating banco union in connection with $450,000 in a trust fund handled by businessman jorge o'connor d'arlach, who had been shot to death in january 2009, the state news agency said the bank filed a legal complaint against the former president after his comments, which were carried extensively by local media quiroga, 50, received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from texas a&m university in 1981 and holds a master's degree in business administration from st edward's university in austin, texas he served as bolivia's vice president from 1997 to 2001, when he assumed the top spot after president hugo banzer resigned due to health problems quiroga ran for president in 2005 but was soundly defeated by current president evo morales | jorge quiroga quiroga | a judge sentenced jorge quiroga to two years and eight months in prison . the former president said a local bank was used for money laundering . the bank filed a legal complaint and quiroga was found guilty of defamation |
(cnn) the death of a georgia man who fell about 85 feet from an upper level of atlanta's turner field has been ruled a suicide, an official said ronald homer, 30, fell during a braves phillies baseball game on august 12 the cause of death is blunt force trauma, according to the fulton county medical examiner's office betty honey, an investigator with that office, said thursday that homer had committed suicide he had no other injuries besides those sustained as a result of his fall from the fourth level of the stadium shortly before 8:55 pm during a rain delay the game was scheduled to start at 7:10 pm, but heavy rains pushed back the start time nearly two hours homer's was the second such death at an atlanta sporting venue in the last year or so on august 31, 2012, a tennessee fan died after falling about 45 feet at the georgia dome during a college football game between north carolina state and the university of tennessee cnn's ed payne, dave alsup and joe sutton contributed to this report | ronald homer braves phillies atlanta | ronald homer, 30, fell during a braves phillies baseball game . the cause of death is blunt force trauma, medical examiner's office says . his was the second such death at an atlanta sporting venue in the last year |
(cnn) an out of service bay area rapid transit train struck and killed two workers on a section of track northeast of san francisco on saturday afternoon, the transit authority said the employees were making track inspections near the walnut creek station, bart said in a statement one was an employee and the other a contractor their names were not immediately released 'our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the two workers who've just been killed on the bart tracks,' bart general manager grace crunican said she said the accident is under investigation paul oversier, bart's head of operations, told reporters that the two workers were looking into a possible slight dip in the rail when they were hit the four car train was on a routine maintenance run with an experienced operator at the controls, but at the time of the incident, it was being run in automatic mode under computer control, bart said the cars were being moved back to a train yard after having been cleaned of graffiti, oversier said there were a number of other personnel on the train at the time, but officials have not had an opportunity to speak with them, oversier said all train cabs are equipped with video cameras victims were experienced employees, bart says the victims had extensive experience working around moving trains, the transit authority said the procedures involved in track maintenance require one employee to inspect the track and the other employee to act as a lookout for any oncoming traffic, it said they were supposed to stay clear of the track and be able to clear the operating area within 15 seconds of a train reaching them, oversier said bart's union workers are currently on strike over a variety of issues, including wages oversier would not answer questions related to the strike, saying those issues were not at the forefront saturday evening he did say the bart employee who was killed was a member of american federation of state, county and municipal employees, one of the striking unions, adding only that the man 'chose to come to work' another of the striking unions, amalgamated transit union local 1555, said it would not picket sunday out of respect for the victims' families 'this is a tragedy of the greatest proportions for the bart family,' oversier said saturday was the second day of the strike that has paralyzed the san francisco area bart workers went on strike for four days in the summer over the same issues the bart system normally serves 26 communities, including san francisco and oakland it has chartered buses during the strike, but those help only a fraction of the roughly 400,000 people who use the service each day | gambians award susceptible | no related information |
new york (cnn) we've turned the rich into caricatures they're greedy 'fat cats' with cigars dangling from their snarled lips 'how dare the president call us fat! we're just big boned,' says a decidedly obese cat in a 2011 political cartoon by stuart carlson 'it hurts my feelings deeply,' another fat cat says other cartoons show them holding moneybags marked '$' you know, just so it's obvious it's easy to mock the wealthy especially the ultra super rich, whose incomes have weathered the recession better than anyone else's, and who are taking home a chunk of the total economic pie that is obscene and unfair watch documentaries like 'born rich,' by johnson & johnson heir jamie johnson, and it's impossible not to laugh, or vomit, as you see how detached many 1 percenters are from reality one brags about her 'really fun' family helicopter 'i don't remember the evening all that clearly, but i've definitely spent several thousand dollars on a bar bill, probably,' a gambling heir says, referring to a night of drinking in the hamptons, outside new york 'these things happen' things happen yep this is all in good fun, but on the two year anniversary of the occupy wall street movement, which failed to achieve its goals of promoting economic policies that would shrink the rich poor gap, it's worth asking ourselves: is it fair to paint the super rich as a homogenous set of villains? or, more to the point: is it productive? last week, i put that question to former us labor secretary robert reich, who is (and has been) one of the country's foremost advocates for narrowing the gulf that has emerged between rich and poor his new documentary, 'inequality for all,' is to economic justice what al gore's 'an inconvenient truth' was to global climate change: it's a powerful, if slightly wonky, outline of the problem, complete with charts, powerpoint type presentations and a spirited call to action other recent films on america's wealth gap, 'park avenue,' for instance, hold no punches in the way their efforts paint the wealthy as detached jerks who are buying off politicians to support their needless and greedy habits but reich doesn't want to make villains out of the wealthy 'i think that's wrongheaded and it doesn't lead to any constructive solutions,' he told me in an interview with a few reporters in new york his film aims to show how economic inequality hurts everyone 'the rich would be better off with a smaller share of a rapidly growing economy,' he told me, 'than they (are) now with a large share of an economy that is anemic that is basically not growing at all, largely because you don't have many people with much money to be able to sustain the economy and buy enough' 'i think the rich would do better with a society that was less polarized,' he added, 'with an economy that's less polarized and more collaborative, than they do now with a society that is very (much) at loggerheads' the trouble is convincing them of that reich's film might be a start one rich person it features is nick hanauer, a venture capitalist from seattle who sold a company to microsoft in 2007 for $64 billion and was 'the first nonfamily investor' in amazon, which, you know, is worth big bucks but, unlike many money mover types, hanauer supports policies that economists say would help narrow the rich poor gap and increase economic mobility he says it's in his interest in the doc, hanauer talks about how he has tons of money to spend, and he does buy nice things, but he doesn't spend that much more than a middle class person 'i have the nicest audi you can get,' he says, 'but it's still only one audi' if dozens of middle class people had his money, they'd buy dozens of cars, and dozens of everything, which would create more industry and more jobs his businesses would have more customers the economy overall would grow reich calls this the 'virtuous cycle' right now, we're stuck in a pattern he says is 'vicious' where cash is ending up only in the hands of a few, and money is slipping through the fingers of those who would actually need it, and who actually would spend it in the economy to reverse course, it would help to have the support of the rich those greedy fat cats we all love to hate to convince them, though, maybe that means we need to stop thinking of them as villains and, instead, challenge them to be heroes the wounds of the financial crisis are still fresh, five years out but this anniversary should give us pause we've turned both the very rich and the very poor into villains now the task is to think about how we can patch up and move forward the opinions expressed in this column are solely those of john d sutter | tuesday two year john sutter sutter | tuesday is the two year anniversary of occupy wall street . john sutter: the date should give us pause about how we characterize the rich . he says the rich should be allies in the battle against economic inequality . sutter: instead of making the rich villains, we should persuade them to be heroes |
zurich, switzerland (reuters) nestle said it would plough profits into a $21 billion share buyback program and shun major acquisitions as pricing power helped it overcome soaring input prices to post a forecast beating earnings rise nestle, producer of kitkat chocolate wafers and perrier water, has seen an increase in net profit the world's largest food company reported an 184 percent increase in net profit for the first half of 2007 to 4916 billion swiss francs ($41 billion) on wednesday and said it was likely to beat its own results forecasts for the full year nestle shares jumped to the top of the european gainers list in an overall weaker market 'the strong start to the year allows nestle to expect above target organic growth as well as a further sustainable improvement in margins for the full year,' nestle said in a statement chief executive peter brabeck unveiled a surprise 25 billion franc share buyback and said he expected no major acquisitions in the future, just potential bolt on buys, as the group digested recent medical and infant nutrition purchases 'it is now time to consolidate,' he told cnbc television in an interview following the results release 'we do not see any major acquisition coming up' sales rose 84 percent to 511 billion francs as the company pushed through price increases to offset rising input prices for agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa organic sales growth in the period was 74 percent 'this is a blow out strong figures both in terms of revenues and particularly margins, and nestle is clearly benefiting from its repositioning into health and wellness,' said jon cox, head of food and beverages research at kepler equities nestle shares rose 55 percent to 4765 swiss francs at 0800 gmt as analysts focused on its earnings and sales growth, its improved 2007 outlook and the possibility of asset sales nestle and other food processing companies face rising prices for inputs such as milk and grains but the swiss based conglomerate has said it has the muscle to command higher prices on the store shelves to compensate the company has said it aims to raise prices, cull unprofitable products and speed up production rationalization to prepare for a lasting rise in commodity and energy prices nestle also signaled it was moving closer to a possible sale of us listed eyecare products company alcon as pressure grows to shed some of its non food operations, which also include top world cosmetics company l'oreal 'it is also clear that with our transformation to health and wellness and as that transition accelerates, alcon becomes increasingly a financial rather than strategic holding, and we must assess it as such,' said chief financial officer paul polman in a conference call nestle owns a 7755 percent stake in alcon, which has a market value of $413 billion, according to reuters data the maker of kitkat chocolate wafers and bottler of perrier water has led rivals danone and numico in raising shelf prices in anticipation of higher input costs danone and numico have reported gains in underlying growth, though rising input prices have pressured their margins nestle said it would beat its long standing earnings outlook to improve its ebit (earnings before interest and tax) margin at constant currencies and reach underlying sales growth of 5 to 6 percent strong growth in emerging markets at 97 percent and in the group's pharmaceutical division, including alcon, at 11 percent helped compensate for sluggish growth in europe at 14 percent analysts polled by reuters had forecast on average net profit of 456 billion swiss francs ($38 billion) on a 7 percent rise in sales to 5044 billion francs nestle shares had slightly outperformed the dj stoxx european food and beverage index from the start of the year to tuesday's close, rising around 5 percent compared with around 2 percent for the index its shares trade at about 156 times forecast 2008 earnings, roughly in line with unilever and the sector average of 162 times e mail to a friend copyright 2007 reuters all rights reservedthis material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed | nestle 184 percent h1 2007 $41 billion 84 percent $42 billion 74 percent us listed alcon | nestle reported an 184 percent rise in net profit for h1 2007 to $41 billion . sales rose 84 percent to $42 billion, organic sales growth was 74 percent . nestle is moving closer to a possible sale of us listed company alcon |
(cnn) in his dreams it was probably a 30 yard screamer that ripped a hole in the roof of the net the reality, of course, was different as gareth bale, the world's most expensive footballer, bundled the ball home from six yards out it didn't matter bale may have made his name scoring spectacular individual goals for his previous club tottenham hotspur, but like all great players the 24 year old has the knack of being in the right place at the right time read more: real madrid fork out $132 million for bale his 38th minute goal against villarreal stabbing in daniel carvajal's low cross came at just the right time for his new team the spanish giants were second best for much of the first half and were trailing after cani's 19th minute strike gave the hosts a deserved lead bale, who is still not fully fit after recovering from a groin injury, came out for the second half but only lasted 15 minutes his best effort a trademark long shot which flew narrowly over the crossbar read more: real madrid unveil gareth bale at bernabeu shortly after scampering down the right wing, ball at feet, bale's debut was over as carlo ancelotti hauled off his most expensive asset but he had already made his mark cristiano ronaldo gave real the lead shortly after the welshman departed his deflected shot finding the back of the net in the 64th minute before giovani dos santos equalized six minutes later and that's how it stayed as both teams dropped their first points of the season blog: will belgium win the world cup? the 2 2 draw leaves real madrid in fourth place, level on ten points with villarreal who are third earlier on saturday, barcelona maintained their 100% start to the new season, but only just, squeaking past sevilla 3 2 at the nou camp read more: gareth bale and the curse of the british abroad chilean striker alexis sanchez's dramatic injury time winner saw barcelona claim three points after looking like they had thrown away two dani alves put the home side ahead with a 36th minute header and when lionel messi scored to make it 2 0 with 15 minutes to go all was going according to plan but when ivan rakitic scored for sevilla in the 80th minute and coke equalized in added time, barcelona looked to have blown it not for the first time, messi showed his class when it mattered, engaging the brains and boots of several defenders before threading the ball back to sanchez who stabbed the ball home barca's fourth win of the season keeps them top of the table, level on points and goal difference with atletico madrid who completed a more comfortable 4 2 win over almeria in saturday's other la liga fixture, levante drew 0 0 with real sociedad meanwhile in serie a, inter milan and juventus dropped their first points of the season after drawing 1 1 the stalemate at the san siro opened the door for napoli to sit alone at the top of the table, at least for 24 hours, after they beat atalanta 2 0 at the stadio san paolo fiorentina can join rafa benitez's side on nine points if they beat cagliari on sunday ac milan have a 2 2 draw with torino to add to the loss and win they opened the season with saturday's result leaves both teams with four points from three games | gareth bale real madrid villarreal world the 38th minute barcelona 100% sevilla joint atletico madrid almeria | gareth bale scores on debut for new club real madrid in 2 2 draw with villarreal . world's most expensive footballer scores in the 38th minute of debut . barcelona keep 100% record in league with dramatic win over sevilla . joint leaders atletico madrid also maintain perfect start with 4 2 win against almeria |
(cnn) countries rarely default, at least not under the basic understanding of the term if you or i can't pay our bills and creditors come calling, eventually we can declare bankruptcy and painfully move on most of our creditors get little or nothing back and companies to do it all the time indeed, it seems a matter of course for us airlines but countries don't really go bankrupt they choose to stop paying, one way or another the difference? countries get new tax payers every day they are born or they migrate countries cannot become insolvent they stop paying to save money read more: nine things we missed during the shutdown how do they choose to default? politicians can flirt with financial suicide, as some members of the us congress are fond of doing but let's be clear, the us was not going to default the showdown was just politics 'the united states has enormous credibility and is at no risk of default,' anne pettifor, of prime economics, told me 'in my view there is no possibility whatsoever of the usa defaulting on its debt' so, the usa cannot really default, thanks in part to a strong federal reserve and international creditors still wanting to buy its bonds, no matter how low the interest rate falls but other countries have chosen to default, at least in theory from argentina to russia to north korea, countries have stopped paying the interest or principle on domestic or international obligations in russia's case, it was able to pay back creditors within a few years, thanks to the rise of energy prices russia did not walk away from its creditors read more: five most surprising things in debt deal argentina was a much tougher case when it stopped paying creditors in late 2001, it caused a great deal of pain for its citizens in 2002 2003 its efforts to settle with creditors still bubble up in new york courts no one can say argentina has fully recovered its reputation in the international markets some bondholders simply refuse to take a portion of what they are owed and move on they want their money back still its economy grew quickly within a few years of default does that mean that defaulting is not a terrible step? after all, it means a country can get a handle on its obligations 'the debts become more manageable and therefore the country becomes more creditworthy,' pettifor said then, however, 'the creditors pile in' read more: conservatives defiant in face of gop troubles nazi germany defaulted in 1933 the new government was not going to honor the obligations of the previous leaders we all know how that went it was decades before some of the german debt was paid back in a token way no eurozone country has unilaterally refused to pay its bills the market made it impossible for the like of ireland and greece to issue new bonds at a sustainable interest rate new creditors stepped in, instead of walking away we know them as the troika made up of the european central bank, european union and international monetary fund greece's meltdown led to bondholders taking the 'haircut,' yet the country is set to take another package of aid but it can't inflate its currency (it lost that option when it joined the euro) and can't default (for the same reason) read more: us must shake this addiction to debt or kill the recovery the latest plan is not the bailout, but the 'bail in' look at cyprus bond holders hold off, the depositors pay up (those forced to bail in) and everyone holds their breath hoping the country can rebuild its economy and banking sector and eventually pay back something after all, the troika expects to be paid back if not, that would be a default all this makes you wonder why the usa would even want to be mentioned in the same breath or paragraph with these countries | us argentina russia | people and companies default but countries rarely do, at least in the traditional sense . us politicians play financial brinkmanship but the country was not at risk of default . other countries have defaulted including argentina and russia . and some, history shows, have been economically better off for having done so |
(cnn) thinking about death can be frightening, no matter your age or medical condition as we get older, the reality of our own mortality tends to come into clearer focus; this doesn't make talking about death or life sustaining treatments any less frightening though it was fear stoked by certain politicians that led to the inaccurate and misguided 'death panel' rumors that surrounded health care reform proposals last year beginning january 1, medicare will reimburse physicians who advise patients, in voluntary discussions, about their preferences for end of life care treatment during their annual medicare 'wellness visit' this is advance care planning, and it is a good thing for seniors, their families and health care professionals it's not new a law passed in 2008 allowed end of life planning to be part of a patient's 'welcome to medicare' exam health care reform turned the welcome visit into an annual wellness visit and now regulations clarify that these important discussions will be covered should the medicare beneficiary wish to take advantage of this opportunity advance care planning allows a person to make his or her wishes and care preferences known before being faced with a medical crisis advance care planning is simply smart life planning another way to think about advance care planning is that it's like planning a trip to an unfamiliar destination if you're like many people, once you have your destination in mind, you begin mapping the route you will take to get there some people consult aaa or google maps to help them chart their course other people talk to friends and family members about their experiences on their trips while people approach mapping their route in differing ways, few would expect to arrive at their destination safely and comfortably without having a well thought out map in hand before hitting the road yet only 30% of americans have a living will, a map detailing where they want their health care to go should they become unable to voice their wishes an individual's personal wishes, beliefs and values are among the most important factors when making care decisions brought about by a serious or life limiting illness such wishes and preferences can be known only if they are discussed openly research has shown that patient physician discussions result in a higher quality of life for patients and their family caregivers facing the end of a life by having medicare cover these voluntary consultations, beneficiaries will be able to get information that will help them make their own decisions about their care and what they would or would not want at life's end and it's only appropriate that patients should be able to have these discussions with the very physicians who have been caring for them and that these doctors be compensated for this valuable service an advance care planning consultation is not about limiting or rationing care it's not about hastening death it's not about having choices made for the patient it's not about saving money advance care planning is about examining options, planning and communicating the choices that the individual wants either to limit treatments, accept all treatments or something in between the course charted is decided by individual patients, not their doctors, and certainly not the government advance care planning includes completing a living will and appointing a health care proxy a living will charts the course for your health care, letting your family and health care providers know what procedures and treatments you would want provided to you and under what conditions a health care proxy or health care power of attorney form allows you to choose someone you trust to take charge of your health care decisions in case you are unable to make those decisions yourself advance directives, as these documents are also known, can be changed as an individual's situation or wishes change based on my 35 years of experience running hospice programs and caring for people at life's end, i know firsthand that frank, open discussions with one's health care providers can relieve anxiety about a situation that we all will one day face it makes sense that medicare help facilitate this important planning the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of j donald schumacher | inconcoction brokerly uptend | no related information |
(cnn) the search for an american whose wife says he was shot on a lake that straddles the us mexican border has been suspended, a mexican official said friday david hartley was reportedly shot to death september 30 by gunmen investigators believe are linked to a mexican drug gang at present, there are no mexican agencies actively searching falcon lake for hartley but the mother of tiffany hartley the woman who says her husband was shot says she's 'hopeful that they'll restart on monday,' after meeting with mexican officials on friday cynthia young, tiffany's mother, said said that she, her daughter and tiffany's dad met with mexican and american officials for about 8 hours on friday young would not specify which officials attended the meeting but said the family was told that the mexican government was 'restrategizing' how it is handling the search for hartley's body young said that the day mostly entailed tiffany refiling a witness statement with mexican officials, recounting what happened on the day she said he was killed young said the meeting occurred in mcallen, texas, where tiffany and her husband had recently relocated earlier in the day, tamaulipas state attorney general spokesman ruben dario rios explained the decision to halt the search 'our investigators have taken a temporary recess so that we can better assess the strategies we are using to find the body we are currently considering other approaches to our search,' he said the search was suspended on thursday responding to local reports that it may have been threats of imminent gun battles by the los zetas cartel that led to mexican officials to suspend the search, dario rios said, 'negative' 'we have no official information of threats on our investigators' tiffany's mother said that 'we're very disappointed' in the development 'the longer this goes the less chance there is of finding david,' she said tiffany hartley told authorities the couple was on a sightseeing trip on falcon lake, a reservoir on the rio grande she believes the attackers may still have her husband's body dario rios said earlier friday taht tiffany hartley has not responded to the attorney general's formal request for more information about the incident 'we still have not spoken to her,' he said young had said her daughter is willing to meet with mexican authorities on her terms and on us soil, not in mexico tamaulipas state governor eugenio hernandez flores, in washington for annual meetings on mexican us partnerships, was scheduled to meet with fbi officials during his visit friday to pledge cooperation as authorities look into the matter he told cnn that mexican police had deployed dozens of searchers but have found neither a body nor a jet ski tiffany said she met with the lead mexican investigator in the death of her husband days before the police officer was killed and his severed head delivered to authorities in a suitcase us and mexican authorities vowed the search for hartley's husband would continue despite the investigator's slaying on tuesday 'i met him he sat right next to me,' hartley said, referring to mexican state official rolando armando flores villegas her remarks aired on cnn's 'american morning' thursday 'we talked through a translator and he just seemed like a really good guy who really wanted to just do good for you know, his country,' hartley said hartley said she wonders if the death of the lead mexican investigator will hamper the search for her husband 'it definitely makes me worried that nobody is going to want to take over,' she said on thursday, secretary of state hillary clinton said the united states is doing everything it can to find hartley and told abc's 'good morning america' that she is 'sickened' by the case 'i hope that we can [find him],' said clinton 'i mean, the beheaded body of the brave mexican investigator that just showed up shows what we're dealing with' she said the united states is 'supporting local law enforcement, supporting the authorities on the border, doing everything that we know to do to try to assist in helping to find the body and helping to find the perpetrators' a report issued by a texas based think tank suggested thursday that hartley's death may have stemmed from a case of mistaken identity in the ongoing war between two mexican drug cartels the stratfor report, which cites anonymous sources, noted that hartley worked for an oil and gas company with operations in reynosa, mexico the couple had lived there for two years and had only moved to mcallen within the past few months, the report said the truck they drove to falcon lake on september 30 still had a license plate from mexico's tamaulipas state the couple drove their personal watercraft to the old guerrero area of the lake, which the report said is a 'known battleground in the ongoing war in the los zetas and gulf cartels' the sources told stratfor both cartels have been known to conduct surveillance and countersurveillance operations on personal watercraft, so zetas scouts identified them as possible gulf spies, because of their license plate and their method and direction of travel on falcon lake they were then apparently confronted by 'zetas enforcers,' stratfor said the sources told stratfor the attack was unauthorized by senior los zetas members and 'a damage control campaign is currently under way to identify and eliminate those who engaged the hartleys without proper authorization' protocol involves prompt disposition of a body to ensure no evidence can be brought against the group, the report said sources said that 'once hartley was identified as an american, his body was destroyed the same day as the incident to prevent a backlash from the us government against the group,' stratfor said 'with the heavy diplomatic and public pressure on both us and mexican authorities to find david hartley's remains in the investigation, the decapitation of flores villegas was a stern signal to both the united states and mexico that no body will be produced and to leave the situation alone' falcon lake is about 70 miles west of the hartleys' home in mcallen cnn's ed lavandera, eric fiegel and nick valencia contributed to this report | tiffany hartley mexican texas monday david hartley hartley falcon lake september 30 | tiffany hartley meets with mexican authorities in texas . mother is hopeful the search will resume monday . no mexican agencies are actively searching for david hartley . hartley's wife says he was shot on falcon lake on september 30 |
new york (cnn) an 'all clear' was given at new york's john f kennedy international airport wednesday night after a dhl cargo facility there was evacuated following the discovery of a suspicious package, authorities said the package originated from yemen the source of last week's thwarted bomb plot said new york police department deputy commissioner paul browne the package was an envelope containing a cell phone and paperwork, browne said investigators said they were looking at a 'solid mass' in the package at jfk that showed up on an x ray and was inconsistent with what they had been told were documents in the package the package was addressed to a new york destination, a law enforcement source said 'the bomb squad was called in to check it out,' the nypd's browne said 'it was cleared' the package was discovered at 6:30 pm et wednesday, an official said fbi agents, port authority police and us customs and border protection had inspected the package 'out of an abundance of caution,' new york fbi spokesman rich kolko said 'all clear dhl got their signals crossed,' john kelly, a spokesman for the port authority of new york and new jersey, told cnn 'all is well and over' a dhl spokeswoman, beatrice garcia, confirmed some information about the suspicious package but rejected the port authority's statement about the delivery company getting its signals crossed senior law enforcement officials said the package was one of the more than a dozen packages from yemen that investigators had been looking for since friday at least seven other packages from that batch have been cleared by us officials earlier wednesday, the head of the us transportation security administration visited yemen, five days after authorities disrupted a plot to send bombs from the middle eastern nation to the united states, the federal agency announced homeland security secretary janet napolitano, meanwhile, talked about cargo screening with top representatives of global shipping companies including dhl, fedex, tnt and ups, her department said she talked about 'enhanced screening' after shipping companies apparently carried the bombs unawares she pressed home the same message in a call to the head of the international air transport association, giovanni bisignani, the department said tsa administrator john pistole met with yemeni government officials, including deputy prime minister rashad al alimi, representatives from the directorate general of civil aviation and the ministry of interior, and us ambassador gerald feierstein, the tsa said pistole also received briefings from tsa inspectors deployed to yemen and toured a cargo facility in sanaa, the nation's capital yemen said monday that it is tightening security at all of its airports authorities in the united arab emirates and britain found two packages friday with explosives that were destined for synagogues in chicago, illinois the explosive found in the united arab emirates may have traveled on passenger planes to get there, airline officials said sunday investigators in yemen say they strongly suspect that ibrahim hasan al asiri, al qaeda's top bomb maker in the region, is behind the explosive devices sent in the parcels us authorities are said to be also looking at al asiri because the parcel bombs used the same explosive, petn, as last year's foiled underwear bomber, also linked to him a 23 year old nigerian citizen, umar farouk abdulmutallab, has been charged with trying to blow up a december 25 flight from the netherlands to detroit, michigan, with an explosive that was partly sewn into his underwear a yemen based branch of the al qaeda terrorist network claimed responsibility for that attempt after last week's incident, the tsa and us customs and border protection took immediate steps to enhance measures for screening inbound cargo, including grounding packages originating from yemen destined for the us, the tsa said the agencies also deployed a team of inspectors to assist the government of yemen with its cargo screening procedures the day before visiting yemen, pistole spoke to the international air transport association conference in frankfurt, germany, met with international aviation security officials and signed an international security agreement with germany, the tsa said cnn's susan candiotti, deb feyerick, ross levitt and fran townsend contributed to this report | new york nypd friday yemen | package at airport had new york destination, law enforcement source says . envelope contains cell phone and paperwork, nypd says . an airport cargo facility is evacuated over suspicious package . the bomb plot discovered friday is believed to have originated in yemen |
(cnn) an american amateur golfer is poised to extend an incredible world record on december 26 as he aims to complete his 600th round of 2010 richard lewis holds the guinness book of world records' title of 'most avid golfer' after breaking the mark of most rounds played in a year when he finished his 587th on december 19 the 64 year old, who has played as many as 54 holes in a day, will take to the tee at the four seasons resort and club in the las colinas region of dallas, texas for his next milestone he has played all of his rounds at the club's tpc venue which hosts the pga tour's byron nelson championship event and its private members' course at cottonwood valley lewis, who has walked an estimated 3,900 miles during the feat, explained how this achievement is the next best thing to being a professional golfer 'when i was 10 years old, i wanted to be a pga tour pro,' he told the tour's website 'but it never worked out for me now i have another quest, another goal, which i fully intend to complete in december' to commemorate his momentous 18 holes, lewis will play alongside supporters who have paid more than $5,000 to compete alongside him when he starts at his usual tee off time of 730 am the funds raised will then be donated to 'the first tee of dallas,' a local charity aimed at improving the lives of young people through golf after his effort on december 26, lewis will continue to play until the end of this year, with his final total likely to stand at 611 lewis told the pga tour website that he has missed only 19 days this year all due to bad weather he has lost 40 pounds during the challenge despite eating at least one pizza a day plus protein drinks to keep up his strength four seasons club manager rob cowan has hailed the veteran golfer's efforts 'the detail to his quest is just amazing,' cowan said 'just eating healthy, staying healthy and getting ready for another round 'in fact, i would say nobody in the 27 year history of the four seasons has gotten more out of his membership than richard' | the world's most avid golfer richard lewis dallas texas | 'the world's most avid golfer' is set to complete his 600th round of 2010 . richard lewis will play the landmark round on december 26 in dallas, texas . the 64 year old will continue to play until end of 2010 and his total is set to reach 611 . he has missed playing only 19 days this year, all due to inclement weather |
(cnn) it's new year's eve, and you're parked in front of your television with a bottle of stale champagne, watching the ball drop again wouldn't you rather be cruising the open seas or riding a roller coaster? we thought so start the new year off right doing something extraordinary sure, you might have already exceeded your holiday budget, but plan ahead so next year isn't so predictable relaxing cruise standing around in the freezing cold waiting for the ball to drop is so last year book a cruise and start the year feeling warm, cheerful and relaxed holland america line books holiday cruises to the caribbean, mexico and hawaii, among other destinations trips can range anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and you won't have to worry about finding a ride home or navigating the crowds in times square if you're on a royal caribbean cruise for the holiday, there is a themed party for adults and separate new year's eve parties for teens and kids you'll miss out on fireworks, but the all you can eat appetizers will more than make up for it amusement park if you're going to be cheering or shouting at midnight anyway, you might as well be at the top of a roller coaster six flags fiesta texas in san antonio is open from 2 pm to 1 am on new year's eve, with the park transformed into a winter wonderland for the holiday in the park event while surrounded by thousands of colorful holiday lights, patrons can enjoy live entertainment and festive treats, in between riding roller coasters six flags discovery kingdom in the san francisco bay area will also be open late on new year's eve, from 4 pm to midnight, though rides close at 11:30 pm the celebration will feature family sledding, dance parties, live music and fireworks and like fiesta texas, discovery kingdom will also be hosting holiday in the park peaceful meditation want a little more 'om' in the new year? meditating your way to 2011 might be the way to do it to enter january feeling fully renewed, embark on a four day yoga retreat to sedona, arizona on new year's eve, participants journal about the year's gains and losses, share intimacies with one another and partake in silent group meditation for those in new york who have seen the ball drop one too many times, the chakrasambara kadampa meditation center and the vishwa dharma mandalam will offer guided meditation and devotional mantra chanting, respectively, at the end of 2010 winter fun though known best for its immaculate skiing, vail, colorado, has many options for other winter fun on new year's eve start the day off skiing at vail mountain, which has 31 lifts, three terrain parks and 193 trails the park is open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and has chic lodges for hot drinks and snacks après ski ice skating at vail square in lionshead village is another way to enjoy winter weather the space is surrounded by fire pits, boutiques, galleries and cafes move over to golden peak village at 6:15 pm for the torchlight parade, holiday music and fireworks on the mountains a snowy way to ring in the new year swanky gala if you're set on getting all decked out for the new year, washington dc's gala is the place to be the event is held at the wardman park marriott hotel and offers eight different cultural celebrations spanning seven ballrooms featured cultures are new york city, russia, cuba, ireland, china, new orleans, jamaica and italy tickets range from $109 to $239, depending on the package you select to really go all out, the imperial ball at the hofburg palace in vienna is selling tickets for 570 euros (about $750) that include a four course dinner, a welcome cocktail, red and white wines, champagne and seat reservation plus, you'll be ringing in the new year with the imperial court | new year's eve the year midnight | try an alternative new year's eve destination to start the year off right . some cruise lines offer holiday cruise packages . attending a gala or ball will give your celebration a glamorous feel . a yoga retreat or guided meditation at midnight will keep your mind at peace |
khartoum, sudan (cnn) a sudanese government delegation plans to leave peace talks with rebels from the country's western darfur region friday, the country's official news agency reported the presidential advisor in charge of the talks for the government, however, said the departure does not mean the government is withdrawing from the talks, which have been taking place in doha, qatar 'this does not mean that we are not willing to look over the final draft of the peace deal produced by these negotiators over the coming hours or days,' the sudan news agency quoted the advisor, ghazi salaheldin, as saying 'that can happen without the presence of the government delegation in doha' if a draft document emerges from the talks, 'it will be the foundation for a conference in darfur we do not want peace to be blocked,' salaheldin said, according to the sudan news agency the sudanese president, omar al bashir, said this week that his negotiators would leave if an agreement was not reached by thursday al bashir, who is wanted by the international criminal court for war crimes in the western darfur region, said he would not deal with rebels bearing arms after the talks ended in doha 'these (rebel) movements are enjoying the negotiation process and their residency in foreign hotels while the people of darfur are suffering the flames of war,' al bashir said 'we will not negotiate with anyone who carries a gun and claims to lead an armed group that represents the will of the people' the anti government justice and equality movement, a rebel movement in darfur, called al bashir's statement a declaration of war 'what the president said yesterday has blocked the way ahead on the road to a political solution,' said a statement from ahmed hussein adam, a spokesman for the group 'it is a declaration of war and a limiting of any future chance for peace' fighting erupted in darfur in 2003 between rebel groups and al bashir's arab dominated government in khartoum more than 300,000 people have been killed in this desolate region, where hopes for peace have gone up and down over the last few months negotiators had previously set a december 31 deadline for agreement in the peace talks, which have so far not made much progress the deadline was ahead of a key referendum on independence for southern sudan that begins january 9 north and south, dominated by non arab christians and animists, have fought one of africa's longest running civil wars the darfur conflict is separate from the north south divide, but independence for the south could help embolden rebels in darfur | sudanese darfur 2003 | the sudanese government is leaving peace talks with rebels from darfur . the president has been indicted for war crimes there . roughly 300,000 have been killed in darfur since 2003 |
anaheim, california (cnn) as he fixes a broken sliding glass door at an apartment in anaheim, california, eduardo gutierrez worries about his parents in mexico eduardo gutierrez can't send money back to his parents in mexico due to rising costs and less work he can no longer afford to send the $200 to $300 a month he had been sending back home to support his ailing father 'i kind of feel bad that i can't help my parents,' said gutierrez, a legal immigrant who has worked in the united states for 20 years 'i try but i can't these days, and it's a tough situation' gutierrez said he earns $1850 an hour as a glazier, installer and fixer of glass in all shapes and sizes but with the us economy sagging, his hours have shrunk, even as his gas and grocery bills have skyrocketed along with other expenses he's struggling just to support his wife and three children watch bad times in the us felt in mexico » bank of mexico, mexico's equivalent to the federal reserve, says stories like these are becoming more common deceleration in the us construction industry resulted in $100 million less in 'remittances' money from workers in the us to their relatives in mexico in january this year, the most recent available stats the overall figure went from $17 billion in january 2007 to $16 billion this january, according to bank of mexico the slowdown in such money has been a consistent theme over the last year the world bank says remittances received by people in mexico nearly ground to a halt in 2007, growing at a rate of 14 percent, compared with more than 20 percent annual growth from 2002 to 2006 'the slowdown in mexico is partly due to the weak job market in the united states, especially in the construction sector,' the world bank says on its web site a poll, released wednesday, of 5,000 latin american adults living in the united states found that only 50 percent of respondents were still sending money on a regular basis to loved ones, down from 73 percent in a similar poll conducted in 2006 the poll was conducted in february by the inter american development bank's multilateral investment fund see the rise of immigrants from latin america » what does that mean to families in mexico counting on the payments to survive? cnn caught up with gutierrez's father in tejaro, mexico, a hardscrabble farming town of about 5,000 people a gray bearded man in a wide brimmed hat, 77 year old camilo izquierdo was feeding white goats that poked their heads through a makeshift fence he and his wife have 13 children, seven of whom have moved to the united states for work, including eduardo gutierrez the dad used the money from his oldest son to supplement his farming income and to help pay for diabetes medication 'he says things are getting too expensive over there,' the father said 'he says things are worse there in california than over here' his livestock has always been his lifeline izquierdo used to have 140 goats, but he began selling off his livestock to make ends meet a drought made feed more expensive, and now he's down to just 40 goats, with little money left for his medicine 'i am sick and have been sick for quite some time the medicine keeps getting more expensive i just don't know what to do anymore' back in california, eduardo gutierrez says that in addition to shrinking hours and rising food costs, gas prices are burning up his paycheck as he drives his truck to jobs spread out over hundreds of miles in southern california he estimates that just driving to and from the jobs is costing him $400 to $500 a month in gas gas calculator: how much do you need to work to pay for your gas? » 'i've been here over 20 years, and i saw the recession back in the '90s,' gutierrez said 'but this is worse, as far as i can tell this is really bad' gutierrez says his financial situation could be more desperate, like those from his hometown who are now unemployed in california when he visits his home in mexico, he doesn't reveal everything about just how dire the situation is 'every time i go down there, a lot of people ask, 'how is my son doing?' ' gutierrez said 'i don't want to say they're out of a job or anything like that' he added, 'i say they're doing all right but that is just a lie they are doing bad right now a lot of people are doing bad' he said he knows lots of legal us residents who have moved back home to tejaro or the state of michoacan he also said the tighter border controls have convinced other mexicans without legal us paperwork not to try to not sneak across the border to make money for their families 'i mean, who wants to risk his life just to make a living?' gutierrez asked he said he hopes the us economy picks back up and people begin renovating their homes again soon on this day, as he finished fixing the sliding glass door, he got on his knees like a kid playing marbles and used a hand brush to sweep every last metal shaving and screw into a dust pan 'i don't know what's going to happen,' he said of the us economy 'hopefully, things turn around a little better' e mail to a friend | indurative celebration misdiagrammed | no related information |
rome, italy captain javier zanetti saved inter milan's unbeaten serie a record as he rifled home a stunning late volley to earn a 1 1 draw against second placed roma at the san siro on wednesday zanetti celebrates his late strike as inter retained their unbeaten serie a record with a 1 1 draw against roma roma captain francesco totti had given the visitors a deserved first half leadbut zanetti's strike two minutes from time maintained inter's nine point lead at the top roma needed to win to breathe new life into the title race but they were dealt a cruel blow as french defender philippe mexes was sent off late on for two bookings in quick succession inter capitalised and they have now lost only once in their last 65 league matches the home side had the first clear cut chance of the match and were within centimeters of taking the lead when hernan crespo met a cross from patrick vieira with an acrobatic volley, but saw his effort cannon back off the post the defending champions were made to pay for that miss on 38 minutes as the visitors orchestrated a sublime goal neat footwork from macedonia international mirko vucinic released max tonetto down the left and his pin point cross was flicked home at the near post by totti from six meters out as he stole in front of defender cristian chivu inter center back nicolas burdisso should have restored parity in first half stoppage time but his header from luis figo's corner flew over the bar figo himself had a great chance on 54 minutes but after having time to set himself up for an attempted volley, he skewed his effort so badly that it did not even go out of play after mexes' dismissal 10 from time, inter laid siege to roma's goal goalkeeper doni had to be alert to tip over crespo's header three minutes from time but he could do nothing about zanetti's volley a minute later meanwhile, ac milan slipped to fifth place as they were held to a 1 1 draw at catania brazilian teenager pato gave them the lead early in the second half with a skimming long range shot but substitute gionathan spinesi's header earnt the sicilians a point fiorentina are up to fourth after they defeated livorno 1 0 at home thanks to a goal from senegal forward ndiaye papa waigo e mail to a friend | javier zanetti inter milan roma ac milan fifth catania | javier zanetti scores a late goal to earn inter milan a 1 1 draw against roma . the result keeps inter nine points clear and retains their unbeaten league run . ac milan slipped to fifth position as they were held to a 1 1 draw at catania |
glasgow, scotland jean claude darcheville and nacho novo both scored twice to fire leaders rangers to a 4 0 win at hearts, their 10th consecutive scottish premier league victory jean claude darcheville scored two first half goals as rangers cruised to a 4 0 victory at hearts hearts found themselves ripped apart by a rampant rangers side, who sent out a clear message to rivals celtic by maintaining their four point advantage at the summit darcheville claimed the opener after 25 minutes, cutting inside from the left and squeezing his shot inside the far post from a tight angle the same player added a second two minutes before the break, scoring from close range after a barry ferguson corner was not cleared darcheville was withdrawn for novo at the interval, but if hearts thought the departure of the frenchman meant some much needed respite, they were sadly mistaken novo was on the pitch for seven minutes when he helped himself to a goal of his own charlie adam set up the shot with a low ball across goal and all that was required from the striker was to bundle home from close range the same two players combined again to supply rangers with their fourth goal with 69 minutes gone adam was again the provider and this time novo produced a cheeky back heel finish from five meters meanwhile, goals by scott mcdonald and georgios samaras gave celtic a hard fought 2 1 win at home to inverness caledonian thistle australian international mcdonald's 25th goal of the season right on the interval gave the champions the lead and his greek team mate bulleted an aiden mcgeady cross past goalkeeper michael fraser on the hour mark but the final minutes were needlessly fraught for celtic after caley striker marius niculae took advantage of scott brown's misplaced pass to pull a goal back in the 70th minute e mail to a friend | rangers scotland jean claude darcheville nacho novo celtic second inverness caley | rangers remain four points clear in scotland after a superb 4 0 win at hearts . jean claude darcheville and nacho novo both net twice for the league leaders . celtic remain second in the table following 2 1 victory against inverness caley |
(cnn) one of the telephone numbers used to report claims of abuse at a polygamist sect's texas ranch was previously associated with a colorado woman whom authorities have named a 'person of interest,' a court document says rozita swinton, 33, has been arrested in a case that is not directly related to the texas raid the telephone calls in late march prompted authorities to raid the yearning for zion (yfz) ranch in eldorado, texas, where 437 children were removed the ranch is owned by the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, a mormon offshoot that practices polygamy rozita swinton, 33, of colorado springs, colorado, was arrested this month on a charge of making a false report to police the charge relates to an incident in february, but the texas rangers have said she is a person of interest in connection with the ranch calls in the february incident, swinton is accused of calling authorities using the names 'dana anderson' and 'april,' reporting abuse by male relatives, according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant authorities have not clearly said that they think swinton made the march phone calls that prompted the raid but the affidavit says she is 'known to make false reports of sexual abuse to the police and other agencies' watch how a hoax may be behind the ranch mystery » calls were made to a texas family shelter march 29 and 30 from a female identifying herself as sarah barlow, the affidavit says the caller said she was 16, had a baby about 8 months old and was pregnant again she said that her 49 year old husband was physically and sexually abusive toward her and that they were living at the yfz ranch the phone calls were made from a prepaid cell phone with no available records, according to the affidavit however, it has been used in other cases linked to swinton, the document says although texas officials said they have not found the woman who made the calls, they said they have found evidence that girls as young at 13 are forced into marriages with older men at the ranch the flds has denied that any abuse takes place at the ranch the woman identifying herself as sarah barlow also called a battered women's shelter in snohomish county, washington, using another phone number, the affidavit says that phone number was traced to swinton's address, the affidavit says on april 10, the woman called the washington shelter again and was put on the line with a texas deputy she said she felt that she would be punished for the trouble she had caused, was worried that her baby might be taken away and was angry with a woman she had contacted march 29 for prompting the raid by law enforcement during that conversation, the affidavit says, the woman used terminology common to the flds, referring to her 'sister wives,' for instance the phone number used in the washington call was traced to the colorado springs apartment where swinton lives, the affidavit says the number was also used to call a utah organization for women escaping polygamy and an abuse counseling center in fort myers, florida, phone records showed swinton pleaded guilty to a charge of false reporting in june 2007 and was under a 12 month deferred sentence, the affidavit says at a custody hearing last week, a texas judge ruled that the state will temporarily retain custody of the 437 children removed in the raid meanwhile, on tuesday evening, laboratory workers at san angelo coliseum completed taking dna samples from mothers and children, said janice rolfe, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office she did not say how many samples were taken about 100 of the seized children from whom swab dna samples had already been taken were bused tuesday from the san angelo coliseum to group foster homes, the texas department of health and family services said on wednesday, workers in eldorado continued to take voluntary dna samples from adults who live on the yfz ranch, rolfe said rolfe said that at least 54 samples from adults have been taken there the dna samples will be sent to laboratory corporation of america, based in burlington, north carolina it could take longer than a month to get results judge barbara walther, who last week ordered the dna testing of the children and ordered that they remain in state custody, signed an order this week authorizing the children's move to foster care, officials said at a meeting wednesday afternoon, walther and the state's child protective services division agreed that 18 mothers with breast feeding babies that are 1 year old or younger will be allowed to stay with their children in the homes where the children are placed also, 23 mothers with 28 children ages 1 to 2 years will be allowed to stay in the same towns as their children the remaining children, 2 to 18 years old, will be split up into available homes the original order signed by walther called for every effort to keep siblings together, especially in the case of small children rod parker, a spokesman for the flds families, blasted the action in a news conference from his salt lake city, utah, office 'the cps department of texas is afraid of due process,' he said 'they would lose in a fair fight in this case, and that is why you're seeing them move so quickly, and that is why you're seeing them move unilaterally' he said the court ignored motions asking that the children be placed with their relatives the flds launched a web site this week to promote its side of the issue the site, captivefldschildrencom, contains photos and videos taken inside the ranch during the raid the site says donations are needed to help cover the 'massive litigation costs associated with these lawsuits' a link on the web site allows online donations e mail to a friend cnn correspondent susan roesgen and journalist cheryl getty contributed to this report | rozita swinton 33 this month texas rangers court swinton 16 year old | rozita swinton, 33, was arrested this month on charge unrelated to ranch . but texas rangers have said she is a 'person of interest' in sect case . court record: swinton is connected with phone number that brought attention to sect . caller identified herself as a 16 year old girl who claimed abuse by sect member |
bogota, colombia (cnn) colombian police have killed a drug trafficker who the government says is one of the most sought after fugitive outside the country's rebel leaders victor manuel mejia munera was a drug lord with ties to paramilitary groups, the colombian government says victor manuel mejia munera and two bodyguards were killed tuesday when police tracked them down on a farm in the northwestern province of antioquia, according to a statement on the colombian presidency web site three people also were arrested, according to the statement mejia munera was wearing an american style, desert camouflage uniform when he was killed, said colombian defense minister juan manuel santos mejia munera also had short and long range weapons with ammunition, the presidential statement said 'this is a great strike of the public force against the criminal structures of the country,' santos said, warning that drug traffickers who do not turn themselves over to the government will 'end up in the jail or in a tomb' in terms of the country's most wanted list, mejia munera was one of colombia's most sought after criminals and ranked just below the leaders of revolutionary armed forces of colombia, the statement said the leftist guerilla group, which goes by its spanish acronym farc, holds about 750 hostages in the jungles of colombia and has justified hostage taking as a legitimate military tactic in a long running civil war involving government forces, drug traffickers and right wing paramilitaries mejia munera is not alleged to have ties to farc, but he had been involved with a right wing paramilitary group known as united self defense forces of colombia, according to the us state department mejia munera and his brother, miguel angel mejia munera, known as 'los mellizos,' or 'the twins,' have been accused of running major drug rings in colombia the brothers also have faced narcotics trafficking charges in the united states santos initially told reporters that police had killed miguel angel mejia munera the colombian presidency later said the slain drug lord was actually victor manuel mejia munera fingerprints confirmed that the dead man was victor mejia munera, colombian based caracol radio reported the brothers sometimes exchanged identities, the radio station said, and identity documents belonging to miguel mejia munera were found near victor mejia munera in 2004, the us district court for the district of columbia indicted the twins on narcotics trafficking charges the us justice department at one point offered a $5 million reward for 'true and effective information' on the whereabouts of a dozen suspects it wanted extradited to the united states one of the 12 men wanted was miguel mejia munera the state department said wednesday there was no reward for victor mejia munera the us treasury department's office of foreign assets control reported that the brothers have been involved in narcotics trafficking since the early 1990s, when they were guarding ships carrying cocaine from western colombia to mexico 'over time,' ofac said in a news release last year, the brothers 'rose through the ranks to lead their own narcotics trafficking organization' 'recent reports indicate that los mellizos may be funding their own illegal armed groups to facilitate their narcotics trafficking activities,' the release said the colombian prosecutor general's office had indicted victor mejia munera for his role in a 2004 paramilitary massacre of 11 farmers in tame in the eastern colombian province of arauca, according to the state department e mail to a friend | colombian victor manuel mejia munera us miguel angel mejia | new: weapons, ammunition found with dead drug lord, colombian government says . new: defense minister warns drug dealers will 'end up in the jail or in a tomb'. victor manuel mejia munera linked to paramilitaries, also wanted in the us. the slain man was originally thought to be brother miguel angel mejia |
boston, massachusetts (cnn) it all started with the flush of an automatic toilet the terrifying sound marked the beginning of a two year nightmare for sarah teres as she desperately tried to potty train her daughter molly molly graduated from potty school four days before her brother, archer, was born 'it was awful' teres said 'we tried everything including bribery and threats' teres, the mother of three from andover, massachusetts, hoped her middle child would be toilet trained by the time she was 2½ two years later, the girl was still in diapers, refusing to use the bathroom 'i was going crazy,' teres admitted 'she wouldn't poop she would hold it for days' at wits end, teres enrolled molly in the toilet training school at children's hospital boston 'by the time the children come in with their families, it has become a power struggle,' explained dr alison schonwald, a pediatrician who supervises the 'poop school,' as it's affectionately called by staffers 'the kids kind of dig in their heels and put a line in the sand' health minute: watch more on the perils of potty training » the american academy of pediatrics reports that most children show signs they're ready to potty train between 18 and 24 months doctors suggest a child may be ready to start trying if he's staying dry for at least two hours at a time during the day, walking to and from the bathroom, asking for a diaper change and asking to use the potty for some kids, the toilet training process can take more than a year, or longer the six week program at children's hospital is one of a handful around the country kimberly dunn, a pediatric nurse practitioner, has worked with some of the 450 young graduates over the years she said most of the kids admit they are afraid to use a toilet 'oftentimes, the parents come in and they want to know why they're afraid,' dunn said 'you could ask the kids until they're blue in the face and you hardly ever find out why' dunn meets with a half dozen children once a week she uses books, music and art to help the students overcome their fear of using the toilet she helps them set small, realistic goals for instance, she said, week one involved just sitting on the toilet for five minutes she encourages positive reinforcement and simple rewards such as extra playtime with mom or dad while dunn works on the kids, psychologist elaine leclair, an instructor at the harvard school of medicine, offers frank advice to the parents in a separate room 'i just say, 'step back' they hate to hear me say this, but i say whatever you're doing now is not working you really need to try something different,' leclair said she said many parents come to the sessions angry and anxious 'they come in feeling extremely discouraged, very isolated thinking they are the only ones in the world who have this problem' teres acknowledged that's how she felt 'imagine my surprise to find out there were thousands of kids who had this problem' after years of hiding her daughter's toilet training troubles from family and friends, the group parenting sessions allowed teres to open up about her frustrations 'it was like going to betty ford,' joked teres, who felt she had exhausted all her other options a majority of the children who attend the children's hospital class are dealing with constipation issues often caused by delayed toilet training teres learned that her daughter had a medical condition called encopresis experts call it a symptom of chronic constipation and say it occurs when a child resists having a bowel movement youngsters like molly are sometimes given laxatives or other medications to help encourage them to go schonwald, the author of 'the pocket idiot's guide to potty training,' doesn't want parents to be discouraged during the process 'no one goes to college in diapers, right? everyone will get through this time, as awful as it might feel if you're struggling' she suggested achieving success during potty training has to do with the approach 'there are three things you cannot make a child do: eat, sleep or poop we find that by decreasing the pressure and expectations that children feel more confident' schonwald reminds parents that toilet training 'is not a chore, so keeping it positive from the very beginning is the most important thing' if a child isn't using the toilet by the age of 4, she recommends talking with a pediatrician schonwald also said setbacks during potty training are normal 'all developmental skills come in spurts with periods of regression' after a setback, schonwald advises parents to give their child positive messages that they can succeed by saying, 'so you had some accidents today we'll try again tomorrow' four months after graduating from 'poop school,' teres is relieved to report that molly is fully toilet trained 'you would never know this was an issue,' said teres 'she even used an automatic flush toilet the other day i waited to see her reaction and she was ok' e mail to a friend judy fortin is a correspondent with cnn medical news linda ciampa of accent health contributed to this report | between 18 and 24 months six week more than a year | most children show they're ready to potty train between 18 and 24 months . mom resorted to hospital's potty school when daughter was in diapers at 4½ . six week program uses creative methods to get kids comfortable with a toilet . toilet training process can take more than a year, or longer for some kids |
(cnn) last week, i sat down with colleagues and students to an early thanksgiving meal prepared by my university's cafeteria along with our winter greens, butternut squash, brussels sprouts with apples and bacon, and pumpkin grits, we ate a roasted 'heritage breed turkey' accolades ensued: 'to me, all turkeys taste the same—except for this one—i can tell the difference,' said william payne who works in the medical school the local greens from georgia farms were 'really, really tasty,' said a first year student from the atlanta area and her friend from tianjin, china the meal was emory university's fourth heritage harvest feast the turkey that had everybody talking was a narragansett, a heritage breed native to rhode island along with bourbon reds, narragansetts have been saved from extinction by farms like the good shepherd poultry ranch in kansas, where emory's turkey's come from, and by the efforts of the american livestock breeds conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving rare breeds of livestock the heritage harvest feast is not only an occasion for thanks and a good meal, but it also is part of a commitment to building a more sustainable food system sustainability depends on variety to preserve variety, we need to grow it and want to eat it! thanksgiving advice, recipes, solidarity and sanity genetic variety in our food system is the result of thousands of years of farmer and consumer choices, in itself a precious human heritage adapted to local climates and all kinds of diseases and pests, the seeds and breeds that have survived until the present day are often hardier, more resilient—and can be more nutritious as well as our planet warms and growing seasons shift, new patterns of flood, drought, frost and pests will stress our food system when farmers plant large tracts of one variety perhaps one that is bred to grow faster, is suited to mechanical harvest and travels well or consumers demand only one breed of animal, our food supply is vulnerable in the 1970s, for example, a disease wiped out more than 50% of the corn crop in some states, because those areas were planted to one single corn variety crop uniformity is the enemy of resilience the hardy traits of older, heirloom varieties provide a safety valve they allow us to breed new, more resilient crops using traits we don't even know we need until disaster strikes but can we count on those genetic riches surviving today? around the world, the loss of species to extinction is progressing faster than ever and this loss includes our seed varieties studies using usda crop lists from 1903 estimate that only 6 7% of the nation's named commercial varieties remained available by the 1980s we lost, for example, 86% of our apple varieties and 92% of our lima beans cary fowler and pat mooney in 'shattering: food, politics, and the loss of genetic diversity' report that 93% of our lettuce varieties, 81% of our tomatoes, 93% of our carrots and 91% of watermelon varieties are extinct to be sure, commercial seed catalogs now list many new hybrid crop varieties but these hybrid seeds do not contain the range of genetic variability of the older, open pollinated seeds (that is, plants pollinated by birds, insects or wind that 'breed true') that reflect centuries of selection this is a staggering loss of our precious genetic heritage the best guarantee of a safe food supply as we head toward an uncertain global future is a large number of diverse food producers growing a wide variety of healthy seeds and breeds but to save this rich biodiversity—of potatoes or turkeys—there needs to be a market fortunately, there is a growing awareness of the importance of heirloom varieties, and local farmers markets and even some grocery stores feature multiple varieties savoring distinct flavors in special types of vegetables, fruits and meats encourages us to recognize, enjoy and support farmers who are preserving variety ireport: who's at your thanksgiving table? that's why cora and her husband, simon, (who came from the chemistry department to our early thanksgiving dinner) grow a garden with heirloom vegetable varieties and they order a heritage breed turkey for thanksgiving even though it costs more they are willing to spend extra money because, says cora, 'it's tastier, and we'd rather eat meat less often and not get mass produced and flavorless turkey' so, as you plan your feasts this holiday season, can you add an heirloom vegetable? try a local specialty? seek out a heritage breed? our food future may depend on it the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of peggy f barlett | yodeled cerebrate befraught | no related information |
(cnn) just six months after leading chelsea to european champions league and english fa cup glory roberto di matteo has been sacked by the english premier league club he was sacked just hours after tuesday's 3 0 defeat to juventus left chelsea on the brink of becoming the first defending champions to be eliminated in the group stages of the champions league russian oligarch roman abramovich, who took over the club in 2003, is now looking for his ninth manager, with all the indications a replacement has already been found blog: was di matteo the architect of his own downfall? 'the club will be making an announcement shortly regarding a new first team manager,' said a statement on the chelsea website third in the english premier league despite a series of injuries to key players, chelsea is on a run of just one win in five league matches and face league leaders manchester city on sunday, with the league champions four points ahead of the london side explaining the italian's dismissal, chelsea thanked di matteo for his'huge contribution' but also said the team's results had 'not been good enough' 'the owner and the board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season,' added the chelsea statement managerial change in order to reach the last 16 of the champions league, chelsea must beat danish side nordsjaelland in the final round of group matches and hope ukrainian group leaders shakhtar donetsk defeat juventus former chelsea midfielder di matteo took over first team duties following the sacking of andre villas boas in march 2011 the former west bromwich albion manager guided chelsea to english fa cup success, beating liverpool 2 1 in the final, before leading the west london club to its first champions league triumph in may the penalty shootout victory over bayern munich at the allianz arena helped convince abramovich that di matteo deserved the job on a full time basis and the italian was handed a two year contract in june 2012 eight full time managers have worked under abramovich since he took control of chelsea in 2003 tuesday's defeat came off the back of saturday's 2 1 loss at di matteo's former club west brom john terry despite attacking players such as brazilian playmaker oscar and belgian forward eden hazard impressing since arriving during the last preseason, chelsea has struggled defensively key has been the recent absence of captain john terry who had to serve a four match ban for racially abusing an opponent before picking up a knee injury in a 1 1 draw against liverpool earlier this month with terry in and out of the team, chelsea has conceded 20 goals in its last 10 matches in all competitions much of di matteo's tenure was overshadowed by the racism scandal which engulfed terry and the club former england captain terry was cleared by a london magistrate's court of racially abusing queens park rangers defender anton ferdinand but was then found guilty by an english fa tribunal di matteo, whose team began the season with a 4 1 defeat to atletico madrid in the european super cup, has also failed to bring the best form out of fernando torres the striker who abramovich splashed out $80 million to recruit from liverpool spain international torres, who won the golden boot at this year's euro 2012 tournament, has scored just four goals this season and looks a shadow of the player who shone during four seasons at anfield media reports are already linking torres' former liverpool manager rafael benitez with the job the spaniard has been out of work since being sacked by inter milan in january 2011 former barcelona coach josep guardiola is also being linked with the stamford bridge vacancy guardiola led barca to 14 titles in four years before stepping down from the nou camp hotseat at the end of last season the former barca captain is currently on sabbatical in the united states | chelsea champions league di matteo ninth roman abramovich | chelsea face struggle to qualify for knockout stages of champions league . the club thanked di matteo for his 'huge contribution'. chelsea say they will soon make an announcement about a new manager . the club are now looking for ninth different manager under owner roman abramovich |
(cnn) the founder of the university of phoenix, dr john g sperling, has died, according to a statement posted on the apollo education group's website he was 93 the statement said sperling passed away friday at a hospital in the san francisco bay area no cause was given 'dr sperling's vision, pioneering spirit and boundless resolve to improve the world through accessible higher education for working adult students provided a roadmap for families, nations and economies to evolve, advance, grow and prosper,' wrote apollo chairman and sperling's son, peter sperling, and company chief executive officer greg cappelli 'dr sperling's indomitable ideas and life's work served as a catalyst for innovations widely accepted as having made higher education more accessible to adult students,' the statement read sperling founded the institute for professional development in 1972, followed by the university of phoenix, a degree program aimed at working adults, in 1978 the for profit university was one of the first to develop online degree programs the university of phoenix is one of the largest private universities in the united states with more than a million students, alumni, faculty and employees, according to the apollo group, its parent company sperling was born on january 9, 1921, in rural northwest missouri he served in the us army air corps and worked as a history professor sperling is survived by his longtime companion, joan hawthorne; his former wife, virginia sperling; his son, peter; daughter in law stephanie and two grandchildren chuck johnston contributed to this report | crackliest trivette bimastic | no related information |
(cnn) rebels and regime fighters girded for a decisive battle in aleppo as world powers issued dire warnings of a government onslaught in the sprawling and densely populated syrian city fighting flared in parts of the metropolis friday but malik kurdi, deputy commander of the rebel free syrian army, said both sides are preparing for a bigger confrontation the regime is calling 'the mother of all battles' rebel battalions trekked into aleppo from the countryside and the regime is taking forces from other regions into the city the huge urban center resembles a 'ghost town' in many areas, with only fighters are on the streets, kurdi said faces of the free syrian army 'people are fleeing the city towards the countryside i think they are sensing that a huge battle is about to take place, a decisive one,' kurdi said the confrontation could signal the fate of the president bashar al assad and his government, which has been engulfed in an uprising that started peacefully in march 2011 but has transformed into an armed rebellion activists said early saturday that regime forces are preventing fuel and food from entering neighborhoods controlled by rebel fighters amateur videos showed long lines at bakeries and grocery stores, as people tried to get their hands on whatever was available 'they are besieging our area,' abu omar, a resident of the salaheddin neighorhood, said 'there is no electricity in some parts, and food is scarce' aleppo, in northern syrian near turkey, is the country's commercial capital and a world heritage site the cia world factbook says it is the nation's most populous city andrew tabler, a syria expert at the washington institute for near east policy, said that if the government's military effort fails in aleppo, 'it will cost the regime dearly and begin a process of contraction of regime control over syria' 'if the regime is able to beat the rebels back, this conflict will go on far longer,' he said maj gen robert mood, the former head of the un observer mission in syria, told cnn 'it's only a matter of time before this regime will fall' and 'time is on the side of the rebels' syrian rebels appear more capable, yet still outgunned 'it can take a lot of time or it can go quickly, it's impossible to say it is a cycle of violence sooner or later we will reach a climax with the fall of the regime,' he told cnn violence hit parts of the city on friday the opposition local coordination committees of syria reported a 'horrific massacre' in the city's fardos district, where regime forces indiscriminately shelled homes the international activist group avaaz, saying it has spoken to witnesses, also reported violence in fardos the witnesses reported casualties in a 'blistering' regime 'dawn attack' in the district, in central aleppo regime forces in the khaldieh district fired at protesters coming out of the al ghafran mosque and shelled the salaheddin district with missiles, automatic weapons and attack helicopters, the lcc said syrian state tv said that 'special security authorities' destroyed five pickup vehicles equipped with machine guns used by 'terrorists' in the aleppo countryside the report said people in the vehicles were killed and injured kurdi said rebels have had skirmishes with regime forces and destroyed several vehicles at least 15 of the 100 people slain in syria on friday were from aleppo province, the lcc said, and the count is expected to rise the day before, 48 of the 200 people killed in syria violence were also from the aleppo region, the first time since the uprising started that the region led in the number of deaths in a single day as the violence unfolded, throngs of protesters marched down aleppo streets friday, chanting and carrying signs, saying, 'we stand for all the syrian devastated cities' and 'we are all syrians' the world community urged al assad's regime to stop its assault opinion: after the fall of the house of assad, could syria be worse? 'i urge the syrian government to halt their offensive,' un secretary general ban ki moon said on friday in london 'the violence from both sides must stop for the sake of the suffering civilians of syria' british foreign secretary william hague said the 'utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict could lead to a devastating loss of civilian life and a humanitarian disaster' turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu called the developments in aleppo 'really worrisome,' saying the use of heavy weapons and air forces on such a civilian hub would constitute 'an international crime, clearly' 'such an attack would both start a massive migration and also such destruction of a commercial center like aleppo would mean cutting the lifeline of syria,' he said 'for a regime to destroy its own country in such a rough way is really turning into a crime of humanity' battles for key cities of aleppo, damascus heat up in syrian civil war iran, meanwhile, signaled its support for al assad's government its energy minister, majid namjou, vowed his government 'will not leave syria alone in such a difficult situation,' according to a story by state run press tv the report said the two nations signed a deal thursday to expand sharing of electricity and water, with namjou saying iranian firms are ready to rebuild damaged power plant facilities iran plans to export at least 250 million watts of electricity, and iranian companies 'to produce and supply industrial equipment needed in the arab country,' according to the energy minister us officials, meanwhile, have increased contacts with the syrian opposition in recent weeks, a senior us official said friday 'the us and others are playing more of an advisory role to the opposition now,' the official said yet us joint chiefs chairman gen martin dempsey said friday he's not aware of any discussions about giving the opposition any 'lethal support' the rebels are composed largely of soldiers who have defected from the syrian military but many civilians including students, shopkeepers, real estate agents and members of the president's ruling baath party also are trying to end four decades of assad family rule they are gearing up for a fight rebel commander mustafa abdullah, told cnn that rebels have set up medical clinics in aleppo homes and have plans to transport and evacuate anyone who is wounded 'they (government forces) want to surround aleppo completely and send support from all sides, then start shelling rebel controlled areas and hospitals,' abdullah said abdullah, the rebel commander in aleppo, recalled the merciless government bombardment of the city of homs this year as he geared up for battle asked if these fighters had enough ammunition to withstand a government siege, abdullah said simply 'no' he then added, 'it will be just like homs' and wept at the thought the aleppo fighting has hit home politically a syrian parliamentarian from aleppo has defected to turkey, according to the opposition syrian national council ikhlas badawi is the first member of the assembly elected in may to defect and the latest in a series of high profile officials to cut ties with the regime this follows defections by high level syrian diplomats to the united arab emirates, cyprus and iraq 'i call on all of my colleagues to join this revolution and defend their rights to stand up for the free across all of our society's sects,' he told reporters friday in antakya, turkey 'i also call on members of the syrian army to honor their word and defend our country, not just one ruling family' more from cnn inside syria as fighting raged in recent days, aid agencies scaled back their efforts in aleppo a spokeswoman for the international committee of the red cross which said it is temporarily moving some aid workers out of syria to beirut for security reasons said the organization doesn't have a presence in aleppo at the moment in addition, the syrian arab red crescent has had to suspend some of its activities 'the situation there is extremely volatile,' the icrc said 'several schools in aleppo have been opened to host displaced families, and the local sarc volunteers have provided some relief items (mattresses, hygiene products and food) however, humanitarian needs are on the rise' outside aleppo, battles between regime forces and rebels raged heavy shelling rocked other cities, including damascus, daraa, idlib and homs, the local coordination committees of syria said thirty people died in daraa province, 23 in damascus and its suburbs, 11 in deir ezzor province and 10 in homs province, the lcc said the syrian observatory for human rights, another pro opposition group, said early saturday that rebel forces controlled the biggest and most important checkpoint in the northern city of maaret nouman, in idlib province syrian rebels, regime forces clash in aleppo syria: as al assad's grip loosens, what could come next? opinion: syria's chemical weapons threat demands a response cnn's amir ahmed, barbara starr, saad abedine, ivan watson, faith karimi, samira said, hamdi alkhshali, yesim comert and joe sterling and journalist shiyar sayed mohamad contributed to this report | syrian aleppo syria us un | new: activists say syrian forces are cutting off food and fuel to parts of aleppo . new: a defecting legislator urges syria's army to protect citizens, not the ruling family . the us has increased contacts with the opposition, a senior us official says . maj gen mood from the un says 'time is on the side of the rebels' |
(cnn) the family that robs banks together stays together that's what southeastern texas authorities allege about a father, son and daughter, tying them to a pair of bank robberies in that state and possibly five others in their native oregon now, weeks after those heists occurred, the three suspects are in the fort bend county jail in a press release issued friday, the fort bend county, texas, sheriff's office identified the three as 50 year old ronald scott catt, his 20 year old son hayden scott catt and his 18 year old daughter abigail 'abby' catt before their arrests, authorities concluded they'd seen the father and son before in disguise in surveillance video shot october 1 in and around the 1st community credit union in katy the footage shows a younger man with a fake mustache and an older one in a painter's mask, with both wearing dark sunglasses, hats and orange traffic vests that had an 'x' on the back other images, released by local authorities to media, showed the two suspects pointing small guns inside the bank and emptying cash out of a vault after that robbery, detectives went to a home depot near the sheriff's office and found the distinctive orange vests they followed up a short time later by going to another home depot about 14 miles north in katy, near where detectives found stolen license plates between the october 1 robbery and one in august in nearby harris county the two male suspects in the latter robbery wore painter outfits and masks 'while viewing videotapes at the checkout counters, they identified hayden and abby catt purchasing the vests with their father's debit card,' the fort bend county sheriff's office said 'ronald catt was later identified purchasing a painter's mask' ronald and hayden scott catt were arrested november 9 at a katy apartment and subsequently were ordered held on $140,000 bail abigail catt who police say was the getaway driver in the october 1 bank heist was taken into custody later that day, with her bond set at $100,000 following interviews with the suspects, fort bend detectives notified authorities in oregon where the catt family is originally from as they 'believe the suspects may be connected to five bank robbery cases in the portland area,' the sheriff's office said | home depot oregon | two men in vests one in a fake mustache, another in a painter's mask rob a bank . police say they are father and son, and allege a daughter drove the getaway car . detectives: the family bought the distinctive orange traffic vests at a nearby home depot . authorities believe the family may be responsible for 7 bank robberies, 5 in oregon |
(rollingstonecom) kid rock stopped by the howard stern show wednesday and shared some lively stories about chatting with mitt romney and hosting a dinner party with eminem, cbs detroit reports rock revealed that when romney contacted him for his support during his presidential campaign, he demanded answers first romney's team agreed, and the two sat down at the rocker's house with a campaign aide, two secret service members and a preapproved list of questions rock said he wanted to ensure that romney was not 'just a rich guy who wanted to become president to out do [his] dad,' but someone of greater substance 'i know what it's like to want to be better than your father,' rock told howard stern 'of course, i'm getting these 'i really want to help america [answers]' and i said, 'cut the s**t, this is my living room; this isn't going to leave here'' rock's main concern was his hometown, and once he had a commitment towards improving detroit from romney, he was all in kid rock also shared the story of hosting a dinner party with fellow detroit native eminem 'he came by the house, we had dinner, i cooked, just having a sophisticated kind of dinner,' said rock he added of the rapper, 'he's a great family guy' though he's a vocal conservative, rock also said that he's not into right wing social politics 'i'm into less government,' he said, adding, 'if gay people want to get married, i don't give a f**k' for rock, disagreement in beliefs is fine, but failing to vote isn't 'it's ok to stand for something i've got friends who didn't vote i want to smack them upside the head,' he said kid rock also hinted today on his facebook page about an upcoming tour to support his forthcoming album rebel soul, out november 19th 'can't wait to hit the road in a few months and celebrate with everyone,' he wrote see original article at rollingstonecom copyright © 2011 rolling stone | kid rock mitt romney eminem | kid rock reportedly said mitt romney reached out for his support . the musician said he sat down with the politician with a list of questions . kid rock said he also said he hosted a dinner party with rapper eminem |
(cnn) snap out of that turkey coma and make plans for a little escape from the frenzy of holiday prep hotels and resorts are getting in on the black friday and cyber monday action with sales on upcoming stays, all bookable from the comfort of your own home here are a handful of hotel deals to get the traveler in you salivating: harbor view hotel martha's vineyard, massachusetts for savings on an island getaway just a hop off the east coast, check out the harbor view hotel's five day flash sale starting on wednesday at 5 pm through cyber monday, travelers can book three night stays for 30% off at this historic martha's vineyard retreat one and two night stays will be available at 20% off during the sale the reduced rates are available for stays between november 30 and june 27, based on availability the hotel boasts ocean views and easy access to the shops and dining of edgartown the benjamin new york save up to 60% off rooms at the benjamin in new york during the hotel's cyber monday sale, starting at 12 am est nonrefundable rooms at this boutique hotel on 50th street and lexington avenue will start at $199 for standard rooms, going up to $379 for a one bedroom terrace suite complete with a separate living room and a kitchen area with full sized refrigerator and microwave refundable rooms will start at $229 during the one day sale the discounted rates are available for stays through february 28, 2013, and are only offered online using the promotion code cyber1 fairmont scottsdale princess scottsdale, arizona heat up your holidays in arizona with a discounted stay at the fairmont scottsdale princess, a aaa five diamond resort guests who book a minimum three night stay for getaways between november 23 and december 30 will receive 50% off during the sale running from black friday to cyber monday using the promotion code 2u850p (blackout dates december 5 7, 15) during the holidays the resort decks the halls and grounds with light displays and offers ice skating and rides on an electric train grand lucayan, bahamas grand bahama island for a family friendly island getaway close to the united states, the grand lucayan's post thanksgiving sale offers great value savvy shoppers can save 60% by booking between black friday and cyber monday for travel through september 30, 2013 discounted rates start at $79 the resort offers 542 guest rooms along a 75 acre beach plus dining, fitness, golf and water sports antigua, barbados, st lucia caribbean hotels hotels in barbados, antigua and st lucia are banding together in a public private partnership between the nations to offer 20% discounts from black friday through cyber monday when rooms are booked through official destination marketing or hotel association websites the 20% savings, available at nearly 125 participating hotels across the three caribbean nations, is applicable at properties at a full range of price points for stays through december 15, 2013, with no blackout dates book online at bookbarbadosnowcom, bookstlucianowcom or bookantiguanowcom share your black friday experience with cnn ireport | hotels black friday caribbean 20% new york benjamin 199 the fairmont scottsdale princess | hotels are getting in on black friday and cyber monday with discount offers . properties in the caribbean are teaming up to offer 20% off . in new york, the benjamin has discounted rates starting at $199 . the fairmont scottsdale princess is rolling out big discounts on three night stays |
dhaka, bangladesh (cnn) the father of a 21 year old foreign exchange student nabbed by anti terrorism teams in new york over an alleged plot to blow up manhattan's federal reserve bank says his son is a timid man who was often scared to travel alone and that he simply doesn't believe the terror accusations 'i don't believe my son has any link to any terror groups,' said quazi mohammad ahsanullah, a banker in dhaka 'i urge the government of bangladesh to bring back my son' he said he learned of his son's capture after a relative phoned him thursday and told him to turn on the news on television 'we're really stunned,' he said 'we couldn't believe our eyes we couldn't believe our ears it came to us out of the blue' terror plotting: bravado or sincerity federal authorities in new york arrested quazi mohammad rezwanual ahsan nafis on wednesday after they say he tried to detonate what he thought was a 1,000 pound bomb, using his cell phone as a trigger inspired by al qaeda, they say, nafis now faces a slew of terror charges with evidence largely derived from an undercover agent that the bangladeshi national allegedly contacted to help further his plot but ahsanullah instead described his son as a shy young man who left college in missouri after one semester because of the expense and took a job in new york, working 10 hour days at a hotel during his short time at the school, southeast missouri state university, nafis was elected an officer of the muslim student association, a school official said 'he was elected vice president at the very end of the spring semester but since he left our university shortly thereafter, his tenure as an officer was very short lived,' ann hayes said bangladesh police on thursday started investigating whether nafis had any terror link, police said 'we're not officially informed by the united states about the alleged plot and the subsequent detention, but we're looking into if nafis had any terror link before leaving dhaka,' monirul islam, chief of the detective police in dhaka, told cnn the detective police in dhaka picked up the parents and some other relatives of nafis from their jatrabari residence and questioned them about his past activities on thursday evening local time 'we haven't arrested anyone we've brought them to know some information regarding nafis,' islam said adding, 'we've just started the investigation, and we're yet to find any terror link of nafis but we'll continue the investigation and interrogate more people who know nafis it may be his friends, teachers, neighbors and others' nafis graduated high school in 2006 and got his higher secondary school certificate examinations in 2008 before he enrolled with the country's leading private university, north south university, in dhaka as the authorities in new york alleged that nafis traveled to the united states with 'the purpose of conducting a terrorist attack' and actively sought out al qaeda contacts after his arrival, his father claimed that he had allowed him to go to the united states for a better future 'i can't believe this because as a father i found him very timid sometimes he was even scared of traveling alone,' ahsanullah said cnn's carma hassan contributed to this report | disgustfully nongravities atropic | no related information |
(mashable) have you ever wondered which smartphone would last the longest when cooked like a hamburger? us too this neat little video of an iphone 4, an android g2 and a htc surround getting seared and charred has been making the viral video rounds each of the phones delivers digital smack talk ('how do you like them apples?!') before the searing heat puts them out of their misery the video is apparently designed to promote the ezgrill disposable grill they got some help though from seattle based banyan branch not bad for the cost of three phones and a grill in case you were wondering, the android was the first to go, while the iphone's temperature protection feature kicked in right on schedule that makes the windows phone 7 the most fire resistant of the bunch check out the video to see the full bbq action © 2010 mashablecom all rights reserved | himyaric ginkgoes neoexpressionism | no related information |
(aol autos) which star do you most associate with car chase movies: steve mcqueen or michael caine? gene hackman or burt reynolds? honor blackman, star of the james bond film 'goldfinger,' poses on an aston martin db5 car in 2002 although most car chase movies pack some serious a list talent, we like to think that in many cases the real star in this particular movie genre is the car: from mcqueen's super tight ford mustang in 'bullitt' to the stripped down dodge charger in quentin tarantino's 'death proof' but which movie has the best car chase scene in history? we take a look 10 'cannonball run' (1981) almost everyone knows that hollywood's cheesy celebration of america's intercoastal car culture is one big car chase involving spectacular cars, including a ferrari 308 gts, an aston martin db5 and a gorgeous opening sequence where a lamborghini countach makes short work of a pontiac firebird police cruiser but perhaps less well known is the original coast to coast sprint run undertaken by speed racer erwin george baker in 1914 the 11 day drive made his name in the new york press, who forever associated him with the chicago express steam train christened 'the cannon ball' trivia: the ambulance driven in the movie by burt reynolds and sidekick dom deluise was a modified dodge tradesman used by car and driver editor brock yates when he tried to resurrect the famous race in the 1970s, as part of a protest against the onset of 55 mph speeding limits nationwide 9 'death proof' (2007) quentin tarantino continues to push the limits of speed and taste in 'death proof' the film is a stock car and violence infused tale that features for a quarter of its run time a fantastic chase sequence involving a stripped down bad ass 1969 dodge charger and a heavily modified 1970 dodge challenger with a girl actress and former stuntwoman zoe bell splayed on its hood apparently, tarantino came upon the idea for a 'death proof' car after filming the car crash scene in pulp fiction and telling a friend he wanted to buy a volvo for safety reasons aol autos: 2009 dodge charger the friend informed him that a decent movie stunt team could easily 'death proof' any car for him hence was born the 'death proof' movie concept and stuntman mike doesn't that name still give you chills? 8 'the fast and the furious' (2001) car chases ostensibly over a half mile, otherwise known as street racing, received attention when 'the fast and furious' lifted the lid on a high adrenaline tokyo drift racing scene that burgeoned in popularity in japan and the us in the late 1990s the movie explored the phenomenon through a fictional world of ultra hip hijackers who used heavily modified japanese cars to steal high end electronic components it's a cops and criminals yarn with a high octane twist that features some seriously customized old school cars including a honda civic, toyota supra and a mazda rx7 though if you look closely, a retro dodge charger also features, too aol autos: honda civic tokyo drift racing, where drivers work in teams while skidding all four wheels around a tight circuit, now features at many events on the irl circuit, catching a tailwind from the movie's popularity look out for the new 'fast and furious' film soon 7 'mad max ii: the road warrior' (1981) you'd be hard pressed to name any of mel gibson's cobbled together vehicles in his 1981 sequel to 'mad max' which may boast the highest number of chopped and recharged v8s outside of havana, cuba but that doesn't stop 'the road warrior' being considered a car chase classic and one of the best action movies out there motley collections of cut throat bandits, nomads and braggarts populate australia's barren, dystopian landscape and blow up any number of heavy machines, including police cars, motorbikes and a big rig fuel tanker it's all in their quest for that all important and in a post apocalyptic world rare substance: fuel the explosive 20 minute chase scene to end the movie still exhilarates nearly 30 years after the movie's release and don't we all want an engine intake like max's infamous 'blower?' 6 'vanishing point' (1971) a dodge challenger r/t gives you some serious leverage when you're involved in a bump and run two car contest on a one track road in the middle of the american west and it's the only road out of the desert heat aol autos: dodge challenger stanley kowalski, a renegade barry newman, used five separate first generation challengers, including the 375 horsepower 440 magnum, to full effect in forcing numerous hapless drivers off the road on the hazard ridden 15 hour sprint from denver, colorado, to san francisco, california, as he's pursued by cops, racers and bandits alike dodge released its highly anticipated and heavily retrofitted challenger update in 2008, with the film's cult following no doubt waiting patiently for any word on a commemorative 'vanishing point' model 5 'gone in 60 seconds' (1974) we're not talking about the remake starring nicolas cage and angelina jolie, which boasts some pretty spectacular car chase sequences itself, but the 1974 original that features a 34 minute chase sequence over the long beach, california, ports complex that some consider the best ever captured on celluloid a mediocre cast and stilted dialog may put off many, but the film that centers around a group of car thieves and their bid to steal 48 cars over a couple of days accomplishes what it set out to do: exhilarate viewers in movie theaters and destroy as many cars as possible (in this case, 93) an amazing collection of ford mustangs, rolls royces and cadillac limos make up the list that car thief hb 'toby' halicki who did all his own stunts is given to steal for a south american drug lord few, though, compare to the film's famous 1973 ford mustang mach 1, christened 'eleanor' and driven by halicki 4 'the french connection' (1971) gene hackman bumping and weaving his way around the intersection of stillwell avenue and 86th st of bensonhurst, brooklyn, while pursuing a bandit on a subway train offers to this day a fantastic driver's eye perspective of driving through new york at rush hour we're just kidding but the chase featuring a 1971 pontiac lemans remains a classic as a result of its impromptu crashes that weren't supposed to be part of the action but were left in the sequence after several stunt drivers mistimed their entrance into the car chase, striking hackman's car instead of narrowly avoiding it as he chases a train bound drug dealer the sequence took several days to shoot even though the chase's screen time is barely two and a half minutes director william friedkin also put together a similarly fantastic car chase in 1985's 'to live and die in la' 3 'the italian job' (1969) michael caine's famous 'you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off,' has become a familiar refrain among 'italian job' fans who love the british actor's cockney twang and the 1969 comic car caper that saw a collection of car thieves attempting a high stakes bank heist in the italian city of turin indescribably hip on its release, and a personification of cool britannia, the famous car chase featuring three red white and blue minis motoring through tight streets and even indoors was a landmark in quirky and fun car chase sequencing and cinematography the 2003 remake cleverly twinned audience appeal with the film following the 2001 release of bmw's new mini cooper that featured in the updated film, leading some to suggest it was merely a two hour commercial for the new model aol autos: mini cooper trivia: turin, or torino, forms part of italian car giant fiat's moniker fabbrica italiana automobili torino 2 'ronin' (1998) although it will never be regarded as robert de niro's best dramatic performance, 1998's 'ronin' doesn't land on our list for its dialogue in unbelievable realism, viewers are treated to chase scenes with sport sedans such as a bmw m5, peugeot 406 and, perhaps most famously, an audi s8 plenty of police cars, trucks and motorcycles meet their end and more than 300 stunt drivers were employed to give the real time chases scene an air of metal crunching realism amid a character driven plot that involves cia operatives, mercenaries and multiple double crosses surrounding a mysteriously valuable briefcase there are few actors that can capture the mixture of terror and exhilaration involved in a car chase quite like de niro, while jean reno is the only actor who could make driving a peugeot an exercise in steely manhood director john frankenheimer pretty nearly perfected the art of filming gritty car chase sequences in 1966's 'grand prix' 1 'bullitt' (1968) 'bullitt' is perennially voted one of the best car movies of all time and we're comfortable following suit in the 1968 classic, real life racing enthusiast steve mcqueen barrels after bad guys on the streets of san francisco in an epically cool 1968 ford mustang in a delicious 'highland green' color aol autos: ford mustang in a cityscape that gets most drivers nervous for its ups and downs, san francisco proves the ultimate car chase backdrop lieutenant frank bullitt is not only one of the coolest cops of all time, he proves to be one of the best wheelmen we've ever seen this is a must see film and hands down the best car chase movie of all time | pontiac lemans ronin bullitt | in most car chase movies, the real star is the car, author says . the chase in 'the french connection' features a 1971 pontiac lemans . more than 300 stunt drivers were employed for the 1998 'ronin' film . 'bullitt' is perennially voted one of the best car movies of all time |
washington (cnn) if the threat of underwear bombs became known last christmas, why did airport screeners only recently begin aggressively checking for them? the answer is two fold, transportation security administration director john pistole told reporters tuesday first, the lack of a permanent leader at the tsa hindered change, he said secondly, the agency needed time to train screeners on the new pat down protocols the threat of hidden bombs became instantly clear on december 25, 2009, pistole said, when authorities arrested umar farouk abdulmutallab, a nigerian man, after his failed attempt to ignite his hidden explosive on a flight from amsterdam to detroit, michigan tsa officials immediately started looking at what they needed to do to modify technology or pat downs to detect the bombs, he said but at that time, the top job at tsa was filled by a career official the white house delayed nominating a tsa chief and then white house and congressional republicans feuded for a year over nominees much of the debate centered on whether the nominees supported unionization of airport screeners two of president obama's nominees withdrew from consideration 'frankly it just came down to the fact there was not a presidentially appointed, senate confirmed administrator in place until i was confirmed at the end of june to make a really significant decision like that, that would have impact on a number of people,' pistole said 'that was a big part of it' pistole was sworn in as administrator in july and soon thereafter made the decision to go through 'enhanced pat downs' training time accounts for the rest of the delay, as the tsa quietly began pilot programs in boston, massachusetts, and las vegas, nevada, in august, and rolled the program out nationwide in early november pistole consistently has said it was his decision to implement enhanced pat downs he said he opted not to publicize them in advance because he felt to do so would be to give a 'roadmap' to would be terrorists implementation of the pat downs was further delayed because time was needed to train screeners on the new protocols, he said those protocols are considered sensitive security information, and have not been shared with the public but pistole said protocols do not allow for screeners to grope passengers pistole said some passenger descriptions of the procedures are 'so wildly outside the standard operating protocols that it just absolutely should not be happening if it is, then we'll take appropriate action' 'if we receive any complaints from a passenger about something happening, then we immediately follow up both with that passenger and with our security officers,' he said most airport checkpoints have closed circuit television systems, which help investigators find out what happened, he said videotape helped dispel one passenger's complaint that she was handcuffed to a chair and mistreated, he said 'if there's a security officer that did something that's not appropriate, then we take appropriate action i just want to make sure that i have all the facts,' pistole said | pistole tsa | the failed underwear bombing last christmas raised the threat of bombs hidden in clothes . pistole says after that, the pat down program was delayed by two factors . the tsa lacked a permanent leader until july . extensive training also was required before implementation of the program, he says |
(cnn student news) september 12, 2013 on thursday's edition of cnn student news, we recap president obama's speech regarding syria, and we share one us senator's response we also report on violence in libya, and we show how americans remembered the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in an industry focused on looks, one model hopes to make a difference by standing out on this page you will find today's show transcript, the daily curriculum, maps pertaining to today's show, and a place for you to leave feedback transcript click here to access the transcript of today's cnn student news program please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published daily curriculum click here for a printable version of the daily curriculum (pdf) media literacy question of the day: to what extent do the media television, movies and magazines help define the public's notion of beauty? key concepts: identify or explain these subjects you heard about in today's show: 1 diplomatic proposal 2 benghazi, libya 3 'breaking the mold' fast facts: how well were you listening to today's program? 1 in which country are the us secretary of state and the russian foreign minister meeting to discuss syria? 2 what is the name of the building being constructed on the new york site of the 9/11 terrorist attack? 3 what occupation do joan smalls, gisele bã¼ndchen and coco rocha have in common? discussion questions: 1 did hearing parts of the president's speech and a congressman's response influence how you view the subject of syria? why or why not? 2 how might public ceremonies honoring the victims of a terrorist attack help their families and the other people who attend? 3 in what ways do you think that shaun ross, the model featured in the report, 'breaks the mold' in the fashion industry? what was your reaction to his story? what do you think has most influenced americans' perceptions of beauty? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists and educators who consider the common core state standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show and curriculum we hope you use our free daily materials along with the program, and we welcome your feedback on them maps download pdf maps related to today's show: europe geneva, switzerland africa benghazi, libya north america new york city; washington, dc; shanksville, pennsylvania feedback we're looking for your feedback about cnn student news please use this page to leave us comments about today's program, including what you think about our stories and our resources also, feel free to tell us how you use them in your classroom the educators on our staff will monitor this page and may respond to your comments as well thank you for using cnn student news! click here to submit your roll call request | the daily curriculum key concepts | this page includes the show transcript, the daily curriculum, and maps . use the transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary . the daily curriculum offers the media literacy question of the day, key concepts, fast facts and discussion questions . at the bottom of the page, please share your feedback about our show and curriculum |
amstetten, austria (cnn) three children freed from a cellar in which their mother had been imprisoned and raped by her own father for 24 years had never seen daylight, police in austria have confirmed a hidden, narrow bedroom found in the cellar of the house where josef fritzl held his daughter captive police spokesman franz polzer told cnn that 73 year old josef fritzl admitted holding his daughter, elisabeth fritzl, 42, hostage in the windowless cell and fathering seven children by her 'the mother had memories [of the outside world] and got used to the situation,' polzer told a press conference monday afternoon 'the others knew nothing else' the main question reverberating from the small austrian town: how could a man keep his daughter locked in his basement for 24 years, where she gave birth to seven of his children while her mother and three of those children lived upstairs without an inkling of the horrors in the cellar? fritzl explained elisabeth's disappearance by saying she had run away from home, a story backed up by letters he forced elisabeth to write, including one that begged her parents not to look for her other letters made it seem the missing daughter had left the three children on the parents' doorstep when in fact they had been born in captivity in the family's basement elisabeth told police that she and her three children kerstin, 19; stefan, 18; and felix, 5, did not see the light of day during their entire time in captivity underneath the building in amstetten, a rural town about 150 km (93 miles) west of vienna elisabeth is described as 'very disturbed' and having trouble talking to police about her ordeal, reports cnn correspondent fred pleitgen she went missing in 1984, when she was 18 years old, police have said more details also emerged at the news conference about the basement dungeon in which the daughter and her children were kept and how her father managed to keep them captive for more than two decades see inside the cellar prison » the authorities have revealed that the prison, constructed in the basement of the 1960s building, ran underneath both the building itself and the garden outside the entrance was via a small door, hidden behind cupboards in the basement, controlled by an electronic keyless entry system polzer said that the prison was hard to find, even if someone was looking for it, and had been soundproofed 'even though they shouted and called they were not in a position to let anyone hear them,' polzer told the press conference polzer said that fritzl made clear to his wife and other children that the area was out of bounds and they were not to go into the basement he bought food and took it to his captives in the evening watch a report on details of the case » detectives made the grim discovery about the cellar earlier this month after kerstin was hospitalized in amstetten after falling unconscious and taken to a hospital in amstetten by her grandfather with a sos note from her mother hidden on her a dna test was later carried out which revealed her grandfather, josef fritzl, was also her father, according to orf, austria's state run news agency that sparked a police investigation, which revealed that fritzl fathered at least six children with his daughter, forcing her and three of the surviving children to live in the cellar of his house, according to orf's peter schmitzberger watch police describe the captives' jail » on sunday, police searched the hidden rooms where fritzl admitted he kept his daughter and their children, including sleeping quarters, a kitchen and a bathroom, which fritzl told police he built, polzer said amstetten police say they were put on fritzl's trail following an anonymous tip off they apprehended the pair on saturday near the hospital and once police assured the daughter that she would never have contact with her father again, 'she was able to tell the whole story,' schmitzberger said elisabeth said her father began sexually abusing her at age 11 on august 8, 1984 weeks before she was reported missing her father enticed her into the basement, where he drugged her, put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room, she told police for the next 24 years, she was constantly raped by her father, resulting in the six surviving children, she said, according to the police statement she also told police she gave birth to twins in 1996, but one of the babies died a few days later as a result of neglect, and fritzl removed the infant's body and burned it in an oven she told police that only her father supplied her and her children with food and clothing, and that she did not think his wife knew anything about their situation fritzl lived upstairs with his wife, rosemarie, who police said had no idea about her husband's other family living in the cellar the couple adopted three of the children that fritzl had with his daughter, according to police he told his wife that his missing daughter had dropped the unwanted children off at the house because she could not take care of them, police said when kerstin fell ill, fritzl apparently told his wife and the hospital that his 'missing' daughter had dropped off the sick girl on his doorstep in an effort to find out about kerstin's condition, the hospital and police asked the media to put out a bulletin requesting any information about the girl or her missing mother, attorney general gerhard sedlacek told ntv sometime later, fritzl brought elisabeth out of the cellar, telling his wife that she had returned home with her two children after a 24 year absence, police said he took elisabeth to the hospital to talk with doctors about kerstin's condition, and at that point, authorities became aware of her situation, sedlacek said e mail to a friend cnn's fred pleitgen, ben brumfield and nadine schmidt contributed to this report copyright 2008 cnn all rights reservedthis material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed associated press contributed to this report | nearly 24 years josef fritzl 42 1984 fritzl | father says he held daughter prisoner for nearly 24 years, fathered 7 children new: police say josef fritzl forced her to write letter saying she had run away . the daughter, now 42, has been missing since 1984, when she was 18 three children fathered by fritzl imprisoned with daughter had never seen daylight |
(cnn) the indycar series is examining ways to make the sport safer after its four time champion dario franchitti and several spectators were injured in a horror crash in houston the scottish racer suffered concussion and two spinal fractures, and underwent surgery on his right ankle, following a final lap accident at the grand prix of houston sunday an official and two spectators were also taken to hospital for evaluation following the incident 'indycar is thoroughly reviewing the incident,' said a statement on indycarcom 'reducing the risks that are associated with racing is one of our highest priorities and receives our constant and on going focus 'our thoughts remain with everyone affected by (the) accident' the crash in houston came almost two years after british driver dan wheldon died during a multi car wreck at the las vegas indy 300 just months before his fatal crash in 2011, two time indianapolis 500 winner wheldon had tested the prototype car chassis for the 2012 season following his death, the chassis, designed by italian company dallara, was christened the dw 12 in his honor in may of last year, dallara made further significant safety improvements to the chassis these steps to improve safety may have helped franchitti avoid serious injury however, following the latest incident, indycar is once again reviewing safety for its drivers and fans | the indycar series dario franchitti houston franchitti indycar dan wheldon's | the indycar series is examining ways to make the sport safer . dario franchitti and three spectators taken to hospital following a crash in houston . four time champion franchitti had surgery on an ankle injury . safety improvements have been made to indycar chassis since dan wheldon's death in 2011 |
washington (cnn) the united states spent $80 billion on spy activities in 2010, the first time the government has officially announced the total tab for intelligence spending the amount included $531 billion on non military intelligence programs, a 6 percent boost from the previous year, according to a statement released thursday by the office of the director of national intelligence the military spent an additional $27 billion on its intelligence apparatus, said pentagon spokesman col dave lapan no further details were released the government is required by law to reveal the total amount of money spent to spy on other nations, terrorists and other groups by the cia, the national security agency and the other agencies and offices that make up the 16 member intelligence community while the total intelligence spending has never formally been announced, this is the fourth year the office of the director of national intelligence has released the national intelligence budget figure for non military activities the intelligence community had resisted efforts to reveal the number, arguing that enemies of the united states could learn valuable information by watching trends in spending the amount designated for military battlefield intelligence had remained classified last year, however then director of national intelligence dennis blair revealed to reporters the total cost for all intelligence gathering was $75 billion, and indicated the amount spent on strictly military intelligence was approximately $25 billion at the urging of the commission set up to investigate the 9/11 terrorist attacks, congress passed a law in 2007 mandating public disclosure of the non military spending number at the end of each fiscal year specific details on how much each agency spends and on what remain classified the current director of national intelligence, james clapper, had said at his confirmation hearings this past summer that the budgets for both strategic intelligence and military spying should be officially made public the head of the senate intelligence committee said it is time to pare down non military intelligence spending, which has doubled since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 'given the nation's financial situation, it is my view that the intelligence budget needs to be carefully reviewed and that cuts will be necessary,' said sen dianne feinstein, a california democrat the senator indicated there is waste and duplication within the budget and added, 'it is clear that the overall spending on intelligence has blossomed to an unacceptable level in the past decade' approximately 100,000 people work on national intelligence, with the majority of employees serving at the big four intelligence agencies: the national security agency, the cia, the national reconnaissance office and the national geospatial intelligence agency the united states spent $498 billion on its national intelligence programs in 2009, $475 billion in 2008 and $435 billion in 2007, according to the previous reports | $531 billion about $27 billion dianne feinstein | $531 billion was spent on non military intelligence, the administration says . the military spent about $27 billion on its spy activities . sen dianne feinstein says there is waste and duplication in the budget |
(cnn) authorities investigating the disappearance of a 10 year old north carolina girl have recovered 'evidence that could provide valuable information' in the case, police said thursday the evidence was located wednesday, hickory, north carolina, police said in a statement, and will be analyzed at the north carolina state bureau of investigation's lab police launched a search for zahra baker october 9, but said no one other than a family member has reported seeing her since september 25, when a woman saw her at a furniture store police did not elaborate or say what the evidence is 'we understand the concern and interest in this case by the public, but we must be cautious in prematurely releasing information, so it will not jeopardize any future criminal proceedings,' police said authorities said earlier this month a bone that might be related to the case was found they also previously found a prosthetic leg belonging to zahra, whose disappearance is being investigated as a homicide elisa baker, zahra's stepmother, is jailed on charges unrelated to the girl's disappearance, as well as an obstruction of justice charge related to the case after she admitted to writing a fake ransom note found at the family's home elisa baker has said said she did not know what happened to zahra, a freckle faced girl who lost her leg to bone cancer at age 5 and reportedly developed lung cancer a few years later zahra's father, adam baker, was arrested late last month in nearby catawba county on eight charges, including five counts of submitting worthless checks and three counts of failing to appear in court police earlier acknowledged that adam baker faced bad check charges unrelated to the disappearance of his daughter but they did not initially arrest him, as he had been helping authorities in their search zahra's biological mother, emily dietrich, is coming to north carolina from australia, cnn affiliate wsoc reported she could arrive sometime thursday last week, dietrich told australia's seven network that she had little hope of seeing zahra alive again, according to wsoc dietrich has not had contact with her daughter since zahra was an infant meanwhile, the children's protection council of catawba county said it will hold a candlelight vigil in honor of zahra on tuesday, her birthday toys or stuffed animals left at the vigil will be donated to the cops for tots organization, the group said in a statement | zahra baker australia zahra | new: biological mother of zahra baker arriving from australia . a vigil is planned next week on zahra's birthday . the 10 year old's disappearance is being investigated as a homicide . the girl's stepmother is charged with obstruction of justice |
(cnn) the food and drug administration is preparing to ban caffeinated alcohol drinks, sen charles schumer said tuesday in response, one leading manufacturer of these drinks announced that it will remove caffiene and other ingredients from its product the fda, which has been reviewing the drinks since last year, declined to comment on the report spokeswoman siobhan delancey said the matter was still under review but schumer, in a statement issued to the media, said the fda will rule that caffeine is an unsafe additive to alcoholic beverages, effectively banning them from the us market 'let these rulings serve as a warning to anyone who tried to peddle dangerous and toxic brews to our children do it and we will shut you down,' schumer, d new york, said in the statement critics say such drinks leading brands include four loko and joose mix as much as three cups of coffee with three cans of beer and are designed to appeal to younger consumers accustomed to consuming high caffeine energy drinks a 235 ounce can of four loko contains either 6 or 12 percent alcohol by volume, depending on state regulations what's inside alcoholic energy drinks? the combination of caffeine and alcohol which also is found in drinks like rum and cola allows drinkers to consume alcohol for a longer period of time without headaches, dry mouth or other unpleasant side effects, according to kevin clauson, an associate professor of pharmacy at nova southeastern university in fort lauderdale, florida schumer's office said a recent study found that young drinkers who combine alcohol and caffeine are more likely to be injured, sexually assaulted, drive while drinking and require medical attention than those who drink caffeinate free drinks in the latest news, several washington state college students became ill in october after drinking four loko phusion products, the manufacturer of four loko, announced tuesday that it intends to reformulate its drinks to remove caffeine, guarana and taurine from them from now on, there will only be noncaffeinated versions of four loko 'we have repeatedly contended and still believe, as do many people throughout the country that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe if it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced,' the company's co founders said in a statement the company also noted that the tobacco tax and trade bureau had approved their products 'we are taking this step after trying unsuccessfully to navigate a difficult and politically charged regulatory environment at both the state and federal levels,' the statement said phusion products said that over the last several months they wanted to talk with regulators and policymakers in hopes of coming up with standards regulating caffeinated alcoholic beverages 'by taking this action today, we are again demonstrating leadership, cooperation and responsible corporate citizenship,' the statement said if the fda does move to ban the drinks, it would join new york, washington, utah, michigan and oklahoma in ejecting the products from store shelves | charles schumer fda new york washington utah michigan oklahoma | sen charles schumer says fda will ban caffeinated alcohol drinks . critics say the drinks are unsafe and appeal to minors . new york, washington, utah, michigan and oklahoma already ban the drinks |
(cnn) who would win in a fight: a police killing, rampage driven thug or a superhero encased in a technologically superior suit of armor? 'grand theft auto iv,' released tuesday, could give 'iron man' a run for its money this weekend the answer could come this weekend when video game enthusiasts find out whether 'grand theft auto iv,' expected to set sales records in the gaming world this week, will steal glory and revenue from a different entertainment empire: the movies as the hype for 'gta iv' continues to grow and reviews scream perfection, some speculate that the game will put a dent in marvel studios' opening weekend box office for 'iron man' 'gta iv' is the ninth incarnation of a video game in which the user acts as a criminal roaming a city the series has faced criticism for being too violent, because users are allowed to beat, stab, shoot and kill citizens and police officers 'iron man' is a movie based on the marvel comic book superhero who creates an impressive suit of armor to save his life and help save the world 'gta iv' was released tuesday at midnight and is expected to gross about $400 million in the first week see what makes this violent game so popular » edward woo, a research analyst specializing in media and interactive entertainment at wedbush morgan securities, said the game's release date and widespread reach could negatively affect opening box office numbers for 'iron man' 'people on friday or saturday might find themselves at home playing this game instead of at the cineplex,' woo said ' 'iron man' will still have a pretty good release, but intuitively, i think it's got be impacted when both share a similar audience and genre' because of the time element the game requires of its faithful between 30 and 40 hours to finish depending on skill level the question is whether gamers will put down their controllers for a couple of hours and go for a change of scenery paramount vice chairman rob moore said he isn't worried 'it's crazy to think that young males can't carve out two hours for 'iron man,' ' he told ewcom 'it's going to be a great week to be a young guy' watch why violence in the game concerns some people » this weekend won't be the first time analysts have speculated about video games damaging box office numbers last year, with $170 million in launch day sales and $300 million in its first week, 'halo 3' was blamed by some for the poor box office performance of 'the heartbreak kid,' starring ben stiller take two interactive, the parent company of 'gta iv' publisher rockstar games, predicted that with 6 million preorders worldwide, the game will bring in more than $400 million 'gta iv' has a chance of surpassing the movie 'pirates of the caribbean: at world's end' as the highest grossing entertainment title in its first week of sales, and that's across all genres electronic arts ceo john riccitiello told the financial times this month that movie executives told him, ' 'iron man' the movie is going to get killed by 'grand theft auto,' the game 'i don't think i've ever heard of that before,' he said the video game market is growing at a rate of 20 to 30 percent this year, but the movie industry isn't seeing as much of an increase, woo said overall, video game sales as a whole have eclipsed box office sales, he said, but the movie industry catches up when it comes to dvds ebullient reviews touted the game as 'the godfather' of video games because of its cult like following andrew reiner, who reviewed 'gta iv' for game informer, a well known destination for all things gaming, scored it as a 100/100 under the title of 'perfection' 'i now know how film critics felt after screening 'the godfather,' ' his review began 'gta iv' is a 'landscape changing event that doesn't come around very often,' reiner said it seems the feelings have translated to the regular consumer too gamers from norway to britain to america echoed similar sentiments on gaming message boards dj brotherson from winnipeg, canada, said he enjoyed the game so much, he wanted to skip work and keep playing all night, saying it was unlike any game he had ever played 'the story line is very well written,' he said, adding that the game 'plays like an interactive martin scorsese movie' 'today, i was as excited as i was when i was 5 years old and i just got my first nintendo entertainment system on christmas day' e mail to a friend | hyperaccurately marsiliaceae nonnutriment | no related information |
(cnn) a former police officer convicted of murdering his girlfriend and their unborn child tearfully apologized to her family monday in front of the jury that will decide whether he lives or dies bobby cutts jr weeps openly as his mother describes his childhood during a sentencing hearing 'it was a nightmare that will continue to haunt me for the rest of my days,' said bobby cutts, jr, 30, reading from a prepared statement at the penalty phase of his murder trial 'ladies and gentlemen of the jury, i'm asking you to spare my life' cutts was convicted on february 15 of the murder of girlfriend jessie marie davis and the aggravated murder of the unborn girl davis had planned to name chloe chloe's slaying, which jurors found occurred during the commission of another crime, makes cutts eligible for the death penalty 'to imagine that i was responsible for the death of jessie, the mother of my children and my unborn daughter, is beyond any words that i can express,' cutts said 'words cannot bring them back, nor can they erase the pain i've caused, but i want to apologize' watch cutts' tearful apology » he thanked davis' family for taking care of the other child he had with davis blake was 2½ at the time of his mother's murder in june 2007 'i pray that you find peace and you someday find room for forgiveness,' he said earlier, cutts' mother, renee, jones, had told jurors, 'i don't know what i would do without him' she described cutts as a former honor student who loved his job as a police officer 'he was my firstborn, my only son,' jones testified tearfully 'he means so much to me,' she continued 'he used to call me three, four times a day' watch cutts react as his mother pleads for his life cutts' punishment is being decided by the same jury of six men and six women who found him guilty all the jurors are white; cutts is african american cutts' sister, father and one of his school teachers also testified judge charles e brown ordered jurors to return early tuesday for attorneys' closing arguments when the arguments conclude, jurors will begin their deliberations if jurors do not agree on the death penalty, cutts could receive a possible sentence of life in prison without parole or become eligible for parole in 20, 25 or 30 years jones, was the first witness called to the stand by the defense she said her son was a good youngster who was active in sports, scouts and his church 'i never had any trouble out of him,' she said as cutts teared up at the defense table she said cutts' relationship with his father deteriorated after the parents split a former teacher described cutts as a social child given the nickname 'gobble' by his classmates he was helpful in class, often volunteering to pick stray crayons up from the floor his father testified that he gave cutts the nickname 'gobble' because as an infant he resembled ' a little butterball turkey' he said cutts was a 'gifted child' in school he blamed himself for the break up of his marriage, saying his drinking and gambling contributed to it cutts' own personal life was rocky, according to testimony davis was nine months pregnant when she disappeared in june 2007 her body was found in a northeastern ohio park after a 10 day search that brought national media attention he is blake's father, as well as the father of the unborn girl, chloe according to testimony, cutts, 30, rolled davis' body in a comforter and dumped it in a park, leaving toddler son blake in the house alone at the crime scene in a soiled diaper 'mommy's in the rug,' blake told police, according to testimony during the guilt phase of the trial, cutts sobbed on the witness stand as he admitted killing davis and chloe but cutts insisted that their deaths were an accident 'i didn't mean to hurt her,' cutts testified, clasping a handful of tissues 'this isn't real,' he said he kept telling himself prosecutors discounted cutts' story, claiming he buckled under the financial pressure of child support, killed the mother of his child and then created a cover story to try to get away with it on the stand, cutts said he went to pick up his son, blake, and became agitated when davis, 26, wasn't moving fast enough to get the boy ready he said he tried to leave her house, but she grabbed him to keep him from leaving, and he accidentally elbowed her in the throat cutts told the jury he performed cpr on davis and then tried to revive her with bleach when he realized davis was dead, cutts said he panicked and put her in the back of his truck, so blake wouldn't have to see his mother e mail to a friend | bobby cutts jr cutts | new: ex cop apologizes, asks jury to spare him . bobby cutts jr faces the death penalty for murders of girlfriend, unborn child . cutts also could receive life sentence, with or without parole . same jury that found cutts guilty is hearing penalty phase of trial |
(cnn) the 2014 screen actors guild awards were handed out at los angeles' shrine exposition center on january 18 take a look at the full list of winners, marked here in bold motion picture nominees outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture • '12 years a slave' • 'american hustle' winner • 'august: osage county' • 'dallas buyers club' • 'lee daniels' the butler' outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role • bruce dern, 'nebraska' • chiwetel ejiofor, '12 years a slave' • tom hanks, 'captain phillips' • matthew mcconaughey, 'dallas buyers club' winner • forest whitaker, 'lee daniels' the butler' outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role • cate blanchett, 'blue jasmine' winner • sandra bullock, 'gravity' • judi dench, 'philomena' • meryl streep, 'august: osage county' • emma thompson, 'saving mr banks' outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role • barkhad abdi, 'captain phillips' • daniel bruhl, 'rush' • michael fassbender, '12 years a slave' • james gandolfini, 'enough said' • jared leto, 'dallas buyers club' winner outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role • jennifer lawrence, 'american hustle' • lupita nyong'o, '12 years a slave' winner • julia roberts, 'august: osage county' • june squibb, 'nebraska' • oprah winfrey, 'lee daniels' the butler' television nominees outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries • matt damon, 'behind the candelabra' • michael douglas, 'behind the candelabra' winner • jeremy irons, 'the hollow crown' • rob lowe, 'killing kennedy' • al pacino, 'phil spector' outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or miniseries • angela bassett, 'betty & coretta' • helena bonham carter, 'burton and taylor' • holly hunter, 'top of the lake' • helen mirren, 'phil spector' winner • elisabeth moss, 'top of the lake' outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series • steve buscemi, 'boardwalk empire' • bryan cranston, 'breaking bad' winner • jeff daniels, 'the newsroom' • peter dinklage, 'game of thrones' • kevin spacey, 'house of cards' outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series • claire danes, 'homeland' • anna gunn, 'breaking bad' • jessica lange, 'american horror story: coven' • maggie smith, 'downton abbey' winner • kerry washington, 'scandal' outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series • alec baldwin, '30 rock' • jason bateman, 'arrested development' • ty burrell, 'modern family' winner • don cheadle, 'house of lies' • jim parsons, 'the big bang theory' outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series • mayim bialik, 'the big bang theory' • julie bowen, 'modern family' • edie falco, 'nurse jackie' • tina fey, '30 rock' • julia louis dreyfus,' veep' winner outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series • 'boardwalk empire' • 'breaking bad' winner • 'downton abbey' • 'game of thrones' • 'homeland' outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series • '30 rock' • 'arrested development' • 'the big bang theory' • 'modern family' winner • 'veep' stunt ensembles outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture • 'all is lost' • 'fast & furious 6' • 'lone survivor' winner • 'rush'' • 'the wolverine' outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a comedy or drama series • 'boardwalk empire' • 'breaking bad' • 'game of thrones' winner • 'homeland' • 'the walking dead' life achievement award rita moreno 5 show stealing moments | aethalioid spiderman entomic | no related information |
(cnn) it would be easy to look at the current conflict, hamas's militant fighters and smaller militias firing rockets in to israel and israel's crushing bomb and missile barrages, as a repeat of the 2008/2009 confrontation that killed more than 1,300 men, women and children but it is not hamas is in a whole new place now still trapped in the crowded confines of gaza's close packed neighborhoods where they were elected six years ago, only now with more friends outside what has changed came in the wake of the arab spring that swept away some of israel's old regional allies replacing them with leaders more sympathetic to hamas israel and hamas: how the conflict reignited gone is egyptian leader hosni mubarak whom israel could and did rely on to blockade gaza and squeeze hamas in 2008/2009 gone is the egyptian state repression of freedom of speech that helped keep in check popular anti israel passion instead almost unthinkable four years ago hamas's political leader holds a live news conference in cairo, as israeli shells strike palestinian broadcasters in gaza if proof of egypt's new role was needed, this was it egypt didn't just send prime minister hisham qandil to gaza friday with expressions of support for gazans, but handed hamas the bullhorn for propaganda when it needed it most it is a remarkable turnaround khalid meshal, hamas's political leader, reveled in the spotlight, as he described a new, much more hamas friendly egypt q&a: what is hamas? but egypt is far from alone in the regional revolution that begins to isolate israel the tiny gulf state of qatar has proven perhaps the influential political player, helping shape the region the way it wants it has been seen to favor governments like that in egypt with roots closely tied to the moderate islamist muslim brotherhood of which the palestinian hamas is a radical off shoot, but long aligned with iran last month when the emir of qatar made an historic visit to gaza promising $400 million of aid, it appeared he was trying to pull hamas away from iran and closer to qatar qatar has been laying the groundwork for this for some time when hamas leader khalid meshal fled exile from the spiraling civil war in syria earlier this year it was the qataris whose offer of safe sanctuary he accepted the qataris have leverage in a way they never did in the past so where does this leave israel? simply put, while israel is stronger militarily, it is in a weaker political position than it was in 2009 why israel might hesitate to start a ground invasion egypt is not going to help blockade gaza by constricting the rafa border crossing, or by offering the same level of intelligence cooperation to israel that they have in the past indeed, by some estimates egypt's security services no longer have the same control over islamist militants as they once did many have been released from jail and are quietly regrouping in the capital's sprawling suburbs or the sparsely populated and almost lawless sinai desert bordering israel if the israeli government had hoped to count on some shreds of mubarak era support, it will be disappointed today's egyptian rhetoric, while falling short of abrogating the peace treaty with israel, has very much taken a pro hamas line the long universal of the arab world is a dislike of the israeli state's treatment of palestinians in the past most arab leaders were dictators, able to take a path far different from the views of the arab street not any more the region's new post arab spring democratically elected leaders are only too aware of the radical hardliners waiting for an opportunity smuggling weapons to gaza the long way | puya unnurtured festivals | no related information |
galway, ireland (cnn) one fateful day in october, life changed forever for praveen halappanavar the engineer from india, who had settled in ireland four years earlier with his wife, savita, found himself suddenly a widower savita, a 31 year old dentist, had died of blood poisoning after being denied an abortion for a miscarrying fetus under ireland's strict laws, her husband says read more: protesters in ireland rally for abortion rights a month later, halappanavar is without his beloved partner and the child they both longed for and now fears the truth behind her tragic death may be lost, too 'we've seen some tampering (with) the medical records basically some key information in the medical reports is missing,' he told cnn the missing notes concern the couple's requests to hospital staff for a termination, halappanavar said the galway/roscommon university hospitals group has declined to comment on his claim meanwhile, heath authorities have already launched one inquiry into savita's death, and a second into the care of critically ill patients was announced by the board of the health information and quality authority on friday read more: woman's death prompts abortion debate in ireland but whatever conclusions are reached, they won't diminish her husband's grief prospects for the couple, who married after meeting in india, had looked so bright together they had dreams of a beautiful future in galway of children, forming a family 'she was looking forward in a way she found she was in the right place,' said her husband 'she was well organized too she knew what she wanted in life that's why she had decided to settle here in the long term' when savita, an attractive woman who loved to dance, became pregnant they were overjoyed but then their ordeal began seventeen weeks into her pregnancy savita began suffering severe back pain, and sought medical help read more: who calls the shots on abortion laws? doctors at the galway university hospital told her she was miscarrying and that her baby would likely die savita's husband says his wife, who was in extreme pain, asked for a termination, but was told that ireland is a catholic country and that the procedure could not be carried out while the fetus was alive 'we requested a termination,' he said 'we wanted to go back, to go home and think about the next pregnancy because it was a planned pregnancy we were so happy, we wanted to have babies' three days after the request for a termination was made, the fetus died and was removed four days later, savita was dead from a blood infection read more: pregnant teen dies after abortion ban delays her chemo treatment for leukemia the circumstances of her death have prompted outrage in ireland protests in support of savita, held not just in ireland but across the world, have urged the country's politicians to update its abortion laws and prevent similar tragedies in ireland, abortion is legal if the mother's life is at risk, which differs from her health being at risk, said kitty holland, a reporter with the irish times with abortion a hot button issue in ireland, there has been political fallout from the controversy, too prime minister enda kenny is under pressure to get halappanavar to assist with a health service executive inquiry into his wife's death, which was the first investigation set up but halappanavar says government steps so far have done little to inspire confidence, not just because officials took weeks to announce the inquiry, but also because when they did, three of the seven medical professionals on the investigation team were from the same hospital where his wife died although they have now been replaced on the team, other issues remain, halappanavar said 'we made a request for termination and there is no note of the request at all, and of the medical notes the response from the doctor is not in the medical records either' asked what he thinks has happened to the information, halappanavar has no answer 'we don't know what has happened to it,' halappanavar said 'it is strange that all other information is in there when we requested things like tea and toast, and when things like we requested an extra blanket, all that is in the medical notes' halappanavar says he will settle for nothing less than a full public inquiry one in which the wider health service, not just his wife's death, is investigated by independent experts 'every single person in the family asked me how could this happen in a place like ireland in the 21st century, because it was just so simple,' he said 'when they knew the baby was not going to survive, why not think about the bigger life which was the mother, my wife savita? and they didn't' all he wants, he said, is the truth | praveen halappanavar ireland catholic savita halappanavar's | praveen halappanavar believes notes are missing from his wife's medical records . she died of blood poisoning after being denied an abortion while miscarrying, he says . ireland, a majority catholic country, has strict laws on abortion . health authorities are reviewing the circumstances of savita halappanavar's death |
(cnn) a doctor in fiji is examining three teenage boys rescued 240 miles from land after they were lost in the south pacific for more than 50 days apunas sakamuri, spokesman for the police department in suva, fiji, said the three were admitted to suva public hospital and then released to a private doctor identified as dr rosemary mitchell filo filo, 15, and his cousins etueni nasau, 14, and samu pelesa, 15 were famished, dehydrated, exhausted and sunburned when a crew member on a fishing boat two miles away spotted their 12 foot metal boat and alerted his superior the rescue, which came two weeks after hundreds turned out to mourn them, elated their friends and relatives tanu filo, whose 15 year old son filo was among the survivors, told cnn thursday in a telephone interview from his native tokelau islands that, 'i was on cloud nine i was so joyful' 'i couldn't believe my son and his boys were found again unbelievable,' said tanu filo, who noted that a traditional celebration is now in order 'he alerted us that he saw something immediately on our bow, directly in front of us,' tai fredricsen told cnn thursday from his 280 foot tuna boat 'as we drew closer, we could tell that it was a small boat of some type' the boat was a strange find so far from land 'it's not something you go in the open ocean with,' he said, noting that the boat was 240 miles northeast of fiji when it was spotted late tuesday afternoon and it got stranger inside were three naked teenage boys cousins from the tokelau islands 750 nautical miles away asked whether they needed help, they said yes when he learned how long they had been adrift, fredricsen released his rescue boat, took them aboard his fishing boat, the san nikunau 'they looked very bad bones protruding from underneath the skin, but mentally strong, strong as an ox,' fredricsen said he moved them to his cabin's king sized bed, where 'they all fit comfortably,' and began administering first aid to their burned skin 'they were ecstatic,' he said he also gave them electrolyte spiked liquids as he had been trained to do in a first aid class 'i just gave them very small doses they more or less let the drink stay in their mouth and they swirled it around and let it absorb in their cheeks very slowly' after about half an hour, they were able to swallow, but he urged them to go slowly 'they knew i was trying to help, and they did what i said the cooperation was just incredible from the start' after a couple of hours, they were able to eat small pieces of dry white bread, he said four hours later, he was feeding them slices of oranges and apples 'and then they were starting to get a little bit carried away they were wanting some mcdonald's or some french fries, but i couldn't allow them to have that yet' after six hours on board, the three teenage boys began to mingle with the crew by 4:30 am local time thursday, they were transferred to a fiji coast guard vessel, destined for a hospital in suva on that pacific island, 'hopefully warm and cozy' throughout, the boys were smiling, he said natives of the tokelau islands three small atolls in the pacific ocean, about midway between new zealand and hawaii the boys said they had set out in the boat in early october to travel from one island to another, fredricsen said 'the islands are pretty close and they can be transited quite easily with these small vessels,' but they got disoriented after losing sight of land, 'and that was it,' he said the boys said they had left their island with enough coconuts to keep them hydrated for two days, he said but they used a tarpaulin to catch rainwater and for shelter after their clothes disintegrated and two weeks ago, they caught a seabird, which they ate, he said about the same time, authorities had concluded that the teens could not have survived and declared them dead two weeks ago, their families and friends held a memorial service attended by 500 people, in the island chain that has a total population of 1,400, according to the sydney morning herald but their rescue came just in the nick of time 'they did admit to me they had started drinking salt water two days prior to us rescuing them,' fredricsen said drinking excess amounts of saltwater can shut down one's kidneys, which can be fatal the boys were spotted in an 'unusual place' west of the tokelaus, between western samoa and fiji, said eric barratt, the managing director for the sanford seafood company, whose boat found the boys it was dumb luck that the fishing boat came upon the boys, said fredricsen, since its usual port of unloading and operations is in american samoa 'by chance, we were going to new zealand to unload' because the boat was scheduled to be pulled from the water and inspected, a quadrennial event, he said fredricsen called the tokelau islands and informed pelesa's grandmother of his unusual catch 'i just told her we found her kids, and it was total hysteria,' fredricsen said 'it was just amazing' pelesa's uncle, lakia kalolo, told cnn that pelesa's grandmother broke the news to him and others 'you should have seen the village, you should have seen the people here,' he said 'they were happy, very happy everybody was crying we gave thanks to god' tanu filo described a similar scene, with singing and hugging among the villagers when the good news arrived but when filo filo first phoned his father from the boat, 'he cried more than he talked,' his father tanu recalled 'i can tell you that he's tired and all, from the way he speaks,' tanu filo said 'but he was so happy' fredricsen said the boys left their mark on him and his crewmates not only because of what they endured while lost at sea, but because of their attitudes after rescue 'it was just an uplifting experience to meet these young men,' fredricsen said 'they didn't give up' tanu filo said locals are 'trying to plan a celebration in a tokelean way' besides the boys, he would like the tuna boat's captain and crew to join in the celebratory eating, singing and joy 'i'd like to say thanks, and shake hands and celebrate together,' tanu filo said 'we want to invite them to the feast' cnn's salma abdelaziz and tom watkins contributed to this story | tipsily amylenes liquidy | no related information |
los angeles (cnn) two days before christmas, the alleged smuggler apparently thought easter eggs would be the perfect ploy to conceal 14 pounds of cocaine it didn't work us customs and border protection officers sensed something was a little off with candy for the wrong holiday, a spokeswoman said 'that's certainly an anomaly, isn't it? they're trained to detect anomalies in all kinds of situations,' said lee harty, a spokeswoman for us customs and border protection 'it's an unusual concealment method at least for this time of year maybe not for spring' esteban galtes, 23, of miami, florida, was being held without bail being set monday after he asked a federal court in los angeles to continue his monday hearing until wednesday, said us immigration and customs enforcement spokeswoman virginia kice galtes' attorney could not be reached for comment monday evening galtes is accused of smuggling cocaine into los angeles international airport after a week long trip in colombia, and he's charged with importation of a controlled substance, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, authorities said last thursday night, galtes' luggage was allegedly found to conceal more than 14 pounds of cocaine during a search by customs officers, officials said much of the cocaine was camouflaged as pastel colored easter egg candies, and the remainder of the cocaine was hidden under a cardboard false bottom of a paper shopping bag, authorities said 'when they inspected the candies and they cut it into them, a white powdery substance was exposed, which tested positive for cocaine,' harty said the cocaine has a street value of more than $100,000, authorities said 'drug traffickers are always trying novel ways to conceal their contraband,' said claude arnold, special agent in charge of the us immigration and customs enforcement's homeland security investigations in los angeles 'but cocaine camouflaged as easter candy is one of the more unusual tactics we've come across obviously two days before christmas, this defendant didn't expect his trip would end with federal officers conducting an easter egg hunt,' he said in a statement galtes told the officers that the eggs were for his two children, federal authorities said 'this smuggling attempt and interception should give notice to all persons involved in this illicit trade to think twice when attempting to smuggle cocaine or other prohibited drugs/items into lax,' carlos martel, acting director of los angeles field operations for customs and border protection, said in a statement homeland security investigators are continuing to look into the smuggling operation, officials said | us two nights christmas | a smuggler thought easter eggs would be an ideal way to conceal cocaine . but the us agents thought the candies were odd, two nights before christmas . agents cut open up the eggs and found cocaine |
(cnn) with cups of tea and cucumber sandwiches at the ready, the vatican has launched itself into the international sporting arena with the formation of the new st peter's cricket club organizers hope the team will take on challengers from the church of england and other faiths, while inspiring legions of believers and cricket fans around the world the refreshments were the backdrop to tuesday's announcement of the club's formation by the pontifical council for culture, with a little help from australia john mccarthy, australia's ambassador to the holy see, has been a driving force behind bringing a game that he acknowledges is baffling to many to the vatican 'they were wondering what this 'cricket' is, as to whether it's a game, or an insect or both,' he joked in an interview for vatican radio 'but can i say that there was fairly ready recognition of the fact that there is a very prominent position by this sport in the east (and) in the english speaking world, and that there are many priests and seminarians in rome who have played cricket and want to play cricket many in rome would like to see their newly fledged team play the church of england, mccarthy said he anticipates discussions soon aimed at arranging a match between the two sides in england a game that could prompt a rivalry not seen since the church of england split from the roman catholic church nearly 500 years ago fans will no doubt hope that game is played at lord's cricket ground in london, known as the home of cricket members of the new club are expected to play in the yellow and white vatican colors, with the keys of st peter as their emblem and both sides may end up praying for divine intervention if the umpire doesn't call in their favor mccarthy also sees the vatican club as having a wider reach 'cricket as a sport is something that covers many, many religions and ethnic groups the vatican could play the hindus, they could play the muslims, they could play the sikhs,' he told vatican radio 'internationally one would have a team that represented the vatican, the holy see, that was drawn from india, pakistan, bangladesh, australia, england, new zealand, south africa and the west indies what an international team that would be 'and it would obviously generate a lot of interest with the faithful who are both faithful to the church and faithful to cricket in various areas of the world' some students have already been warming up with a series of matches in rome, mccarthy said but the wider program is not expected to come into play until next year, when the club hopes to have a team ready for international sporting events and it's not just the priests who can get in on the sporting action the organizers are also looking for nuns who may have wielded a cricket bat in the past to join a women's xi, or team 'they are looking for sri lankan, indian and pakistani sisters who have played cricket, and if they are found, they certainly will be invited to join the cricket club,' said mccarthy 'there's certainly no intention not to have a women's cricket team at the vatican' cnn's talia kayali contributed to this report | subproduct incorruptibilities bluffing | no related information |
(cnn) one of japan's largest banks on friday announced a loss for the nine month period ending december 31, hit by weak markets and a recession at home mitsubishi ufj said higher credit costs and stock losses also contributed to its deficit mitsubishi ufj financial group reported a net loss of ¥4207 billion ($46744 million) in the april december period, its first loss since the group was launched in 2005 this compares to a profit of ¥3146 billion ($344 billion) profit for the same period a year ago the group slashed its net profit forecast to ¥50 billion ($546 million), from a previous projection of ¥220 billion ($24 billion) the bank blamed the bleak outcome on a 'decrease of net fees and commissions' in businesses such as investment trust, insurance securities and real estate higher credit costs and stock losses also contributed to the deficit, the company said meanwhile, reuterscom quoted japanese financial daily, nikkei, as saying the 'mega bank' which has already taken a ¥100 billion valuation loss due to the stock market downturn may face further write downs since stock prices have continued to fall | $344 billion the same period a year ago bank mitsubishi ufj financial group 2005 | loss compares to a profit of $344 billion for the same period a year ago . bank blamed the bleak outcome on a 'decrease of net fees and commissions'. mitsubishi ufj financial group was formed in 2005 |
(cnn) rescue teams on friday found the wreckage of a plane that crashed thursday night in the mountains of venezuela, but none of the 46 people aboard survived, a searcher said 'the impact was direct the aircraft is practically pulverized,' firefighter jhonny paz told globovision, a privately owned venezuelan television station 'there are no survivors' there was no word on the cause of the crash witnesses saw the santa barbara airlines plane go down, according to antonio rivero, venezuela's national director of civil protection harsh weather and rough terrain in the andes mountains likely will make the job of emergency workers difficult, rivero said on a state run television station the plane went missing while flying from merida to the international airport near caracas, an official said the pilot did not check in with controllers 20 minutes into the flight, as scheduled, suggesting the plane encountered problems shortly after takeoff nelson marquez, chief of civil defense for merida, said the plane was carrying 43 passengers and three crew members media reports said the santa barbara airlines plane was supposed to land about 7 pm local time thursday e mail to a friend cnn's guillermo arduino and adrian criscaut contributed to this report | forspent cardin scaphocephalic | no related information |
(cnn) a man dressed as a priest caught at amsterdam's airport with three kilos of cocaine under his vestments claimed to police that his packages contained 'holy sand', dutch police said security officials conducting a normal security check at schiphol airport last year police stopped the man at amsterdam's schiphol airport as he was transiting on a flight from south america, robert van aapel, a spokesman for the dutch royal military police told cnn by phone saturday 'he refused to be searched saying that he was a religious person and it was not allowed,' van aapel said 'however, this is normal procedure so our officers insisted they asked him again and after the second time they carried out the search and discovered the man had packs strapped to his legs below his priest's clothes he told us they contained holy sand,' he said he said the man, who is aged around 40 and a bolivian national, was arrested thursday after arriving in to the airport on a flight from lima, peru he was attempting to transit on a flight to milan when he was apprehended with the cocaine, worth around €105,000 ($155,000) the bolivian appeared in court friday on charges of drug smuggling, van aapel said dutch police are trying to establish if the man is a real priest after he claimed to be a senior member of the clergy in the bolivian capital la paz, he added e mail to a friend | amsterdam schiphol airport 155,000 peru | police: man stopped at amsterdam's schiphol airport dressed as a priest . initially refused to be searched, saying that he was a religious person . found to have $155,000 worth of cocaine strapped to his legs under his vestments . officers trying to establish whether the man, on flight from peru, is a priest |
(cnn) two anti whaling activists who were seized by a japanese whaling vessel two days ago have been handed over to australian government officials on a ship in the antarctic, japan's ministry of foreign affairs announced thursday australian citizen benjamin potts and british citizen giles lane, both members of the sea shepherd conservation society, jumped on board the yushin maru no 2 tuesday to deliver a letter saying the vessel was violating international law and australian law by killing whales the anti whaling group accused the crew of the japanese vessel of kidnapping the men based on a video that showed potts and lane tied to the ship's railing in the video, japanese fishermen pace back and forth in front of them australian foreign minister stephen smith wednesday did not answer questions about whether the men would be charged for their actions, stressing instead that the immediate priority was to retrieve them 'i'm not going to give a running commentary on who's done what to whom and the various allegations and counter allegation,' he said smith said the japanese government which formally approached australia to assist in the transfer did not lay out any conditions for the transfer, in which the men were brought on board the australian ship, the oceanic viking watch the anti whaling activists board the japanese vessel » capt paul watson, founder of sea shepherd, had said earlier that the men were seized by the japanese crew and assaulted watch watson describe the incident » sea shepherd claims japan's institute for cetacean research, which is backing the operations, had said it would release the two activists if sea shepherd agrees to stop interfering in its whaling operations the group says it will not agree to that demand the japanese fisheries agency said thursday it would readily hand over the two men but the agency charged that the sea shepherd members were the terrorists at a news conference earlier, the agency released pictures of broken bottles they claim group members threw at the ship they also released a photo of the two activists relaxing and drinking tea aboard the yushin maru 'for some time, for 10, 15 minutes, i understand, they were tied to a gps mast,' tomohiko taniguchi of japan's foreign ministry told cnn 'the japanese crew members feared that two crew members from sea shepherd might do something violent' he said potts and lane boarded the vessel without permission watson said the two boarded only after attempts to contact the ship by radio were unsuccessful japan has been hunting whales in the antarctic and apparently plans to kill as many as 1,000 this winter the killings are allowed under international law because their main purpose is scientific 'we regard them as poachers,' watson said e mail to a friend cnn correspondent kyung lah contributed to this report | australian japan australia sea shepherd conservation society japanese | two anti whaling activists handed over to australian government officials . japan contacting australia to help secure release of activists, reports say . sea shepherd conservation society says ship's crew kidnapped 2 of its members . the activists boarded the japanese whaling vessel to deliver a letter |
washington (cnn) army gen david petraeus, the top us commander in iraq, has been chosen to become chief of us central command, defense secretary robert gates said wednesday gen david petraeus has been the commander in iraq for more than a year petraeus would replace adm william fallon, who said last month that he was resigning fallon said widespread, but false, reports that he was at odds with the bush administration over iran had made his job impossible in addition, gates said, army lt gen ray odierno, commander of the multinational corps iraq the no 2 position in iraq is being nominated to fill petraeus' post odierno has been home from iraq for only a couple of months but has agreed to return, gates said the plan is for petraeus to leave iraq in late summer or early fall, gates said, to ensure a smooth transition and plenty of time for odierno to prepare 'we expect to move the paperwork on these nominations to the white house and to the senate very quickly,' gates said 'because of the complexity of this series of moves, i respectfully ask the senate to move on them expeditiously, hopefully by memorial day, so the families and we can plan appropriately' odierno was in line for a pentagon desk job as army vice chief just over a year after helping petraeus implement the 'surge' in us troops in iraq the pentagon says petraeus will stay in iraq long enough to make the first recommendation on further troop cuts after the surge is over watch the challenges ahead of petraeus » gates said the generals' promotions reflected an endorsement of the current course in iraq 'the course certainly that gen petraeus has set has been a successful course so, frankly, i think staying that course is not a bad idea i would say it's a good idea,' gates said watch gates nominate petraeus » central command, which oversees us forces in east africa, the middle east and central asia, has its headquarters at macdill air force base in tampa, florida gates said odierno is well known to troops in iraq, to military leadership and to iraqis, and 'i believe, in most parts of the world, especially in the middle east, personal relationships make a difference' 'i believe that this arrangement will probably preserve the likelihood of continued momentum and progress,' gates said the defense secretary said he expects to easily win senate approval for the nominations once they are made by president bush he said he had spoken with sens carl levin, d michigan; john mccain, r arizona; and john warner, r virginia, and 'i don't really anticipate any problems' in a press release wednesday, mccain praised the move 'both of these great generals have served our country with skill and distinction, and i am pleased that they will continue to do so in positions of high responsibility,' mccain wrote gates acknowledged that fallon's 'decision to step down was unexpected' 'i had intended that adm fallon probably stay on for a third year his second year would have ended in february,' he said 'so i'm faced with a critical combatant command where a commander is needed and a commander who knows what's going on in the region' asked whether he was using petraeus 'almost as a finger in the dike' because of the shortage of army generals with expertise in counterinsurgency warfare, gates admitted that there are few army officers with experience in and knowledge of iraq odierno served as commander of the 4th infantry division, the unit that captured former iraqi president saddam hussein petraeus was picked in january 2007 to replace gen george casey as the chief commander in iraq and won senate confirmation that month he previously served as head of the us army combined arms center and as a commander in iraq, and he was one of the main writers of an army manual on counterinsurgency efforts he was seen as the logical choice to replace fallon in his new post, he will oversee us forces in all the middle east, not only iraq and afghanistan 'i recommended him to the president because i am absolutely confident he is the best man for the job,' gates said in testimony to congress this month, petraeus said iranian agents have played a 'destructive role' in iraq by backing shiite militants, called 'special groups' by the united states the us believes that iran's islamic revolutionary guard corps quds force is behind the support for militants 'unchecked, the special groups pose the greatest long term threat to the viability of a democratic iraq,' petraeus testified last month, in an interview with cnn's kyra phillips in baghdad, petraeus acknowledged some 'friction' between himself and fallon in the past year, but 'actually, over the last six months or so, our relationship was really very, very good' 'there was friction in the beginning he has a different job than i have,' petraeus said 'there can be understandable differences of your take, if you will, on a situation as they say in politics and government 101, where you stand on an issue sometimes depends on where you sit in the organization, and we sit in different chairs' e mail to a friend cnn's jamie mcintyre contributed to this report | gates petraeus middle east iraq afghanistan william fallon central command senate | gates says changes 'will probably preserve momentum and progress'. petraeus would oversee all forces in middle east, including iraq and afghanistan . petraeus would take over for adm william fallon, who resigned . central command position is subject to senate confirmation |
(cnn) gunmen who stormed an iraqi university on saturday used students as human shields and clashed with security forces, authorities said forces have surrounded al anbar university in the city of ramadi and are attempting to retake the campus from the attackers the campus is about 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of baghdad the gunmen are believed to be members of the islamic state in iraq and syria, a rogue sunni muslim extremist group formerly affiliated with al qaeda, also known by its acronym isis, police said approximately 1,200 students, professors and staff who live in the campus residential buildings were present during the attack; nearly 20 students were slightly injured, officials said the majority of students were able to flee, but some are still inside, police officials told cnn the al anbar university attack comes amid a wave of violence that has taken iraq by storm also saturday, six roadside bombs exploded in the capital of baghdad, killing at least 33 people and injuring 72 others, police officials said the explosions occurred in a busy commercial shiite neighborhood, targeting mostly civilians, police said this year, iraq has witnessed some of the worst violence since 2008 the united nations reported that may was the deadliest month since the beginning of the year the escalating violence in recent months has left hundreds dead, raising fears it could return iraq to the level of violence in 2006 and 2007, when bodies littered the streets | cancerweed koreshan oscinine | no related information |
new york (cnn) mary kennedy, the estranged wife of robert f kennedy jr, had been in the headlines for her alcohol and drug problems, but is remembered by relatives as a devoted mother and pioneer of 'green' architecture mary kennedy's family blasts stories on her death a dark haired beauty, mary richardson met robert f kennedy jr through her friendship with his sister kerry kennedy, a roommate from school the couple married in a civil ceremony in 1994 when the designer was six months pregnant, according to the westchester county journal news in new york one month before the wedding, kennedy divorced his first wife, emily black, the mother of his two oldest children, the newspaper said he and mary kennedy were together for 16 years before he filed for divorce two years ago, said her family attorney, kerry a lawrence mary kennedy's funeral set for saturday the pair, who had four children together, were still married at the time of her death wednesday at home in westchester county the 52 year old died of asphyxiation due to hanging, said donna greene, a spokeswoman for the westchester county medical examiner both sides of the family paid tribute to mary kennedy as a devoted mother 'it is with deep sadness that the family of robert f kennedy, jr mourns the loss of mary richardson kennedy, wife and mother of their four beloved children mary inspired our family with her kindness, her love, her gentle soul and generous spirit,' a statement by her husband's family said outside the home, mary kennedy made her mark as an architect who pushed the boundaries of eco friendly design she was 'a tremendously gifted architect and a pioneer and relentless advocate of green design who enhanced her cutting edge, energy efficient creations with exquisite taste and style,' her husband's family said she also advocated finding a cure for food allergies and asthma and was a co founder of the food allergy initiative, the world's largest private source of funding for food allergy research, robert f kennedy jr's family said her own family paid tribute to 'our beloved sister mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her,' including the four children she loved 'without reservation' mary kennedy's death was the latest for a family that has seen its share of tragedy 'we know from a history of this family, it's very hard being a kennedy, either being a blood kennedy or being married to one,' laurence leamer, a kennedy biographer, said on cnn's 'erin burnett outfront' 'the overwhelming celebrity, the attention, the obligations, the expectations that you're supposed to do something with your life it's very, very hard' in 1968, robert f kennedy sr was assassinated in california while making a run for the white house his death came less than five years after his brother, president john f kennedy, also died at the hands of an assassin more than three decades later, in 1999, john f kennedy jr; his wife, carolyn bessette kennedy; and his sister in law, lauren bessette, died when a plane he was piloting crashed in the waters off martha's vineyard, massachusetts david kennedy died of a drug overdose in 1984, and michael kennedy was killed in a skiing accident in 1997 both were sons of robert f kennedy sr robert f kennedy jr, a prominent environmental lawyer who is a professor at pace law school in white plains, new york, is the third of 11 children born to ethel and sen robert f kennedy details of the couple's private life were exposed after robert f kennedy jr filed for divorce from mary kennedy in westchester county on may 12, 2010 the next evening, according to police records, police in bedford, new york, responded to a 911 call when police arrived at the kennedy residence, they found the couple in an argument over taking their four children to a carnival at st patrick's school according to a 'domestic incident' report filed by the officer on the scene, 'mr kennedy stated that his wife was intoxicated and was acting irrational so he took the children to the carnival to remove them from the situation' no one was injured, the report said two days later, mary kennedy was arrested for driving while intoxicated at the time, bedford police lt jeff dickans told cnn that a bedford police officer saw kennedy's 2004 volvo swerving onto the curb of greenwich road in bedford and asked her to pull over kennedy had slurred speech and a blood alcohol content above 008%, the legal limit in new york she was charged with driving while intoxicated lawrence, her family attorney, said the case resulted in a reduction to a violation, the criminal charge was dismissed, and her driver's license was suspended for 90 days a second arrest occurred in august of the same year in the town of pleasant valley, in which she was charged with driving while impaired by prescription drugs, lawrence said those charges were dismissed completely in july 2011 because all the drugs were prescribed and taken as her physician advised, the attorney said as a designer, mary kennedy sought to advance environmental principles and green technologies in a book titled 'kennedy green house' that was co authored by robert f kennedy jr, he describes how he and his wife restored their flooded, black mold infested home, transforming it into an eco friendly residence a website devoted to the project describes how it focused 'on maximum energy and water efficiency and improved indoor air quality to benefit the future of our planet and health of our children' in the book, her husband wrote that she had worked for the design firm parish hadley and worked on the renovation of the naval observatory in washington, the official residence of the us vice president cnn's nina ibarra contributed to this report | mary kennedy robert f kennedy jr | new: mary kennedy, 52, died of asphyxiation due to hanging, a local official says . she is called a gifted architect and a 'relentless advocate of green design'. she married robert f kennedy jr in 1994, and the couple had four children together . he filed for divorce in 2010, the same year mary kennedy was arrested for dwi |
washington (cnn) former us rep gary condit's semen was found on underwear belonging to chandra levy, according to an fbi biologist testifying wednesday in the trial of ingmar guandique, who is accused of murdering the washington intern in 2001 the panties were retrieved in may 2001 by investigators searching levy's apartment in the days after her parents reported her missing her body was found over a year later in washington's rock creek park the testimony addresses the question of whether condit, a sitting congressman from california at the time levy vanished, was having an affair with the intern, who had just turned 24 when she disappeared the biologist, alan giusti, testified for prosecutors that no dna was recovered from a separate pair of underwear and sports tights recovered from the crime scene regarding lab tests of the underwear recovered from levy's apartment, giusti said that 'the sperm dna profile was compared to and matched to gary condit' condit, who testified in the trial on november 1, has refused to address the question of whether he had sex with levy 'we've lost our feeling for common decency,' condit told prosecutor amanda haines when she asked in court if the two had been intimate 'i didn't commit any crime i didn't do anything wrong' the disappearance of levy, then an intern for the federal bureau of prisons, drew national attention after her parents discovered a connection with condit the congressman was never a suspect in the case, but was questioned intensively for details as to levy's whereabouts prosecutors believe guandique, a reputed member of the salvadoran gang mara salvatrucha, attacked levy while she was jogging and then killed her when she began to scream guandique denies that he attacked levy there has been no physical evidence linking him to the assault, leaving prosecutors to base their case largely on guandique's alleged jailhouse admission that he killed the young intern partly as a result, prosecutors on wednesday asked the trial judge to drop two of the six counts against guandique, including a count of first degree sexual assault he is still, however, facing first degree murder, kidnapping, and robbery charges the judge rejected a defense motion to acquit guandique on the remaining counts | ingmar guandique levy gary condit chandra levy's fbi | new:prosecutors have recommended dropping 2 of the six charges against guandique . ingmar guandique is accused of murdering levy while she was jogging . former rep gary condit's semen was found on chandra levy's underwear, fbi says . condit has refused to state that he was having an affair with levy |
(cnn) jihadist social media postings helped lead to the arrest and charging of four los angeles area men who were allegedly on their way to afghanistan to train with the taliban and join al qaeda, federal officials said they were also plotting to kill american soldiers and bomb government installations, according to a joint statement monday by the fbi and the us attorney in los angeles one of the men, a us citizen born in afghanistan, encouraged two of the others to embrace violent islamic doctrine by introducing them online to radical teachings, including those of deceased us born al qaeda imam anwar al awlaki the three exposed their connection to each other and their radical leanings explicitly on facebook for over a year and one of them detailed his intentions to participate in jihad in an online chat with an fbi employee another man was recruited at a later point to join the other three in their training all four were charged monday in a federal court in california, where three of them appeared for the first time one of the men was already in afghanistan, where he was apprehended, said us attorney andrã© birotte jr and assistant director bill lewis from the fbi's los angeles field office in a joint statement sohiel omar kabir, ralph deleon, miguel alejandro santana vidriales and arifeen david gojali face charges of supporting terrorists who conspired to kill, kidnap or harm us officers and other us citizens, as well as bomb public places and government facilities the joint terrorism task force in riverside, california, arrested deleon, 23, santana, 21, and gojali, 21, on friday kabir, 34, is in custody in afghanistan, according to the criminal complaint submitted to the us district court at a detention hearing monday, deleon and santana were ordered held without bond pending another hearing on december 3 gojali requested a delay in his detention hearing, according to the fbi, and it was rescheduled for next monday he will be held at least until that court appearance 'if you notice their ethnicities, they're all from a variety of backgrounds,' david bowdich of the fbi told reporters tuesday 'you have philippino, vietnamese, mexican and afghani 'they all had one common cause,' he added, referring to the alleged terrorism bowdich is the special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division at the fbi's los angeles office according to authorities, kabir is a naturalized us citizen, who was born in afghanistan and lived in pomona, california deleon is a permanent us resident living in ontario and was born in the philippines santana, a resident of upland, is a lawful permanent resident, born in mexico, who has applied for us citizenship gojali, 21, of riverside, is a us citizen the men face a maximum sentence of 15 years in a federal prison, if convicted kabir entered the us air force on july 20, 2000, and was honorably discharged on december 17, 2001, said spokesman mike dickerson of the us air force personnel center he was an airman first class whose specialty was mobility technician a logistics post and he served at davis monthan air force base in arizona, dickerson said kabir also spent six months in germany before arriving in afghanistan last july, where he was preparing for the others' arrival deleon's attorney, randolph driggs of orange, california, declined to comment tuesday the attorney for santana also declined to comment tuesday the 74 page complaint details evidence collected against the men from online chats with fbi employees, travel documents, extensive contact with an informant, recorded conversations and their active social media accounts kabir, santana and deleon all posted radical jihad content to their facebook page, the court documents allege but kabir's page in particular contained multiple links to and videos by al awlaki, videos depicting mujahideen fighters in afghanistan, improvised explosive devices and suicide bombings 'deleon and santana 'liked' postings on kabir's facebook page as early as may 2011,' according to the court document kabir led santana and deleon to convert and join the taliban, eventually leading to membership in al qaeda, the criminal complaint alleges santana recruited gojali, the fourth man, to join them for the trip abroad to train as terrorists santana tipped off authorities about his militant inclinations when a customs officer at the border with mexico questioned him about the jihad magazine 'inspire' he was carrying into the united states he allegedly engaged in chat conversations with an fbi 'online covert employee' and confirmed his desire to join al qaeda an unnamed 'confidential source' working for the fbi won the trust of santana and deleon, according to the complaint, spent time with them and recorded many of their conversations 'santana and deleon told a confidential sourcethat they planned to travel to afghanistan to engage in 'violent jihad,' the fbi and us attorney statement said their conversations with the confidential source revealed details of their 'travel logistics, including flights, passports and visas' kabir was to meet up with the three others and lead them to the taliban, the court document said santana and deleon allegedly pre trained on a firing range and at a paintball center and took the confidential source along with them deleon told the confidential source he would quit school and withdraw his tuition money to help pay for the trip to afghanistan, the criminal complaint said santana told the confidential source said he would like to drive a truck bomb, if he could do it with a big truck 'just drive it into like the baddest military base,' he said, according to the document 'if i'm gonna do, i'm gonna do that i'm gonna take out a whole base' cnn's irving last, jaqueline hurtado, michael martinez, kyung lah and sonya hamasaki contributed to this report | junglegym coating travelog | no related information |
(cnn) australia's bushfires have such a long and destructive history there's almost no day of the week that hasn't been dubbed 'black' or 'ash' to mark a major conflagration there was black thursday in victoria in 1851, which destroyed five million hectares and claimed 12 lives the first large scale bushfire in the history of white settlement in australia since then there's been red tuesday in 1898 in victoria, which consumed 2,000 buildings, black friday in victoria in 1938 that killed 71 and destroyed 3,700 buildings, and ash wednesday in the early 1980s that left 71 dead in the state of south australia most recently in 2009, black saturday claimed 173 lives in the state of victoria in southern australia many of the victims unable to even get the distance of their own driveways before they succumbed to the intense radiant heat generated by a bushfire many argue that australia's catastrophic bushfires are simply a fact of life on a continent where its flora, heavy with combustible eucalyptus oil, constitute something of a seasonal time bomb others say more sinister man made factors are at work changing climate australia has had a troubled relationship with climate change its confused policies on a controversial carbon tax are credited with felling the labor party at the last election, while the new government controversially disbanded the country's climate commission but scientists say the latest bushfire season may turn up the heat on the climate change skeptics while the jury is still out on whether climate change is making conditions perfect for large scale bushfires, scientists agree that bushfire seasons a regular occurrence on the australian seasonal calendar are getting longer and the fires more intense according to david bowman, professor of forest ecology at the university of tasmania, who has studied bushfires for more than 30 years, bushfire behavior is showing signs of change 'the problem with australia is that the records are pretty shallow, which makes it really difficult to talk conclusively about any of the fire activity but when you piece everything together there's some very convincing evidence aggressive fires 'even the firefighters are reporting really unusual behavior,' said bowman, adding that firefighters are fighting bigger and more aggressive fires 'normally at night and this is borne out by firefighters in the united states the fire will quell as the temperature cools but firefighters are saying that because of the heat, bushfires are burning just as fiercely at night it's all getting pretty worrying' he said duration was also a factor that was changing in bushfire behavior 'it's no big deal to have a fire in october but to have one that has burned like this for more than a week at this level of intensity is unprecedented 'we are now looking at really catastrophic fire weather for october it just doesn't compute' anatomy of a bush fire: how australia's explosive forest fires work a nation built on fire fire has been part of the australian landscape since the dawn of time and its people have used fire as a farming tool for more than 40,000 years one of the earliest colonial watercolors shows an aboriginal man gently setting fire to land that now makes up sydney's most expensive waterside suburb of vaucluse known as fire stick farming, this mosaic of fire management systems not only flushed out game such as kangaroos and possums, it created new growth which in turn attracted more game with indigenous people no longer part of the forest management equation, some scientists argue the fuel load that builds up from australia's notoriously combustible vegetation is now one aspect that needs to be addressed pyrogeography meanwhile, the emerging academic discipline of pyrogeography is looking at bushfires in australia not just as a one off catastrophic event but as part of an interconnected whole where forest fires around the world feed climate change and make conditions ripe for the propagation of even more fires bowman says that deforestation fires alone the fires that have been used to destroy forests since the industrial revolution account for about one fifth of all carbon dioxide committed to the atmosphere 'that's a very significant component in global warming,' he said one thing that is being noticed by scientists is that black carbon from forest fires is landing on ice sheets and accelerating ice melt slippery factors 'these are tricky and slippery factors because there are places where feedback from fires is actually causing cooling, especially in places where the loss of forest has caused the snow to lie for longer leading to regional cooling' vegetation and natural conditions may change dramatically between new south wales, sumatra and california, but one thing these fires all share in common is that they are becoming more regular because the climate is becoming warmer bowman said that vegetation in parts of victoria, which normally completely regenerates over a 50 year cycle, is now being burned as often as three times in the period of one decade the particles from forest fires, he said, actually inhibit rainfall contributing to regional drying and warming, which creates a weather cycle conducive to fires the problem for scientists, he added, was in connecting the dots with these patterns 'it's like trying to find needles in haystacks' | appoggiaturas preprophetic dicolon | no related information |
london (cnn) for the last three years greek society has suffered a prolonged period of economic and political crisis, which has been magnified by unprecedented austerity measures the crisis has caused social destabilization, and dramatically affected the everyday lives of greeks read more: will greek crisis leave banks stronger? such measures have never before been implemented in any european union country, and their political and social consequences have not been effectively calculated or, in many respects, even anticipated modern greece suffered ongoing turbulence during the 20th century, from the balkan wars and conflict with turkey to the nazi occupation, civil war and the military juntas read more: austerity anger drives europe strikes these all caused significant delays in social, political and economic development, and did not allow greek society to form and organize freely after the fall of the last military junta in 1974, democracy in greece was rapidly restored but it was not done so systematically nor thoroughly inevitably, structural dysfunctions formed read more: eu imf feud erupts over greece today, greeks are experiencing a different social reality, characterized by uncertainty, insecurity, distress, disappointment and the inability to map out any form of future for their lives last year i conducted thirty five in depth interviews with greeks aged between 20 to 65, who are still living in the country participants expressed negativity, pessimism and disorientation, particularly regarding the lack of any specific plan to improve their everyday lives read more: greeks vote for more economic pain 'we see our dreams get destroyed, and our hopes for a better future disappear,' said one 27 year old woman, an unemployed doctor their comments reflect the overall reality in greece: unemployment rates have increased continuously, with the overall rate now at 244% for those aged under 24, it's hit 55% read more: the eurozone's reluctant leader everyday life for many people has become more challenging, as crime increases, inflation remains high and redundancies become an everyday occurrence even those who have an income cannot escape, as cuts continue and salaries and pensions are sliced by 40% the monthly basic salary has now dropped from 739 euros in 2009 to 586 euros in 2012 in contrast, the price of essential goods has not dropped, and taxes have continued to rise participants in the study felt cornered and cross as they explained that they were trapped by a government system that was only concerned about maintaining power without offering anything in return read more: euro crisis opens old wounds for greece, germany 'we lived part of our lives in a way we didn't deserve, but the system allowed us to do it,' a 37 year old electrician explained 'they didn't stop us they even encouraged us so if the system works in a certain way you have no option but to follow' greeks are progressively losing their trust in a political system which consists mainly of the parties and politicians who have governed the country during the last 30 years read more: greeks fearful of what will follow us election the elections earlier this year resulted in a coalition government in which the two significantly weakened opposing parties who have governed greece since 1974 joined forces in order to renegotiate financial aid but the most damaging aspect remains how greeks collectively and repeatedly fail to identify any possibility of future improvement as their faith in current government drops instead, they perceive the implementation of austerity measures as an ongoing punishment, even revenge, from the european union which will have no positive result and have no end in sight read more: barroso: europe federation 'unavoidable' 'the situation is tragic, not because of the economy but because of the fact that there is no future,' a 55 year old journalist said 'we have been convinced about that there is no prospect this is killing us' other people explained that the lack of an inspirational politician or party, coupled with the realization that the worst is yet to come, has made them alarmed how they can face each day for many the main priority is how to make a living, not lose their jobs or how to get a job they are grateful if they are still employed, although some note that employment conditions are becoming more exploitative as a 46 year old teacher put it: 'professionally, i don't know if i will have a job tomorrow and, personally, i have no desire to do anything joyful anymore there is so much insecurity about everything' read more: give greece more time, says french pm as greek society experiences unparalleled social, political and economic crises, it is still uncertain what peoples' tolerance levels will be once further austerity measures and their consequences are implemented participants expressed agony about the future of their country, although they have also realized their own part of responsibility in this crisis (even if it was passive) many are mindful of passing on their harmful mindset to their children until there are improvements to everyday lives, the structure of the state or political life, then greeks will continue to feel angry, cross and cornered this has led to the popularity of extremist groups such as the right wing golden dawn this crisis has triggered an unpredictable domino of incalculable social consequences and when and how it will end is still unknown it remains to be seen if other european societies will follow the greek path or if social stability can be restored the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of athanasia chalari | the last three years greek athanasia chalari the 20th century | for the last three years greek society has suffered a prolonged period of economic and political crisis . the crisis has caused social destabilization, sociologist athanasia chalari says . she argues ongoing turbulence during the 20th century caused delays in social, political and economic development |
(cnn) chelsea's poor premier league run continued on sunday as the english champions dropped points for the third match in a row and failed to return to the top of the table the londoners were deposed at the summit after manchester united's 7 1 thrashing of blackburn on saturday, but could have returned on goal difference with victory away to mid table newcastle however, carlo ancelotti's team could only draw 1 1 as salomon kalou earned a point with an equalizer on the stroke of halftime following andy carroll's early opener for newcastle that gave united a two point lead after 15 rounds, leaving chelsea in second place above london rivals arsenal on goal difference berbatov scores five as man utd run riot the match was cleared to go ahead despite the snow that has blanketed the north of britain in the past few days, with newcastle's suspension depleted line up boosted by the presence of veteran former england defender sol campbell for the first time in the league since joining the promoted club in pre season the home team beaten 5 1 by bolton last weekend took the lead in the sixth minute when recent england debutant carroll took advantage of a mistake by brazil defender alex to score his ninth league goal this season alex had a header cleared off the line by jose enrique in the 26th minute, and the equalizer finally came as ivory coast international kalou collected a clever pass from florent malouda and twisted his way into the penalty area before firing in a deflected shot chelsea piled on the pressure in the second half but the closest they came to scoring was when striker didier drogba turned and volleyed in off the post in the 77th minute but it was ruled out for a blatant handball by the ivorian ancelotti said chelsea hope to welcome back england internationals john terry and frank lampard from injuries ahead of next weekend's clash with everton, while ghana midfielder michael essien returns from suspension 'next week for terry and lampard will be an important week, they will start to train with the team we have all week to control their condition and i hope that both, maybe more john terry than lampard, will be able to play against everton,' the italian told the chelsea website 'they are very important, not just as technical players but they have personality, character and at this moment we need this kind of player' tottenham moved into fifth place above bolton with a last gasp 2 1 victory at home to liverpool as aaron lennon scored a stoppage time winner in the later kickoff in the second minute of five added on, the england winger beat liverpool defender paul konchesky to peter crouch's flick on and fired past goalkeeper pepe reina to put the london club within a point of manchester city liverpool remained on 19 points in 10th place, behind newcastle on goal difference roy hodgson's team had the best of the first half and took the lead through martin skrtel in the 42nd minute when the central defender responded quickest after his header hit the back of teammate david ngog ngog conceded a penalty on the hour mark when he handled gareth bale's free kick, but substitute jermain defoe who replace the injured rafael van der vaart early on was wide of the target as the home side missed a fourth spot kick this season five minutes later skrtel put through his own net to give tottenham hope, with the slovakian attempting to deny the lurking crouch the chance to convert luka modric's teasing low cross england striker defoe had the ball in the net in the 89th minute, but was in an offside position before volleying in lennon's header | upcover amphibious tandstickor | no related information |
(cnn) six people, including one minor, were killed sunday in a natural gas explosion at a resort in playa del carmen, mexico, authorities and state media reported another 15 or so were injured, according to the local attorney general's office, with the injured including employees of the hotel and tourists from canada and the united states the us state department said two of those injured were americans one of the canadian victims was a minor, notimex, mexico's state news agency reported earlier, authorities had said that as many as 20 people could have been injured in the blast the explosion was likely caused by a buildup of natural gas that somehow ignited, but the official cause is under investigation, the attorney general's office said police commander arturo guillermo had said earlier that a gas line or stove exploded at the grand riviera princess video from the scene on mexico's east coast showed debris spilled into a grassy area in front of an area covered by thatched roofs where the restaurant presumably sits the explosion happened around 9 am sunday morning in the lobby of the hotel emergency personnel responded and transferred the injured people to an area hospital for treatment 'right now we have personnel on site,' said us state department spokeswoman gini staab the two injured americans were taken to a hospital, she said authorities, including consular agents and a consular officer, were on site at the hotel assisting us citizens staying there, according to staab cnn's nick valencia contributed to this report | canadians americans the state department the grand riviera princess playa del carmen | four canadians were killed . 2 americans were taken to a hospital, the state department says . at least one minor was killed in the explosion . it happened at the grand riviera princess in playa del carmen |
london, england (cnn) the pressure of playing for real madrid is greater than playing for manchester united but cristiano ronaldo says he has settled into life at his new club the portuguese forward's first season in spain since his world record $130 million move from england has been disrupted by injury but ronaldo has thrived on the pitch, scoring 20 goals in 19 appearances 'it's always complicated when you come from a different league, different football, but i feel very comfortable the team play nice and they help me a lot,' ronaldo told cnn but the 25 year old, a former world and european footballer of the year, admitted that the pressure of being a real madrid player was more intense than anything he had experienced at old trafford 'here in spain, the club have more pressure,' he said 'there are many people, more journalists, a lot of pressure' 'but it's not a problem i played six years for manchester and you have to be calm all the time, you have to do what you do, to work and to train hard i don't care about the pressure i've always played with pressure and for me it is another challenge' portugal, who reached the semifinals of the 2006 world cup in germany, struggled to qualify for this year's finals in south africa, beating bosnia and herzegovina in a playoff to book their place could you be a world cup super fan for cnn? ronaldo failed to score in portugal's qualifying campaign and he admitted it had been a difficult year for portugal but he said the team was stronger than its recent form suggested and said he was 'keeping his goals for the world cup' 'this is the moment we have to work and i'm really confident and i look forward to scoring goals at the world cup,' he said | cristiano ronaldo real madrid spain england portuguese world cup ronaldo | cristiano ronaldo says he feels comfortable playing for real madrid . pressure in spain greater than in england, world's most expensive player says . portuguese star says he is saving goals for world cup . ronaldo: 'i've always played with pressure for me it's another challenge' |
(cnn) tension is mounting between north and south korea as artillery shells fly across the border but in guangzhou, china relations between the two nations are far more civilized hours after north korea's attack on the yeonpyeong island, a part of the south, their athletes were sharing a podium at the asian games after receiving their medals in the women's individual archery event, gold medallist yun ok hee, from south korea, stood next to north korea's bronze medallist kwon un sil china's cheng ming took the silver medal korean tension there was a conspicuous lack of tension as the pair stood side by side, received their medals and then shook hands south korea's yun declined to comment on the situation between the two countries when she was asked for a reaction at a news conference after the ceremony but later on she did explain to south korea's yonhap news agency that she and her rival kwon 'have always been on good terms' | north and south korea asian games yun ok hee north korea's kwon un sil | archery medallists from north and south korea share a podium at asian games . yun ok hee from south korea and north korea's kwon un sil shake hands after ceremony |
beijing (cnn) the 'party' is over for one of china's most popular bloggers han han, whose blog has clocked more than 441 million hits in the past five years, announced in his latest post tuesday that he has shut down his literary magazine 'party' after publishing just one issue the 28 year old best selling author of novels and professional race car driver is one of the most recognized faces among chinese youth his provocative online commentaries on current affairs have also earned him the accolade as one of time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2009 han said the first issue of 'party,' launched in july and sold 15 million copies the second issue was due out at end of august 'too many people in relevant departments of the chinese government are capable of turning literary magazines to cultural relics,' he wrote in his usual sarcastic style 'if we ever meet, please tell me what went wrong' at least three things could have gone wrong, according to industry analysts 'in china, the publication, printing and distribution of reading materials require three different sets of licenses and permits,' explained jeremy goldkorn, founder of the popular china media website danweiorg 'so there are three places they can stop you' han revealed in the blog the difficulties he repeatedly encountered during his brief magazine publishing career he ostensibly denied the magazine's premature death was caused by the state's propaganda czars, who have in the past censored his writings online the debut issue of 'party,' which analysts say had to undergo major cuts to secure government approval, featured novels, essays, poems, photos and cartoons from writers and artists across the chinese speaking world, including a serial penned by han 'it got an anti establishment attitude, a kind of rebellious feel to it, but there was nothing explicitly anti government,' goldkorn said the long delay in the second issue may have prepared han's fans for the worst case scenario among the thousands of comments left below his latest post, there is sadness, sympathy but little surprise 'our great motherland can tolerate so much evil but not a magazine,' one reader wrote 'i will hold on to my collector's item (the first issue) and wait for the sun to rise again,' said another reader despite his scathing social commentaries, han is savvy enough to know the limits of what he can and cannot write about he famously posted a pair of empty quotation marks in his blog on the day the norwegian nobel committee announced its decision to award this year's peace prize to an imprisoned chinese dissident as the government blacked out all news coverage on the nobel announcement, han's blog went on to attract more than 13 million views and some 28,000 comments his increasing celebrity at home and abroad, however, seemed to have come short in changing his magazine's fate in the country's tightening media environment 'the structure in place to control the print media is much stricter than that to control the internet,' said goldkorn, the media analyst 'there will be no loosening up until after the next leadership change in 2012' 'the nobel peace prize made everyone in media even less willing to take risks,' he added that dampens the prospect of han resurrecting his 'party' anytime soon, despite the hope of many of his admirers 'i'm not asking or requesting much i just hope that all the people in arts, all the literati, painters, and directors can work in an unregulated and uncensored environment,' han told cnn in an interview last may for now, apparently, he is asking too much | han time goldkorn | the magzine folds after one issue . han was listed in time magazine's list of most influential people . several things may have gone wrong, analysts say . goldkorn: 'there was nothing explicitly anti government' |
Subsets and Splits